I’ve been getting a lot of emails, comments and Facebook posts about my MSN column, “Retire overseas on $1,200 a month.” Lots of people are clearly intrigued by the idea of living better for less in a foreign country.
But some folks are posing questions that I’m in no position to answer. I’m not, after all, an expert on expat living–I’m happily ensconced in California, where I plan to stay. So I can’t tell you how efficient the bus system is in Thailand or how to find a housekeeper in Ecuador. And I’m sure not a real estate agent, even though one woman wanted me to send her pictures of apartments in Cuenca so she could see if they were up to her standards.
There are ways to find answers to your questions, of course. There are many Web sites devoted to expatriate living, both in general and in specific countries. Two places to start are LiveandInvestOverseas.com and International Living. To find country-specific communities, type the country name and the word “expat” into a search engine.
You may need to do a lot of searching, poking around, reading and asking questions. If you can’t do that, or you’re easily frustrated when you don’t get immediate results, expat life is probably not for you. In the U.S. we’re used to convenience–what we want, when we want it. That may not be as true in other countries, even developed ones. (My friends from England frequently comment about how easy life is here, compared to home; the U.S. in general is set up to serve the consumer–toll-free customer service lines being the great exception.)
As Kathleen Peddicord puts it in her book, “How to Retire Overseas,” “Making a success of a new life overseas requires energy, commitment and a positive attitude.” I’d add that it also requires curiosity, flexibility and a certain level of tolerance for frustration. If you haven’t got the chops, you’re probably better off staying home.
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