Mango7

I hope to retire there in approximately 20-25 years. Maybe have a summer house in southern CA. Anyone care to join me? Dogster?

Jaya

I predict Dogster will ultimately retire to INDIA where he will be the Royal Canine Maharaja of Maheshwar.

Kathie

We are planning to retire to Thailand, probably within 5 years.

dogster

Mango, if I'm still alive in 20 to 25 years I'll be so delighted I'll fly you, your good wife, extended family and all living members of the Fodor's community to Thailand WITH me.

Alas, my retirement has tumbled about my ears too early for such a pup. I want to retire EVERYWHERE simultaneously. I entertain property-owning fantasies everywhere I go. But I'm too peripatetic. I think I'll retire to a month in Maheshwar, a month in Galle Fort, a month in Phulbari, Kathmandu, a month in Kolkata, a month in Marrakech, a month on a continuous river cruise up the Chindwin River [Burma], a month on a luxury cruise ship where I'll never meet any other passengers, just eat myself stupid, a month in a beach hut in Kavieng [P.N.G.], a month in Amsterdam lolling in the Bulldog - have I run out of months yet?

This is just the beginning. Of course, I have to add a month in all the places I have yet to discover I love.

A month in Luang Prabang, one more in Siem Reap. Oh, there's that month in Bangkok I forgot. And the month I'll spend on a luxury train just rattling the rails round Rajasthan.

There'll be a month that I won't tell you about, a secret month of madness in a location best kept to myself. Then a month to recover and refind my reason, a month on the beach in the sun.

And the months are flooded with colour and music and singing and light. There is no winter in my discontent.

And in one of these places the light will get too, too bright... Dog will expire in his multiple place in the heat of his multiple sun.

But not just yet.

Gpanda

In a very peculiar way, beth and I have talked loosely about plans similar to the Dog's. Specifically, we have discussed taking apartments/bungalows in several different locations during the harsh New England winters. Chiang Mai, BKK, Luang Prabang, Ubud, Sanur come immediately to mind. If we spent each year in one spot, we could go to a different one every year. That might keep me from wearing out my welcome in any one spot.

Kathie

Andy, that's interesting. While we love to travel, we want to have a home base somewhere. Thailand is a perfect home base for us because of its proximity to so many places we love.

After this winter in Seattle - we want the tropics!

dogster

Great minds, gpanda... it's a lot more practical than one would think.

I returned from Sri Lanka enthusiastic about property in Galle Fort. My accountant asked how long I thought I'd stay there each year' Three months maybe, I replied. He pointed out that it was way more cost effective to simply rent someone else's really nice house and staff than to buy and have all the hassle of property in a foreign country.

But it's just as cost effective to stay at a place like Ahilya Fort for a month or so, too. The vital trick, of course, is to develop a taste for the monsoon - and time all these visits in the off-season. Seriously. Without even schlepping for a discount, for example, I could stay in the cheapest room at Ahilya Fort, all meals and drinks, laundry and massage for $80 a night, off season. I could handle a month of that.

BillT

Interesting that the folks in the Northwest and Northeast want to bail out for the topics to get away from the harsh winters- well we are the opposite- we have the topics for 5 months (and then very pleaseant weather for 7 months) so we will want to get away from that. We will want to travel abroad but we plan to spend our summers in retirement in San Francisco and then maybe a month or two in Asia and some time in Europe every year.

degas

I've toyed with the idea, but leaving Hawaii for good would be tough.

I'm thinking of trying to rent a place for 3-4 months a year and maybe work or volunteer at an NGO.

Any suggestions on NGOs?

Where do you folks think you would end up in Thailand?

If I get past my medical problems i'll devote more time to thinking about it.

Kathie

Degas, we would likely end up in Bangkok. We're city people and I fear we'd get bored in a small town. We've started looking at condos in Bangkok, and plan to do some more looking this year.

We've also thought about moving to Hawaii. So I can imagine it would be difficult to think about leaving there.

MichaelBKK

Of course, I've been thinking about this a lot - although for me it's really just a matter of quitting the day job in Bangkok so I can travel more (or rather, spend more time in places than the job allows). Even so, I want a home base.

I'd prefer Bangkok but I'm despairing of finding a condo for sale that I can afford. I've heard predictions of a collapse in prices for more than a dozen years, but it never happens. It looks like the most affordable place that's not too isolated is Chiang Mai.

AskOksena

>>>Where do you folks think you would end up in Thailand?


... well degas, that's presently classified on this rather public family friendly forum (mrs. m's orders), but I suspect it will not be our current little Bangkok love-nest, kindly provided to me by my kind employer. Mind you, we are thankful to have the property, and its wonderful proximity to BKK (an airport we use rather frequently each month for work), but, well, we have already staked out what we hope will be a most serene Thailand retreat for us and anticipated Cost Centres.

And, as for that 'retirement' issue, we plan to be a bit like 'd' and split time between more than one place: Singapore (mrs. m's 'home', which she generously allows me to share - and share mortgage payments); Scotland (tough to completely leave your 'roots'; particularly a recently inherited seaside property - taxes be damned); the San Francisco Bay Area, home of a work-related two-bedroom condo den of iniquity, I see every month during my 'trans-pacs'.

(And getting back to you, degas: we love those warm Hawaiian waters ... now, if only a certain relative would leave us her Big Island Kohala coast home) ... (and once again, taxes be damned) ...

... do hope all of your retirement plans/dreams come true ... in the interim, well, you have something even better: Sensational Singapore Girls, caring for you, all the way to Bangkok, and then gentle 'fodorites', well you know the programme: friendly hotels, late-night, in-room massage treatments, with kind, caring, loving masseuses ... (quite possibly, well less than half your age) ...

macintosh (robert)


... "Khun Robert! Welcome back to Bangkok! What's your room number?! ...

MaryW

I read a piece some years back by Peter Mayle about owning holiday homes. His version was to stay in really lovely hotels for extended times as it cost no more than owning, upkeep etc of property. Suggested if you really like somewhere then keep a case of things you might need with the hotel so you don't have to cart anything with you.

Friends with a lovely holiday house have now sold as they feel compelled to visit it always and don't go off anywhere else. Much of the time they let someone else use it so they are subsidizing every one else too.

I still like a bolt hole to run to but the idea of just being able to spend a month here or there with someone looking after everything and moving when you feel like it is my idea of a heavenly retirement.

DonTopaz

> I'll fly you, your good wife

How many does he have in total?

Hanuman

dogster - in dog years, you're about 10 years old?

Kathie

Mary, we began by looking into maintaining a residence in Seattle and buying a place in Bangkok, spending about half the year in each place. We concluded the same thing as Peter Mayle (and dogster's accountant). So we're likely to either buy a place in Bangkok to live year round (with travel, of course) or keep Seattle as our home and rent or stay in a hotel for several months each year in one or more tropical places.

Mango7

Dogster, I am certain you would make a great drinking companion.

Our nebulous plans at this point is to own a home in the Ramintra area of Bangkok and somewhere up north as well. I'd like to own a condo in the wireless road area but the wife hates city living.

Guenmai

I already live in Southern California, but plan to live in Bangkok for part of the year. It will be easy to fly back and forth as LAX is a big Thailand hub.

But, who knows what the retirement laws will be by then as I hear things have been a changing.

I guess I could partially retire, a bit early, in 7 years. I would always keep some work to have regular income coming in. But, I could also have a lot of months in Bangkok...the best of both worlds. Happy Travels!

crellston

Currently, under active consideration are plans to move either to SEA (Thailand or Laos) or South America, not necessarily to retire but possibly to open a small B&B operation. Looking at some of teh replies it seems that a opening a "transit home" for incoming retiring Fodorites may have some atractions!!
Currently considering a long term trip to Thailand and renting a place to investigate the region and to experience the not so good weather we will have to get used to.

Tangata

Been retired here for 11 years now and never regretted it. A great location for those of us that want to travel and it is convenient for all of Asia and not impossible for Europe or Australasia.

We have just had 12 days in Bangkok and were delighted to leave! The last place I would want to retire to.