‘Retire’ according to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary means ‘to withdraw; to retreat; to withdraw from society, office, public or active life, business, profession, etc; to go into seclusion or to bed’.

This hardly describes the lifestyle of most of the retired people I know. Many lead very active lives travelling, playing sports, studying, participating in club activities, gardening, doing voluntary or part-time work. Now that they no longer have to concentrate on earning a living they expend their energy on things they enjoy doing. The last thing they want to do is curl up and have a nap.

NEW ATTITUDES TOWARDS RETIREMENT

Over the years in western countries the nature of retirement has changed. It is no longer seen as a time for reflection and inaction, and there are several reasons for this.

Life expectancy

‘One of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century has been to add over twenty years to the average age expectancy (at birth) of British people,’ notes Professor R A B Leaper. ‘To survive into “old age” is no longer a bonus for a small minority of people, but an experience common to the majority.’1

In the past most people were lucky to reach retirement age, and even those who did were often too old and decrepit to enjoy it. Now the average 60-year-old man can expect to live another 16 years at least, and a woman of that age can look forward to celebrating her eightieth birthday. A 65-year-old man can reasonably plan to live another 13 years, and a 70-year-old another ten.

Improved health

Thanks to improved healthcare, health awareness and diet, people in their sixties and seventies are on the whole fitter and healthier than their forebears. Even those who experience health problems are more likely to surmount them thanks to medical progress. A retired person can expect to retain his faculties far longer than ever before, and even when they become defective medical technology can often provide a solution.

As a result more retired people than ever are capable of leading very active lives. Far from being content to sit back and watch the world go by, they want to play a full part in it, prepared to meet fresh challenges and filling their lives with a wide range of activities, including sport.

Early retirement

People are retiring earlier. For some public service employees retirement at 55 seems to be becoming the norm, and it seems that 70% of private sector workers finish work by the age of 60. Fewer than 60% of British men in the 55-64 age group are still in employment. The concept of early retirement is even more entrenched in France where only one-third of 54-64 year olds are actively employed.

Many of these early retirees are in the prime of life who in different circumstances would be leading busy lives perhaps at the top of their trade or profession. Some look round for other work and even embark on new careers; others who feel financially secure seek outlets for their energies elsewhere.

Prosperity

Although the image of the hard-up pensioner persists, an increasing number of people now on the threshold of retirement are actually quite well off. Some ‘woopies’ (well off older people) have inherited wealth from their parents; others may have benefited from the rise in house prices and sold a large family home for a considerable profit; many will have substantial occupational pensions or investments that yield a good return.

‘Woopies’ are not inhibited by lack of finance. Indeed, they may well find themselves better off than earlier in their lives when they may have had to cope with heavy mortgages and support a growing family.

Greater expectations

With better health and increased wealth people are able to choose how they wish to spend their retirement. They have a chance to fulfil some of the ambitions they have put aside, to embark on activities they have not had sufficient time for up till now, such as hobbies, travel or study.

Although ambition is regarded as the prerogative of younger people, there is no reason why it should be abandoned as a person advances in years. Today it is not uncommon to hear of people in their late fifties and sixties setting up their own businesses or taking up new jobs. Indeed, in Britain 15% of new businesses are started by people aged 50 plus. There is no reason why you should not plan ahead and decide what you wish to achieve by the time you are 60, 70 or 80.

MAKING A FRESH START

An increasing number of people make a clean break by selling their house and retiring to another part of the country – often the seaside or the countryside.

There are certain gains from a move. ‘With a new house in a new place and subsequently a new circle there can come a new energy which breaks into new interests often with more forcefulness than that which inaugurated our working days, for we still retain the poise given us by the seniority of the work from which we have just retired’ (Ronald Blythe).2

In the past, towns like Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Torquay and Worthing became favoured retirement locations earning the south coast of England the nickname ‘Costa Geriatrica’. But certain inland locations, like the Cotswolds and the various spa towns, are also popular. Generally speaking, people who move do so because they want:

• a better climate – better is normally synonymous with milder or warmer, though clean, fresh air free of pollution can be an important draw;
• to get away from the crowds – for many older people the ideal spot is far away from the noise, bustle and pollution of the big city, hence a home in the country or in a small town is a popular choice;
• a healthier environment – a resort or the countryside is generally healthier than an industrial region, and people suffering from respiratory complaints will benefit from living in a drier, milder climate.

Other factors which influence the choice of retirement locations are:

• past connections – people may wish to move back to an area where they have strong emotional ties. This may be a place where you once lived or where you have stayed on holiday;
• family ties or friendships – if friends or members of your family (eg your children) have settled in another part of the country, you may decide to move nearer to them.

THE LURE OF FOREIGN PLACES

British people have always had a reputation for globetrotting, but until fairly recently the actual number of people who ventured abroad of their own accord was fairly restricted. All that changed in the late 1950s with the introduction of cheap package tours and charter flights to southern Europe.

Holidaymakers quickly discovered that resorts in Spain and Greece were considerably sunnier and warmer than Torquay and Bognor Regis. There were other advantages too, such as cheap wine and spirits, exotic food and a more relaxed way of life.

As people found property and land going for a song they began to acquire holiday homes in these places. Estate agents in the UK began to market overseas properties, while property developers, including a number of British firms, started to put up purpose-built residences to cope with demand. Short stays grew into more extended ones, and people began to think in terms of permanent settlement. As a result there are now tens of thousands of British citizens living on the Spanish costas alone.

And it looks as if there will be many more in the future. The Centre for Future Studies forecasts that in the year 2012 one in eight Britons aged over 55 will be living abroad, and by the year 2020 this will increase to one in five. National boundaries are disappearing and people are becoming more adventurous and cosmopolitan.

The idea of spending one’s retirement outside the circle of one’s family and friends is a symptom of the age we live in. ‘The growth of retirement migration reflects not only the growth of affluence but also the increasing emphasis is our societies upon individual satisfactions and expression, and the changing conception of family responsibilities and of inter-generational support,’ writes Dr Anthony Warnes.3

There is, of course, nothing new about living abroad. At any given time there are hundreds of thousands of British people living and working abroad – in the services, in the diplomatic service, in education or development, on construction projects, representing their firms – the list is endless.

Some stay abroad for a short spell and then return home; others relish the life in a particular country or region so much that they endeavour to stay on into retirement. Citizens of the world who spend their careers moving from country to country do not necessarily head for their country of origin when they retire. They are seasoned expatriates who are content to settle down anywhere provided the circumstances are right.

However, many of the people who retire abroad these days after spending most of their working lives in Britain have only a vague notion of what long-term residence abroad entails. A short period spent in another country, on holiday or business, does not always prepare one for the business of transplanting yourself permanently to foreign soil.

PLANNING AHEAD

Moving to a foreign location is not a simple move. It is more akin to starting a new life or embarking on a journey. As any explorer will confirm, any long-term expedition needs to be planned with scrupulous care; you must be prepared for problems along the way, and above all you need to be flexible in your attitudes.

‘It is not easy to start a new life in a foreign country, no matter how many times you have visited that country or how much you love it,’ observes Susan Thackeray.4‘Emigration is a traumatic experience... and the older you are the more difficult it is to discard the habits of a lifetime and take on new ones.’

So it is sensible to think long and hard before committing yourself to an overseas retirement. Among the factors you need to consider are:

• your health – you may be fit and healthy now, but there may come a time when your health is less robust;
• your finances – you may be flush with cash at present, but more often than not people become poorer as they grow older;
• your retirement location – you need to ensure that the country and location you select is as wonderful and trouble-free as it appears in the brochures;
• your family and friends – you ought to consider the impact your decision might have on others, including members of your family and close friends.

I have heard of numerous instances of people who have flown down to the Mediterranean for the first time and bought a retirement home on impulse. While some may have lived happily ever after, others have encountered pitfalls. Costs escalate, the glamour wears off, they have a contretemps with the taxman, one partner dies, their health deteriorates, and so on.

It is to help you avoid these pitfalls and get off to a good start in your adopted homeland that this book has been devised.