Good question! We're in the process of retirement research and considering our options for 4-5 yrs from now. We're Canadians living in Hong Kong and have declared ourselves non-resident so that we pay no Canadian taxes. We love it in Asia and would like to stay here for at least the early part of our retirement. So the biggest issue for us is the cost of moving back to Canada (ie. 20-30% higher income tax) versus the cost of international healthcare plans. At the moment - it's looking like Asia is winning out over returning to Canada. The other issue - being close to our kids is a tough one but...we know for sure that only one of the two will be in N.A. anyway - the other will probably find himself back in Asia as soon as he can because he shares our love for the region (and he has the advantage of speaking some of the languages as well).

We own our house in the midst of rural HK (surrounded by bamboo forests, hiking trails, monkeys, and the greatest variety of butterflies in Asia) and want to develop it into a bed and breakfast. Neither my husband nor I can imagine stopping work "cold turkey" so - the idea of keeping ourselves busy by entertaining visitors from around the world is very appealing.

We also plan for the B&B to "be fully booked" (ie. closed) a few times a year to travel to a number of our favourite parts of this region - taking advantage of cheap airfares in low season and living very cheaply. Just a few of our favourites are the Ubud area of Bali, Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai areas of Thailand, Boracay in the Philippines - but we'll also do some exploring in new areas as well. Somehow - we're hoping that we can also find enough resources to go back to Japan at least every other year as well (but - you can't exactly live cheaply there so that would definitely be a quick visit).

Cheers! Judy in Hong Kong