Moving to the Philippines for a retiree

[In a Quandary]

I am in my 70s and my wife would like us to move to the Philippines, which I have visited some 10 times and have through my wife some acquaintances there. I am in good health but have a number of reservations mainly because of my age and although my wife has a house there her Mother and my Sister in Law also live there. Equally I am concerned that i may get bored as there is few ex pats in the area some 50 miles south of Manila, there is no garden and my knowledge of the language is very limited. I am also the only car driver.

I have suggested to my wife that we split our time between the UK & the Philippines.

Your thoughts would be most welcome

[Old55]

Welcome to the forum. 

Spend a few  months or more and then make a decision?  

We visit every year and expect to spend entire winters in Cebu starting next year.

Edited 19 hours ago by Old55

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, In a Quandary said:

I am concerned that i may get bored

That is a definite possibility.  It can be more pronounced if your wife is busy with her friends and relatives, leaving you to entertain yourself.  I lived full time in Philippines in my 50s and 60s but in my 70s I prefer to spend a few weeks a year in Philippines and the rest of the year in Canada.  But each to their own.  

[JJReyes]

Entertainment can be provided even in rural areas through modern technology.  The example is purchasing a Starlink connection and electricity using solar power.  If you like gambling, there's the Sunday cockfights.  

[Gas]

1 hour ago, In a Quandary said:

I am in my 70s and my wife would like us to move to the Philippines, which I have visited some 10 times and have through my wife some acquaintances there. I am in good health but have a number of reservations mainly because of my age and although my wife has a house there her Mother and my Sister in Law also live there. Equally I am concerned that i may get bored as there is few ex pats in the area some 50 miles south of Manila, there is no garden and my knowledge of the language is very limited. I am also the only car driver.

I have suggested to my wife that we split our time between the UK & the Philippines.

Your thoughts would be most welcome

50 miles directly  south of Manila would put you in San Pablo City. Plenty of expats living in that area. 

Edited 18 hours ago by Gas

[stevewool]

Think very hard before you jump in and move full time , it can be very hard to change your habits of living your life knowing everything you need to know about where you are living to somewhere new, moving near family sounds great and it could be great too, but living full time think about it , at the moment you seem to have everything right , living in the UK and holidays in the Philippines or anywhere else .

I was once moving to the Philippines full time built the house and everything looked great but after time things started to go wrong in my mind , and I was not prepared to live that way , but good luck we are all different in what we may want or need 

[Jeff_G]

15 minutes ago, stevewool said:

Think very hard before you jump in and move full time , it can be very hard to change your habits of living your life knowing everything you need to know about where you are living to somewhere new, moving near family sounds great and it could be great too, but living full time think about it

I couldnt agree more.   I am probably one of the few on this forum that would love nothing better than to leave the Philippines.   Having said that, I absolutely concede it is very possible to be extremely happy and content here.   So much depends on expectations, circumstances, conveniences vs inconveniences, access to...etc.   Over the years I hear many say, come for a couple of months before making a decision.  While that is probably not bad advice, I think it takes substantially longer than a couple of months to decide if it is right for oneself.     Selling the farm and then deciding its not for you after a year or so kind of puts one in a bind.  

[Jeff_G]

15 hours ago, Gas said:

50 miles directly  south of Manila would put you in San Pablo City. Plenty of expats living in that area. 

It would be hard to escape expats 50 miles in any direction from Manila.   

[scott h]

5 minutes ago, Jeff_G said:

So much depends on expectations, circumstances, conveniences vs inconveniences, access to...etc.

 

[Guy F.]

I wouldn't want to live in the Philippines full time. Five months per year is plenty. I recommend being a snowbird.