Places to Retire: Baby Boomer Exodus

The 'free love generation' broke taboos, explored, experimented, came of age and changed the world, all while inhaling.

For all our good intentions we haven't done as well as we had hoped. Wiping out diseases, hunger, and war were all high on the agenda, as were most of us.

Now? Well, we are older and some are looking for other adventures. But many of us still have those intentions and hope to be useful towards forwarding those original goals. Let's face it though, we'd still like to have some of our favorite comforts with us, right?

So what DO we do about that pesky retirement question? Finances in most of the world are a major worry. If you have a job your are likely to hang onto it and worry some more. If you've lost yours and you are at an age where it is unlikely that anyone will want you anymore the story is completely different. People with Phd's and a pension are being let go, and when the rehiring takes place it is cheaper to take on someone younger with less education than you, and who can also be paid less. Individuals already retired are seeing their current circumstances becoming more difficult by the day.

On the flip side many born in the 50's are also tired of doing the same old thing, and watching their country slide into what they feel is a decline.

These are just a few of the issues pushing many people to overseas destinations. Confronting distasteful realities certainly did that for us. And quite frankly I would recommend it to a great number of you. New adventures and challenges keep your mind sharp the neurologists insist.

If you haven't read it elsewhere here are some ideas to consider as you investigate what some friends and family will insist is a death defying leap into the thinnest of air. What about family connections? Health care? Safety issues? You can't speak Greek/Croatian/Spanish,whatever! These and other 'reasonable' dissuasions will shower down on your ears from well meaning sources.

But while you take in all the well meaning, but usually uninformed advice, do some research. According to latest statistics almost 6 million Americans are now ex-patriots living out of the country, and this doe not include any military personnel.

Careful searching on good, well rounded websites will show you that contrary to the horror stories shown you on the news every night there are fabulous places to live that don't have the same problems as the ones you are dealing with. That doesn't mean that there are NO problems, Of course, there are. This is planet earth and there is nowhere that is an untouched spot of perfection.

But are the problems in areas where you have skill or passion that could help make them better? Do you paint? Plan highways? Garden well? Love golf or bridge? Take your pension, find a place you like, and go do the things you enjoy there for yourself and the benefit of the people or children of your new home.

In America particularly people have a feeling that they are living in a world that is a very threatening place. Let me assure you that from our years of recent travel and our current home in Chile, South America that this perception is blown completely out of proportion.

Here is just one example; Did you know there is a larger middle class in Chile than exists in the US at the moment? And I mean fast internet, cell phones, washer/dryers, lovely tree shaded, safe streets, and lower prices on everything. On the flip side there is some industrial pollution, and yes, people get robbed, threatened and stabbed here occasionally. But the key is, not very often. It is still news here when these things happen instead of the norm. So after weighing our options we are prepared to plow in and do our best to deal with life here.

So start exploring your possibilities online. There are many websites and vibrant expat communites are found in some surprising places. Get some ideas, gather data and then put on your boots and go do some overseas explorations from the point of view of 'what is life like here?' It is vastly different than being a tourist off the cruise ship but we've found it tremendously rewarding. And we hope you do to.

There is still so much positive action that we 'boomers' have to offer the world. Let's get on with it.