In this video, I will share four of the easiest places to book now and go overseas. These are easy places to go. You don’t have to give it a lot of thought, and here’s why.
These are places where many Westerners go without a visa. Just book a flight and go. You don’t have to apply for a retirement visa or residency yet. You don’t have to figure out what foreign foods to eat because they have food from home.
And there will be people who can speak English in most cases. And you can get out of Dodge and relax a bit for a few months while you get your foreign legs under you. These are some of my favorite soft landings in the world.
Soft landings are places where people who have never lived overseas before can go without overthinking it, and it will seem easy for them to live there. Soft landing means exactly what it sounds like. That’s what makes them great places for people to start their overseas adventures.
And here’s the truth that no one else will tell you. Very few people actually stay in the first place they live overseas. Most people visit a few more places before they land somewhere that feels like home. Very few stick the first landing.
So, start with a soft landing. Somewhere that will not shock your senses; get the feel of being outside your own country. Start somewhere easy and see what it feels like to live somewhere that is peaceful, friendly, not so wound up, or full of angry people.
And when you see what it feels like to live in some of these places without hemorrhaging so much every month, and your budget lasts past the end of the month, it will really start to sink in. Maybe a life overseas is waiting for you. Maybe it’s not just a dream.
So I’m not saying these are the places long-term for everyone. I’m saying these will give you momentum, confidence, and belief that your life is on the right path.
Now I’m going to spread the locations around the world. So no matter where you live in the world, one will be close to you. Okay, here we go.
Kalamata, Greece
We really loved Kalamata. If Kalamata sounds familiar, you have probably tasted the famous Kalamata olives, which are known around the world as one of the tastiest olives from the Mediterranean.
Kalamata was one of our favorite places in Europe. Kalamata City is an authentic, laid-back coastal city that feels really safe to us. It is not as well-known an international tourist destination in Greece, but it felt like a place we could live happily and easily.
The warm Mediterranean climate is ideal for growing olives and for living out your golden years. The oldest part of the city has some of those charming walkable pre-vehicle streets, too skinny for cars. So only humans can walk down them.
Of course, Kalamata had delicious Greek food, but it also had great pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and German, Asian, and Latin food. And every restaurant we went into had someone who spoke enough English to take our order and answer questions.
Most Western countries can stay up to 90 days in a 180-day period across the entire Schengen Area without a visa, which includes staying in Greece. So, just book your flight and go since the ETIAS pre-travel screening is not yet in service at the time of this report.
Based on our expenses on our recent visit to Greece, we estimate that many single expats could live in Kalamata for $1,600 to $2,600 per month. Some on less.
You can book Airbnb apartments for one month in Kalamata, Greece, starting at about $1,000 USD per month or more. If you would like to find apartments for less, we recommend you use our apartment hunting methodology. If you would like to stay longer than the 90-day period, there are other visa options.
For a FIP visa, you’ll need to show a minimum guaranteed passive income of €3,500 per net month (roughly $4,000 USD) or a minimum balance of around €48,000 (roughly $54,000 USD) deposited in a Greek bank account.
This healthcare international comparison index ranks Greece 41st in the world, 28 spots better than the United States, which ranks 69th. Healthcare is rated in different ways, but this service seems to consider not only quality of care, but also relative costs.
Because of Kalamata, Greece’s warm weather on the Mediterranean Sea, an amazing assortment of foods (both Greek and international), easygoing atmosphere, cafe culture, diverse, interesting nightlife, and excellent medical care, Kalamata is our recommended soft landing in Europe.
We have two more soft landing recommendations for Southeast Asia and one for Latin America. But first, I left the United States 19 years ago, and I’ve lived in 78 countries since then. I’m outside the U.S. more than 50 weeks per year. I move forward through the world with one-way tickets, on buses, trains, and airplanes.
This next soft landing is where I met Qiang in 2016. And it’s remained one of my favorite cities in the world since then. It is called …
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur is the most developed city in Southeast Asia, other than possibly Singapore. And the country of Malaysia in general reminds me more of the U.S. than any other country in Southeast Asia.
It has the most sophisticated malls in Southeast Asia, with the most famous brands from Italy, France, the UK, and the US. The expensive stuff that I can’t afford. The healthcare is as good as Thailand’s, in my opinion, but it’s about 20-30% lower in cost.
And Malaysia has never been a place that is overpopulated with Western tourists. That remains true today. All of the foods of the world are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And Kuala Lumpur has one of the most sophisticated public transportation systems in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia has a bunch of really cool cities that you can visit, and we have reports to make that easier for you. And they have a complex train system and great infrastructure to move you around the country. And KL is one of the best travel hubs in the world.
And the surprising thing about Malaysia is that, despite its high quality and sophistication, it remains one of the best values for your money in the world. Many single expats can live in Malaysia for about 1,200 to 2,200 per month. Some can live on less.
Yet Qiang and I can both live in KL for about this same amount. We’ve spent so much time there we know the best places to eat, the best places to hang out, and where to have the most fun in KL. And we include that sort of information in all of our written reports.
Airbnb apartments are available in KL, starting at about $650 USD per month or more. If you would like to find apartments for less, we recommend you use our apartment hunting methodology.
Most Western expats can come to Malaysia without a visa and are granted 90 days upon entry. Remember to get your Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) the day before you arrive. If you fall in love with Malaysia and decide to stay, there are different visas available.
You can put 150,000 USD in a Malaysian bank, and you can use up to half of that to buy the required Malaysian property worth about 150,000 USD. So your total monetary commitment would be $225,000 US for a silver tier visa.
Mainland Malaysia has removed the $10k USD monthly pension requirement. Borneo, Malaysia, also still has visas available with proof of $2,500 USD a month in pension.
Kuala Lumpur is a soft landing because it has all the foods of the world. It has a high concentration of people who speak English. They teach English to everyone in schools there, and it was a former British colony. Plus, it has local restaurants with reasonable prices in case the delicious international foods strain your budget.
There is no AI in this video. We shot this video with our feet on the ground in each place. We will not recommend anywhere we have not been personally.
We have another soft landing in the southeast for you. But first we’ll share our soft landing in Latin America.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
I first went to Buenos Aires 17 years ago. I loved it so much that I brought Qiang there last year while we were in South America.
Honestly, it reminds me of Europe. The architecture, the generous boulevards, beautiful parks, and public art reminded me of France, Spain, and Italy. Which makes sense since so many Europeans have moved to Argentina over the last 100 years.
Yes, Buenos Aires does have some fast food chains from different parts of the world, including the U.S. But the family-owned restaurants in Argentina taste better than the imported foreign fast-food versions. The food in Buenos Aires is a soft landing.
Argentinians have imported the best grapes from around the world and created delicious Malbecs, Cabernets, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays. They are often as cheap as in Europe. And they also have delicious cheeses and pastries, both homegrown and imported.
And of course Argentina is famous for its beef. And a few of the Italian neighborhoods in Argentina make pasta as good as Rome (but cheaper). And the lifestyle in Argentina is that same European feeling–you work only to live; you don’t live just to work.
Argentina has been struggling with inflation lately, so it will cost a little more to be there than it did in years past. But that’s true all over the world.
Many single expats can live comfortably in Buenos Aires for about $1,600 to $2,600 USD a month, depending on their lifestyle and tastes. Some can live on less. Argentina has excellent public transportation. It has amazing markets, both farmers’ markets and traditional supermarkets.
Airbnb apartments are available in Buenos Aires, starting at about $800 USD per month or more. If you would like to find apartments for less, we recommend you use our apartment hunting methodology.
Most Western countries can fly into Argentina and will be stamped for 90 days as a tourist. There is no online application or digital arrival card form to submit before you fly.
If you fall in love with Argentina and want to stay longer or forever, the pensionado visa requires showing a stable pension income of $2,000 USD per month, or the Rentista visa requires showing the same amount in other forms of investment income.
This healthcare international comparison index ranks Argentina 60th in the world, 9 spots better than the United States, which ranks 69th. There are different ways healthcare is rated, but this one rates quality of care relative to costs.
Buenos Aires, Argentina, would be a lovely place if you prefer a big city with gorgeous arts, museums, architecture, music, dance, and performance arts.
It’s time for our fourth and final recommended soft landing. After our final soft landing, I will give you a link to a video where I explain the minimum emergency savings I needed before I would feel safe leaving my home country.
Here is the final soft landing.
Hua Hin, Thailand
We just left Hua Hin about a month ago. We were last in Hua Hin about 7 years ago. At that time, we enjoyed the city but felt it was a bit too sleepy for us. But this time we completely changed our minds. It was a total soft landing for us.
The city has amazing local and international food options. There are two big, beautiful malls with movie theaters, international foods, and Western shopping brands. Both malls also have a diversity of reasonably priced Thai food booths, as you see in the Bangkok malls.
The nightlife has become more interesting with more live music, more DJs, more nightlife areas, and more delicious food late into the evening for when you’re done partying.
Central Hua Hin also still has that great night market with many kinds of local food, live music, souvenirs, local and craft beers, and great people-watching.
Further south in Hua Hin, there are two westernized night markets. Tamarind night market serves Thai food and Western food in what seems like 50 different food booths with food from Thailand and many other parts of the world, plus bars with beer, wine, and mixed drinks.
Next door is Cicada Mall, which has food, clothing, souvenirs, along with more beer, wine, and mixed drinks. Both markets have live music that varies by night. They have a mini-outdoor auditorium in Cicada Mall where we watch a jazz keyboard player.
Hua Hin is a soft landing on the beach in Thailand that’s a little bit more family-oriented and not as crazy as the more famous Pattaya, across the bay. It seems like everywhere we went in Hua Hin, there was at least one, if not more, person in every business that spoke enough English to help us.
Also, Hua Hin has a bunch of new high-rise condominiums that are Western-style, and they have a bunch of private pool villas available now if you want to live the high life.
So it seems to have various lifestyles for families, young adults, single people, digital nomads, and retirees. We met people living in Hoi An on as little as $1,000 a month up to about $8,000 a month.
Apartments are available on Airbnb starting at around $500 for one month, depending on area and season.
Most Western countries can enter Thailand without a visa, and their passport will be stamped with a 30-day tourist visa exemption. But they can easily get a 30-day extension by paying $60 at the immigration offices in the mall.
If you fall in love with Thailand and decide to stay, you can get a retirement visa by either showing $2,000 USD a month in a stable pension or putting $25,000 USD in a Thai Bank. Some visa agents offer non-O visas for about $1,500 without a big bank deposit. But be careful of cutting corners because if the government shuts those down, it could affect your ability to stay in Thailand long term.
So Hua Hin turned out to be a soft landing that was so easy to live in and so uncomplicated that we had to drag ourselves away because we already had reservations and a flight to another city in Thailand. I’m sure we will be returning early soon.
Cash savings for emergency
You’re going to hear various cost of living numbers depending on who you’re listening to. And expats can’t really agree on what the minimum cost is to live in various parts of the world. So you will never know what your personal cost of living is until you complete your exploratory visit with your feet on the ground
But all expats overseas can agree on one thing. That is, you need significant cash savings to protect yourself in case of unexpected emergencies.
The hard part is deciding what’s the minimum you need before you leave home. I can’t advise you on that. Because I don’t know your age, your pre-existing conditions, your spending habits, or the kinds of emergencies your behavior may cause. And I’m not a financial analyst or expert.
Now I will tell you how I decided how much emergency cash I needed for myself, based on my age, lifestyle, and health. Watch this video here to see how I determine my minimum emergency cash. This might be the most important thing you do.
You should also come to vagabondbuddha.com and grab my free ebook so you’ll know many of the most important things I did to prepare for leaving my home country. This is not advice for you. This is what I did.