General

Discover potential retirement destinations that offer serene havens, vibrant cultures, affordable living, and picturesque landscapes—interested in learning more? Feel free to ask any questions!

63 Topics 145 Posts
  • Rachel Rogers Design Your Travel Filled Life

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    Hello there! Thailand is very friendly to all races. I've seen an increase in the number of black Americans living here during the past few years, especially couples. The Philippines is also quite open and friendly with many retired military members from all races choosing the island nation as their new home. When it comes to openness and diversity, Southeast Asia is hard to beat.

  • Living in Istanbul

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  • 55 and ready to quit the rat race

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    Hi Laura, My name is David Hammond. I moved from the U.S. to Uruguay 19 years ago when I was 46. I had a good net worth, but did not have a regular passive income. I learned that Uruguay and many other countries in Latin America won't consider a residency applicant's net worth--only their monthly income.

    However, the regular income does not need to be social security or a pension. In several countries, it can be any form of regular monthly income. What many do (and what I did) is to invest their savings so that it produces a monthly income that can be used as proof of monthly income, such as rent income, dividends, etc.

    If that doesn't make sense for you, here are a couple of other strategies to consider:

    I've met many people who got a job teaching English in order to move abroad. It provides you with a visa to live in a country without a passive monthly income. It will enable you to earn some money and also to develop a social circle right off the bat. From what I understand, you can get a TEFL certificate at an online school in a matter of months. And in many places native English speakers are in demand.

    I've also met several expats who enjoy a roaming life abroad--without needing a foreign residency. In many countries one can stay as a tourist for 90 days. And for a small fee extend one's stay for another 90 days--for a total of 180 days. People who do this might stay in one country for 5.5 months, another for 5.5 months, and then travel for a month.

    Good luck to you!

  • Prescriptions

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    Hi - you have a couple of options here. When we travel, I sometimes ask my doctor to write the 'script for six months rather than three. The downside is that sometimes means only the first three months are covered by health insurance, and I pay the regular price for the other three. The other option, in many countries you don't need a prescription for most drugs, unlesss they are opiate-based or other psycotropic drugs. What I do is look for a website for a major pharmacy in my target country. For example, in Mexico "Farmacias del Ahorro" is a major chain. Their website https://www.fahorro.com has a search field at the top. Search for your medication(s) there to see if it is available and whaat it costs. I searched for "metformin" for diabetes, and found 60 500mg tablets for 167MXN, or about $8.20 USD. One last tip - if you don't find the brand name, try the generic name.