Moving Overseas Strut

pimlicosquirrel

We are toying with the idea of moving abroad for a year or two. The idea being to live off the interest of investments so my partner can indulge in her love for essay/reportage photography with the end result being an output for print or simply to bolster her portfolio. I would basically be having a long-ass holiday but would look to work.

I know quite a few strutters have done/are doing this. Anyone care to share their experiences? Anyone wanting to do it?

Current top spots which suit our criteria include Cambodia and Sri Lanka. But we are also looking at the Philippines, Indonesia, West Africa and Central America.

Our criteria is something like;
Culturally rich
Developing
Interesting region (for whatever reason)
Tropical climate
Good/fresh food
Low cost of living

Like I said we are just kicking the idea around at the moment and would be interested to hear others experiences and or aspirations.

Frank

As far as West Africa goes, I'd chose Benin, and as city either Porto Novo or Ouidah which are both only about an hour from Cotonou and its restaurant and nightlife scene but are much less polluted and much cheaper and comfortable for daily life plus you get great beaches around Ouidah. Easily the best food in the region, safe and easy to travel, amazing variety of local tribes/cultures, great local artesinal liquor etc. must have at least rudimentary knowledge of the French language. Otherwise go to Ghana. I can give you more in depth information if needed, just pm me. And no, there are no records left in West Africa except in Nigeria perhaps but you don't want to live there right now, you can take cheap flights into Lagos though for around $150 round trip from Accra or Cotonou.

pimlicosquirrel

Thanks Frank, you are partially the catalyst for us looking at West Africa in the first place, not for records rather because of your well documented insights and tales of the area getting us open to the region. We have been to a number of east african countries and would love to get back. We would be looking to live on between $1200 to $1500 US a month which looks like it may be difficult in Ghana or Benin.

Rishan

$1200 to $1500 for two, i think you could do that quite comfortably in Cambodia. Thailand as well for that matter. i lived in Malaysia and travelled the region for several years and it was fairly easy to pick up English teaching work. Malaysia is bit more developed and expensive, and surprisingly Indonesia is more expensive still, at least the parts of Sumatra i went to. damn i want to go back again and do what you're doing...

Brian

pimlicosquirrel said:

live off the interest of investments

1%ER SPOTTED

pimlicosquirrel

Rishan said:

$1200 to $1500 for two, i think you could do that quite comfortably in Cambodia. Thailand as well for that matter. i lived in Malaysia and travelled the region for several years and it was fairly easy to pick up English teaching work. Malaysia is bit more developed and expensive, and surprisingly Indonesia is more expensive still, at least the parts of Sumatra i went to. damn i want to go back again and do what you're doing...

The cost of living in Cambodia is partly why it's at the top of our list, also obtaining a 12 month visa is easy. We have been there before and totally fell in love with the weirdness and beauty of the place.

Yeah I might look into English teaching, I have done environmental education before, although I'm unsure whether this counts as teaching experience. I would actually love to get work in environmental land management, which is my background.

pimlicosquirrel

PatrickCrazy said:

pimlicosquirrel said:

live off the interest of investments

1%ER SPOTTED

Haha hardly, actually I earn a below average annual wage. I've just always worked at investing some of my income to the point where I can see a little regular return.

JefDam

I've been in Indonesia fro the last three years and couldn't recommend spending some time here highly enough.

From a cultural stand point it'd be difficult to find another country in SE Asia with such a huge and diverse mix, 16000 islands the vast majority of which have their own distinct traditions, languages, and cultures

The cost of living is pretty cheap and the food is great (freshness can be in issue in Jakarta but one quickly develops a cast iron stomach!) but boozing can get a bit pricey.

If you're thinking of going down the TEFL road be warned that at this moment in time getting a decent teaching gig in Indo can be a bit tricky as the dept. of Education are only willing to grant work permits to people with BA's in English or Education. That said you'd be able to get work and sponsorship quite easily in one of the big language mills (the money would be shitty but the work is a doddle and you'd most likely get housing and a return airfare. If you already have cash behind you you'd be able to live quite comfortably, they'll even bribe the immigration officials on your behalf to get you a visa!

Also, Indo gots wax.

Rishan

the above reads almost exactly the same for Malaysia as well. any kind of degree will be a big advantage, and if you need to, you can usually do a short TEFL course at any of the main schools to get a qualification. you could even think about doing it before you go out, as a back up plan.

also Kuala Lumpur is probably the best base from which to get around. cheap regional flights are so easy from there. unfortunately the exchange rate to ringgitts has gone down the toilet over the past few years, which is one reason i haven't been back.

so i'm biased when i say Cambodia, but it does fit a lot of your criteria and i'm in love with SE Asia in general!