Starting again. Were in the world?

[peterperkins]

OK Let's assume you are single male no dependants or ties, have some cash say 100k and an income say 2k month.

You want to travel/perhaps leave the UK for good/ start again elsewhere.

Where do you go to get the best value out of your assets and possibly settle down.

Ideas for locations/trips welcomed. Those with experience please chime in...

[RobDickinson]

I started again in New Zealand.

Not single, some assets.

Its certainly not the biggest change from the UK you can have ( I've lived in Spain before and travelled a fair bit). But its a great mix of living standard, language, climate and society for me.

[a311]

Canada probably. English speaking, great if you enjoy the outdoors and skiing. BC isn't that long of a flight due the flight path back to the UK. It's very North American which can be a good or a bad thing based on your perspective.

Love South Africa but don't think I could live there.

[nitrodave]

Would probably Wellington in New Zealand. Was there a few months back whilst travelling for a few months and it was one of very very places I could see myself living.

If you want an idealistic life I'd head straight to Moorea in French Polynesia. Absolute paradise on earth and so far detached from the rest of the worlds troubles and politics.

[944fan]

a311 said:

Canada probably. English speaking, great if you enjoy the outdoors and skiing. BC isn't that long of a flight due the flight path back to the UK. It's very North American which can be a good or a bad thing based on your perspective.

Love South Africa but don't think I could live there.

I have never actually been to Canada but always thought if I moved abroad it would be here. Just looks great. Seem to get a ton of house for your money, great scenery, proper weather (nice hot summers, fk tonne of snow). Seems like all the good parts of the USA without the ste.

[ffc]

a311 said:

Canada probably. English speaking, great if you enjoy the outdoors and skiing. BC isn't that long of a flight due the flight path back to the UK. It's very North American which can be a good or a bad thing based on your perspective.

Love South Africa but don't think I could live there.

I love Canada but if you aren't on the coast the climate swings are much greater than they are here. The issue with the coast is expense, Vancouver housing costs a fortune.

[Some Gump]

Do you want to have a career?

If not, Thailand. A mental and wonderful place in equal amounts.

[paulmakin]

that was almost exactly me a few years back, i didn't have the monthly income though. i had long visited the west indies as a tourist and i settled on my longtime favourite island. i used the capital to fund my apartment and a share in a local business i had patronised for years. the remainder lasted me for over a decade when combined with a local salary. at that point i needed to return to UK for various financial reasons associated with my pension but mainly issues around elderly, ailing parents etc which needed my attention.

that's my retirement sorted and i'll be back permanently within the year.

i have now realised that i missed the investment boat in Panama but the decision to not buy the small guest house on Maragrita was a good move ! it's easy to live and work in the Dom Rep (on a non-status investor permit) but the business opportunities don't suit my life-plan.

i will again be in a similar position when i put my papers in. i will always have my life in TnT and will spend the bulk of the year on island. given my lifestyle choices though i will also consider belize, some of the less dangerous (ie touristy) areas in honduras, guatamala etc. for the rest of the year

i never got on with africa but the pound still goes a long way in the gambia, senegal etc. the far east is always value for money but the monsoon patterns mean it's not for me long term.

i do wonder about St Helena - i expect that they will get that airport to function somehow (last i heard they were considering levelling a mountain or two to reduce the most dangerous wind-shear) so might be a good time to get in.

from a personal perspective i'd suggest that you establish what it is that you "need" as opposed to what you "want". i do not have a glamorous lifestyle (although, from "another's" perspective, maybe i do?) but my place is comfortable, i always have "walking round" money, the larder is always stocked, there's always gas in the truck and the boats, the beers always cold etc etc. although i am a business proprietor and the business makes money, i am not a "rich" man. in my own head i am clear that i have bought a lifestyle with my (almost) £100k, not a money spinning investment. but, that lifestyle does give me what i need in order to be content.

paul

Edited by paulmakin on Friday 1st July 22:33

[ewenm]

I'd be heading for the mountains. Probably somewhere in the Alps as I speak French. £100k would be a good deposit on a flat, possibly in Chamonix or similar for easy access to Geneva airport and the motorway network.

Work out what you enjoy doing and the environment you enjoy living in. Then find places that meet that criteria.

[mikees]

To make this more interesting how about £1m, plus 20k income. Then where and why?

[ewenm]

mikees said:

To make this more interesting how about £1m, plus 20k income. Then where and why?

I'd still be in the Alps, but buying a big chalet in the Chamonix valley and hosting mountain running training camps in the summer and skiing in the winter.
For me, it's not about the absolute sums of money, it's about being somewhere you WANT to be, doing something you WANT to do. Whether that's on a shoestring budget or a luxury budget is irrelevant.

[paulmakin]

yep ^^. wouldn't change my plan. maybe a new truck and it'd certainly speed up the refurb on the big boat but i reckon i have what i need already

much philanthropy and general good works if i had that kind of income

paul

[smithyithy]

mikees said:

To make this more interesting how about £1m, plus 20k income. Then where and why?

Canada or maybe Northeast USA

Edited by smithyithy on Tuesday 5th July 09:13

[Thankyou4calling]

944fan said:

I have never actually been to Canada but always thought if I moved abroad it would be here. Just looks great. Seem to get a ton of house for your money, great scenery, proper weather (nice hot summers, fk tonne of snow). Seems like all the good parts of the USA without the ste.

Canada is an ENORMOUS country.

You can certainly get a lot of house for your money but it might not be anywhere near where you want to be.

There also aren't many, if any places with nice hot summers and a tonne of snow.

In Vancouver you can get a decent summer, very similar to here and there is skiing within an hour but it can be very expensive to live there. A food shop will cost you a lot more than in the UK and housing isn't cheap.

I've a brother who lives in Thailand, works as a teacher and has a decent lifestyle albeit modest.

[smithyithy]

Places like Vancouver are apparently extremely expensive. Maybe not London / NYC money, but sq.ft is still very high.

But it's a big enough country that space can be found, and really, how much house do you need when you can have this on your doorstep?

[Thankyou4calling]

smithyithy said:

Places like Vancouver are apparently extremely expensive. Maybe not London / NYC money, but sq.ft is still very high.

But it's a big enough country that space can be found, and really, how much house do you need when you can have this on your doorstep?

Is that "On your doorstep" from Vancouver?

[smithyithy]

That's in Calgary, I just Googled that because it's one I've seen often.

[RobDickinson]

This is literally my doorstep.. Well deck..