Retiring abroad difficulties · Difficulties in Retiring abroad
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Difficulties in Retiring abroad
Difficulties in Retiring abroad
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ? James MichenerSettling down in an exotic foreign country is definitely not for everyone; there are many things to consider. For some, moving abroad was the best thing they ever did, while for others it was a complete disaster.
Culture shock can be a major problem. Exotic places and people can be fascinating, but they can also be most irritatingly foreign. Doing some exploration before moving in helps, but there may still be cases of "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." For most people, it will be more sensible to take things slowly, rather than diving straight into a partly unknown culture. For example, instead of selling your home to move abroad, you might rent it out while you discover how a new country suits you. If all goes well, then a few years later you can sell the place back home; if not, you can return home or explore other destinations.
Being too far from friends and family is the single largest reason for people who have retired abroad to give it up and return home. In particular, some people find being thousands of miles from their grandchildren very difficult.
When choosing a destination, consider the cost and convenience of travel in both directions. An Englishman in Spain or an American in Mexico, for example, can easily get home now and then and might reasonably invite friends and family to visit. In Pago Pago, both will be more difficult. Note, however, that long distances are not necessarily prohibitive; anywhere with good airline connections may be okay. For example, an American in Paris or a European in Thailand is a long way from home, but many flights are available and some are quite cheap. See our articles on discount airlines and the "get in" sections of country articles for details.
Language can be a problem. In particular, tonal languages such as Chinese and Thai are often difficult for Westerners. Others languages, especially European languages, may be less difficult for an English speaker, but acquiring any language requires significant effort. Often, there are language schools available, see language tourism. There are popular retirement destinations where English is the main language, such as Bermuda and Belize. In others, such as Malaysia, Malta, Gibraltar or the Philippines, English is widely spoken but there are also other languages which you may need to learn. See also our talk article.
Also consider any local difficulties with transportation or services. Remote or less developed areas may be cheap and interesting, but roads can be awful, electricity unreliable or available only a few hours a day, and Internet or telephone service problematic. Also, few people in such areas speak English. Having no hospital within easy reach is risky at any age, and this becomes more important after retirement age. Most retirees seek some sort of balance, modern enough to have reasonable services but still exotic and interesting.
Many people choose a major city or a "tourist town" as their destination; these areas tend to have good services, and the language problem is often less pressing there. Often there is enough of a foreigners' community that you can have a reasonable social life within it. However, such areas are usually relatively expensive and may be less interesting, noisier, more polluted, or more crime-ridden than other areas. Also, some of the tourist towns attract people of a particular type; for a particular place it might be any budget level from backpacker to jet set, and any interest from surfing to sex tourism. A retiree may feel rather out of place in a town full of such people; in the worst case, he or she might find the tourists thoroughly obnoxious. This is one more thing to check when considering locations.
Finally, of course, there are an assortment of risks from tropical diseases to earthquakes and typhoons, through to crime, corrupt governments, and political unrest. These can generally be avoided, or at least managed, but it takes quite a bit of research, exploration and planning.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Retiring abroad
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Retiring abroad - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Retiring abroad hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Retiring abroad Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
