Retire in Asia or Oceania
Looking for the best places to retire in Asia & Oceania? There are many locations in those regions that are appealing to retiring baby boomers. Consider places to retire in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, The Philippines, Vanuatu and India. Watch this page for detailed reports on these exotic locations. In the meanwhile, we offer these 2 articles courtesy of guest authors. The content of these articles represents the view of the authors and not necessarily GreatRetirementPlaces.com. Enjoy!
Retire To Asia - And Why
By Brian Bees
In reading this article you may realize that the best part of your life could be in Asia, and the best time is now.
The theme of most retirement articles is the best place to retire in the USA. However, according to the AARP about 80 percent of Americans do not plan to move when they retire. Work a lifetime, and with the door open to have a fresh start in retirement, one just stays in the same town, the same house, the same routine. There must be a better quality of life in retirement, and there is! Nowadays, more retirees are not only moving from their house to another city or state, but are moving out of the United States.
Over recent years I have had an increasing number of friends write to me about my life in Asia. The motives behind the questions have varied from political discontentment to financial. Many of the concerns are related to the high cost of living, including heating and A/C bills, taxes, grocery bills, the cost of gasoline, medical bills, dental bills, home repair bills, and list goes on. There is no doubt about it, the cost of living in the USA goes higher each day. Many of those who write to me are not really enjoying their Golden Years but are just getting by. If you are in the stage of retirement planning or are now retired that should concern you, as each day is precious and we should be enjoying life to its fullest. The best is yet to come.
Travel with me down a different road of thought. I have lived in retirement for the past 7 years in Asia, in the beach resort city of Pattaya, Thailand. Being a tourist destination, you immediately picture an area with a beautiful bay view, fine restaurants, and entertainment galore. It is more than just that. It is so easy to get around the city using public transportation that my car sits in the driveway. We have modern shopping centers, movie complexes, health spa's, fitness centers, golf courses, and even an IT center with 5 floors of computers, mobile phones, and electronics. Pattaya has not one, but two International Standard hospitals. Health care is affordable.
Being a tourist city, the Thai staff in most stores and restaurants speak English, German, Russian, and other languages. Language is not a problem, but learning a little basic Thai is both fun and useful. A Hollywood movie with English sound track, shown in a high tech theater costs around $2.50. The air-conditioned city bus is 50 cents, private buses around 25 cents. A Thai food-bar meal runs around 75 cents. We have clubs that meet weekly where the foreign community can get together. They have Open Forums where newcomers to the community can ask questions. The glimpse just given is representative of life for foreigners in most Asian countries. A stress free, quality lifestyle on your retirement pension.
Why Asia? Because Asia is the most exciting, the most user friendly continent on earth. Luxury living for pennies - not just "getting by" on your retirement pension. The United States and Europe are becoming almost impossibly expensive to live and retire in. Learn more about the Asian countries, which ones to consider for retirement, and why. If funds permit, plan a holiday visit to some of the countries of interest. Alternatively, the Internet is a great source of information. Also, one can join an Internet blog or group and gain information and tips from persons already living overseas. As I said in my opening, the best part of your life could be in Asia, and the best time is now.
To learn more, country by country, a "must read" is the Retire to Asia! E-Book. It is an instant-download that you can print. 67 pages of text and stunning photographs.
Visit me at http://www.retiretoasia.net
Brian Bees has lived and worked in Asia for 27 years and has been retired in Thailand for the past 7 years. You can contact him at btbees@gmail.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Bees
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retire-To-Asia---And-Why&id=540475
Top 8 Reasons Why Malaysia Can be the Best Place To Retire
By Faisal Abdullah
If you're reading this, then you're probably looking for a more adventurous retirement option. Well, you've come to the right place. I hope this can ease your burden to decide on where to retire. Here are the Top 8 reasons, why Malaysia can be the best place to retire:
1. Your Dollars, Pounds or Euros buy so much more in Malaysia!
Cheap places to live, cheap food and drink means you can retire on less money or retire while you're still young enough to fully enjoy life. Depending on where you choose to live, your existing resources and foreign income (including internet income) can buy more (5 to 10 times) the value for similar items and services in the USA, Canada or Europe. Property purchase, lease or rental, food, drink, domestic services such as cooking, housekeeping - even medical care can be incredibly cheap compared to what you're used to.
2. Kuala Lumpur is the cheapest city in the world!
It is! - according to report compiled by Swiss Bank UBS - (published in The Star Aug, 10 2006 http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/10/nation/20060810123829&sec=nation). You can enjoy a lifestyle far, far better than that available in most Western countries, with the same funds.
3. Everybody's rushing to come to Malaysia
Take a look at this quote from this article from Reuters:
"In the last four years, nearly 10,000 people have taken advantage of Malaysia's package of a 10-year renewable multiple entry visa, tax exemption on pensions, a waiver of import and sales tax for vehicles, and permission to import domestic staff"
4. Just about everybody speaks English!
English is a compulsory subject in schools. All foreign movies and TV programs are not dubbed to the local language. Asking directions from an old lady or visiting rural villages will not be a hassle at all
5. Close to nearby travel hotspots
Not only are three world-class playgrounds (Thailand, Bali, and the Philippines) all within a few hour's travel from Malaysia, but miles of beaches and numerous coastal islands add to its tropical appeal
6. Its just simply Shopper's Paradise
Most of the items that tourists normally like to buy - perfumes, cosmetics, watches, fountain pens, a long list of electronic goods, branded goods etc. are completely free of tax. Quality goods from all over the world are imported and are relatively low in price and sold throughout Malaysia
7. An abundant list of activities to be done
Malaysia has many diverse offers; from the best diving spots, to the oldest rainforest in the world. If you feel up to it, you can get your hands on beaches, scuba diving, boating, fishing, off road 4WD adventures, camping, hiking, swimming, golf, swinging in a hammock under a shade tree, site seeing, water parks, highlands, villages, bar hopping, nite clubbing, movies, restaurants, malls, modern shopping. Its all here! Furthermore, Malaysia is such a small country, all these locations are within hours (drive, much less with flights) from each other!
8. International Food & Fruits
In today's Malaysia, most towns have large shopping malls stocked with produce from all over the world so expatriate and retirees are not denied a plentiful supply of those favourite items which, in earlier decades, often led to suitcases being filled with one or two year's supply of 'vital' necessities such as Marmite and Paxo Stuffing. But there's so much local varieties, there won't be enough time to eat that pasta
So there you go. These are the top 8, but as usual, the list goes on....
Faisal is a professional who works in a prominent multinational company. His main interests are travel, cooking and playing music. He has helped numerous foreign friends to retire in Malaysia either from his ex-colleagues at work, or simply people he met during his travel or from the internet. Now, he has published a book on this topic, available at http://www.BestGuideToMalaysia.com
He's been to places like United States of America, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic and around South East Asia.
His passion is meeting new local and international friends. Faisal participates in a peace promoting organisation under the United Nations called SERVAS. He is also a member of HospitalityClub.org and GlobalFreeLoaders.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Faisal_Abdullah
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-8-Reasons-Why-Malaysia-Can-be-the-Best-Place-To-Retire&id=566081