Hypothetical question regarding retirement

Lullabelle

Lullabelle

Midlands, England
Joined
14 Oct 2012
Local time
8:27 AM
Messages
9,437
Location
Leicester UK
Now and again I watch the tv programme A Place In The Sun Summer Sun and this has raised a few questions and many conversations in our house regarding retirement. So out of curiosity I have decide to start this thread.

Ok, you have retired, health is good and you have a sensible amount of money to spend. Would you sell up and move to another country, if so where would you go and what type of property would you go for.
 
I am retired and I couldn't sell up and move because my youngest son and daughter both live here - and have no prospect of ever moving out as far as I can see. But, in fact I wouldn't want to live abroad. I hate hot climates for a start. But mostly I would miss the huge array of food produce and cuisines available in the the UK. Most other countries have much more limited ranges of food .I'm thinking of the classic retirement destinations for Brits (not USA or Australia) I'm not saying that the food isn't fantastic in those places but it is a limited cuisine - take France for example. Fantastic produce but you would be hard pushed to lay your hands on Scotch Bonnet chillies (to take one small example).
 
Lullabelle said:
Now and again I watch the tv programme A Place In The Sun Summer Sun and this has raised a few questions and many conversations in our house regarding retirement. So out of curiosity I have decide to start this thread.

Ok, you have retired, health is good and you have a sensible amount of money to spend. Would you sell up and move to another country, if so where would you go and what type of property would you go for.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough we are planning to do just that in 3 years time on reaching the magic 55. Brexit permitting we will be moving to Cyprus where we have been spending 5-6 weeks a year for the past 10 years - it is like a second home to us. We plan to sell our main home in the UK and invest the proceeds to boost our pension income, then rent a place out there on a long lease. I am not interested in the usual expat enclave existence in a "villa with aircon and pool", but would be happy with a basic beach shack - I plan to become a beach bum, messing about on the sea, sailing, fishing, diving etc. Wife has other ideas though, mostly involving me doing stuff! If Brexit screws this up then we will have to come up with another plan, but it's unlikely to involve staying in the UK.

I'm sure @Yorky would have some interesting insights on this subject!
 
Last edited:
No. I have three kids that live within seconds of me if I need them. My fourth one lives in Vermont where he practices Emergency Medicine. I have made my last move. I have a studio apartment for elderly folks like myself. It just happens to be the largest apartment in the building of 40 units. I love it here. I grew up in this part of the city, moved away five times to other states and kept coming home. I worked hard for many years toward retirement, and now my feet are firmly planted. I love being retired.
 
Addie said:
No. I have three kids that live within seconds of me if I need them. My fourth one lives in Vermont where he practices Emergency Medicine. I have made my last move. I have a studio apartment for elderly folks like myself. It just happens to be the largest apartment in the building of 40 units. I love it here. I grew up in this part of the city, moved away five times to other states and kept coming home. I worked hard for many years toward retirement, and now my feet are firmly planted. I love being retired.
Click to expand...
Boston is a lovely part of the USA. Its the only place there I've been to!
 
LadyBelle said:
I would sell up and move to Italy in a heart beat but him indoors is a real home bod, so it will never happen.

I have always said I would retire and live by the see and even that's a no go from his perspective. 24 years to persuade him.....
Click to expand...
Living by the sea is the one thing I would like - the sea in the UK. Ideally a place with a sea view. It will never happen.
 
I recall a television play, from some number of years ago, that told the story of a couple from Leeds who took their annual holiday in Blackpool. That’ll date when the story was set for you. The play starts as, upon retirement, they decide to go to live in Blackpool. And of course, what the play portrayed is just how much of a mistake that decision was.


Now, of course, that was just a fiction, but something intended, I think, to inform a discussion just like this one. As we have said, today, it is far from a rare decision for people from the UK to go to Spain upon retirement, and it certainly seems that a fair proportion make a success of it. But I wonder how many go through experiences similar to those portrayed in that television play. It is certainly a general principle in life that however idyllic somewhere might seem when you holiday there, the reality of actually living there is something completely different. Actually, getting perhaps a little too philosophical here, I would suggest that it is a general principle of the human experience that life cannot be a constant idyll. Any situation only seems idyllic precisely because it is rare and transient.
 
Last edited:
My actual plan is to retire within the US, with a house in Vermont to go skiing in the winter, and a house in Florida for Summertime boating and fishing, plus our current home here in the NYC area as a base of operations.

So far I have a piece of land in Florida, and the home base. Vermont property will have to wait.

However, if certain investments pan out beyond expectations (I can dream, can't I?) the Vermont property might turn into a ski house north of Vancouver, Canada, near Whistler/Blackcomb mountains. British Columbia is an incredibly beautiful place, and I love the people there. Most Canadians, actually, but BC folks are great.
Next, the Florida property would be just a stop off on my way down to Costa Rica. Think tropical rainforests and beaches, and all the trappings of a comfortable Western life really inexpensively.

Finally, I would love to buy the house my grandfather built in 1918 in Co. Leitrim, Ireland. I found it on a trip there a few years ago and met the current owner. I told him if he were ever going to sell to please contact me first. It's a beautiful little farmhouse where the property backs up onto the Shannon, and there's a little footbridge over a small crevass for the river's overflow that leads up to the front door. You think you stepped into a travel magazine.
 
morning glory said:
Why the USA?
Click to expand...
I like the space - I admire their pride in their country and quite honestly I like their attitude. Big cities are the same all over the world but the USA has room for people to live somewhere else. Not a fan of Australia [ have relatives there but no] dislike Europe [but have considered India]. Finally I am Sick of being lied to by the UK government - when I started work [and for 30 years - until it was too late to do anything about it] I was paying into a pension that would pay out when I reached 65 suddenly that's not true - I was paying into a health plan that offered free dental care and free medical care - nope not now. I somehow doubt that a private company offering pension / medical insurance in the US would succeed with such a cavalier attitude.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom