Top 5 Retirement Destinations 2016

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Here's a list for top 5 retirement destinations for 2016 from the Findependence Hub website. One of many floating around I'm sure.

In a nutshell, they are:
Malta - Great weather and English speaking
Portugal - Low cost of living, pleasant climate, and good healthcare
Spain - Big expat community, low crime, and lots to see
Philippines - Low cost of living. *Special note about the kidnappings in the south though.
Thailand - Cheap prices, great food, interesting culture/temples.

 

[brett]

We have not been to the Philippines yet but have spent a fair amount of time in the others. We are still looking.....for a five to six month place to hang our hats and avoid the cold weather. Apart from the infrastructure and stats this is such a personal decision. We have spent a good part of the last three winters in Thailand. Beautiful country but it is such a long plane ride for us to get there. Europe and Central America are much closer for us.

 

[Olbidness]

I checked out Panama recently and it's a no go. Not enough to do. I was mainly going for cheaper living and to attend a Spanish language school. The locals weren't all that friendly and I didn't find it much, if any , cheaper. I think going there to learn Spanish would be like going to Arkansas to learn English. I'm gong to be looking at Spain next.



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[MichaelB]

I checked out Panama recently and it's a no go. Not enough to do. I was mainly going for cheaper living and to attend a Spanish language school. The locals weren't all that friendly and I didn't find it much, if any , cheaper. I think going there to learn Spanish would be like going to Arkansas to learn English. I'm gong to be looking at Spain next.

They do speak English in Arkansas, not sure why that would be an issue. Just so you are aware, they do not speak Spanish everywhere in Spain - in the northeast many prefer Catalan.

 

[Olbidness]

Easy, easy just having fun. My dad was from there and is buried there. Lots of family there too.


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[YVRRocketSurgery]

They do speak English in Arkansas, not sure why that would be an issue. Just so you are aware, they do not speak Spanish everywhere in Spain - in the northeast many prefer Catalan.

When we arrived in Barcelona and headed to a tapas bar for late evening bites, we were confused that we couldn't pick up any Spanish being spoken. We tried to order in broken Spanish and they obliged but it finally dawned on us that it was Catalan people were speaking.

 

[gerntz]

Malta would be pretty confining. 5X smaller than Oahu, 10X smaller than Long Island. It's nioce with things to do, but I think would get old quick. Can see Spain & Portugal. I'll take US. Can hear/talk Spanish any time of day.

 

[gerntz]

BTW, if I'm going to retire somewhere, why would it be only for 2016? I'd think it would be a 3-10 year idea, maybe longer.

 

[Bamaman]

So much of Europe is under the Schengen Agreement, including Malta. Americans without visas can only stay in the EU countries 3 months out of 6 months. And visas are very difficult to get unless you're a college student.

We were in Malta last month, and it was quite a place. It's just a little too small for me, however. I'd love to live on the south side of the Austrian Alps in Lienz, Austria, but 90 days is the max one could stay at a time.

 

[catii]

Thailand & the Philippines are in the tropics, so if you doin't like hot, often sticky, weather, you should probably look elsewhere. Spain & Portugal are great places to visit, but I couldn't see living there, although I'm fluent in Spanish. Nice, slow lifestyles, but maybe a bit too much so. I would probably remember more about Portugal if our hotel hadn't been right next door to a Port distillery....

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I was raised during a few of my early years in Malta, (Mama was Maltese English). It was OK. But it is a Rock, a relatively small rock at that. OK for Beaches and fishing though. The local water tasted pretty Odd too. Property is expensive now and it is a little too near the restless zones of the Middle East and North Africa.

 

[kramer]

They do speak English in Arkansas, not sure why that would be an issue. Just so you are aware, they do not speak Spanish everywhere in Spain - in the northeast many prefer Catalan.

Yeah, I am not sure, but I would say the dominant Spanish dialect now is Mexican. Mexico has more than twice as many Spanish speakers as any other country. Followed by Colombia and then Spain. I have not been to Panama, but I would guess their Spanish is mostly like Mexican Spanish.

 

[MichaelB]

Yeah, I am not sure, but I would say the dominant Spanish dialect now is Mexican. Mexico has more than twice as many Spanish speakers as any other country. Followed by Colombia and then Spain. I have not been to Panama, but I would guess their Spanish is mostly like Mexican Spanish.

Hey Kramer, good to see you. Good point about the differences in Spanish, most people going to learn don't appreciate that. Thy think it's like difference regions in the U.S. when it is more like differences in English around the world - US, Australia, Scotland, Jamaica, England. Mexico is by far the biggest, but I'd say the most neutral, and widely understood, is Colombia.

 

[Olbidness]

Mexico would be a good pick as the cost of living is low, proximity to the US is good. I'd be a little concerned with the security. Lots of US expats there now so the reports may be overblown.
I've been to the border towns many years ago but never the interior. I'm going to try to schedule a trip next month, mainly to see Chichen Itza and Tulum. I'll see if it's a good fit for my goals.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

... I think going there to learn Spanish would be like going to Arkansas to learn English. I'm gong to be looking at Spain next.

Is "gong" an Arkansas term?

 

[Olbidness]

Is "gong" an Arkansas term?

You won't have to look too hard for my spelling errors. Lots of opportunities.��


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[John Galt III]

Interesting about the Spanish language thing. I learned Spanish in the U.S. Apparently I learned Mexican Spanish because I could be understood by Mexicans in the U.S. but the Spanish waiter in Barcelona could not understand me. I had to point to the menu. Also, when backpacking around Europe, a Spaniard I met, who spoke fairly fluent English, told me my pronunciation Spanish was horrible.

 

[Meadbh]

Interesting about the Spanish language thing. I learned Spanish in the U.S. Apparently I learned Mexican Spanish because I could be understood by Mexicans in the U.S. but the Spanish waiter in Barcelona could not understand me. I had to point to the menu. Also, when backpacking around Europe, a Spaniard I met, who spoke fairly fluent English, told me my pronunciation Spanish was horrible.

I learnt French in Europe. When I went to France with some French Canadians, the French people could understand my French better than theirs.

 

[kcowan]

I learnt French in Europe. When I went to France with some French Canadians, the French people could understand my French better than theirs.

When I was posted to France with the air force, my buddy from Montreal and I both spoke French and had the same experience.