Best country to retire to

We have two daughters & 4 GC. They live in Sweden & Canada. Both countries are so expensive- couldn’t afford to live in either. Also we would make it more difficult to see either one of them if we did move to one or the other. So stuck in the middle in the U.K. Mostly I love it but feel the current government is taking a wrecking ball to it

I would quite like a holiday home in the Canaries but my OH doesn’t pick the right numbers unfortunately!

Given all the recent fires it seems safer to stay put!

Just rent for 3 months. Before my husband died we did it every year for 7 years in the winter in Southern Spain. Jan to Easter cheap rentals and so much warmer than UK. I miss it so much but would not be the same on my own although we made many friends, and now can't afford it. But still go for a couple of weeks March and October.

Like you Canadiangran, the reality of our retirement is definitely here - in Ontario. We did “up sticks” in our mid 50’s and went to live/work in Bermuda (similar currency, no language barrier) for 15 years and as we neared retirement age the reality of staying there in retirement became less and less appealing, despite the beautiful beaches and the relatively easy commute ( 2 1/2 hour flight) to visit our family who were settled in Toronto and Ottawa and of course the cost of healthcare. We can say we have experimented with the idea but have settled with the fact that pull of family close by wins every time - especially as the years mount up!

we plan to spend January in France every year when my husband retires in a year, that seems to me a fair compromise

@ Oreo

One of the issues since Brexit has been that to stay in Spain more than the 90 days in a rolling 180 day period, you need to have a specific visa permit or become a Spanish citizen. Spain does not want people to be a drain on its resources, so you now need to prove your finances are sufficient to support yourself and dependants, or invest a very large amount in Spain. So unfortunately, just choosing to ‘retire to Spain’ is no longer such a simple choice.

My husband and I are retired, bought a Spanish property 20 years ago and are currently considering applying for a ‘non-lucrative visa’ to enable us to stay in Spain for longer than the permitted 90 day rule.

When you live in a country that is not your country of birth you do miss certain things. With me it is the fantastic history and historical buildings in the UK which we totally took for granted when we were young and lived there. Nothing like that here. I would never go back because all my family are here except for a few cousins who I don’t really know very well. As regards the politicians and their shortcomings - the ones here are pretty awful,too. I can’t stand any of them ,they all seem to be self interested and/ or incompetent.

Not that we would now? We can't now ,having left EU! My nephew was born in Ireland so he's ok.
I see doctors in Australia and New Zealand are striking... health is a big one on retirement and of course social care. Unless you have family to support, think carefully before moving overseas in later life. Get a holiday home to spend time in the winter and let out the test of the time.

Totally agree - Brexit has ruined everything - I have 2 daughters & 5 grandchildren it used to be so easy to visit and stay with them now since Brexit it’s a nightmare.
Luckily my daughter has given the children dual nationality otherwise very soon they will have to apply and pay for visas!!???
Anything to deter genuine tourists ? The UK expects every country to open its doors to us but we just close our doors so insulate and backward.

My sister and her family are in NZ. Yes, it's kiwi life BUT she says it's expensive as hell, and you can't blame Brexit for their problems. Cost of food rose that high last year, she went out and bought a polytunnel, (She was always the greenfingered one!) When we pay 79p for broccoli they pay 7 dollars! Money exchange rate has dropped, I think it's 1.8 to ours. In 1999 it was 3.5! She said Covid really battered the country financially. Also told mum last night that if the news is to be believed then their health system will be suffering due to lack of staff in the next year or so! (Her daughter is a nurse!) Issues in this country ARE over there but the powers that be DONT want you knowing all of them otherwise it takes the sheen off the kiwi way of life. Hobbit country? Yes, so is Wales!

Unfortunately, Portugal properties have soared in price in recent years, otherwise we’d be over there like a shot. Thankfully we have dual nationality so Brexit hasn’t put the kibosh on our plans to relocate in due course

We took early retirement and moved back to Northern Ireland 24 years ago after 25 years in South West England. NI is where we both grew up and I loved being back to my roots, the friendliness and beautiful countryside. We're in Fermanagh. When we moved we didn't have grandchildren and good health. In last few years we've had Brexit, my husband became ill and the pandemic. I'm now finding it difficult not being on same bit of land as the children who are all in GB. We can no longer nip over as my husband can't travel and I can't leave him to fend for himself. We had planned to move closer to one of the children before becoming decrepit but events overtook us. NI is a good place to live, despite what you hear on the news, but travelling is difficult.

The Netherlands for me. So happy, in fact, I now have a Dutch passport

We thought we'd get a small place in Portugal for the winters but since Brexit the issues with travelling down there with our dog, health insurance and limits on how long we can stay etc made it far less attractive. We've got a cottage in Devon instead. Having lived abroad and travelled throughout Europe for many years we find the constraints imposed by Brexit deeply disappointing and it's had a negative affect on us and our children, who won't have the opportunity for work and easy travel that we had.

I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather live, though there are many countries I love and enjoy visiting. We did live abroad in our twenties, but I’m now more than happy now to be here, within striking distance of all our children and grandchildren. If I could pick them all up and take them with us I’d love to be back next to the sea where I grew up (we’re about as far away from the coast as anyone in England could be). But all things considered, I’m very happy with where I’ve ended up.

It was not set up properly, it shouldve been encouraged more for younger voters, its their future.

My 96 yr old mum and other older friends voted for Brexit because of some misplaced sentimentality.

I'd have to say Donegal in Ireland! We moved from Scotland in 2020 and have not regretted it. The people are wonderful and very active. There's a great quality of life here; always something to do and people actually GO OUT! 😃

Can I ask a question to anyone who has retired abroad, I know that if you are in receipt of your state pension when you move abroad it is frozen at the rate it is with no further increases, if you move back to the UK does your pension then increase to the UK amount?

the ground under your feet, no utopia ,either place, people work etc etc

What would happen if as a retired person you spend more than the 90 days allocated abroad? What would they do anyway?
I'm not saying I intentionally plan to do this but I have found a way to get round the pet issue, so just wonder if anyone has outstayed their time?

We moved to the States for DH’s job over 30 years ago. I never thought it would be for ever and fully expected to come home to the UK eventually. Well, here we are; been retired for a few years and now living in a wonderful 55+ community with so many friends and a great life. We will come back to the UK to visit friends and family while we are still able, but California is definitely our home now.

In answer to 62Granny we are in receipt of our full UK pensions which are paid in to our British bank account.

62Granny

Can I ask a question to anyone who has retired abroad, I know that if you are in receipt of your state pension when you move abroad it is frozen at the rate it is with no further increases, if you move back to the UK does your pension then increase to the UK amount?

I don't think it is frozen everywhere but don't know enough about where and where not.

I would never ever live in another country away from my family but we have a small house in Grance we go to for a few weeks a year for a lovely change . 😊

From 1949-1975 I lived in different parts of Australia but in 1959 I lived in Papua New Guinea working for the Australian govt. I have only ever had a British passport. I was silly not to get an Australian passport but now it does not matter. Since 2009 when I was widowed I have visited Australia, but now I am in St Lucia living with my son (60) who has worked here for many years. There is just the two of us and my two little dogs.
I have kept my London home and it is let out. I have English bank accounts and my Australian daughter still lives in UK. I do not know why but at my advanced age I have no desire to travel either to USA or to anywhere else. We have our TVs set up to watch UK programmes and I adore English radio. I cannot speak the local language but everyone speaks English. I have a wonderful doctor here who spends unlimited time with me when I occasionally need to see her but I feel generally much better here. London is just crowded and crime ridden these days judging by friends I speak to regularly on WhatsApp.I don’t do any housework or cooking but my contribution is to pay for our food which is expensive. The local,people are generally friendly. We spend a fortune on electricity as both of us prefer to have our home air conditioned. We have large grounds and encourage the beautiful humming birds to our terrace where we have bird feeders. I went back to UK to pack up my personal stuff and shipped it here. I am still English and I have papers and magazines on line. We do a fair bit of entertaining for friends and visitors. I have an Australian next door. She and I love having tea and a chat. She is married to the French Ambassador and we were a bit nervous about how we would get on with him. However, he is really friendly and speaks English fluently ( I should have known) There are people here of different nationalities and my son knows just about everyone. All in all the only problem would be a decline in my heart or my one kidney. Then I would have to fly to Martinique, a French island with great medical facilities. Other than that I do miss my Anglican Church with its amazing choir and services from the old prayer book. But I am content and do not think I will do any more travelling. My other children like visiting us for holidays. I am enjoying all the stories here and keep,up,with GRANSNET and Mumsnet