Lessons About Moving Abroad

A disclaimer: I’m a capital G Gringo. I’ve been practicing my English skills for many years, and I’m proud to say that I have my native language down pretty well. In other words, I ain’t no expert in español, so keep that in mind.
 

Now that it’s over, I can tell you about it.

 

So far, on our road trip through Mexico, we have rented six vacation houses that did work out (pictured here) and two that haven't (not pictured here). From those experiences, there are lessons to be learned.

 

The first rental gone bad was in San Miguel de Allende.  Here are the facts, with parenthetical commentary.

One of the great advantages of traveling, or better yet, living in a different country, is to see how others live their lives. If we are open to it, we can gain perspective and insight, not only into the human condition in general, but more pointedly, into our own condition.

 

I'll give you an example.
 

While on a road trip for Best Places in the World to Retire, we have traveled by car thousands of miles through Mexico, from the California border in...

Since my last post I had to return to Australia to sort out finances and final arrangements, after 13 months in Chiang Rai. 

 

Lesson 1- When you are fully committed to a permanent move, settle all that stuff well in advance of departure date; I left  behind a property which in retrospect had become a burden. I should have sold up before leaving, since the ensuing  sale was close to being a nightmare of new rules and bureaucracy. Banks & settlement...

He nailed it- though one need not be an economist or financial 'expert' to see the blindingly obvious. 

 

Free market principles are unfeasible in practice. Adam Smith in the 1770's made the [then] reasonable assumption that resources were inexhaustible but with the Industrial revolution and a world of 7 billion consumers, we realised this is no longer true. So the free market is a myth and increasingly outside interference has become unavoidable. The...

Are you still entitled to consider yourself an American if you choose to live abroad?

 

As Vice President of Business Development for Best Places in the World to Retire, I have been told by many people living abroad that they have been told (let’s say, by their sister-in-law, Betty) that, because of their decision to live abroad, they were no longer “American”.  A month and a half ago, my wife and I crossed over the US – Mexico border into Mexico and...

After a year of retirement in Turkey and 6 months back in Australia, I decided on Thailand and have been here 11 months. My one-year 'Retirement Visa' is up for extension in a month and is a straightforward process [HA!!]
 
Bangkok was dreadful, the "Concrete City" of choking traffic and humid heat. No thanks. Next was Chiang Mai, a smaller Bangkok. No thanks.  A friend from OZ has lived in Chiang Rai in the extreme north of the country, for 12 years so the next and last...

Several articles have been written through the years regarding the different issues when considering moving to a different country, especially as a retirement option.

 

(One of the many eateries in Panamá to enjoy refreshing fruit smoothies with friends, pictured.)

 

One of the most important things to consider when making the decision to move abroad is your emotional state.  Sometimes you could be devastated to leave behind what you have...