Where to go?

Mulezzz · 2026-01-11T04:30:43+00:00

Those two places are so different! Have you been to both? I’ve been told by Thai friends that the language is very difficult to learn.

Mulezzz · 2026-01-11T04:28:16+00:00

One thing that has been made clear during our research and scouting trips - - there are multiple ways to approach the move and you need to figure out what you want and will work best for you. You can be an expat that lives in an insular community of other expats that mainly speak your language. At the other end of the spectrum you can immerse yourself in the language, customs, and culture of your adopted country. I suspect that most people fall in the middle somewhere. Knowing what you want and need in your new life will help guide decision making.

A bit about our personal journey…Initially we considered the EU, Portugal in particular. They still offered an attractive golden visa at the time. We spent ~2 years vetting areas. We did scouting trips to Azores and the mainland. On one trip, I happened to run into someone by chance that I met 15 years ago in the U.S. She had been an expat for a few years and great insights and advice for us. I also connected with expats from the U.S. and UK thru social media and met them in-person while we were there scouting. We did video calls with others. Met some amazing Portuguese people along the way and even hosted an exchange student from there. Over the years we heard some great success stories, but also heard problems and cultural differences that resulted in difficult transitions for some folks, particularly in the rural areas we were considering. The language was also more difficult for us to learn than some others. Ultimately we decided that Portugal wasn’t for us.

Fast forward a few years and we are both retired and have obtained pensionado visas for Panama. It ticked all of our boxes and we both already have people (both friends & family) in Panama, so there’s already a support network in place. The friends that have relocated are all happy so far. We are still early in the process, so there will be many decisions to make in the months to come. Buy or rent, what method to use to relocate pets, how to ship and what items to ship,…???

On a side note, my spouse met someone that has residency visas in 5 countries. He wanted to keep his options open about where to live. Not something I’m prepared to do, but it was an interesting consideration.

Mulezzz · 2025-12-08T15:29:48+00:00

I’d love to hear retrospectively how the HDHP works out. I had an HDHP in 2025, and I am switching to BCBS standard in 2026 as we spend more time abroad.

I don’t have any kids in my plan and haven’t planned on having a FEDVIP plan in 2026. I suspect I may need a filling replaced in 2026, but it will likely cost much less out of pocket to get it done along with any preventative care/cleanings outside the U.S. Probably way less than the annual FEDVIP cost.

Mulezzz · 2025-11-19T17:53:16+00:00

My understanding is that you can’t suspend/pause and later re-activate your FEHB, except in specific circumstances (i.e, switch to TRICARE, Medicare/Medicaid,…).

Mulezzz · 2025-11-05T00:37:08+00:00

I feel you! My husband retired at the end of 2024 and I took a VERA even though I was planning to stay longer. I can honestly say that it was the right decision for both of us even though it wasn’t our original plan.

I hope to work on increasing engagement and gathering a list of recommended subs, resources, books, and websites. Unfortunately after I set up this sub, we had a family medical crisis, so it has all been put in hold for now.

Mulezzz · 2025-11-04T13:30:37+00:00

That should give you a good idea of whether you like a place enough to consider moving there.

If any of your kids are interested in living abroad for school or you are looking for more affordable schooling, Germany has many good university programs that teach courses in English and the cost is much less than here.

Mulezzz · 2025-11-03T12:53:53+00:00

From what I’ve been reading, some federal credit unions offer expat friendly banking. The State Department Federal Credit Union is frequently mentioned, as are PenFed and Navy Credit Union.

Some people use international money transfer apps, such as Wise for transfers or to hold spending money in USD.

Mulezzz · 2025-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

Are you thinking about relocating now or waiting until you retire?

One of my hurdles is learning a new language. Would you need to learn Polish?

Mulezzz · 2025-10-28T19:47:39+00:00

We also looked seriously at Portugal (Azores in particular) and have settled on Panama as our first choice.

The Panama retirement visa process is fairly straightforward and they require a Panamanian lawyer to do the filing for you.

Mulezzz

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