Retiring abroad Attractions & Activities - The Best Holiday Destinations for 2020
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This article is a travel topic.
It is moderately common for people to retire in countries other than their home. There are two main reasons. One is climate; people from colder places flock to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the South Seas, while others choose a dry desert climate because that is easier on asthmatic lungs or arthritic joints. The other major reason is saving money; a pension that is just a pittance in a relatively wealthy country may be enough to live well in a lower-income country, and a substantial pension or a few good investments might let you live in luxury. In particular, lower health care costs may be an issue; see medical tourism.
There are various other reasons as well. Some might retire abroad out of an urge to see the world, perhaps using Bariloche as a base for roaming around South America, Penang for Asia, or Barcelona for Europe. Others might choose a retirement spot to suit their interests ? perhaps Queensland for the diving, Austria for the skiing, or Peru for the Inca archeology. Still others might choose to retire abroad as a way of keeping active in their later years, perhaps learning a new language, exploring a region, or taking up a new hobby.
There are also many people who have emigrated but return to their original country to retire. In Chinese, they are called "sea turtles", after a species that swims long distances to lay eggs on the beach where it hatched. These people may have the best of both worlds. Consider, for example, a Chinese retiring in China after many years in the UK. Unlike other visitors, he will have no trouble with visas or the language and probably not much difficulty adapting to the culture. Unlike other Chinese, though, he will have a British pension, which will typically be larger than a Chinese one. He may also have a British passport, in which case travel outside China will be much easier.
This article covers moving abroad to retire. There are other ways to manage retirement, not covered here:
Some retired people maintain two homes, perhaps spending summers near family and friends and winters somewhere warmer, while others live mostly in their home country but travel a lot in winter. Seasonal migration works for birds; why not for people? It is also possible for retirees to live in a mobile home or on a boat; this lets you see more places and also gives you the option of migrating with the seasons. With enough money, it is possible to retire as a passenger on cruise ships, coming ashore only occasionally to change ships or to visit friends and family.
It is also fairly common for people who are not actually retired to live abroad. Arguably, this makes for a more interesting life and it can certainly save money. One way to do this is to work abroad, but it also works well for people who live off investments or who earn money elsewhere, for example by running an Internet business or doing really long-range telecommuting. The classic example is Arthur C Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, among other things), living in Sri Lanka while collecting book and film royalties in hard currency.
The book The Four-Hour Work Week and its associated website introduce "lifestyle design" techniques, including the notion of taking a series of "mini-retirements" spread out through a career rather than waiting for one big retirement late in life.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Retiring abroad
