re: Have you ever wanted to check out and be an expat? If so, where would you go?

yes, everyday. if i had a necessary skill set i would have left years ago. germany, england or norway tbh. this place already peaked, we are trending downwards.

Yes I have and still contemplate it. Parts of the Philippines have caught my eye. Most tropical places would be on my list.

visited Dublin and spent some time going to the small fishing towns around it... that would easily be my pick

On the beach of the Indian ocean some where around Mombasa Kenya

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Did It. I lived in Nicraragua until the market came back around and the jobs came back.

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Spent over a week there this summer......

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What was that like? I've heard their gov't is very serious about becoming the "Next Costa Rica" in terms of tourism and development

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Living in the third world will eventually drive a first worlder crazy. You drink too much. You have little to do really. The pace of life is so different. One day you'll just fricking lose it in the grocery store because they don't have the soap or shampoo you like -- shortages are common.

I'm not ashamed to admit I did go a little nuts towards the end, but I had a lot of great experiences and made lifelong friends.

But I was happy to be back to the land of hot showers, cable tv and AC when I made it back.

Next adventure will probably be Thailand in about six months or so.

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What was that like? I've heard their gov't is very serious about becoming the "Next Costa Rica" in terms of tourism and development

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The Ortega government is a joke. Most people don't take much he has to say seriously, and his wife seriously believes she's a witch with the power to curse people.

Needless to say, reading the morning paper was always interesting.

And my god, the news broadcasts down there. They don't shy away from showing gruesome shite. I saw more severed heads and mutilated bodies on the nightly news than I ever say in a horror movie.

My wife is a dual citizen (Poland/USA). I have personal experience with the "other side" of immigration. Bc she is an EU citizen, after we were married the Polish government and EU government wanted to know everything about me. I had to supply them with an original birth certificate, a copy of my US passport, and the general IDs (GA drivers license, copy of SS card, complete immediate family names, dates and places of birth, phone #s and addresses). And once a year I have to report to the Polish embassy or local consulate (we travel to Poland once a year so I usually do it there). And I have to make official statements as to have I committed or been accused of any crimes since the last update, am I planning to work in Poland or the EU without permission, do I plan to live in Poland or the EU). Bc my wife has dual citizenship, she is allowed to own property in Poland. We have a condo there which we will retire to when we finish up here. While the Euro is stronger than the dollar, Poland never switched to the Euro and still uses their currencies. $1.00 US gets you the spending power of $3.50 PZ. So it's tripling our retirement $. Of course we will move there, BUT I will not be required to surrender my US citizenship and if I live there 3 years w/o committing a crime I get dual citizenship there.

No brainer.

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I can vouch for this, I used to work for a German manufacturer and go over there a few times a year. I wanted to beat my head against the wall when they were all on vacation the entire month of August.

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it's so true. Americans work harder than any first world country.

Rhodes, Greece