Moving abroad

[Pink Floyd]

No I am not talking about moving a broad. For some 10 years I have been tossing around the idea of moving to Costa Rica because of something a Panamanian friend advised me then. I just wonder how many have either lived in another country or are considering such a move. I have 2 years before I qualify for a 2nd retirement so I have plenty of time to do research, and Costa Rica may no longer be the best retirement destination.

[Ebauche]

Originally Posted by FlectiNonFrangi

No I am not talking about moving a broad. For some 10 years I have been tossing around the idea of moving to Costa Rica because of something a Panamanian friend advised me then. I just wonder how many have either lived in another country or are considering such a move. I have 2 years before I qualify for a 2nd retirement so I have plenty of time to do research, and Costa Rica may no longer be the best retirement destination.

Yes.

And yes.

Love LBFMs. Considering SE Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines) but need to reconnoiter Central America....

[vman757]

Try Angeles city in the Phillippines, Cheap beers, Cheap accomodation, food, services and of course spinners.

[JohnMacnab]

Namibia's West coast looks like the place I might wind up in a couple of years.

[acp5762]

Originally Posted by FlectiNonFrangi

No I am not talking about moving a broad. For some 10 years I have been tossing around the idea of moving to Costa Rica because of something a Panamanian friend advised me then. I just wonder how many have either lived in another country or are considering such a move. I have 2 years before I qualify for a 2nd retirement so I have plenty of time to do research, and Costa Rica may no longer be the best retirement destination.

I came across a Forbes Mag article once on the ten best places to retire overseas. Places like Panama, Malasia, Austia, Ireland, spain even Canada were on their list. If I was to move outside the U.S. I certainly would pick a Beach locale.

[Misawahawk]

Costa Rica would be a nice place to spend the winter, but, I think living there year round would get old quick. There are bars on all the windows. It's pretty much certain you will get robbed at some point in time. That's just the cost of doing business there. Lots of friendly chicas though. I also don't think that Costa Rica is that much cheaper than the US. I've talked to an ex pat there that leveled out a big hill and built a house 7-8 miles from the ocean. Cost? $500k. That's a lot of money considering he has to leave the country every 90 days and the government could decide to stop unlimited visas and he would be screwed..

[Mercenary]

Thailand, Philippines are much much cheaper.

[niceguy]

Originally Posted by FlectiNonFrangi

No I am not talking about moving a broad. For some 10 years I have been tossing around the idea of moving to Costa Rica because of something a Panamanian friend advised me then. I just wonder how many have either lived in another country or are considering such a move. I have 2 years before I qualify for a 2nd retirement so I have plenty of time to do research, and Costa Rica may no longer be the best retirement destination.

To FNF

What I am going to say here is not really meant to discourage you, but just give you a few additional things to think about.

I have lived out of the USA a few years back 5 1/2 years in Germany.

My company had sales offices there dealing with American Military.

My original intention was a 3 month working vacation, but the money was so good I ended up staying for 5 1/2 years.

I might also mention I have visited over 100 countries so do have some knowledge about other cultures.

What I am saying here is not directed toward Costa Rica, but just living outside the US in general in any other country.

If you are truly serious about this the first order of business should be to contact their embassies or consulate here and get all the legalities of this.

Don’t just depend on the web sites that are promoting this. In most cases they are just trying to make a buck off you and may or may not steer you in the right direction.

I doubt I would choose to live in another country again, and I certainly would not if I was not fluent in the language. I found there was much I missed about the US.

Just the day to day laws in some countries will drive one up the wall.

You must get legal permission to live there or your life could turn into a nightmare.

The red tape of living in Germany was mind boggling and I had to hire an attorney just to get the legalities sorted out to stay there.

At that time you could come into the country as a tourist for 3 months, but anything more than that required the legalities to be met.

As far as getting your pensions I doubt that would be a problem, but one you would need to be absolutely sure of first. I had one man working for me that was getting his US social security with no problem whatsoever.

Your health insurance could also be an issue. I was not covered under the German health plans even though I had legal status, but luckily for me my company has an international plan that covered me anywhere. I did have to pay German income tax, although a certain amount was credited against my US tax burden. If you are a US citizen you are subject to US tax no matter where you live, but as I mentioned above much or maybe all you pay in local taxes might be credited against your US obligation. It is possible your pensions could be taxed in these countries as well. Something more to investigate.

It is true that in many parts of the world female companionship is very easy to find and in general less expensive than here. Sometimes the quality is just as good and sometimes it is not.

Now it is true Latina woman are some of God’s special creatures. I met a lady that moved here from Peru on Adult Friend Finder, and I have been seeing her more or less once a month for over 10 years. It would be more often if it were not the fact that she lives 140 miles away. This has been some of the best loving of my life. This is not really a commercial situation though, although I help her out a little from time to time and usually take a gift of some nature. (This is not a formal relationship in any way though).

When I first met her she spoke almost no English, and my Spanish is limited in the extreme, but right from the start it did not matter at all. Right from the first kiss it was total GFE with little words needed. The first gift I ever gave her was a Spanish/English dictionary. She got good enough in English that she was able to pass the test for US citizenship on the first try. Needless to say she has a very good brain as well.

The reason I mention this little story above is to convey the idea is if you should move to Costa Rica and find the right lady you very well could have paradise on earth. The key is to just always treat them like a princess.

[DragonTongue]

I know of a few who have lived in Mexico, Venezuela (pre Chavez), Honduras (Roatan, not mainland), Dominican Republic, and Cayman Islands... In all, the "in" destination seems to change every few years. Once it becomes popular (Honduras, for example), the real estate will triple or quadruple in value / cost. Roatan is experiencing this currently. I've heard whispers that Nicaragua is the next up and coming destination, but I have not done the research in it.

I am several years form considering moving south, but I believe my first choice would be a large investment in a good sailboat, and move my home where the wind blows! I've been to St Thomas, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Mexico (both coasts), Jamaica, and Roatan... Every one of those would be potential spots, but the differences in costs are astounding. As a retiree, I would want to investigate the medical care as well.