retire early to travel and surf around the world

ElOgro

Duke status
Dec 3, 2010
31,867
11,809
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I'm looking forward to grandfathering.

I think that will be fun.
I know where you can get some practice. She’s probably forgotten about you threatening to throw her in the oven.
 

afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
49,204
22,753
113
I know where you can get some practice. She’s probably forgotten about you threatening to throw her in the oven.
the sweetest......carnitas del brujo!!!!


ahahahahaha

how the fk am I the bad guy when she has you for an abuelito?!!?!?!
 
Jul 26, 2019
22
2
3
but if you aren't making any money/wages, then you should be able to qualify for cheaper health insurance right? or do they count your house/assets and screw you?
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
113
California/Hawaii
My mother has been deeply involved in the eldercare business in Hawaii for 20+ years. She has been a broker that helps people navigate the process of aging from insurance to at home care to everything involved. People in general do not plan well for aging.

If you don't plan for the financial end of life stuff that will probably happen, you are probably screwed and your kids will probably be screwed. I've thought a lot about this - enjoy life now with the possibility of having a terrible last chapter, or enjoy life *mostly* now and be mostly prepared for what might come, or make a sacrifice having fun now vs. giving my kid a chance for an easier life.... Ah, who the fck knows? I got NO answers.
I had to watch my Grandfather get old and go into a care home with very little in terms of assets. It wasn't a pleasant experience for my Mother and her siblings. My Grandfather did the best he could in life so I'm not trying to blame him. I vowed to do everything in my power to keep that from happening to my kids even if it means I have to work until I'm in my mid 60's.

In theory, checking out of the workforce early seems like a cool thing to do. But I just cannot see how it is possible unless you are filthy rich in assets or have an enormous pension. Hanging out and living a subsistence lifestyle so you can surf all day seems like it will royally screw you over once you get older.
 

flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
1,444
113
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
So after 30+ years working in the IT Industry - we sold everything we owned in the US - quit our jobs and retired at the age of 57 and moved to Nicaragua. That was two years and 3 months ago and since then we've had our share of things that we didn't count on to deal with living in a third world Central American country. From a surfing perspective - apologize for the cliché - it has been absolutely "living the dream". Mrs. Flyinraptr and I had successful IT careers - i.e. dual salaries with no kids - second marriage for both. The stress of our careers, however, took a toll on both us and we equally suffered from significant job burnout. We knew that unless we changed our lifestyle - our health would deteriorate to the point of not being able to have the active retirement we hoped for. So 2 years and 3 months later - I wish we could have done it sooner - thinking back on things we spent money on that we could have used for investing for retirement - if I had to do things over again - yeah there are a few things i'd probably do differently. We had lived in our house in SoCal for 20 years and when we starting working on the logistics of moving to another country - couldn't believe how much crap we had accumulated. There was things we spent money on that got lost in a closet or drawer or box that we had completely forgotten we had and probably not seen it in over 10 years. It literally took us almost a year of garage sales, craigslist, goodwill and finally the dump to get rid of stuff that at some point in our lives we felt we needed or absolutely had to have. We believe/hope that by changing our lifestyle - more active - less stress will allow us to enjoy our retirement more and proactively provide us with better overall health in the long term. It has also been interesting with a change of lifestyle - I.e. surfing almost everyday and living a slower lifestyle - how priorities change and things that were once super important don't mean as much and simpler things that perhaps were overlooked previously become more prevalent.
 
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afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
49,204
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this part interests me:

flyinraptr said:
we've had our share of things that we didn't count on to deal with living in a third world Central American country.
 

flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
1,444
113
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
this part interests me:
Three months after moving down here there was a hurricane/storm that wiped out a lot of towns/villages in the area. We spent weeks helping bring food, medical supplies, water filters to impacted areas. That we'd be involved in helping out in something like that had never crossed our minds. Then we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Managua the day when the civil unrest started ... on more than one occasion pulled up in the car to someone with a mask on wielding an AK47. The impacts of the civil unrest are still being felt but the silver lining has been empty surf lineups - nowadays 4 or 5 people in the water feels crowded. Probably the most surprising is dealing with a dysfunctional ex-pat community. We had more issues dealing with a-hole ex-pats than anything else - in fact - we recently moved out of the ex-pat community and essentially live amongst the Nicaraguans now and couldn't be happier. There are other things you have to get used to - for instance the only PriceMart in the country is about a 2.5 hour drive one way. So we bought a big drop-in freezer and every 5 or 6 weeks we make a trip to it and load up. We have a battery back-up system on our house with a generator as a backup - electricity goes out on a regular basis. Some of it is just different culture or lifestyle you have to adjust for and may not have planned on. Right now i'm looking at getting a side-by-side UTV - specifically for getting to some of the surf spots nearby during the rainy season - the mud here is unlike anything I've ever seen - it's very similar to driving on ice believe it or not.
 

ElOgro

Duke status
Dec 3, 2010
31,867
11,809
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this part interests me:
Here we call that a TMD. Where he’s at would be a TND. Typical ( ) Deal. Depending on one’s aptitude there can be a significant amount of assimilation required, much depends on if you are in an expat “community” where assimilation isn’t as necessary. Difference between Zihuatanejo and here for example. The “beware of friends baring gifts” is a very important lesson. Language, not just speaking but truly understanding.

Back when immigration laws were different you had to have maintained a temporary residence visa which had to be renewed every year. Under the conditions of the visa you couldn’t be out of the country for more than 35 days a year. If you made it through that for 10 years you qualified for “The Golden Bean”, a permanent resident visa that didn’t have to be renewed.
 
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flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
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113
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Did you sell the first house?
Yes - we recently sold our Casita at Playa Colorado's - actually expect to close on the sale next week. We built a second home in Hacienda Iguana - and plan on selling it next. We moved further south to San Juan del Sur - have been surfing some spots that are not shall we say on the radar as much as the Popoyo area. One in particular is a legitimate barrel and I usually surf it alone. The other day it was slightly overhead and as I was walking down the beach to it - I could hear it detonating on the sandbar from 3 or 4 hundred yards away. I got a couple and then ended up snapping my favorite board in two. As they say sh1t happens.
 
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grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
25,945
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A Beach
Probably the most surprising is dealing with a dysfunctional ex-pat community. We had more issues dealing with a-hole ex-pats than anything else - in fact - we recently moved out of the ex-pat community and essentially live amongst the Nicaraguans now and couldn't be happier.
:ROFLMAO:
I can imagine the drama, but something so bad you decided to move? Was it one or a handful of major things, or just the overall vibe and general idiocy?

The majority of expats I've met are insufferable. As they say, they are all either "Wanted" or "unwanted". You can always tell when the tensions between the locals and expats gets bad just by observing.

Otherwise, great posts :shaka:
 
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ElOgro

Duke status
Dec 3, 2010
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Outside the expat community the vast majority of expats can’t make it, they can’t or won’t cut the umbilical cord.
 
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flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
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San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
:ROFLMAO:
I can imagine the drama, but something so bad you decided to move? Was it one or a handful of major things, or just the overall vibe and general idiocy?

The majority of expats I've met are insufferable. As they say, they are all either "Wanted" or "unwanted". You can always tell when the tensions between the locals and expats gets bad just by observing.

Otherwise, great posts :shaka:
Yes and yes. If it weren't for the thought of spending time in a Nica jail - there would be a couple of ex-pats from Arizona seriously messed up right now. For us - it just became not worth it and not why we came down here in the first place. Something for others to think about - visiting a place and living there are two different things. We had made several trips prior to moving and thought we had a good feel for the community but after moving and actually living there it was something entirely different.
As they say things happen for a reason … moving allowed me to discover the spot below .. which I usually surf alone.
20190828_095854.jpg
 
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Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
6,356
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Planet Earth
:ROFLMAO:
I can imagine the drama, but something so bad you decided to move? Was it one or a handful of major things, or just the overall vibe and general idiocy?

The majority of expats I've met are insufferable. As they say, they are all either "Wanted" or "unwanted". You can always tell when the tensions between the locals and expats gets bad just by observing.

Otherwise, great posts :shaka:
From what I saw in my travels, too much free time can lead to substance abuse.

The trick is too find the good apples in the expat barrel and avoid the local bad apples.
 
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flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
2,804
1,444
113
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
San JAun Del Sur seemed like an okay place to live.

Is Dale Dagger still down there?

That guy.:ROFLMAO:
Not sure - if he is or not. The Eberly's are still here - Tom and his son Colin. Yep - liking SJDS - especially for Mrs. Flyinraptr - up in the Popoyo area it's pretty rural and can get boring for the non-surfer. We now live on a hillside outside of the town with an amazing panoramic view of the bay and valley. It is only about 5 minutes to drive into town - lot's of convenience and plenty of restaurants, etc. In Iguana -it was a 30+ minute drive to the nearest real grocery store - so things are a little easier. I can get to a couple of good surf spots within 15-20 minutes from the house.