House & Home Where to settle in retirement?

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016.

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  1. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    Is there anyone else out there struggling with where to settle down? If you didn't or don't need to be based anywhere in particular where would you go? Would love to hear from any lurkers who've made a move and changed life around for the better (or not).
     
    ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016
    #1
  2. Lacrim

    Lacrim Well-Known Member

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    I'm not qualified to answer this ellejay bc I haven't retired yet but my 2 cents if its worth anything...

    In Australia - Byron Bay, Noosa, Jindabyne if you like the snow and being off the grid

    Overseas - Spain, Portugal, Bali, Thailand, NZ, Hawaii, Key islands off Florida, French/Italian countryside....so many options.

    Personally, I'd probably go to Bali but saddled with kids so its 20 yrs away.
     
    Lacrim, 10th Aug, 2016
    #2
  3. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    So glad you answered because you have some locations there we swap between daily. In Australia we have Jindabyne or Beechworth (ish) for long, hot summers by the pool and spring skiing but also Mission Beach or Cairns maybe for unsettled June and July. There's always well paid casual work around too if boredom sets in or to pay for luxuries.

    Aus is so spread out though, takes forever to get anywhere. Overseas has more compact countries. You can swim in the ocean and ski (snow) in the same day without huge driving. Sounds like you're only young. 20 years gives you time to work it out :)
     
    ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016
    #3
  4. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

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    Couldn't think of anywhere worse than Bali or other 3rd world parts of Asia.

    By the beach in Adelaide would suit my lifestyle -. Slow pace, cafes, fresh air, exercise, sleep ins.

    Hasn't really given much thought to anywhere else.
     
    D.T., 10th Aug, 2016
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  5. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    Agree, have never been to Bali but visited similar. Hard to make friends when you're the 'rich' person and stand out like a sore thumb. Adelaide is beautiful. Now, if I could just lose the snow loving hubby...
     
    ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016
    #5
  6. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    I could easily live in Medellin. I loved my three months there. The climate is in a very comfortable range all year round, there's lots to do and it's really cheap to live. But my wife doesn't like big cities.

    It depends on what you want. I thrive on being somewhere different, and learning new things. Other people don't ever want to get out of their comfort zone.

    Of course, there's also a lot of places in the world I wouldn't live. But many more where I would.

    There is a magazine/newsletter called International Living, and its Australian counterpart, International Living Australia. They try to flog you a lot of stuff, but there's some great insights into living in other parts of the world.
     
    geoffw, 10th Aug, 2016
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  7. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    EJ, i feel for your +1. I have just been eying off a small industrial property in Bright. A little holding income, low entry price, close to Wang/Albury.
     
    Scott No Mates, 10th Aug, 2016
    #7
  8. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    What? Interested in saying more? :)
     
    ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016
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  9. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    I'm with your wife I'm afraid, I wouldn't like any big city but big city south america :eek:
     
    ellejay, 10th Aug, 2016
    #9
  10. Phase2

    Phase2 Well-Known Member

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    Andorra. Still a low tax country, mountains for skiing and hiking, spain and portugal for beaches, wine, tapas, and custard tarts... and close to france and the rest of europe for everything else. I don't think that obtaining residency is too difficult either.

    I was about to semi-retire here in my 20s.. but then I met my now wife, have family etc.. no early retirement for me... unless.. hang on..

    "Honey!? Want to go to Southern Europe for a holiday!?"
    she said yes.. Step 1 complete.
    :)
     
    Phase2, 11th Aug, 2016
    #10
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  11. Phase2

    Phase2 Well-Known Member

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    hmm looks like Andorra have upped their investment cost to 350k euros to be a fiscal resident.. i wonder if I can get a 'work' visa as a ski instructor?
     
    Phase2, 11th Aug, 2016
    #11
  12. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like it might be easiest to pick one spot... then get your pilots licence! That way you can get around easier. Forget the caravan and just fly! :) i am serious too. look into it
     
    bob shovel, 11th Aug, 2016
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  13. sanj

    sanj Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I'd struggle to be far from family personally. Someone considering Asia but wanting the infrastructure they're used to should consider penang btw.

    Georgetown is blossoming into an awesome city, always has been in its own way bUT now offers a fair bit more while retaining all of its soul which is often rare in South East Asian cities with enough infrastructure and a good enough economy.

    Good schools, hospitals, cheap, no language barrier, safer than kl, great place.
     
    sanj, 11th Aug, 2016
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  14. sanj

    sanj Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I've only ever heard amazing thing about modellin from anyone who has been there in the last 3 or 4 years, why would it be a bad idea in your eyes?

    Keep in mind Geoff and his wife speak Spanish.
     
    sanj, 11th Aug, 2016
    #14
  15. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    I know, I reckon it would be amazing for Geoff, but it's a city. Sounds like I'm a bit like his missus, I like visiting cities but wouldn't want to live in one. Plus I don't speak Spanish which would be the final nail in the coffin.
     
    ellejay, 11th Aug, 2016
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  16. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    Lol, that's not a bad idea. That would save a few first world problems for me except I'd probably accidently kill myself and everyone else anywhere near the plane. :)
     
    ellejay, 11th Aug, 2016
    #16
  17. sanj

    sanj Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Fair enough, all depends on what the individual is looking for i guess. I could never live rural or even in far suburbs of a quietish city
     
    sanj, 11th Aug, 2016
    #17
  18. radson

    radson Well-Known Member

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    radson, 11th Aug, 2016
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  19. ellejay

    ellejay Well-Known Member

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    Some very nice choices there! I was thinking about people who move to poorer countries/areas where they can afford a nicer house/land etc and find themselves looking extremely wealthy compared to the general population around them. I'm thinking people who move to remote villages in rural Hungary or such like or even parts of South Africa. Not saying it's not a good idea and it may work out very well.
     
    ellejay, 11th Aug, 2016
    #19
  20. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    It sounds like you don't have a great view of South America anyway. That's a pity. It's a great unknown place for many people in Australia, and it has some wonderfully attractive places to visit or even to live.

    While I spent a lot of time in Medellin, there's a lot of places around this large continent which can be very attractive places to live. I'm not fond of tropical humidity, but there's a lot of places in the tropics which have an altitude which gives a comfortable climate and evenness of climate. If you like wildlife, Costa Rica is a wonderful place. Monteverde for instance is a small place, high up and in the middle of tropical rainforest with lots of wildlife. It is one area where previously cultivated land has been let to regenerate- a ten year long project to replace farming income with eco tourism.

    Boquete in Panama is a lovely place, in the highlands; it's a town with a large expatriate population which makes it much easier to find some comforts of home. It's an hour's drive to David on the coast, where there's big shopping malls. Panama has some very attractive visas for self funded retirees.

    I haven't been to Ecuador, but Cotacachi, with a population of 9,000, has a large expat population and a comfortable climate.

    But given that you have a dog, you're possibly unlikely to be looking at anywhere outside Australia anyway.
     
    geoffw, 11th Aug, 2016
    #20
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