10 Questions To Ask If You Want To Move Abroad When You Retire
Retiring to another country requires a lot of research. You must narrow down all the possible locations around the globe to the one that you think will best support your ideal lifestyle.
This involves finding answers to important questions like:
- Is the cost of living in line with my retirement budget?
- Does it have the climate I want to wake up to each day?
- Are there safety concerns?
- How is the quality of healthcare?
- Will I need to learn another language?
- Is there an established expat community?
Once you’ve found the place that seems to check all these boxes, we always advise taking a scouting trip to verify your online investigation and to look for any deal-breakers you might not yet know about.
Too many prospective expats get so caught up in all the external aspects that they forget to evaluate whether they themselves are viable candidates for living in another country in the first place.
Glossing over physical limitations and psychological tendencies can set the stage for a costly mistake. Take the time to get to know yourself by answering these questions with total honesty.
Let’s get physical
- What is your overall level of health and fitness? Whatever the answer, make sure your capabilities match up with your new home. Take into consideration such factors as high altitude, hilly terrain and lack of elevators. If you are physically active, are there facilities like gyms, swimming pools, pickleball courts or running paths that support your chosen activities?
- Do you have health conditions that require regular medical care? Overall, healthcare in major cities abroad is outstanding. Keep in mind, however, that upon arrival you must immediately find a qualified, English-speaking specialist — and remember that you will have no history or relationship with that person.
- Are you taking prescription medications? Although prescription drugs are often much cheaper in other countries than in the U.S., not all of them are universally available. Your scouting trip should include a visit to a local pharmacy to make sure you can get what you need.
- Do you have mobility issues? Cobblestone streets in historic areas quickly lose their charm when you’re trying to navigate them with a wheelchair or walker. Many countries provide little support for individuals with impaired mobility. Uneven curbs and sidewalks, lack of ramps and no elevators for public transportation are common.
- Do you require a special diet or supplements? As with prescription drugs, don’t assume shelves outside the U.S. will offer every ingredient and nutritional supplement under the sun.
- Expat Psychology 101
- How flexible are you? No, we’re not talking about doing splits or touching your toes. Would others characterize you as set in your ways? If the answer is yes, think twice about moving abroad. The unhappiest expats (loudly) ask about the locals, “What’s wrong with them? Why don’t they (fill in the blank)?”
- What is your level of patience? There will be times, actually many times, when your patience is pushed to the limit. A worker leaves in the middle of a repair for some unspecified reason and never comes back. You are at a government office for the umpteenth time trying to get an issue resolved and are told, once again, that only “one more thing” is needed. Can you go with the flow or would you blow a gasket?
- How resourceful are you? Things often don’t go according to plan. Words like “confused,” “unprepared” and even “lost” will become part of your daily vocabulary. Do you mentally shut down when faced with a sudden predicament, or can you quickly pivot to alternative solutions?
- Are you comfortable seeking help from others? There are places in this world for the ruggedly independent, DIY type of mentality. Being a brand-new, deer-in-the-headlights expat in a foreign country is generally not one of them. If you would characterize yourself as shy, get over it. Reaching out to whoever can help you, professionals and strangers alike, will serve you well.
- How do you handle embarrassing situations? You can’t imagine how many times you will inadvertently humiliate yourself because of language or cultural faux pas. Early on, Edd’s weak Spanish skills were on full display when he asked two young female salesclerks for a prostitute instead of a shopping bag! Oops. If something like this happened to you, could you laugh at yourself and try to make the best of it, or would you be mortified?
- Know thyself
- Retiring in another country is a dream for many, but it’s ultimately a gutsy choice that only a few will undertake. Much thought, investigation and planning must precede finally boarding the plane to that exciting new home abroad.
- But even when moving out of the country isn’t in the cards, lots of decisions have to be made regarding retirement, such as whether to retire in place, relocate or downsize.
- Having a frank conversation with yourself to answer the kinds of questions we have posed can improve your chances for success no matter what direction your retirement journey takes you.
Paragraphs by Edd and Cynthia Staton
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