...at the end of next year. Been working the same job for about two decades, saving around a thousand dollars a month. In addition, I own an apartment which I intend to sell for a slight profit, along with a pension plan and a severance package. Not sure yet whether I can cash in my health insurance, but I plan to look into that.
Question is, where should I retire
to? The cost of living is way too high in my home country, so I'm thinking somewhere in Eastern Europe or maybe Latin America. I've heard that you can buy entire hamlets in remote locales for a song, but you have to spend a fortune on redevelopment. Most of the places I've looked into seem too good to be true, meaning they're almost certainly scams.
Ideally, I'd like to live in a cooler, temperate climate in the foothills of a sweeping mountain range, somewhere outside the city, but not so isolated as to feel cut off from humanity. Wouldn't need a mansion, just a small, comfortable house where I can relax in the afternoons and watch the day fade into twilight. A short, sweet, warm summer in August followed by a few billowing snowfalls over Christmas. Maybe a log fire and a shot of Jack Daniels when the temperatures start to drop...
Unrealistic expectations? Maybe. But it's nice to have something to look forward to. I'll let you all know how the dream works out :)
(Edited 1 minute later.)
@previous (C)
Nope. Never had much interest in "ghost hunting," if that's who you're talking about. If I need a retirement hobby, I'll try landscape painting :)