Living it up in the Third World.
Discussion
schmalex said:
98elise said:
What are the visa restrictions for doing something like that?
I'm retiring in 4 years and want to spend the winter months in various hot countries, and possibly even settle somewhere for maybe a decade.
Have a look at Belize. British colony, lots of tax breaks and dirt cheap to live - depending on what your looking for, there are some small rural properties inland around Belmopan, or your typical massive seaside villas full of orange Americans on Caye Caulker and then pretty much everything in betweenI'm retiring in 4 years and want to spend the winter months in various hot countries, and possibly even settle somewhere for maybe a decade.
Belize is a dump, a dangerous dump at that.
It hasn't been a British colony since the mid 70's.
I have lived expat in a third world country for the last 8 years.
Pros:
higher net income
lower outgoings
hot weather
cheap beer
cheap labour so maids, etc are not expensive
a bit wild west, if you like that sort of thing
can save most of my income
private medical / dental is not expensive and better than NHS
kids learn a second language
rainforest - monkeys, parrots, macaws, toucans, crocodiles, etc, etc is ten minutes away
beach, scuba diving, coral reefs, bounty bar islands are just around the corner
PH, skype, tablet newspapers, VPN and BBC iplayer means that the UK does not seem far away
Cons:
don't see as much of aging relatives
can't have a sports car - unless you want to trash it
can't wear nice watch - unless you want to get mugged
tarantulas, snakes and all sorts of creepy-crawlies are common
a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
hot and humid weather
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
poorly trained police with guns
Capital Gains Tax on UK house if I sell it
After 8 years wife and kids are getting a bit fed up with it so we are looking to move back in the next couple of years.
If I were single there would be a whole sub-section on the local singles scene that might be very attractive, but I am not!
Pros:
higher net income
lower outgoings
hot weather
cheap beer
cheap labour so maids, etc are not expensive
a bit wild west, if you like that sort of thing
can save most of my income
private medical / dental is not expensive and better than NHS
kids learn a second language
rainforest - monkeys, parrots, macaws, toucans, crocodiles, etc, etc is ten minutes away
beach, scuba diving, coral reefs, bounty bar islands are just around the corner
PH, skype, tablet newspapers, VPN and BBC iplayer means that the UK does not seem far away
Cons:
don't see as much of aging relatives
can't have a sports car - unless you want to trash it
can't wear nice watch - unless you want to get mugged
tarantulas, snakes and all sorts of creepy-crawlies are common
a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
hot and humid weather
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
poorly trained police with guns
Capital Gains Tax on UK house if I sell it
After 8 years wife and kids are getting a bit fed up with it so we are looking to move back in the next couple of years.
If I were single there would be a whole sub-section on the local singles scene that might be very attractive, but I am not!
Ayahuasca said:
can't wear nice watch - unless you want to get mugged
a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
You live in Manchester?a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
Ayahuasca said:
I have lived expat in a third world country for the last 8 years.
You're somewhere up this way I imagine? I'm currently living off the coast of Ecuador and strongly considering returning after Christmas to make it longer term. I absolutely love the lifestyle up this end of South America. With the utter debacle which is Brexit and plummeting exchange rates it's also very nice to be using USD!
Out of curiousity how is finding work out there? Are 'educated' westerners in demand in 3rd world labour markets or will you need to move out with a job already on the books via an international firm? Do wages for said educated westerners scale with living costs or can you work out there on a close to western wage? I'm going into my final year of uni (mechanical engineering) next year and cant get out of the UK sooner, most of my family have already up and moved over the last couple of years so got relatives all over the place. Always wanted to make a move to SE Asia, Singapore (read: Asia-Lite or as I've heard it coined 'Asia for white people') was my initial target but I'd also consider somewhere else provided the works there.
zarjaz1991 said:
Ayahuasca said:
can't wear nice watch - unless you want to get mugged
a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
You live in Manchester?a bit wild west, if you don't like that sort of thing
local bureaucracy
no work ethic
not many Brits to hang out with
no decent bitter, just lager and over hopped 'craft beers'
bad men with guns
litter and poverty
hang one a sec.... jdw100 said:
98elise said:
What are the visa restrictions for doing something like that?
I'm retiring in 4 years and want to spend the winter months in various hot countries, and possibly even settle somewhere for maybe a decade.
A guy I met, who has lived in Indo for 20 years, told me that there are about 700,000 foreigners living in the country. The overall population is 250m. However the immigration ministry employs over 2m people, so that's just over 2 people looking after every foreigner. I can well believe that!I'm retiring in 4 years and want to spend the winter months in various hot countries, and possibly even settle somewhere for maybe a decade.
You would initially have to leave the country on a regular basis, most people do a run to Singapore or similar. The airport here in Bali (revamped 2 years ago and looking good!) is incredibly well connected. Lots of flights daily to Singers, Honkers, KL, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, China etc etc etc.....
Over time you can get better visas or a working visa. However immigration is tightly controlled, go over your visa for a few weeks and you'll get fined. Do a proper overstay and it's fine, prison and then deportation - you will never be alllowed back in. Stick to the rules and you are fine, break the rules and they will come after you and arrest you!
I'm on a family visa as my wife is Indonesian so I have a permit to stay - also get a nice plastic card that gets me through immigration at the airport quicker.
And before anyone makes any assumptions about us....she was an Operations Manager for a boutique hotel here when I met her. It's her villa (2 double bed rooms, pool etc) that we live in, which she had bought and paid for.....and no I'm not some fat guy that couldn't find a wife back in Europe!
We will probably have an income in the 30-40k range so the possibility of travelling and living well for not much money really appeals
55palfers said:
Perhaps if we did a bit more of that here immigration wouldn't be such an emotive topic.
They make it difficult to stay for any length of time, it restricts foreign investment, people tend to avoid bringing money in, people head off regularly to spend money out of the country, they have a huge amount of staff and bureaucracy, use immigration as a blunt tool to punish people, it restricts people from bringing in skillls or setting up a business.....Yeah, what a great idea!
Shoegrip said:
If you can get your head around just how much the £ has collapsed then there are options.
You don't even have to go third world.
I'm pissed off with myself for not putting a few £000K overseas when I saw the £ was riding on the strength of the UK economic recovery. I told others to do so and didn't myself.
Brexit has put on hold an exit sadly.
Don't let Brexit be an excuse. The GBP was over valued and we've been needing it back down towards fair value for years. We have a current account deficit that is now the largest at any time other than the two world wars as we've been consuming enormous levels of overseas produce. Post Brexit the GBP absolutely has to remain at more sensible values and can't be allowed to run back up to the premium it was below so don't let Brexit be an excuse for not doing something in your life that you may regret later. It's natural to keep finding excuses for not making a big geographic change but the one true gift of being British is that we aren't among the few people on the planet who can risk making such a move as you can return to Britain destitute and riddled with disease and they will help you get back on your feet again. You don't even have to go third world.
I'm pissed off with myself for not putting a few £000K overseas when I saw the £ was riding on the strength of the UK economic recovery. I told others to do so and didn't myself.
Brexit has put on hold an exit sadly.
The two key rules for expatting is firstly to not sell up in the U.K. Rent your house and if your property isn't ideal for renting then trade it for something that is. The first thing you will learn upon arrival about any third world expat community is that you will always find zombies. Brits who sold up in the belief they were leaving for good and now can't afford go back. Most bars in Asia will have a walking dead drinking and poxing themselves to death. Late stage Ines are obviously easy to spot but early developers can be rooted out by the fact they spend most of their time complaining about England because they are trying to repeatedly con themselves that they haven't screwed up.
The second key is to have two commercial skills on arrival. One that allows you to work for Western companies operating out there and the other a white collar skill that is in local demand. That way you have freedom to move and are not at the mercy of either the expat community or any personal income.
And if it all works out and you do not envisage returning then make sure that you are fully conversant in the langauage and culture as you'll be growing old and frail and eventually dying there and if you haven't learnt those native skills by the time your health starts decking then old age can be really quite horrific.
DonkeyApple said:
Don't let Brexit be an excuse. The GBP was over valued and we've been needing it back down towards fair value for years. We have a current account deficit that is now the largest at any time other than the two world wars as we've been consuming enormous levels of overseas produce. Post Brexit the GBP absolutely has to remain at more sensible values and can't be allowed to run back up to the premium it was below so don't let Brexit be an excuse for not doing something in your life that you may regret later. It's natural to keep finding excuses for not making a big geographic change but the one true gift of being British is that we aren't among the few people on the planet who can risk making such a move as you can return to Britain destitute and riddled with disease and they will help you get back on your feet again.
The two key rules for expatting is firstly to not sell up in the U.K. Rent your house and if your property isn't ideal for renting then trade it for something that is. The first thing you will learn upon arrival about any third world expat community is that you will always find zombies. Brits who sold up in the belief they were leaving for good and now can't afford go back. Most bars in Asia will have a walking dead drinking and poxing themselves to death. Late stage Ines are obviously easy to spot but early developers can be rooted out by the fact they spend most of their time complaining about England because they are trying to repeatedly con themselves that they haven't screwed up.
The second key is to have two commercial skills on arrival. One that allows you to work for Western companies operating out there and the other a white collar skill that is in local demand. That way you have freedom to move and are not at the mercy of either the expat community or any personal income.
And if it all works out and you do not envisage returning then make sure that you are fully conversant in the langauage and culture as you'll be growing old and frail and eventually dying there and if you haven't learnt those native skills by the time your health starts decking then old age can be really quite horrific.
Fantastic post The two key rules for expatting is firstly to not sell up in the U.K. Rent your house and if your property isn't ideal for renting then trade it for something that is. The first thing you will learn upon arrival about any third world expat community is that you will always find zombies. Brits who sold up in the belief they were leaving for good and now can't afford go back. Most bars in Asia will have a walking dead drinking and poxing themselves to death. Late stage Ines are obviously easy to spot but early developers can be rooted out by the fact they spend most of their time complaining about England because they are trying to repeatedly con themselves that they haven't screwed up.
The second key is to have two commercial skills on arrival. One that allows you to work for Western companies operating out there and the other a white collar skill that is in local demand. That way you have freedom to move and are not at the mercy of either the expat community or any personal income.
And if it all works out and you do not envisage returning then make sure that you are fully conversant in the langauage and culture as you'll be growing old and frail and eventually dying there and if you haven't learnt those native skills by the time your health starts decking then old age can be really quite horrific.
Warnings, solutions, but no hint of dissuasion.
Ayahuasca said:
I have lived expat in a third world country for the last 8 years......
To be honest, I feel safer in most 3rd world cities than I do in the western 'civilised' ones. Apparently the Philippines is supposed to be one of the most dishonest, dangerous countries to hang out in, but I've not been beaten, stabbed, mugged or attached in the 15 + years I have been here. I've had my pocket picked two times, but only lost some small cash, because carrying an iPhone, wallet, cards and house keys is not advisable when you are going out on an all night bender down the gogo strip.........
My stamping grounds: www.balibago.com
jdw100 said:
Condi said:
Shoegrip said:
It's funny, I suppose it's human nature to make up an image in your mind, filling in details with little more than your own imagination to go off.
As I read this post, I had no image of his wife as saying she's Indonesian could mean anything but I certainly didn't picture JD as a fat bloke who couldn't get a European woman. More like Sean Connery in his Bond days.
Having spent the last 2 weeks in se Asia, I can confirm that a vast number of those with thai brides are indeed fat and ginger and probably wouldn't get a bride in the UK... As I read this post, I had no image of his wife as saying she's Indonesian could mean anything but I certainly didn't picture JD as a fat bloke who couldn't get a European woman. More like Sean Connery in his Bond days.
That's not me, or anyone in our social circle here.
That said a lot of my wife's friends do have western husbands or partners.
All of these ladies are well educated and some own businesses etc. They just don't go for the local guys because many of the local lads are ineffectual, old fashioned in their approach to women, happy with 'small jobs' for low pay, will avoid extra work/training/promotion etc. Plus they are usually quite scrawny in comparison to the westerners, which seems to be a real turn off.
King Herald said:
To be honest, I feel safer in most 3rd world cities than I do in the western 'civilised' ones. Apparently the Philippines is supposed to be one of the most dishonest, dangerous countries to hang out in, but I've not been beaten, stabbed, mugged or attached in the 15 + years I have been here.
I've had my pocket picked two times, but only lost some small cash, because carrying an iPhone, wallet, cards and house keys is not advisable when you are going out on an all night bender down the gogo strip.........
My stamping grounds: www.balibago.com
I'll be there early December, if you fancy a SMB or 6.I've had my pocket picked two times, but only lost some small cash, because carrying an iPhone, wallet, cards and house keys is not advisable when you are going out on an all night bender down the gogo strip.........
My stamping grounds: www.balibago.com
King Herald said:
My stamping grounds: www.balibago.com
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