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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:58 pm Post subject: Where to go for a bit of exile? |
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Let’s say you need to leave the US for a while, probably for somewhere between three and six months. Your budget is $2000 per month. Where would you go?
I’m an Ex-Pat and I’m leaving my current job at the end of May. I’ll get socked for a ton of income tax if I don’t get out of the US one way or the other before the first of July. If I don’t have a job to go to by then, I’d sooner leave the country and spend the money lying on the beach than give it to Uncle Sugar.
I’ve got nothing special in mind; just looking for suggestions. Where would you go? |
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tncean
Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 1652 Location: Chattanooga, Tn.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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Yucatan of Mexico, (Playa del Carmen, south) or on down into Belize. Hacienda facing the water, maid svc.
Depends on time of year, weather, what you enjoy doing. Golf, fish, etc. Such a dilemma!
Tncean |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I knew I’d get an outpouring of sympathy for this one.
I’m looking for something out of the ordinary, something that’s never occurred to me, so I would prefer spontaneous ideas rather than a reflection of my own. |
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panzerkeil302
Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Cabo is nice. Lotta Americas, you can stretch your buck.
Little more expensive, but the French Riviera isn't bad. Spent some R&R time there over 20 years ago. Tell them you're Canadian if you choose anyplace in Europe or Asia....well, no matter where you go, tell them you are Canadian.
Last week a Vancouver waitress told my wife it's an unspoken code of conduct to spit in every American's food order. Real classy. She lost 5lbs on that trip.
Eat a lot of canned foods |
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Henry
Joined: 03 Apr 2001 Posts: 2878 Location: NYC
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:17 am Post subject: |
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France. How ironic. Well, if you must go to The "Old Europe" think Italy. Less $, great food, beautiful women, gorgeous scenery. Though they probably won't believe the Canadian story. On second thought forget that "Old Europe."
Israel. That's probably your best bet. And you can stay American.
You can keep warm. The women will eat you alive. And the scenery is supposed to be nice. And you would be welcomed. Yup. Israel.
always available for a good idea about a good time.
yours truly
ps: it's a shorter flight |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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I manage not to dress American, and I try to speak the local lingo. On the continent I’m more often mistaken for a Brit than a Yank. And I do love Italy. I could probably find a roost in Cinque Terre that wouldn’t break the bank. One of the cheap flats in Vernazza, maybe. I enjoy France, too, but, that time of year it would be tough to avoid the temptation to follow the TdF through the countryside. I did that in 2003 but at the moment I’m too p*ssed over the Landis affair. Along that same line, if I’m not gainfully employed by September, I think I probably will go to Spain and follow the Vuelta.
Belated Edit:
I’d thought about Israel, but I have two reservations. 1, They’re not as well known for their food and libations as, say, Italy, and 2, I’m planning to remain an Ex-Pat. I don’t fancy traveling among Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, yadda, yadda, yadda, …with an Israeli stamp in my passport. I’ve heard they stick their stamp in your passport like a post-it so it can be pulled out on departure, leaving no incriminating marks. Do you know if that’s true? |
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panzerkeil302
Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Few questions/comments.
1) do you have a travel partner? Just my personal experience, but the Antrim coast is either stunningly beautiful or downright depressing depending on who you're with.
2) If you had a great time someplace, don't go back. Maybe it's the excitement of being someplace new, or the expectation of your first trip..but trying to re-create a great memory/experience can sully the original experience. Just MHO...I've made this mistake in Moscow, Fiji, Venice. Go someplace you haven't been.
Are you thinking of dual citizenship? or permanent residence in another country? |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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panzerkeil302 wrote: | Few questions/comments.
1) do you have a travel partner? |
Nope. But that doesn't mean I'll be without companionship.
Quote: | 2) If you had a great time someplace, don't go back. |
An excellent point and sound advice. That actually has been my plan from the start (ergo no details of my interests, etc).
Quote: | Are you thinking of dual citizenship? or permanent residence in another country? |
Possibly and probably.
I’m not dusting off the rocking chair quite yet. I plan to keep working overseas until I get tired of seeing new places. Or retire. And even then, I figure there’s still quite a lot of the world I haven’t seen. |
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kyshadetreebmw
Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 849 Location: Berea, Kentucky
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:41 am Post subject: |
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Bulgaria. It reallly is still cheaper. The Euro hasn't caught up with lower prices yet. (You are breaking my heart with your dilemna.) |
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Henry
Joined: 03 Apr 2001 Posts: 2878 Location: NYC
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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Where would you like to go? What do you like to do? Do you want to be close to mountains or the sea or both? What kind of food do you like? Do you enjoy big cities? Will you feel comfortable with the natives? Do you want to be close to other Americans? Is access to an international airport important? Is visiting USA important?
If $ was not an issue where would you be happiest? And if $ is an issue which location would most closely approximate your ideal spot?
hope this helps |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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kyshadetreebmw wrote: | Bulgaria. It reallly is still cheaper. The Euro hasn't caught up with lower prices yet. (You are breaking my heart with your dilemna.) |
I have a friend who’s married to a Bulgarian national. He’s a native Afghani, Shiite and former Taliban/Mujahideen, now an American citizen, married to an Orthodox Bulgarian. Ain’t that a hoot!
Anyhow, his description matches yours. He tells me he went home with her last year and he bought an apartment building that used to be a beachfront Russian army barracks on the shore of the Black Sea …for $20,000USD.
I just did a quick search and there are plenty of apartments to be had in Sophia (with cable TV, Internet access, and a parking space) for less that €1000/month. That leaves almost €1000/month for comestibles and entertainment. I’m not sure about Sophia itself but I take that to be a very positive indicator. Thanks, kyshadetreebmw.
Henry, I’m looking for ideas that fall outside my own sphere of experience, so I’m deliberately avoiding introducing my personal prejudices. I know where I would like to go and what I would like to do. I’m just fishing for fresh ideas. |
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tncean
Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 1652 Location: Chattanooga, Tn.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:02 am Post subject: |
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Lisbon, Portugal, right sunny clime, good food.
Palma Majorca, lots of Brits, scandanavian chicks.
tncean |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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tncean wrote: | Lisbon, Portugal, right sunny clime, good food.
Palma Majorca, lots of Brits, scandanavian chicks.
tncean |
A quick check, one-star accomodations in Palma Majorca are ~200€. One-point-five in Lisbon, <50€. Good reason to learn some Portugese. |
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panzerkeil302
Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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shortly after the air force I purchased a 32ft C&C sailboat...best thing I ever did. You won't be tied to one place...for me, sailing was a form of therapy, so I named my boat "Therapy".
If you're handy, you can get an old girl that needs a little tlc...sail where ever you want to go, and during the days, put a little elbow grease into spit shinning your tub. After 6 months, you could sell it at a profit, covering your limited fuel and slip cost.
I'm not sure if you'll need a captains license outside the US...it might just be a US coast guard thing. Don't know how to sail? If you can read, you can sail...don't know how to swim?...just stay dry |
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TnSlim
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 355 Location: Curaçao, N.A.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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How very odd you should mention that. I’d already checked and found I could take a 10-day course in the Grenadines for ~$4000USD and get offshore certified.
At this point I’m thinking somewhere along the way I’ll end up on the coast of Portugal (it’s cheap, sunny, has fresh seafood and good wine). The home of Prince Henry the Navigator (I wonder if our own Henry is any relation?) couldn’t be the worst place on earth to hunt for an old scow bucket in need of elbow grease and paint.
The reason this is all so tenuous is that the six months isn’t hard and fast. If I find an Ex-Pat job I like before then, I’ll only take a short recess before I’m back at it. But my follow-on job could be in Peru for all I know, and I hear mooring fees are pretty steep in Cuzco (elev. 11,000 ft.). But I’ll definitely keep it in mind. |
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