Top 10 Alternatives To Philippines

[Dave Hounddriver]

We all know the Philippines is great. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel that the Philippines, in general, appears to push long term temporary residents (those here on tourist visas) away. I am not interested in the hows and whys that this happens, I am curious what others see as an alternative. Consider what you like about the Philippines. If you were to see a top ten list of alternative countries you could stay in, what countries would you include? Whether you would go single or take your wife with you is up to you.

I want to know what alternatives there are and why you would pick them. I have not tried any alternatives but the ones that have crossed my mind as being interesting potential alternatives are Thailand, Costa Rica, and Malaysia. My main criteria are price and comfort. What about you?

[Old55]

I like Philippines but it has real issues. The Filipino people are for the most part very nice and English spoken by many Filipinos.

There are areas of China that could be interesting to live but a simple working understanding of the language would be necessary. Once you understand the basics of Chinese culture it opens the door to understanding and enjoying the people there. It can take time but once you truly become friends with a Chinese you have a friend for life. The culture food and history has lots going for it. Government, pollution and language is the down side, a big down side. Chinese ladies are some of the most beautiful in the world I could go on but.....

[MikeB]

I haven't been yet but I'm interested in Cambodia. The visa system is ridiculously easy compared to the RP and it's supposed to be very nice and inexpensive. I'm still researching, it's impossible to know until you go a few times. The visa financial requirements are very high in Malaysia compared to the others. I've heard Costa Rica is much more expensive and not as safe as it was 12 years ago when I visited.

[Adventurer]

I stopped in Malaysia for a day recently and it seemed OK. It was a bit more upscale than the Philippines but still cheap to eat and rent from the looks. Obviously there is a religious influence that some might not adapt to but I found all the people very friendly and helpful as in the Philippines. But one day is not much to know what it's like, you would need to travel a bit for a few weeks at least.

[Garpo]

I spent a little time looking at Ecuador and it would be on my top 10 list due to cost of living and not nearly as hot as the Philippines. The problem is the language again is Spanish and you. It is more of a place I would consider for me and my wife but I would not go there as a single unless I had no intention of finding a wife or partner. the country is beautiful and prices are pretty reasonable and overall cost of living I would say is close to that of the Philippines.

[JJReyes]

Italy. There are beautiful small towns away from the tourist areas offering low-cost accommodations. I was once tempted to purchase a three-bedroom farm cottage for less than $25,000. The reason for low prices is the young people relocate to the big cities so they just want to get rid of the family home. The train system is excellent and cheap. So from towns in Northern Italy you can venture to places like Siena, Pisa, Florence, Venice, and Milan within two hours. Train stations are in the middle of the cities. You can enjoy the art, culture and watching the tourists like a native, and be home by early evening. In addition, the wine and food are excellent.

[Adventurer]

Italy. There are beautiful small towns away from the tourist areas offering low-cost accommodations. I was once tempted to purchase a three-bedroom farm cottage for less than $25,000. The reason for low prices is the young people relocate to the big cities so they just want to get rid of the family home. The train system is excellent and cheap. So from towns in Northern Italy you can venture to places like Siena, Pisa, Florence, Venice, and Milan within two hours. Train stations are in the middle of the cities. You can enjoy the art, culture and watching the tourists like a native, and be home by early evening. In addition, the wine and food are excellent.

Italy would be a great place to take the wife and live for awhile if it's affordable. What are the visa/entry conditions there?

[JJReyes]

Italy offers a 90 days visa waiver program. Longer stays require a visa application with an Italian embassy or consultate. I don't know the requirements, but it is less stringent since as a retiree you have no intention of seeking employment. You are within the Euro zone. Usually they don't stamp in and out entries at the border. My strategy is to enter Italy or another Euro country and depart from another one.

[Mike S]

I looked at Thailand off and on for several years but the language was one big draw back ..... I do like in infrastructure and the idea you can travel to other countries by ground transportation and not that far away ..... price wise it seemed a bit cheaper for housing and had a bunch of different foods (you know like grasshoppers and all kinds of water beetles and other great stuff) ..... I also like the fact that the people are Buddhists and not so prevalent to violent out bursts and crimes (unless you are in the tourists areas) .... yea I know the political unrest is not so great but as a whole ...... also the visa program sucked as you had to leave the country every 90 days then but you could just cross a boarder get a stamp and come back .... then they were purposing that you had to leave the country for 3 months and I lost interest right away .... not sure if that ever went through or not ......

Looked at Mexico as I speak a little Spanish but really didn't see any advantage over the Phils ..... guess there could be when in a few years all the Mexicans will live in the US and you could buy land dirt cheap ..... :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: ..... if you could get it away from the drug cartel that is ...... :mocking:

So all things considered I felt I have made the best choice in moving to the Phils and have never regretted it .... :dance: :thumbsup: :tiphat: :cheersty:

[GeorgeRoberts]

I think Thailand would be a good alternative...many expats there.....don't know much about Central america....only that there's a history of drug wars...