Retirement location

Hi,

It seems to me that where ever you go and when ever, you'll drop one set of problems and pick up another.

Friends who have moved abroad tell me that one of the unexpected problems is trying to explain in a foreign language something to a dentist halfway through the treatment. Then there's not being able to buy regular food like decent/proper cheese in France, beer in the USA or mint imperials anywhere and so on. Plus your income goes up and down with the exchange rate.

Also, when things break that you can normally repair, try explaining in a foreign language exactly what minor part you need to repair the cistern or shower. I had to do this once for my in-laws, it was fun, fun, fun. Then there's what passes for drains in rural France...

Regards, David
 
Platinum RF said:
You may disappear in thin air when you get in or get out. Also not the safest place to live.
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Obviously you have not been to Malaysia for an extended vacation.

I have repeatedly visited Malaysia...one of the safest, friendliest places I have visited. Much more so than quite a few places being mentioned in this thread.
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

It seems to me that where ever you go and when ever, you'll drop one set of problems and pick up another.

Friends who have moved abroad tell me that one of the unexpected problems is trying to explain in a foreign language something to a dentist halfway through the treatment. Then there's not being able to buy regular food like decent/proper cheese in France, beer in the USA or mint imperials anywhere and so on. Plus your income goes up and down with the exchange rate.

Also, when things break that you can normally repair, try explaining in a foreign language exactly what minor part you need to repair the cistern or shower. I had to do this once for my in-laws, it was fun, fun, fun. Then there's what passes for drains in rural France...

Regards, David
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All sounds familiar, but -
My dentist is Roumanian and speaks good French & English.
Most french supermarkets do at least now stock Cheddar cheese.
I have found a suitable French substitute for mint imperials!
The law was tightened up a few years back and French drains are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. When our fosse pump died I was easily able to source a replacement online and soon had it fitted.
We are still having trouble with a hooting noise from the toilet cistern though..... 🙂
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

It seems to me that where ever you go and when ever, you'll drop one set of problems and pick up another.

Friends who have moved abroad tell me that one of the unexpected problems is trying to explain in a foreign language something to a dentist halfway through the treatment. Then there's not being able to buy regular food like decent/proper cheese in France, beer in the USA or mint imperials anywhere and so on. Plus your income goes up and down with the exchange rate.

Also, when things break that you can normally repair, try explaining in a foreign language exactly what minor part you need to repair the cistern or shower. I had to do this once for my in-laws, it was fun, fun, fun. Then there's what passes for drains in rural France...

Regards, David
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Dear David,

Oh, come on. This is a common but indefensible plaint from the English. Even if you like Cheddar, Cheshire and Wensleydale (all middle-ranking cheeses in my estimate) there are at least half a dozen French hard cheeses that are at least as good, and if you like good cheese, there really aren't very many in the UK -- though fortunately there are more than there used to be, such as a superb Cornish hard goat cheese I tried a while back.

Language? Yes, to some extent. I'm generally OK except with computers -- but I can't normally communicate effectively with alleged English speakers on that topic either.

Drains? Fair enough. Half a cup of bleach a day in warm weather because there's no trap.

You are of course absolutely right that nowhere is perfect, but having lived for several years at a time in the UK, Bermuda, the USA, Malta and France, and a total of several months in India, it's very much a case of the old Spanish proverb, "Take what you want, and pay for it, saieth the Lord." I wouldn't want to move back to the UK.

One of the many reasons I prefer France is that the Leatherman tool I carry every day is classified in the UK as an offensive weapon, because the blade locks. In other words, they're perfectly happy that thousands of law-abiding citizens should risk cutting themselves with blades that fold at the wrong time, because the gutter press gets exercised by "knife crime". Then there's taking pictures in public, especially within 100 yards of children. Both minor examples, but demonstrating a stupid and unpleasant mind-set.

Cheers,

R.
 
David Hughes said:
It seems to me that where ever you go and when ever, you'll drop one set of problems and pick up another...
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sure true, but there is a big difference: old problems are annoying only while news one present themselves as challenges that will make you feel more alive and powerful in case you can tackle them

I thought the complaint about cheese must be joking, French and Italian cheeses are as good as it gets.
and 'disappearing in thin air' if going in our out of Malaysia shouldn't be taken serious, I believe it must be a ( bit tasteless ) reference to the disappeared Malaysian airliner.
 
Must you settle somewhere and buy a house? Why not stay mobile and have an RV? Gas can be expensive, sure, but you can get a solid RV for little money these days.

No one really mentioned Florida. Miami's a wonderful city. The real estate is absolutely insane due to South Americans feeding the bubble. But the city has a lot of art and culture and is close to the Florida Keys. If you like scuba diving or fishing it's a great place. I happen to love both so it's great for me.

I've got family there and I love them dearly. But there's something that keeps me in NYC. I don't think I'll ever move.
 
Frank Home is where your heart is. Born, raised, educated and worked all my life in the Midwest , I "retired" to the Midwest. Winters are bit of touch and go but the weather can be sorted out and made liveable - wood stoves help. Living where the local scene is well understood enables a different level of photography. Choose wisely
 
rodgersfoto said:
Frank Home is where your heart is. Born, raised, educated and worked all my life in the Midwest , I "retired" to the Midwest. Winters are bit of touch and go but the weather can be sorted out and made liveable - wood stoves help. Living where the local scene is well understood enables a different level of photography. Choose wisely
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Born Cornwall. Raised England, Malta & Bermuda (father in Royal Navy). Lived in England, California, France. "Home" is Cornwall, sure, but a house there costs 3-5x as much as a comparable house here in France and the place is full of English incomers and second home owners (who force up house prices). Also, it's a hell of a long way from anywhere else, with the Channel in the way.

Although I can see how I missed out by not being brought up in one place, I think that people who have only ever lived in one place also miss out, but often don't understand how or why. My wife was born in Rochester NY; couldn't wait to get out; moved to California at 18; and in 1983 married me, living in Bristol 5 years, California 5, South-East UK 10, France the last 13. The only other place we've considered instead of France is India, with Malta as a very poor third.

Yes, home is where the heart is. And you can choose where you call home.

Cheers,

R.
 
JChrome said:
Must you settle somewhere and buy a house? Why not stay mobile and have an RV? Gas can be expensive, sure, but you can get a solid RV for little money these days. . .
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Thought about it -- but when you start looking at the details, it's not so attractive, at least for my wife and me. Her brother and his wife actually do it, and so far, their accounts of the experience (10 years or so) have not led us to change our opinion. Actually they also own a house in Mexico, but they spend most of their time travelling.

Cheers,

R.
 
A further argument for France: today's brunch. My wife and I split a bottle of Freixenet Cava (4.50€ on sale at Super U, call it £3.50 or $4). I had half a dozen Marennes No. 1 oysters (well, 7, because he always throws in one spare) at 4€/£3/$4.50 and she had some smoked trout and cream cheese, which are harder to cost because she ate only part of both packets, but probably cost less than my oysters. We shared some of the best bread for miles around, 0.90€ for a loaf of "Tradition" and some local butter.

Cheers,

R.
 
Expatriates will not decide where to live and where to invest on the basis of the cost of a seafood lunch. Why not provide a simple overview of current taxation rules vis-a-vis foreigners choosing to take-up long-term residence in France.
 
Peter Wijninga said:
Expatriates will not decide where to live and where to invest on the basis of the cost of a seafood lunch. Why not provide a simple overview of current taxation rules vis-a-vis foreigners choosing to take-up long-term residence in France.
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Dear Peter,

First sentence: some will. Or at least, they'll take it into account.

Second sentence: because I'm not a po-faced misery-guts accountant with a masochistic desire to go into unnecessary detail about the French tax code. Others are much better at that than I, and devote entire businesses to it.

Cheers,

R.
 
US food, a start:
Minnesota walleye (aka Shore Lunch, fried)
Crappie too
Carr Valley cheddar and others (Wisconsin)
Boudin sourdough bread (San Francisco and around)
b. patisserie kouign-amann (San Francisco)
Racine Danish Kringle pastry (Wisconsin)
 
Roger and others- not here to rant and/or be unpleasant. Offered my choice -perhaps not yours. Yes, I have spent time elsewhere. New Mexico, California, Canada, Upstate NewYork, and France and England to name a few. Note the word time not the word home. For me, understanding comes with a slow, careful reflection over a period of time. The Midwest works for me, others will select differently.
 
because I'm not a po-faced misery-guts accountant with a masochistic desire to go into unnecessary detail about the French tax code
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R. In that case, your role in propagating France as an interesting retirement location on the basis of the cost of seafood produce is noted. With many thanks for your insights, Sincerely, P.
 
rodgersfoto said:
Roger and others- not here to rant and/or be unpleasant. Offered my choice -perhaps not yours. Yes, I have spent time elsewhere. New Mexico, California, Canada, Upstate NewYork, and France and England to name a few. Note the word time not the word home. For me, understanding comes with a slow, careful reflection over a period of time. The Midwest works for me, others will select differently.
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Sorry, I didn't mean to be combative. My point was simply that I don't have a "home" in the sense that you do, and that there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. I can't really understand what it would have been like to spend all my life in one area, but equally, I suspect that you can't really understand what it is like to feel less constrained by a sense of "home".

Cheers,

R.
 
Peter Wijninga said:
R. In that case, your role in propagating France as an interesting retirement location on the basis of the cost of seafood produce is noted. With many thanks for your insights, Sincerely, P.
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Dear Peter,

At the very least, my small, cheerful insight on brunch is worth infinitely more than your miserable pointless whining.

Cheers,

R.
 
What I commented on France as a retirement destination is this: "France used to be an attractive destination but real estate prices in a number of regions are very high now and the tax situation is continuously changing". You calling that 'miserable pointless whining', with references to the cost of a seafood platter in whatever hamlet you happen to live is beside the point. Love and Kisses, P.
 
San diago or San Francisco if you can afford it. Expensive and now there are water problems.

New Mexico. Avoid places with state sales and income tax. Delaware, Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee come to mind. Tenn has mild winters.

Avoid places where the government is dumping illegal immigrants. You will end up paying for their education and health care , housing, & food. We no longer require sponsors. US citizens are the group sponsors. If you are a big liberal, just ignore this paragraph.

You may not like Canadian winters, but it seems to be better run than most countries currently are. Europe is a mess. Iran is working into South America. Central is a big drug problem. Also consider where Canadian health care can be used.

Maybe buy a better parka!!
 
Texas

Texas

Have not seen Texas much except for Austin. I love the SW and Texas is a bit more attractive then NM (no state income tax). But I am 3 miles from the NM/Texas border, two hours from Cloudcroft, and four from ABQ.

El Paso is cheap to live (10% below national average) and according to FBI crime statistics, it is the safest large city in the US. And we tend to vote Democrat if that makes a difference. And we are at 4000 msl which means cooler then Tuscon or Phoenix.
 
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