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Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

Old Aug 7th 2007, 10:24 am
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Default Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

Thinking of retiring to Portugal ? ….but you’re not sure. You may have spent many happy holidays in the country - you are hypnotised by the people, the weather, the culture and would love to say ‘yes let’s go for it’ but there are doubts in the background There must be a lot of people who would like to give it a try but are afraid of the uncertainty of selling up and starting afresh.

But just think about it , there are others in the reverse situation who would like to return to their homeland but are a little wary of returning to the country they left maybe 20 or 30 years ago and are scared of the changes which have occurred there since then.

After a recent Home Exchange holiday, it struck me that the ideal way to ‘suss’ out your new country would be to do an exchange for a few weeks or months with people who wished to move in the opposite direction. That way each family could get the feel of the place you where they would eventually like to settle, without the finality of a permanent move, especially when one of the couple is keen to go and the other is unsure.

If you Google ‘Home Exchanging’ a whole list of web sites come up – some free , some by subscription.

Through a Home Exchange Agency you would be able to get in contact with someone who wanted to exchange to your region and once the details were agreed on, you need do is pack a bag , hop on a plane and jet off to your chosen area. Once there you could to try out your language skills, shop in the markets, eat in the nearby cafes and restaurants, in other words live like a local. If you found that your new country was everything you imagined and more, you could plan to return for good. If on the other hand if it didn’t quite come up to your expectations then you would put it down to experience and return home wiser. And you’d still have your home to return to.

Apart from a possible joining subscription it would cost nothing because your exchangers would be staying in your home.

Could be worth a try. Nothing ventured , nothing gained.

I am certainly tucking the information away in the back of my mind for the future.

Wimble
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Old Aug 7th 2007, 10:29 am
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Default Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

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Old Aug 7th 2007, 10:29 am
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Default Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

I must admit I don't know anything about this. But what I've always wondered is... who pays my mortgage on my UK home whilst others are living in it?

Are you dealing in these programmes?
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Old Aug 7th 2007, 2:27 pm
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Default Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

Originally Posted by derbyflan
I must admit I don't know anything about this. But what I've always wondered is... who pays my mortgage on my UK home whilst others are living in it?

Are you dealing in these programmes?
Are you dealing in these programmes?

No I’m not dealing with these programmes. Just someone who has enjoyed exchanging my Portuguese home with others around the world and thought it was a great solution for getting the feel for a place.

As for your mortgage … unfortunately I guess you would have to continue to pay that yourself, but of course your exchanger will be paying his mortgage while you enjoy his home! My exchangers also paid their own household bills while I used their homes but this was short term exchanging (2-4 weeks) , perhaps long term exchangers could come to some agreement over this.

I just thought that as so many people have doubts about moving abroad this was an ideal way to get to know the area with no strings attached.

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Old Aug 7th 2007, 3:51 pm
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Default Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

Hi Wimble
very interesting idea. As long as can find a good swop to your ideal location.
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Old Aug 7th 2007, 4:31 pm
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Default Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

There is of course a home swap area on this site in the classifieds section.
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Old Aug 8th 2007, 7:18 am
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Cool Re: Thinking of retiring to abroad ?

There are also home-sitter sites where people going on holiday/sabbatical want someone to look after their home while they are away. It usually entails plant watering, pet walking and basically keeping the place clean and tidy.

Some are companies that charge for the service but there are others that are free. It's up to the subscribers to make what arrangements they feel necessary. Oh, and you can specify which parts of the world you are interested in if you want.
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