Baby Boomers Dreaming of Living Abroad

Recovering from Recession by Moving to a Foreign City

Sep 15, 2009

Boomers itching to cut living expenses in this recession recovery - or longing to have an adventure - might consider moving abroad for a few months, or as long as a year.

Although the recession that began in 2008 may be technically over, a full recovery could take several years. Life's short, and the world is shrinking. With children out of college, elderly parents living until their 90s and beyond, and careers derailed by unforeseen economic swings, many baby boomers are dreaming about a change. So, how to swing living abroad, while saving money?

Boomers: Find Expat Community Abroad

Those who aren’t seasoned travelers may find it more comfortable to take a sabbatical where there’s an expat community.

While living in a city with a sizable community of other expats has its pluses: one can count on finding stores selling familiar products, people who speak English, and informal networks of contacts. Knowing other Americans can make it easier to sort out how to handle a local bureaucracy, understand puzzling attitudes or behavior, and even figure out where to go to obtain certain services or products.

More than one Web site is dedicated to the expat market. Boomers Abroad, which claims that number of Americans and Canadians living abroad is approximately 7 million, advertises home listings in places as far flung as southern Italy, Costa Rica, Spain, and Thailand. Other expat Web sites are country-specific.

Boomers Expats Do Better Abroad With Language Skills

Knowing the local language can make a huge difference in one’s ability to “enter” a different culture, not to mention make friends and get along well on a daily basis in a foreign country.

On the flip side, being unable to read, write, and speak the local language fluently puts one at a certain disadvantage in the business world and the labor market.

And, being able to communicate easily has implications for social status, too. Without language fluency, one is more likely to be treated as an immigrant. That’s how it is in the melting pot culture of the United States. And that’s how it is abroad, too.

Finding Paid Employment Abroad Poses Expat Challenges

Of course, the budget question looms. How long can one live without earning money, and how much can one spend without breaking the bank?

It's easier to be a deep-pocketed expat than an immigrant who's looking for work. Stories abound of would-be expats with fantasies about making easy money abroad; its not easier to turn a profit in a nation where one lacks contacts and language fluency.

Visitors who believe they'll easily "pick up" a job are often unsuccessful, according to reports from expats themselves.

Getting a job teaching English as a second language is both hard to do, and poorly paid.There are Americans living all over the world and English is a commonly-spoken second language in many popular international cities.

And, realistically speaking, in nations where the cost of living is low, wages are generally also low.

The best bet is to have a business that can be pursued from abroad, say an Internet business. Or, come prepared to not earn a living locally.

Six Things To Consider about Moving Abroad

Working abroad, making new friends, discovering different ways of eating and living, not to mention learning a language sufficiently well to get along in a foreign culture are all challenges for expat Americans.

For those who long to see the world, living in Paris or, more affordably, Buenos Aires may seem like a dream. But if one has the time and money, is reasonably healthy, mobile, and key relationships with children and elderly ailing relatives allow, it might be a good time to explore a new country for a few months or a year, and live cheaply while the nation recovers from recession.

The copyright of the article Baby Boomers Dreaming of Living Abroad in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by Ellen Freudenheim. Permission to republish Baby Boomers Dreaming of Living Abroad in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.