Short term retirement plan - Where to go?

[gilwood]

So I have 1 more year left to go in a contract. I'm making some good $$ & not spending any. If I play my cards right I should have a pile of cash by next year.

Where would you guys go if you had about $50k in cash? I'd like someplace warm, cheap and maybe play a little golf. I also need some "excuse" to put on my resume for when the cash ran out.

I'm thinking - rent an apt in Thailand for a year, live it up there, whilest remotely working on a PhD. Thereby I could live cheap, have a blast & still have a respectable resume.

Any better ideas? Costa Rica would be nice too...

[uttexas]

Definitely do some research about living abroad---crime/safety/etc.

Personally, I'd go Central America--you would be close enough to the US in case of illness/injury to get to a US hospital if needed.  Panama probably has the highest standard of living, but is also the most expensive.

15 years ago, I might have recommended Mexico, but today, I'm not so sure.

Been to Costa Rica three times, it is one of my favorite countries to visit, but it's gotten steadily more expensive.  Nicaragua and Guatemala are cheaper.

Third world countries often only have a handful of golf courses, with most being resort courses (not that cheap).

If I were in your position, I'd strongly consider Guatemala (cost of living, # of golf courses, relative safety)  stay away from active volcanoes, hurricane paths, and areas prone to mudslides.

[Harmonious]

Of all the places in the world, New Zealand seems to come up over and over as one of the best.  Cheap, great people, good weather, golf all over the place.  10 million sheep can't be wrong!