So two weeks ago I penned the post Retiring to Thailand as an American - What do I need to know??? and at the time I had done some research into the country and was really looking forward to retiring there. However, after doing even more research I have found a few flaws with my plan to retire there.
Geographical Location - Thailand is bordered on the West and North by Burma, the North by Laos and East by Cambodia. All three of which are Communist or Military Dictatorships and are extremely unstable countries.
It would appear I can only get a Visa to live there for 10 or 20 years depending on what type I apply for and how much I am willing to spend to get it. I hope like hell to retire by 50 and live well past 70 so that is a problem.
After talking to others who have either retired to Thailand or know people who have I have heard a common theme....once they find out you are American (they think you are rich) and start price gauging you on everything. By "they" I mean all the stores, shops, markets, etc. you shop at for your food, clothes, etc.
All the larger cities are riddled with crime and as a foreigner the police tend to look the other way if you get robbed or worse.
The cost of automobiles is nearly 3 times what it is in the USA and there are very few American Car Models that are also available in Thailand so importing a vehicle is problematic and very expensive.
My initial plan was to save up until I had $100,000 in my Investment Account and Roth IRA then sell virtually everything I have (that I can't carry on a plane with me) and move to Thailand. After learning more about what I would be getting myself into I am rethinking Thailand.....in fact I have all but given up on the idea of moving Across the Ocean.
I decided to do more research and according to AARP these are the 10 best countries to retire to as an American:
As you can see if you view the full list (6 of them) I could drive to from the USA, although I might have to take a ferry from Panama to Columbia if I choose one of the more southern countries. I have decided that wherever I retire to it will be somewhere I can drive to and register my vehicle when I get there. There are reasons for that decision:
I want to buy (rig up) a Jeep or Pickup truck as an Overlanding/Offroad Vehicle that I can then pull a Camper (also rigged up for Overlanding/Offroading behind. That way I have somewhere to live wherever I end up.
Bringing my own home and vehicle with me would be much cheaper than paying rent, utilities, etc. especially if I have descent water/sewer storage and adequate wind/solar power so that I do not have to PLUG IN (pay for RV Parks).
If I don't like where I retire to, want a change or scenery or other factors arise that make the place I am at loose it's appeal (war, conflict, taxes, etc.) I can freaking move on a moments notice, even to another country.
So now I have the daunting task of picking which country in the America's I want to retire to. I actually considered building my Vehicle and Camper (as mentioned above) and just staying in the USA and living on Free Public Lands like those owned by The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Public Parks that allow camping. But there are a few problems with that idea as well:
They are almost all rural with little to no cellphone coverage, internet access, nearby stores or medical facilities, etc.
They all have time limits on how long you can stay, usually 2 weeks or less.....so I would be constantly moving from one place to another.....I like the idea of moving around during my retirement but I want it to be MY CHOICE not because I was forced to do so.
Maintaining my Driver License, Vehicle Registrations, Tags, Insurance when I am in a different place every few weeks would be a major pain in the freaking ass and more expensive than if I was in a Central American or South American country.
In fact the only place in the USA (that I can drive to) that might be feasible to retire to is Alaska. However, if I chose Alaska I would have to FFL Transfer my pistols to a Gun Broker/Dealer in Alaska before driving up (Canada has a stupid 5 round rule that makes every pistol I own or would like to own ILLEGAL in that country). I would also have to buy some land that is close enough to a major city I could get AT&T Cellphone service/Internet Access at my property and be able to either have enough land to Hunt/Fish/Garden on or have access to Public Lands nearby that I could Hunt/Fish on as the cost of Fruits/Vegetables/Meats in Alaska is ridiculous. Considering I have never in my life been hunting and I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call myself a "fisherman" there would be a steep learning curve and a lot of canned/dried foods for a while if I choose Alaska. Which leads me back to Central or South America.
Mexico
Cost of living in any city with low crime, good health care, good cellphone/internet service, etc. is as much or more than most US cities due to the fact that they are all full of tourists.
Living outside of a city comes with little to no cellphone/internet service, high probably of being robbed or worse and little to no access to stores, restaurants, medical care, etc.
Panama
Fairly low crime rates in the major cities
Reasonable cost of living, food prices, fairly reliable cellphone/internet service and access to descent healthcare.
Slightly unstable and unreliable Government!
Living/traveling outside of the major cities is sketchy as there are lots of unsavory types looking for people to take advantage of.
Ecuador
Reasonable cost of living, low crime rates, descent healthcare and cellphone/internet service (at least in larger cities)!
Fairly stable government and is bordered by Columbia and Peru which also have fairly stable governments.
On the Pacific Ocean with lots of uninhabited coast line, Andes Mountains, Amazon Rain Forest, many ancient sites/ruins and a metric fuckton of things to see and do if you are adventurous or like to explore.
A rather long and arduous drive that would require ferrying my vehicle/camper from Panama to Columbia.
Costa Rica
Reasonable cost of living if you are outside a major city (in one of the smaller cities/towns)
Access to both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Descent healthcare even in more rural towns
Reasonably safe and stable country (as long as you don't piss off the locals)
A whole lot of Ex-Pats and even most of the locals speak English.
Columbia and Nicaragua
Too unstable for my tastes and neither really offer anything that appeals to me!
Then there are other places that are not on AARP's list like:
Belize
Mostly english speaking country!
Large communities of Ex-Pats
Stable country with low taxes and cost of living!
Access to the Atlantic Ocean with lots of uninhabited ocean front lands!
Descent healthcare system even in more rural towns!
Descent cellphone/internet service in larger towns/cities!
A good mixture of European, Spanish, Portuguese, Aztec and Mayan foods and cultures!
Relatively easy drive from/to anywhere in North America or Central America!
Bordered by Mexico and Guatemala with Honduras being close by, all of which are relatively stable with little to no recent history of cross-border issues!
Foreigners and Ex-Pats are treated like Belizeans when it comes to obtaining FREE HEALTHCARE at the Polyclinics (Urgent Care Centers) and you can own land with NO SPECIAL PERMITS or FEES (as of 2001). Property is relatively inexpensive, even ocean front property can buy bought for under $40,000 USD.
The more I research the more convinced that Belize is where I need to be. There is a very high number of Ex-Pats from the USA, Canada and Great Britain in Belize. Lots of Ex-Pat owned business' and property as well.
Make sure you follow me on Youtube @ VenusPCS!
There are a couple steemians who have relocated to Panama; @choogirl moved there from Australia, and recently @globocop moved there from Europe. From what I've heard, it seems to be a good place to go, including opportunities to concealed carry, but if you're wanting to live rural, it may not be the best fit for you.
Not really wanting to live rural, just as cheap as possible.....Belize is really looking like the best option. They have FREE HEALTHCARE, cheap property, and now have the best Cellphone and Internet Service in all of Central America......all though it ain't cheap!
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by VenusPCS (The Colbert Report) from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
I'm starting to think about where I want to retire to as well. Vietnam is at the top of the list, but I'm afraid I'll never learn to speak Vietnamese. Shit, I was in Germany for 8 years and can't speak German. I'm terrible with languages.
My Spanish sucks, but I'm pretty sure I can get fluent. I'm thinking I'll likely end up south of the US. Belize sounds pretty awesome, I've never been.
Have you considered starting your retirement by putting your stuff in storage and traveling for a year or two to check places out? If you stay out of Europe, you can live really well for cheaper than staying at home.
Yes I have considered it, which is why I want to buy/build my Jeep/Truck and Camper for Off-Roading and Overlanding before I retire....just in case I start down there and find somewhere else I like or get there and don't like it and move somewhere else.....If everything I own is with me in my vehicle, including my home then traveling/moving is easy!