SO YOU WANNA GET AWAY?

Traveling or relocating can be confusing and sometimes you don't know where to start. Here are some suggestions to get you going in the right direction.

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• Set realistic goals and manage your expectations

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Decide what your priorities are and what is important to you. Everyone is different so be honest about what you want. For me it is important that I be near a city or town that has some of the comforts I am used to, like shopping, restaurants and cultural venues. I also want modern amenities in the house. I’m not really interested in living in a remote area away from people and I have no interest in giving up all of the comforts of modern living, however I know there will be trade offs. I’m probably not going to find all the conveniences of home. No place is a perfect paradise!

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• Put together a list of possible locations

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Look for the forums geared to relocation to the country you are interested in moving to. This is another excellent resource for collecting information. Following these sites will help give you a daily view of life in your prospective country.

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Once you have chosen your locations, go to the internet and do extensive research. Look at youtubes and other videos to get an idea of what the area looks like and what it has to offer. Use search terms such as “expat” and “relocation” to help you hone in on the videos that will pertain to your location.

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• Sign up on one or more online forums

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Look for the forums geared to relocation to the country you are interested in moving to. There are plenty of them out there. Forums can be very helpful and you can gather a lot of information from people that have lived in the area for quite some time as well as people who are new or are just moving into the area. If you want to post questions you usually have to sign up on the forum, although many forums will allow you to look through previously posted questions. You just might get lucky and find your answers there.

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• Read travel blogs and websites, especially those written by expats

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Look for the forums geared to relocation to the country you are interested in moving to. This is another excellent resource for collecting information. Following these sites will help give you a daily view of life in your prospective country.

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• Try to connect with people who live in the country where you plan to move

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To me this is very important for several reasons. First, it’s another way to get first hand information about the places you want to go. Second, there is nothing better than already knowing someone in the country in which you plan to move, even if you only know them through email.Be sure to share your plans with your friends and family. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that they can connect you with someone living in the country you are researching. This personal referral will go a long way.

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• Do your due diligence

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After you research, it's very important to make at least one trip to your relocation destination. There is no hard and fast rule here, it's totally an individual thing. Some people come back over and over again before they make their final decision while others like myself, only need to come once. In any case, you will probably need to make at least one trip need to get 1st hand knowledge and on the ground experience to see if this new place is really or you. There are many relocation tours offered and some of them can get pretty pricey (most start around $1,300 for a couple for 3 days). If you find one you like and can afford to take the tour, do it! If not, make your own due diligence research tour. That's what we did, for a fraction of the cost. 

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• And...last but not least

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There’s no such thing as the world’s top retirement haven, and no one-size-fits-all Shangri-la. The only one who can determine the best place for you to retire is you!!

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