We keep coming back to the idea that nobody -- then or now -- denigrates the folks who were able to escape Europe in the late 1930s as having abandoned their nations, or as somehow having failed.
What they were were the lucky ones who had the sense and the means to see what was coming, and get out ahead of it. You cannot fault them for their wisdom or their foresight. There is no shame in following their example, because they're the ones whose lives and legacies survived.
I do feel a bit like I bailed. I'm a Mayflower descendant, a six-times-over DAR candidate, the great-great-granddaughter of a Union general. For all those generations, my ancestors stuck by America through whatever came, and fought whatever battles needed fighting. I absolutely feel like I'm failing to uphold an essential family tradition.
But my husband's great-grandparents left Kiev and Odessa on the eve of WWI. And they never looked back. They arrived in the US in 1913 with nothing. 20 years later, they owned a chain of grocery stores that spanned Los Angeles. So I'm taking my cues from him -- and them.
In turbulent eras like this one, there's more than one way to win. Like my husband's ancestors, we're choosing the one that will keep our family and our fortune more or less intact and moving forward into a better future. As legacies go, I'll take it.
There's a tremendous amount of privilege that you, and others who can use this template, have to be able to utilize this. I'm glad for those who have such a wide range of options to be able to have multiple pathways. I appreciate your articulating how to make a plan along with fallbacks. I just needed to state a few things that people may not even think about due to their level of privilege.
Visa options are limited for those who are retired unless you have a lot of financial wealth; there are some countries that welcome retirees, but in a warming world, the choices narrow quickly. For those whose ancestors are from the global majority, getting a visa by descent rules out EU countries and many countries that have some kind of democratic government. For those who are disabled or have chronic health issues, the options for countries that are accessible or accessible-friendly become even smaller. The options for redundancy or fallback are few to none. The systemic injustices are made starkly visible, just like looking at a budget to see what is truly important by what is funded, it becomes clear who is valued by who is encouraged to live there vs who is not. I'm still exploring, and would certainly appreciate suggestions... and I am acutely aware that there will be many who will not even have choices.
I would never trivialize the disability issue. That said, best to check out the countries that welcome retirees with pension/ social security income. For example, Portugal raised the minimum you need to spend on a house to qualify for "golden visa residency" but last time I checked their D7 visa for retirees with social security could possibly work for many other people. There are a number of other such countries. So yes, move quickly if that is what you want to do, but the way is not closed yet.
Yes, Portugal is a possibility with a D7 visa, but finding accessible housing with an accessible bathroom may be a challenge. There is a requirement to have a 12-month lease in hand when you file the application, so you must pay rent before you've even been approved. There are other EU countries that offer retirement visas, but the disability challenge is difficult due to terrain and buildings that aren't suitable. Storied buildings without a lift are inaccessible; cobbled streets are a hazard. It's just the nature of European countries.
You seem to be well informed on all this, but have you checked out the Panama Relocation Tour? We took the Tour last year and while we didn't like the hot, wet climate we found that the Tour people did an excellent job of showing us what you need to know to relocate, even if you aren't all that rich or privileged. Lots of free info on their website, too. We are using the info we learned from them to explore other destinations and we believe that the expense of the Tour was worthwhile for us.
FYI the buildings we saw in Panama City (admittedly higher end) had elevators and the houses we saw in other towns were one story buildings so that could be helpful for the disabled. You can ask questions of Jackie Lange, the Tour owner, on her blog and during her frequent live videos, and she does answer quickly, if you are interested in Panama and have questions about your personal relocation needs.
I don't get any compensation for promoting PRT and I am not affiliated with them.
My concerns are financial. My grown son and I want to leave but we don't have the savings to do it. We might be able to get resident status in Mexico but language would be a barrier for my son to get a job in his field (health). We could get by on my Social Security until he learns Spanish but he would also need to get certified there -- and what if Social Security goes away? So many things to worry about.
Good stuff that I wish I had a couple years ago. I've been emotionally divorced from the United States for a long time, and even though my wife was excited to leave to live a life of adventure, she went through the grief. I feel bad that I didn't understand that she needed the process, and it didn't mean she didn't want to go.
We keep coming back to the idea that nobody -- then or now -- denigrates the folks who were able to escape Europe in the late 1930s as having abandoned their nations, or as somehow having failed.
What they were were the lucky ones who had the sense and the means to see what was coming, and get out ahead of it. You cannot fault them for their wisdom or their foresight. There is no shame in following their example, because they're the ones whose lives and legacies survived.
I do feel a bit like I bailed. I'm a Mayflower descendant, a six-times-over DAR candidate, the great-great-granddaughter of a Union general. For all those generations, my ancestors stuck by America through whatever came, and fought whatever battles needed fighting. I absolutely feel like I'm failing to uphold an essential family tradition.
But my husband's great-grandparents left Kiev and Odessa on the eve of WWI. And they never looked back. They arrived in the US in 1913 with nothing. 20 years later, they owned a chain of grocery stores that spanned Los Angeles. So I'm taking my cues from him -- and them.
In turbulent eras like this one, there's more than one way to win. Like my husband's ancestors, we're choosing the one that will keep our family and our fortune more or less intact and moving forward into a better future. As legacies go, I'll take it.
There's a tremendous amount of privilege that you, and others who can use this template, have to be able to utilize this. I'm glad for those who have such a wide range of options to be able to have multiple pathways. I appreciate your articulating how to make a plan along with fallbacks. I just needed to state a few things that people may not even think about due to their level of privilege.
Visa options are limited for those who are retired unless you have a lot of financial wealth; there are some countries that welcome retirees, but in a warming world, the choices narrow quickly. For those whose ancestors are from the global majority, getting a visa by descent rules out EU countries and many countries that have some kind of democratic government. For those who are disabled or have chronic health issues, the options for countries that are accessible or accessible-friendly become even smaller. The options for redundancy or fallback are few to none. The systemic injustices are made starkly visible, just like looking at a budget to see what is truly important by what is funded, it becomes clear who is valued by who is encouraged to live there vs who is not. I'm still exploring, and would certainly appreciate suggestions... and I am acutely aware that there will be many who will not even have choices.
I would never trivialize the disability issue. That said, best to check out the countries that welcome retirees with pension/ social security income. For example, Portugal raised the minimum you need to spend on a house to qualify for "golden visa residency" but last time I checked their D7 visa for retirees with social security could possibly work for many other people. There are a number of other such countries. So yes, move quickly if that is what you want to do, but the way is not closed yet.
Yes, Portugal is a possibility with a D7 visa, but finding accessible housing with an accessible bathroom may be a challenge. There is a requirement to have a 12-month lease in hand when you file the application, so you must pay rent before you've even been approved. There are other EU countries that offer retirement visas, but the disability challenge is difficult due to terrain and buildings that aren't suitable. Storied buildings without a lift are inaccessible; cobbled streets are a hazard. It's just the nature of European countries.
You seem to be well informed on all this, but have you checked out the Panama Relocation Tour? We took the Tour last year and while we didn't like the hot, wet climate we found that the Tour people did an excellent job of showing us what you need to know to relocate, even if you aren't all that rich or privileged. Lots of free info on their website, too. We are using the info we learned from them to explore other destinations and we believe that the expense of the Tour was worthwhile for us.
FYI the buildings we saw in Panama City (admittedly higher end) had elevators and the houses we saw in other towns were one story buildings so that could be helpful for the disabled. You can ask questions of Jackie Lange, the Tour owner, on her blog and during her frequent live videos, and she does answer quickly, if you are interested in Panama and have questions about your personal relocation needs.
I don't get any compensation for promoting PRT and I am not affiliated with them.
will check it out! Portugal does have apartments with lifts (elevators) and some bathrooms look like they might be workable. More research... 😄
My concerns are financial. My grown son and I want to leave but we don't have the savings to do it. We might be able to get resident status in Mexico but language would be a barrier for my son to get a job in his field (health). We could get by on my Social Security until he learns Spanish but he would also need to get certified there -- and what if Social Security goes away? So many things to worry about.
I notice Uruguay is not on your list of expat destinations. Any reasons other than length of flight to the country from Europe or US?
Good stuff that I wish I had a couple years ago. I've been emotionally divorced from the United States for a long time, and even though my wife was excited to leave to live a life of adventure, she went through the grief. I feel bad that I didn't understand that she needed the process, and it didn't mean she didn't want to go.