Where would you move abroad as a senior with love of birds in gardens & warm climate? (1 Viewer)

[KBT48104]

Greetings fellow bird lovers!
I'm so pleased to find this forum. It happened through a Google search - which matched my question for the title to this post with a similar question in a 13 year old post from this forum. There were wonderful answers to that post - but the world is so different now - especially with more concerns about climate change.

I would love to relocate to a warmer climate where I could enjoy birds in my garden and on hikes throughout the year. I enjoy speaking Spanish and French, so have prospectively visited Panama and Costa Rica. Both countries are wonderful - the wildlife and the tropics are exceptional but I have concerns about seasonal flooding and safety for single older women like me.

So, with my priorities for safety, very good medical care, a warm climate in an area not tending towards climate disasters, and natural beauty in the environment (especially birds in gardens and on hikes), I wonder what your advice would be now? Your replies will be much appreciated!

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you get some good ideas.

 

[PYRTLE]

Greetings fellow bird lovers!
I'm so pleased to find this forum. It happened through a Google search - which matched my question for the title to this post with a similar question in a 13 year old post from this forum. There were wonderful answers to that post - but the world is so different now - especially with more concerns about climate change.

I would love to relocate to a warmer climate where I could enjoy birds in my garden and on hikes throughout the year. I enjoy speaking Spanish and French, so have prospectively visited Panama and Costa Rica. Both countries are wonderful - the wildlife and the tropics are exceptional but I have concerns about seasonal flooding and safety for single older women like me.

So, with my priorities for safety, very good medical care, a warm climate in an area not tending towards climate disasters, and natural beauty in the environment (especially birds in gardens and on hikes), I wonder what your advice would be now? Your replies will be much appreciated!

Difficult as most members are across the Pond......Southern Cyprus for me ( came very close ) - despite one or two misgivings, nowhere is perfect , it has much that is attractive for me in my mature years AND the worst person on Birdforum lives there. Great fresh food / warmer drier climate / cool clean air up in the Troodos and warm sea for much of the year.

 

[delia todd]

Hi K and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. Think I'd go with Australia, or maybe New Zealand.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

 

[Farnboro John]

I've birded a few places across the globe - not as much as many on here - and I long ago concluded that abroad is OK to visit.

No offence, world.

John

 

[Gander]

New Zealand

 

[Harry Stottle]

Another vote for New Zealand.

However, friends there tell me the economy has collapsed as with so many other countries and levels of crime have increased a lot lately (albeit starting from a low level). There are also many complaints from New Zealanders that too many foreigners have moved in pushing up house prices.
If you want to retire there you must bring a couple of million pounds with you to fully fund your house and healthcare and you must invest in NZ business. There is also a time limit on how long you can stay (I think 25 yrs). So if you retire at say 60, if you are still alive at 85 they will kick you out.
I would be interested to hear from NZ members on their opinion of this.

Unfortunately, we now live in interesting times.

Many countries that were once stable and attractive places to move to have become unstable. So many governments are corrupt and economies are declining. Many places have become more hostile to foreigners (and often to their own citizens!).

 

[Steve Babbs]

Tbh it's not that simple anyway. Most countries limit the time you can spend there anyway. Certainly us Brits have had retiring in mainland Europe made a lot more tricky.

I have had this conversation several times and never really come up with an answer. I'd really fancy South Africa, especially as selling my fairly modest house would buy a mansion with its own small game reserve there (not an exaggeration: on one trip I looked in estate agents windows) but you can't get past that it has a very high crime rate compared to the UK.

Thailand has fantastic wildlife, is very cheap, has great food so that would be a possibility.

I'm also a big fan of France. But I suspect I will stay in the UK and just do extended (several months) trips when I retire.

 

[FayJ]

I doubt I could afford to move by the time I retire. If I could and it was feasible, I’d go to Spain, Costa Rica or Australia.
More likely, I’d stay here in the UK but not where I live now, I’d move to Devon most likely, or up north. I’d also do trips abroad if I could afford to.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Having just looked in an estate agent's window and seeing that a 2 bedroom mid-terrace near me was going for £200,000. It would be fairly close to the bottom of the housing ladder so I suspect a lot of people could afford to move to a cheaper country by selling their house. £200,000 would buy you a hell of a lot of time in Thailand or South Africa.

 

[Mysticete]

Honestly I am not sure many places are all that appealing to me, at least long term. Maybe Japan, Australia, and Canada (I know some of those aren't tropical). Of course given how things are going I am pretty sure in a few years not too many countries are going to want expat Americans!

 

[Harry Stottle]

Taiwan was a good choice - friendly, many people speak English, excellent healthcare, plenty of sunshine etc.
But the PRC is building invasion barges...

 

[Scott98]

For an American....Costa Rica. that's where I would go. Or maybe Mexico. Big American ex-pat communities in both countries. Might consider Chile also, seems like a cool place.

 

[Harry Stottle]

It may be worth having a look at the data here before making a choice:

Crime/Safety Articles

worldpopulationreview.com

 

[Montereyman]

In terms of good medical care for an American citizen my first choice would be Costa Rica. Very easy to get around with their excellent bus service. Unlike the USA the Costa Rica's government pays for doctors' education and with the overall social climate for the doctors and their families most stay in Costa Rica and continue to practice medicine. For a special procedure in the USA it is a relatively short direct flight to Houston.

I have traveled around in Costa Rica on 6 self-guided trips and love the nature and the people and the food. I would avoid the surf communities where there is more petty crime by foreigners.

 

[Mike Crawley]

New Zealand is my stock answer, although the visa, etc. requirements would need thorough research. I have some well beloved old rugby friends there and a few cousins, they’re never "coming home".
I have visited Costa Rica and loved it and it might fulfil your criteria w.r.t. healthcare, safety, etc., although it’s a tad hot in some parts for me). I am totally unaware of the logistics (visas, permission to stay, etc.) but shouldn’t be hard to find out.

 

[jurek]

I have several friends who explored this, but in general they: moved wherever their nearest relatives live (especially female relatives), stayed in their home country or moved abroad for some years after retirement, and moved back when health became a real concern.

People tried Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. But it all depends on your personal choices what is 'acceptable' medical care or safety. In my opinion, never choose a place to live before you go to the local hospital and feel you would be well treated there if you were sick and helpless.

 

[DMW]

Argentina might be an option to consider.

 

[Harry Stottle]

Argentina might be an option to consider.

Yes and Chile (although not as politically stable as it was) and Uruguay.

 

[Jim M.]

I would love to relocate to a warmer climate where I could enjoy birds in my garden and on hikes throughout the year. I enjoy speaking Spanish and French, so have prospectively visited Panama and Costa Rica. Both countries are wonderful - the wildlife and the tropics are exceptional but I have concerns about seasonal flooding and safety for single older women like me.

So, with my priorities for safety, very good medical care, a warm climate in an area not tending towards climate disasters, and natural beauty in the environment (especially birds in gardens and on hikes), I wonder what your advice would be now? Your replies will be much appreciated!

I researched such options myself a few years ago. It is fun to think about moving to the tropics, but I think practically speaking for a solo older (and I presume retired) American, by far the best option is going to be staying in the country.

Unless you are a multimillionaire and can afford steep entry fees, pretty much all developed countries like Australia or New Zealand aren't going to let you move there permanently when you won't be contributing anything substantial to the economy. Plus New Zealand is a great place to visit, but after a couple of weeks of traveling, you will have seen almost all the birds in the country, so not a ton of variety to keep you entertained if that is what you're looking for.

Developing countries like Costa Rica and Panama you've already visited and would be easier to get into, but I think you are rightly concerned about safety and quality of medical care. Manageable for a couple who would have someone else to help them in the event of an emergency, perhaps, but really too risky for a solo person I think. I've also read that, similar to Ecuador, Costa Rica has been invaded by drug cartels of late, who are starting to start up business there.

You don't say where you are currently located in the U.S., but I personally decided where I was already located – the mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. (Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland), offers the best for me. Mild winters, summers can be hot but nothing like Arizona or Florida, no major risk of natural disasters (at least if you don't live right on the ocean) lots of birds, especially during migration. Tropical birds easy to see on visits to other countries.