Where would you go?

[twinmommy08]

My husband was looking at a job in the Caymans doing Emergency Management (has same job here In Ontario) - even arranged to talk to them when we were on a cruise. Everyone asked what I would do - without hesitation I said "I would open a cabana on the beach, name it The Canadian Way EH and sell Labatts Blue. It is still my dream.

 

 

That is catchy and cute!!

[lisa e]

On the west I love the islands of tahiti..the water is beautiful the diviing and surfing are amazing..and the people are so gracious...

 

On the east Peter Island...in the BVI...beautiful..beautiful...beautiful..

 

I do not think I would open a business i would just like to grow old gracefully without the rat race in Ca...I think i could add an extra 20 years to my life just slowing down!

[Heirloom]

Personally , we'd love to have a beach house in Aruba. There, we actually DO like and trust the population. It's the safest feeling place we've cruised to. (If we get lucky to do this, will have to check out police records to be sure) !!!

 

Now......not to hurt anyone's feelings......but those who think places like BELIZE and ROATON (Honduras) are to be comfortable in, you may wish to read the following:

 

http://gocaribbean.about.com/od/healthandsafety/a/CaribMurder.htm

[itchin2cruz]

Progresso without a doubt. Well at least until I visit Roatan in April....

[lhanson38]

I loved Domanica, Roatan,& Belize As living I think somewhere in the on the coast im Mexico or costa rica. With a B&B for divers.

If I didn't have to work any of them.:) We are really starting to look in to do this.

[Krissta]

Aruba. :D I'd love to be an editor (like I am here) or a photographer. We all have dreams.

[PunkinsDad]

I've never been there and have no idea... is it safe?

 

It seemed to be so. I know all about the current (and past) political upheaval in Honduras, and I asked our guide (Tex with Victor Bodden Tours) about that, as well as Victor himself. Both told me that the events on the mainland really never affect Roatan. It's pretty much a separate society. After the recent problems, I emailed Victor, just to make sure that he, his family and employees were OK. He replied that everything was completely normal there. For those who have met Victor and his family, it's clear that he's a great guy, running a great service.

 

No, I wouldn't be at all concerned about safety there. The people of Roatan obviously know that tourism is their future, and I imagine they will make sure that their little island paradise remains a safe place for visitors.

[misguidedangel]

I would gladly move to the Cayman Island or Grand Turk and work for the goverment managing their governments records!!!

 

I would be tickled with a hut on the beach (with electricity and access to the net via high speed) and just enough space for my most important items. I dunno what I would do, but I would be happy in whatever I did cuz it is paradise!!!!!!!

 

The Cayman Islands would be expensive to live in and hard to get resident status, but Grand Turk, who knows......If I was rich enough I'd buy Gibbs Cay and build me a small one bedroom home and a pier to get to the mainland a few minutes away to get supplies when I need them.........

 

Aaaaah dreams sometimes do come true...

[truchattycathy]

Grand Cayman. The people are so nice and they have zero unemployment. They have more banks than anywhere else in the world. It is my favorite port, but then I have not been to Roatan...yet. :)

[kujobie]

Roatan, Honduras. Without a doubt my favorite port. I could live there. And plan to one day..

[Cruisekrazy63]

Cayman for me. We love the islands and my dream is to have a place there. Hopefully if I moved I would be rich or retired and not work at all just enjoy the beaches. I know I know....keep dreamin'

[SociallyAwkward]

I have never cruised there but I absolutely loved, loved China. The food, the people...not so much crossing the street but everything else.

 

I felt really healthy and good there.

[yst347]

I have never cruised there but I absolutely loved, loved China. The food, the people...not so much crossing the street but everything else.

 

I felt really healthy and good there.

 

I was with you till the end. I have traveled to Shanghai a few times on business and healthy just isn't a part of the description. The place reminds me of early 70's New York City. :eek:

 

[joejo]

My answer: Merida or Progresso (although I have never been to either via cruise as I went on a land based journey) :) Merida has the absolute best medical care in the Yucatan Peninsula.

My hubby wants to buy property somewhere in the Yucatan area, he has been looking.....got some great places/prices....beachfront too.....guess I better learn to speaky the language.:eek::rolleyes:

There are Spanish Language schools in Merida! I spent 4 full weeks in Merida learning spanish just after my April cruise on the Valor. My husband flew home and I flew from Miami to Merida. It was a wonderful experience!

 

I've never been there and have no idea... is it safe?

Roatan is safe but the mainland is kind of sketchy as another poster noted. Keep in mind that what happens on the mainland may affect an expatriate for things like healthcare, services and education.

 

Progreso with out a doubt! I loved it there. I am not sure what type of business I would have...probably real estate of some sort. I am not the out doorsy type.

I love Progresso but I think I would only vacation there. It is very busy in the summers because that is where the locals vacation.

 

For anyone interested in the Merida or Progresso area, check out:

http://www.yucatanliving.com/yucatan-survivor/merida-yucatan-weather.htm This online newspaper is a great resource for those considering a move to Merida :)

[SociallyAwkward]

I was with you till the end. I have traveled to Shanghai a few times on business and healthy just isn't a part of the description. The place reminds me of early 70's New York City. :eek:

 

/quote]

 

We were only in shanghai a couple of days but the smog problem is problematic. Ironically it didn't bother me all that much, i had no heartburn, I had a ton of energy...everything but the horrible heat in Hangzhou was great. Even that was worth it!

[UKBayern]

Funny how many spelling mistakes there are in names of the places people want to move to. Do a little more research before starting to pack those boxes? ;)

[Karshrimp]

Alaska! It truly is God's country. "Beautiful" can't even begin to describe it...

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Half Moon Cay...

[joejo]

Funny how many spelling mistakes there are in names of the places people want to move to. Do a little more research before starting to pack those boxes? ;)

I didn't realize there was an entry test requirement ;)

 

On another note, there are often expatriate forum boards to explore the realities of moving to that prized location. I encourage anyone who is seriously considering this to do a search for them. I have a few friends who are Caribbean ex-pats and they have been a wealth of information! While vacationing, we often don't consider the practicalities of living somewhere and are woo'd by the beauty :) Even petty items, such as paying the local utilities, could drive a person bonkers if the process is not what they are expecting :)

[Plant]

St. Thomas would be my first choice. Curacao would be my second.

[Rockportgirl]

This has been a great thread. I love coming back after a weekend and seeing all the different responses. :)

 

My in-laws just booked a cruise going to Roatan in April. They don't know it yet, but their excursion will be doing research of the island for us. :D

[stegosaurus1]

with good health care and stable governments like Curacao and Aruba would be the top of my list. My daughter lived in Merida Yucatan and the infastructure is poor, a nice place to visit even months at a time but not live in these financially stressed times....Barbados and the Virgin Islands (British and American would be next....Bremuda if we were really rich!!!Barb lol

[thesawch]

St marteen

[UKBayern]

I didn't realize there was an entry test requirement ;)

 

On another note, there are often expatriate forum boards to explore the realities of moving to that prized location. I encourage anyone who is seriously considering this to do a search for them. I have a few friends who are Caribbean ex-pats and they have been a wealth of information! While vacationing, we often don't consider the practicalities of living somewhere and are woo'd by the beauty :) Even petty items, such as paying the local utilities, could drive a person bonkers if the process is not what they are expecting :)

 

40 years ago my english father moved to the Netherlands. 4 years ago my partner and I moved from the Netherlands to Germany. I think therefore that I can comment. It seems a small thing, moving to a neighbouring country with a similar culture, but it is not. You don't know the laws and the customs and if you don't speak the lingo you're going to be soooo lost.... You are right that even small things like riding the bus, getting a cell phone and paying utility bills might already be a struggle.

 

A lot of posters are looking to go to dead-poor countries with a totally different culture and history. They might resent the white rich Gringo buying up their houses and driving up the prices. Although the crime rates are low, you have to realise they don't steal from their neighbour who is just as poor as they are, but from you. You are the foreigners, the outsider, the one without the family and friends and social network.

 

In Europe we have all these TV shows about this topic. In the Netherlands it's called "I'm leaving", in the UK it's called "A place in the sun" and in Germany it's called "expats XL". What you see over and over again is that people are completely unprepared and very surprised if something does happen whereas the viewer saw that one coming from the start. They bought a house that was built without a building permit, there is political instability, they have not sold their old house yet and suddenly can't pay for the new one, they start up a business in a product nobody wants, they signed something without understanding it, the interpreter or the real estate agent is corrupt, they believe verbal agreements, etc.

 

I think most Brits will recall this horror episode where this english family buy a tropical island in the Caribbean (I think it was Honduras) and suddenly this local tribe comes and claims the land as the sacred burial place of their ancestors. It goes all the way to the highest courts of the land, they get screwed by everyone and then they are evicted even though they thought they had all the paperwork in place. The husband gets very ill and then they suddenly realize there is no doctor or hospital nearby and he eventually even dies.

 

Not that I want to deter anyone, I just like the other poster would like to urge people to research before they do something drastic. We have a great life here, we are going with all our collegues from our village to a ball tonight, all our neighbours come round for a beer on Sunday and we are fully integrated here. But yes, that took time and hard work. And the authorities do surprise us sometimes with strange laws or incomprehensable letters.

[UKBayern]

St marteen

 

Crime in Sint Maarten is extreme for Dutch standards and most young talented people leave the island for good for the Netherlands and the USA.