Retirement destinations

[lukylok]

You really need to think twice before retiring to Thailand.
First spend 6 months here, to lose your rose tinted glasses before burning your boats.
Life here is not the bed of roses dreamed by tourists.

The visa will be a big problem. Border runs are being squeezed out.
If your pension would be enough to start with, inflation will eat it away.
And if you meet a tough period, do you have enough to meet extra bills ?
Go and visit state hospitals to see what you can expect. It's a far cry from the sleek private ones.

Thailand is not kind to penniless expats.

[bobsaigon2]

What a thread! As many correct responses as there are responders. Each of us has different needs and different financial, physical and psychological factors to consider. I’ll offer my thoughts based on hindsight and a life-long string of ill considered decisions.

Would I choose to retire in SE Asia if I would not or could not make sex a primary factor in my life? No thanks. I moved to Thailand/Vietnam solely to have access to young Asian sex partners. My business income supported that decision. If I had been on a more limited budget, I might have made decisions based on an enhanced clarity of thought rather than just libido.

My lungs are not going to support trans-Pacific flights or living on my own in the US, especially not in the sub-freezing temperatures in locations near my sisters. So I will remain here with varying degrees of dislike or discomfort regarding the climate and local society.

If my health permitted, I would move to a country where I would not need to make regular trips to the pharmacy to buy anti-fungal creams, to a country where I would not need air-conditioning to breathe comfortably, to a country where I would feel comfortable with the culture and world view of the local population. Maybe some place like the Republic of Ireland !

Trying to live in SE Asia on the State pensions quoted in this thread would , it seems to me, require the adherence to some of the teachings of Economeister Christian. But who wants to spend their last ten or twenty years worrying about the cost of running an air conditioner, or health care, or the cost of drinks or cigarettes or occasional sex? Tenerife sounds like a much better choice, assuming the EU free medical care system is still in place there. And it is much closer to Ireland.

This may be irrelevant, but I am reminded of The Lotus Eater by Somerset Maugham, about the retiree who went to live on Capri, having calculated that he had enough savings to last him x number of years and after that, if he were still alive… OK, your pension rights are not going to terminate before you die, but trying to exist on an income level that would limit your enjoyment of the offerings of your chosen retirement locality does not sound attractive.

Proximity to family: There is no substitute for that. I would dearly love to join my sisters for their annual summer reunions and Thanksgiving dinners. But to be honest, for me the attraction of these gatherings begins to wane after a few days and I’m sure it’s the same for them as they need to address the concerns of their daily lives. And I think that if I did live near them, they would feel obliged to provide assistance that I might need when in fact they are also in the over-70 age bracket. Thus, it would create a burden for them.

As Smiles says, forget about the visa runs. Limit now is 2 land border crossings per year ? Maybe different regs for international flights ?

Joe, can you envision your daily life in Pattaya as a long term resident? Try to evoke those images several times a day, or as you’re trying to get to sleep at night. And do the same for Tenerife.

If I had it to do all over again, I would try to be only a moderate smoker and drinker, I would try to be more realistic about just how easily I could or could not enjoy life outside of my own country and culture, I would try to make more reasonable, rational decisions about living alone or with a partner. But as I said, it’s all hindsight. I might have been chronically miserable if I had not lived my life as I did.

My retirement recommendation for you Joe would be some place like Tenerife or, with very little effort, a continued residence in Dublin 7, ROI.

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SG - Current Vietnam labor law is aimed at not allowing any foreigners to work at jobs that can be done by Vietnamese, so 2 year work permissions are given only to foreign experts, managers, company directors, etc.

[latintopxxx]

bobsaigon...I dont have to even leave the city I live in..let alone the country to have access to cheap young guys...there are 2 universities and multiple english language institutes... and a flood of asians and south american students..most on limited budgets..I have a spare bedroom and a business (I dont actually work there., its managed) that employs casual part time labour...I place an add on Craigslist titled " sugar daddy looking for houseboy..free board & lodging" and I'll have 20 hits by the end of the day....sometimes I wonder if Im completely mad going to all the trouble of travelling to thailand when I have young supple bodies on tap...

[a447]

If you are a little short on funds it's probably best to either just stay home or stay close to home.

If you go and live in Thailand on a limited budget, you'll be in deep trouble should you ever get sick.

And how would you be able to afford to travel back home to meet the family every now and then? You'd probably find yourself stuck in Thailand with no means of escape. You may never get to see them again.

One of the best things about visiting a poor country, as opposed to moving there permanently, is that you can leave at any time.

Stick to Tenerife. At least Ireland is within swimming distance if you need to return home!

Great topic, btw.

[colmx]

I love any post where one is promped to "eat gruel" in order for one's measly monthly pension to make do.

Really? Free for a foreigner? Are you sure?

As alluded by Bobsaigon earlier, there is a cross EU health scheme which entitles EU citizens to public healthcare when in another EU country:

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/EHIC/

Not sure if it extends to expats... Although I guess with no visas required.... You could always claim you are on a long holiday!

Although not sure if I would trust Spanish health services, hear way to many stories of holidaying Irish having to get a crooked limb broken and reset after being "set" in Spain!

[pennyboy]

I retired many years ago and at that time my plan was to move permanently to Thailand and bought a condo. However after some time I realised that was not for me and now I split my time about 50/50 between Thailand and UK. I spend most of the UK winter months in Thailand and if I get bored in the UK I book a flight and have another break in Thailand. I am fortunate that I don't have to rely on State Pension as my main source of income is a more than adequate Company pension.

[Smiles]

Colmx ... that might work for the original retirement visa (i.e. the 'O-A' visa outside Thailand or the 'O' 12 month visa from within Thailand) but what about Extensions thereafter? The Extension(s) will still need proof of income each year, and Joe simply ain't got it.
Not trying to be negative, but that's the reality.


Oops ... what happened to Colmx's visa ideas? Apparently I replied to a ghost!

PS but ... thanks Comx regarding the EU standards regarding universal health care within EU. I was not aware of that.

[scottish-guy]

..SG - Current Vietnam labor law is aimed at not allowing any foreigners to work at jobs that can be done by Vietnamese, so 2 year work permissions are given only to foreign experts, managers, company directors, etc.

Yes Bob but I'm all of the above - as you'd expect!!!

My understanding is that you can work for a reasonable period of time (I think several months) without any permit - provided you have the appropriate Visa. That way you can get a taste for whether it's for you or not.

My BF's aunt who speaks fluent English owns 2 hotels, a music venue, a restaurant, and a Spa - all employing many, many people - so she's one savvy woman and has offered to guide me through the processes of obtaining both a Residency Visa and a Work Permit. I'm confident I could live and work there if I decided to.

I am not at all confident that I could live and work legally in Thailand without being ripped off by unscrupulous lawyers amongst others.

[bobsaigon2]

If Joe were to save 1,000,000 THB over the next five years, he might be able to arrange a retirement visa in Thailand, BUT if his budget is limited, what happens, as a447 points out, if he needs expensive or extensive medical care in Thailand and cannot physically make the trip back to Ireland to be treated by the NHS?

Expat medical insurance for people over 60? Not cheap and probably not affordable for anyone on a limited budget.

At my age and with pre-existing medical conditions, I cannot get any type of health insurance. I can afford the out of pocket costs here in Vietnam but if I had prolonged issues of great complexity, I would have to go back to Medicare in the US. The only way I could make the trip would be by medivac, at a cost of 25 - 50K USD.

[Oliver]

I cannot offer any words of advice to Bob and can only express my sadness that things have turned out like this.