What are other people's thoughts on leaving the US?

[Florida Dem]

93. Was Already Planning To Go

I recently hit Social Security age and I was planning to be an expat within a few years. I am obligated to stay here for now due to an elderly parent who who needs my assistance. Economic factors, my sense of adventure and wanderlust were the primary reasons for my decision. Getting away from the toxic politics is a nice side benefit though. Here are my thoughts on some of the posts that I've seen in this thread:

1. A lot of posts claim it is not financially feasible to leave the country. But actually, the cost of living is substantially lower in most of the countries that I am considering. And no, I'm not lugging all of my worldly possessions with me. So the cost of moving is not that significant.

2. Also, some posts state that other countries don't want you if you're old and retired. That is just incorrect. All of the countries that I am considering have a "retirement" visa and the income requirements are minimal. Yes, you will have to jump through some hoops with documentation to prove your retirement income and clean police record, etc.

3. It is not extraordinarily difficult to move and acquire residency in many countries around the world as some posters on here have incorrectly claimed. I am speaking more about retirement visas than the other types of visas such as digital nomads, etc. Although most of the countries have those other avenues available as well. You don't need to change your citizenship and there is not really a compelling reason to do so.

4. I strongly disagree that deciding to move abroad in to live out your remaining years is "abandoning" the United States. I will still be paying U.S. taxes and maintaining my us passport. I will also continue to have other connections to the U.S. including family and financial.

5. You can receive excellent healthcare in many other countries. Even though some of the countries I am considering are not really known as first world countries (Panama, Thailand, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Spain). You will have to consider your health insurance options. I am planning to maintain my current insurance as a federal retiree. It is a little bit clunky in that I need to pay the cost in the other country and get reimbursed after the fact. But that is okay. I have already experienced this during a recent trip to Thailand where I was fully reimbursed by Blue Cross.

This decision is really personal. It really depends on your particular preferences and situation. As I said earlier, I have a strong sense of adventure and like to experience other cultures. I also speak basic functional Spanish although I am not fully fluent. I absolutely get that it is difficult for some people to break out of their comfort zone and make such a large change in their life. And I acknowledge that there are definite advantages to living in the United States. It is all a matter of your personal priorities.

I am unattached and I had already made this decision prior our strong right turn into fascism. I'm not saying that deciding to move to a foreign country solely due to the horrific political developments over the past few days is a good idea. I think you should take a more comprehensive approach to the decision. I just wanted to dispel some of what I considered to be misleading claims that I saw in this thread.