I agree with all your comments and need to add as an expat who was born abroad and have lived abroad for 50 + years. At our age we would need to add the following:
We need good medical attention near by and an ambulance within 30 minutes
We need friendly and good staff to help us with daily chores.
I wrote a 2 page response and it was not added here so I will be brief
1 I cannot live in countries where the wifi sucks or is inconsistent but I have starlink now
2 I cannot live where chickens and roosters wake me up at 5 am and dogs or drunk karaoke singing neighbors keep me up past 10pm
3 I cannot live where the electricity goes out for 1 hour or longer and I need a generator to survive
4 I need to live where there is plenty of water and I am not dependent on water trucks to deliver water like places in Cabo San Luca Mexico
5 I cannot live in a place with few options of food choices in grocery stores and restaurants or culture things to see and do
6 I cannot live further then 6 hours from Seattle and Minneapokis where I have friends and relatives, 4 seasons and mountains to see and mountains to climb. I am not a huge beach person
7 I too must live within an hour of an international airport. As I love to see new things meet new people and go on adventures
8 I love the land and dont like cruises
9 I want a place where people don't hate Americans and where there is not alot of crime
10 I want to know that where I move to that if the cost of living goes up to as high or higher then where I live now I won't complain and want to move again
I have spent one month in each of these countries considering a move there Greece, England, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, Thailand, Indonesia, 2 months China, 20 months in the Philippines for one month at a time over 10 years and had a condo in Cabo San Lucas Mexico for 2 years.
at the age 76 after living half my life in Minneapolis where I grew up and half in Seattle Washington before moving to Tampa Florida in 2018 marrying my Philippines gf and having a 12 year old girl so I could experience being a dad as well as warm weather and sunshine over all I am happy and will do a reverse snowbird going to Minneapolis, Seattle or the Philippines for 3-4 months each summer
I agree with the high-speed internet “need” but I have one more item on my list, which might explain why I’m not yet an expat: 1) I’d like a Whole Foods or the equivalent within walking distance. I don’t want to have to eat pesticides, farm-raised fish, or grain-fed beef. I’ve read dozens of articles about ex-pat life but none of them have mentioned this.
Thanks for chiming in! You’re definitely not alone—access to clean, healthy food is a priority for many would-be expats. While you won’t find a Whole Foods in most overseas towns, plenty of places do have their own version—local organic grocers, health food stores, farmers’ markets, etc. It might not always be within walking distance, but many folks find they end up eating better and cheaper than they did back home.
We’ll definitely keep this in mind for future stories. Great point, and thank you for bringing it up!
I agree with all your comments and need to add as an expat who was born abroad and have lived abroad for 50 + years. At our age we would need to add the following:
We need good medical attention near by and an ambulance within 30 minutes
We need friendly and good staff to help us with daily chores.
I wrote a 2 page response and it was not added here so I will be brief
1 I cannot live in countries where the wifi sucks or is inconsistent but I have starlink now
2 I cannot live where chickens and roosters wake me up at 5 am and dogs or drunk karaoke singing neighbors keep me up past 10pm
3 I cannot live where the electricity goes out for 1 hour or longer and I need a generator to survive
4 I need to live where there is plenty of water and I am not dependent on water trucks to deliver water like places in Cabo San Luca Mexico
5 I cannot live in a place with few options of food choices in grocery stores and restaurants or culture things to see and do
6 I cannot live further then 6 hours from Seattle and Minneapokis where I have friends and relatives, 4 seasons and mountains to see and mountains to climb. I am not a huge beach person
7 I too must live within an hour of an international airport. As I love to see new things meet new people and go on adventures
8 I love the land and dont like cruises
9 I want a place where people don't hate Americans and where there is not alot of crime
10 I want to know that where I move to that if the cost of living goes up to as high or higher then where I live now I won't complain and want to move again
I have spent one month in each of these countries considering a move there Greece, England, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, Thailand, Indonesia, 2 months China, 20 months in the Philippines for one month at a time over 10 years and had a condo in Cabo San Lucas Mexico for 2 years.
at the age 76 after living half my life in Minneapolis where I grew up and half in Seattle Washington before moving to Tampa Florida in 2018 marrying my Philippines gf and having a 12 year old girl so I could experience being a dad as well as warm weather and sunshine over all I am happy and will do a reverse snowbird going to Minneapolis, Seattle or the Philippines for 3-4 months each summer
I wrote and rewrote my comments twice and each time were wiped clean by your system. I won't water my time on this or commenting in the future
I agree with the high-speed internet “need” but I have one more item on my list, which might explain why I’m not yet an expat: 1) I’d like a Whole Foods or the equivalent within walking distance. I don’t want to have to eat pesticides, farm-raised fish, or grain-fed beef. I’ve read dozens of articles about ex-pat life but none of them have mentioned this.
Thanks for chiming in! You’re definitely not alone—access to clean, healthy food is a priority for many would-be expats. While you won’t find a Whole Foods in most overseas towns, plenty of places do have their own version—local organic grocers, health food stores, farmers’ markets, etc. It might not always be within walking distance, but many folks find they end up eating better and cheaper than they did back home.
We’ll definitely keep this in mind for future stories. Great point, and thank you for bringing it up!