Never coming back from vacation

[Guesl982374]

REMOVED

[irishbear99]

Wow, what an awesome (and tempting!) opportunity.

Nothing to add, just posting to follow because I'm curious to know what you end up deciding to do.

[dougules]

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow. 

[Guesl982374]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

[Zikoris]

I've thought about it a few times. We travel frequently, and always make it a habit to ask locals how much various things (rent, cell phones, internet) cost in the cities we go to. We also check out grocery stores to see what eating locally would set us back, and look at the monthly public transit rates when we're buying our tickets. It's surprising how cheap a lot of places are, while still having an amazing quality of life.

[undercover]

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow.

Why would they be stuck? They own property in the US and would otherwise retain their citizenship...it's not like they're getting kicked out. They can always come back if they want.

Personally, I'd definitely try it for a few years if I were in the situation that you are. The US isn't going anywhere, nor are jobs for when/if you come back. Live a little.

[Slee_stack]

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow.

Why would they be stuck? They own property in the US and would otherwise retain their citizenship...it's not like they're getting kicked out. They can always come back if they want.

Personally, I'd definitely try it for a few years if I were in the situation that you are. The US isn't going anywhere, nor are jobs for when/if you come back. Live a little.

Financially stuck.  Once you commit to a LCOL, you don't have the option of moving back to a HCOL w/o making changes to WR or increasing income.

[dougules]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

If we're talking about just tempted, oh hell yes.  Every. Day.

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow.

Why would they be stuck? They own property in the US and would otherwise retain their citizenship...it's not like they're getting kicked out. They can always come back if they want.

Personally, I'd definitely try it for a few years if I were in the situation that you are. The US isn't going anywhere, nor are jobs for when/if you come back. Live a little.

Financially stuck.  Once you commit to a LCOL, you don't have the option of moving back to a HCOL w/o making changes to WR or increasing income.

Yes, stuck might not have been the best way to put it.  I mean that you would have to resuscitate your career if/when you came back. 

Maybe it is worth a risk.  I don't think I'll personally do it for a while, though.  I don't realistically think DH would really care for it long term.  And I think he'd have a hard time getting back into his current gig.  So we plod on.

[TheAnonOne]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

If we're talking about just tempted, oh hell yes.  Every. Day.

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow.

Why would they be stuck? They own property in the US and would otherwise retain their citizenship...it's not like they're getting kicked out. They can always come back if they want.

Personally, I'd definitely try it for a few years if I were in the situation that you are. The US isn't going anywhere, nor are jobs for when/if you come back. Live a little.

Financially stuck.  Once you commit to a LCOL, you don't have the option of moving back to a HCOL w/o making changes to WR or increasing income.

Yes, stuck might not have been the best way to put it.  I mean that you would have to resuscitate your career if/when you came back. 

Maybe it is worth a risk.  I don't think I'll personally do it for a while, though.  I don't realistically think DH would really care for it long term.  And I think he'd have a hard time getting back into his current gig.  So we plod on.

I have argued that there are worse things than FIRE in HCOL area for this reason. Once you are FIRE in a major city, you can basically live ANYWHERE you want. If you retire in mexico..., good luck affording anything over that...

[MrMoogle]

You might not be able to do that on a whim.  Does the country have restrictions on how long you can stay?

[Prairie Stash]

Financially stuck.  Once you commit to a LCOL, you don't have the option of moving back to a HCOL w/o making changes to WR or increasing income.

Depends on the timeline. If you spend $20K from a $25K SWR you are still saving $5K/year. That money is still compounding away, after 10 years you have an additional $70K (7% retuerns, 2% inflation). The longer you do it the more compound interest picks up the slack and lets you come back wealthier than you left. After 30 years it would be well $487K in extra savings; that might be more than OP was intending to save.

Its a viable strategy; it could work also as a tool in early retirement to increases your success rate.

[undercover]

Are you sure you'd never want to come back to the US?  I don't have any experience living outside the US, but me and DH are thinking about trying out somewhere in Latin America.  We won't do it, though, until we have enough to move back to the US if/when we want.  I don't want to get "stuck."  But sometimes after a rough day I'll walk in the door and say "Ecuador?" instead of hello. 

Also just posting to follow.

Why would they be stuck? They own property in the US and would otherwise retain their citizenship...it's not like they're getting kicked out. They can always come back if they want.

Personally, I'd definitely try it for a few years if I were in the situation that you are. The US isn't going anywhere, nor are jobs for when/if you come back. Live a little.

Financially stuck.  Once you commit to a LCOL, you don't have the option of moving back to a HCOL w/o making changes to WR or increasing income.

Yeah you do? Jobs. They currently work now in a HCOL area so it's not like they don't have that option later.

They will presumably still be saving some money and building their stash also. They might even work, who knows. The notion that one can't go back to a HCOL area after moving to a LCOL one is ridiculous...maybe this is the unfounded fear that keeps so many people working jobs in areas they dislike for longer?

[dougules]

You might not be able to do that on a whim.  Does the country have restrictions on how long you can stay?

It depends on the country, but some places make it fairly easy.  For OP, his spouse is a citizen, so should be no big deal.  For those of us without foreign spouses, several countries Latin American countries, like Mexico and Ecuador, make it fairly easy to get residency visas.  And then with Mexico specifically, it's visa free for 180 days.  You can just use your semi-annual visa run as an excuse to take a vacation or visit friends and family.

[FrugalFan]

I think the "being stuck" concern is mainly if you think you will be too old to want to work again if/when you come back, or if your job/career is in a field that is very difficult to re-enter once you leave. OP, that sounds like a really tempting opportunity. Because your expenses would be even less than your income, you have some extra leeway as a previous poster noted. If you are able to work a bit if necessary in the EU, either onsite or remotely, that would add another safety margin. You have a young son, and family there you can interact with. Why not try it as a sort of sabbatical if you don't want to commit to forever? Sounds like an amazing opportunity to do something really cool.

[Eric]

I think about this all the time.  I have enough to retire to Mexico or Nicaragua or Thailand or Malaysia right now.  And those are all places that I want to live during retirement.  Of course, the kicker is that I also want to live in Rome and Athens and Paris.  So here I am, still at work.  But it's nice to know that if I ever get so fed up that I just need to say "fuck it" that I can.  Otherwise, 3 more years.

[Guesl982374]

I think about this all the time.  I have enough to retire to Mexico or Nicaragua or Thailand or Malaysia right now.  And those are all places that I want to live during retirement.  Of course, the kicker is that I also want to live in Rome and Athens and Paris.  So here I am, still at work.  But it's nice to know that if I ever get so fed up that I just need to say "fuck it" that I can.  Otherwise, 3 more years.

Exactly, it's the ultimate FU card that you know is in your back pocket that no one else knows you hold.

[aspiringnomad]

I think about this all the time.  I have enough to retire to Mexico or Nicaragua or Thailand or Malaysia right now.  And those are all places that I want to live during retirement.  Of course, the kicker is that I also want to live in Rome and Athens and Paris.  So here I am, still at work.  But it's nice to know that if I ever get so fed up that I just need to say "fuck it" that I can.  Otherwise, 3 more years.

You're my future self two years from now. I'm about five years away from FI here in my HCOL city, but could easily walk away in two years or sooner to retire in a LCOL area. Only problem is that we will likely eventually settle in a HCOL country (NZ) after slow travelling through places all over the COL spectrum.

[Metric Mouse]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

Yes. This is almost literally how I FIRED. I didn't 'move' as much as slow travel the globe. I had enough money that I knew I wouldn't have to worry for a few years; when I finally made it back stateside my 'stache was even bigger than when I left! It's a pretty powerful feeling - though with children I imagine one would not have quite the freedom as I did to move around and explore the world at my own pace. But just so you know, it can be done!

[dougules]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

Yes. This is almost literally how I FIRED. I didn't 'move' as much as slow travel the globe. I had enough money that I knew I wouldn't have to worry for a few years; when I finally made it back stateside my 'stache was even bigger than when I left! It's a pretty powerful feeling - though with children I imagine one would not have quite the freedom as I did to move around and explore the world at my own pace. But just so you know, it can be done!

This is how I FIREd too. Quit my job at 42 to travel and do some other things (play a sport) but planned to go back to work after a few years. Ended up not needing as much money as I though I would to live on  and able to FIRE on my stash (plus I knew I'd get a small pension once I was 50). I sold and downsized my house too so added extra to the stash.

These two stories made me smile.  Thanks for picking up my Monday a little. 

[Metric Mouse]

dougules - That's exactly with I am 99% sure that I am coming back to HCOL USA after two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has been tempted to jump and figure the rest out in a year or two.

Yes. This is almost literally how I FIRED. I didn't 'move' as much as slow travel the globe. I had enough money that I knew I wouldn't have to worry for a few years; when I finally made it back stateside my 'stache was even bigger than when I left! It's a pretty powerful feeling - though with children I imagine one would not have quite the freedom as I did to move around and explore the world at my own pace. But just so you know, it can be done!

This is how I FIREd too. Quit my job at 42 to travel and do some other things (play a sport) but planned to go back to work after a few years. Ended up not needing as much money as I though I would to live on  and able to FIRE on my stash (plus I knew I'd get a small pension once I was 50). I sold and downsized my house too so added extra to the stash.

These two stories made me smile.  Thanks for picking up my Monday a little.

Spartana is truly my hero.