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[TnSlim]

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?

[tncean]

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

[TnSlim]

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.

[panzerkeil302]

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

[Henry]

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

[TnSlim]

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?

[panzerkeil302]

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?

[TnSlim]

[kyshadetreebmw]

Bulgaria. It reallly is still cheaper. The Euro hasn't caught up with lower prices yet. (You are breaking my heart with your dilemna.)

[Henry]

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

[TnSlim]

[tncean]

Lisbon, Portugal, right sunny clime, good food.

Palma Majorca, lots of Brits, scandanavian chicks.

tncean

[TnSlim]

[panzerkeil302]

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

[TnSlim]

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.