If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
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Oct 6, 2003
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Bedfordshire
Okay. Mod hat on. Calling time on posts growing more and more politically negative. Removed the last two posts that were no longer anything to do with the thread before. There are others that are going in a negative direction that I have left since they are not so political, but let’s try to be more positive….or don’t post in this thread.

Threads like this are meant to lift peoples’ spirits, both writing what they would like to do, and reading where others would go. So please, no more negative diatribe…mild moans still okay ;)
Thank you.
Chris
 

dean4442

Full Member
Nov 11, 2004
603
59
Wokingham UK
Hmm, really like Norfolk there's something about the place that just seems to call to me apart from the weather! I think if I wasn't worried about money etc then Jersey would have to be the place, close enough to get to beaches easily so fishing sorted for my retirement and weather much better.
 

sidpost

Forager
Dec 15, 2016
248
101
Texas, USA
As mentioned earlier, something to consider with a huge change of life and move to a distant land includes culture and political climate.

I know as an American, I could never be happy as a resident in Rome because there is such a large and vocal percentage of the population that is Anti-American. I have been personally blamed for electing George Bush and continuing the war in Afghanistan with no recognition of my personal views on the matter. Definitely not the type of interaction I want on the public street or public transportation.

Make sure wherever you go, you will be welcomed by the locals and will not be treated as an outsider. Living in a compound to me is not where I would go even if that compound had the nicest things on the planet. We are social creatures so, being able to be out in society and "fit in" matters a lot to me.

Then there are the issues of personal safety. "If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue" implies a good standard of living and potentially a lot of wealth relative to the economy you move into. Kidnapping, graft and corruption, and similar things can be a real issue with some possible moves. I would consider this sort of thing against lottery winners who end up unhappy with a worse quality of life because of the constant stream of people with hardship stories looking for money, fund raisers pestering you for money, etc.. It is shocking how many of the Lotto winners commit suicide or die in poverty so, it is something I consider with my travels overseas.

Any place I would go, I would want a standard of living similar to the 'average' person in that society to avoid the Lotto-effect.

And where ever you go, the local politics have to be something you are comfortable with. Otherwise, will you truly be happy there?

If you are happy in a compound like my co-worker who lived in one while in Saudi Arabia, that could be almost anywhere on Earth or possibly other planets if people like Musk and Bezos get their way and are successful.

Like my online friend who retired in the UK and moved to Mongolia, understand what makes YOU happy first. He ended up breaking his ankle in a low speed motorcycle tipover and, he was pleasantly shocked at the quality and cost of hospital care. As I recall it, the only thing he had to pay for were some pain meds for the trip to the hospital as everything else was covered under their Socialist healthcare system which he said was pretty good and pretty modern with his X-rays and some other medical procedures related to setting the broken bones.

What part of the world has the right blend of society features for each of us will be different because we are different people. Some will want the Mountains in Switzerland and some will want to be in Nepal around those mountains! Some will want the beaches in the Pacific region, some will want the beaches in the EU, and others may prefer African beaches. Understand yourself first, and then find the areas that fit your personality, wants, and desires, as what each of us wants is going to be pretty different.

With my next or any future "permanent" moves, I will be looking to rent as well so when things change unexpectedly like I personally see today in Texas or witness in the news in Ukraine, I want to be able to pick up and move easily. So, that means some hard choices about things like planting grapes or having Olive trees. Cars and furniture are likely casualties as well with any future moves. So, in my case I would need to 'unburden' myself from family treasures and mementos which may not be something some people could do. On the flip side, this may be helpful to your heirs so they don't have to sort through grandmas chest and your back closet (or out building) of "treasure". A bank account is a lot easier to move when traveling or to distribute to your heirs than a storage facility of "stuff".

Thoughts like this is what makes a Sailboat seem like a good possible option as I spend a few months in the Caribbean, a few in Europe or Africa, and then into the Pacific as the seasons change to keep sunny weather and sandy beaches in view during the other Hemispheres "winter".
 
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Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
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Id like a boat too; having to rethink a lot of things.

Including my Father, who wont come with me.

What do I do?
 
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sidpost

Forager
Dec 15, 2016
248
101
Texas, USA
Including my Father, who wont come with me.

What do I do?

Eldercare is a real issue for a lot of middle aged people. I guess the question is do you let that keep you from living the life you want to in order to take care of them? Or do you travel and work as you want and do your best from afar?

Younger people around me generally don't put effort into eldercare so, that isn't even a consideration for them. Older people tend to have values of the past a bit more so, generally compromise or set aside their desires to take care of their parents.

"Taking care of" in many instances really means just money versus actual labor so, that is a consideration as well.

My mother took care of her mother even though she became very demanding, domineering, and extremely time consuming. My mother spent her 'good' retirement years dealing with her mother and felt guilty taking a 3-day weekend somewhere away from her.

What is right for one person, isn't for another. And, in some societies, live in multi-generational homes are normal so that is a factor as well.

Unfortunately, I would generally say there is no "right answer', only various degrees of 'wrong answers!'

This aspect of retirement life is changing a lot right now. I don't know that I believe what I hear about China but, news agencies like the BBC have made some really good articles and news stories about how things have changed in Korea and why it is leaving many elderly parents lonely and living in poverty.
 

bearbait

Full Member
Id like a boat too; having to rethink a lot of things.

Including my Father, who wont come with me.

What do I do?
Back in the early 90s I lived on a boat for about 2½ years, cruising the Atlantic coast of Europe and the Mediterranean. The problem is that unless you occasionally hire cars, and / or take bus, coach and train trips too, you only see the edge of a country.

Whilst travelling there I met a couple who had both a boat and a campervan / RV so they would swap between them according to will. Obviously a bit of shuttling involved sometimes to sync the "vehicles". Good solution, I thought.

Maybe your father would be happy on the camper, seeing you occasionally on your boat?
 
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Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
13,021
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51
Wiltshire
Um, where do I start?

-I said I had a winter quilt so why has he bought me one?

-Apparently there is a difference between DOWNS and QUILTS.

-IT is learned and not instinctive.

-If you have an IT problem you go to an IT expert. This is not me.

-Civilised life is possible without driving to a supermarket every day. (sometimes twice).

-Your ways are not ergonomic. Apparently, they are.

-I have not talked about double glazing yet.

-Rubbish may be discarded.

-Recycling may also be treated appropriately.

-Stubbornness may be a virtue. Not today.

-The cat will be confused if you yell at him then give him treats.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,413
1,698
Cumbria
Earlier this year an island off the south of Arran went up for sale. Lighthouse keeper's house with walled garden and helicopter pad, small cottage next to dock, water from a spring near the beach, secondary landing point on the beach plus the whole island.

Hmm! We couldn't, could we?

Not a chance! But we could dream right? I mean we love arran anyway. A quick boat trip to the south of the island then cycle or drive round to Lamlash for breakfast at the cafe by the jetty.

There's something about island life, especially your own island. Bear grylls has an island off Welsh coast. Plus a rib style speedboat with wheels so he can drive off the ramp then power offshore to his family's island.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,812
3,759
66
Exmoor
Well, fingers crossed, I'm in full retirement next year, so, since the Portugal dream is not viable any longer, I'm just dreaming of a Norwegian style log cabin, miles from civilisation, woodland, a garden to grow veg, a few chickens and sheep, a nice gurnsey house cow, and an atv with a trailer.
I'd like to share this with a couple of friends, we'd each have a cabin, and work together to produce as much as possible of our food and clothing.
Just a dream,.....tho, I'm doing it as much as I can on my own in my lickle bungalow here in the boonies of zummerzet. No farm animals in my tiny garden, but there are plenty of pidgin squiwal and wabbit around. They farm themselves!
 

Pattree

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Jul 19, 2023
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It’s the “no ties” bit that gets me. What use would the money be? I’d be so very unhappy I wouldn’t go anywhere.
 
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Pattree

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Jul 19, 2023
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I haven’t worn one of those for the last ten years and then it was only sometimes at work.

I’m part of a large and growing family, My “ties” have ties.

It was just my thinking as I read the OP.

In the spirit of the original post, if I really was financially independent there are so many places that I world love to go and where I could be useful. There are so many places that I’ve only read about and don’t really know much about the culture in practice. I’ve also got an old brain which even struggles with my native English. I’m not sure how I’d manage a new language.

All that said:
Maybe Holland, Austria, Poland or Northern Italy.
 

sidpost

Forager
Dec 15, 2016
248
101
Texas, USA
I haven’t worn one of those for the last ten years and then it was only sometimes at work.

I’m part of a large and growing family, My “ties” have ties.

It was just my thinking as I read the OP.

In the spirit of the original post, if I really was financially independent there are so many places that I world love to go and where I could be useful. There are so many places that I’ve only read about and don’t really know much about the culture in practice. I’ve also got an old brain which even struggles with my native English. I’m not sure how I’d manage a new language.

All that said:
Maybe Holland, Austria, Poland or Northern Italy.

Not sure about today but, when I was in the Netherlands, I found the people there welcoming and pleasure to be around generally. Not sure how the Anti-immigrant and ethnic purity issues are today though. Cost of living issues were consistent with most of Europe excluding the Scandinavian nations and Switzerland based on personal experience of a few years ago.
 

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