Best Places In The World To Retire

There is a whole bunch of waterfalls in the mountains behind Chapala and Ajijic so you could go and walk up to those. On weekends some families go up there and have picnics by the waterfalls, which can be fun. Lake Chapala is which is about 50 miles by 10 miles.

 

Across the water is Michoacán, the famous monarch butterflies are there. You could also go to the lava fields near the volcano of Colima, which is in the next state over but you can see if...

There is a whole bunch of waterfalls in the mountains behind Chapala and Ajijic so you could go and walk up to those. On weekends some families go up there and have picnics by the waterfalls, which can be fun. Lake Chapala is which is about 50 miles by 10 miles.

 

Across the water is Michoacán, the famous monarch butterflies are there. You could also go to the lava fields near the volcano of Colima, which is in the next state over but you can see if from Chapala on a clear day.

 

Mexico is a bit of a “grab all”. If you go to San Miguel de Allende, which is a several-hour drive away, it’s a desert, and a high plateau. There are botanical gardens there that you can visit and get all your desert plants. You could also drive for about 5 hours and go to the beaches in Puerto Vallarta.

 

(Volcán de Colima, Colima, Mexico, pictured.)

Making a list of the worst places to retire is a different process than listing the best places because the best are all about you. We can think about this by looking at people's jobs, for example.  One guy is an artist, and the other is a lawyer. Each could say that their job is the best job for them. They're not going to be able to interchange jobs very easily, for the most part. That's why picking a country is so intertwined with your personality, your goals, and your...

Making a list of the worst places to retire is a different process than listing the best places because the best are all about you. We can think about this by looking at people's jobs, for example.  One guy is an artist, and the other is a lawyer. Each could say that their job is the best job for them. They're not going to be able to interchange jobs very easily, for the most part. That's why picking a country is so intertwined with your personality, your goals, and your budget.

 

The country I put on my list as one of the worst places to retire is Russia because it's expensive to live there, it's cold, and they a lot of laws and rules. Legislation could change and everybody would have to leave. Lately, there are a lot of Russians who want to leave their country and go somewhere else for a better cost of living and a better climate. 

 

Other worst places to retire would include be anywhere that is prohibitively expensive, really cold or otherwise have a bad climate, a drought like some places in Africa, somewhere where it's going to be uncomfortable and also places that are not safe. There are a few places that are probably obvious that you wouldn't want to go, which would include anywhere where there's a war, or there's terrorist or militants or is politically unstable. Those would not be ideal places to settle down. These would include a lot countries in Africa or the Middle East. For example, I've never been to the UAE but I'm always reading articles about foreigners getting arrested for doing things like posting a photo on Facebook or doing something that we normally classify as nothing to be concerned about. I would personally not want to go to a place where I would be afraid that by living my daily life I would somehow break one of their laws. I wouldn't want to go to a place where there is a lot of oppression of women, for example.

 

I would think like you're pretty good choosing almost anywhere in the Americas, but you're going to want to stay away from the places with the highest crime rate, such as Honduras and Guatemala. I know people love Guatemala. There are so many beautiful things about it but it's not the safest place to go compared to the other options that you have. In Mexico, for example, there's a clear division of cities that are safer to go to than others.

 

You want to consider the cost of living, the climate, and safety. You should probably be more cautious in choosing most of the countries in the Middle East, many of the countries in Africa and probably not countries like Honduras that have a high murder rate.  Try to avoid places like that. For the most part, anywhere else is going to be okay as long as it's set within your criteria for your ideal life and your budget.  

 

(With the Poker Stars on the Isle of Man, Kristen Wilson travels the world, pictured.)

If you’re retired or a senior citizen, the cost to go to the movies in Portugal is €4 (about $4.20 / £2.80). If you are not a retired person, it would cost you €5 (about $5.30 / £3.50). 

 

Sometimes we have concerts here directly from the Royal Opera or from the ballet for €10 (about $10.60 / £7.00), whereas in England you’d pay £45 (around $64 / €68.) for it. 

 

...

If you’re retired or a senior citizen, the cost to go to the movies in Portugal is €4 (about $4.20 / £2.80). If you are not a retired person, it would cost you €5 (about $5.30 / £3.50). 

 

Sometimes we have concerts here directly from the Royal Opera or from the ballet for €10 (about $10.60 / £7.00), whereas in England you’d pay £45 (around $64 / €68.) for it. 

 

We’re very fortunate because the language of the film will always stay in the language of the country of origin, and they’ll have titles. So all the movies for English-speakers, whether they are from the States or from England are all in English with subtitles. The same is true for all the movies on television as well.  

 

(The movie poster for Lisbon, starring Ray Milland in 1956, pictured.)