How to leave the USA safely

In this report, I share how to leave the USA safely.

I will share how to leave the USA rapidly but responsibly in 2025, so you increase your chances of success. A successful exit is one where your decision is more likely to be correct. If you make the right decision, you will save thousands of dollars. Here is why.

If you jump the gun and pick a place that turns out to be a dud, it could cost you tens of thousands of dollars to pull up roots again and move to another country or back to the USA. And it doesn’t take much more effort to do this right.

I was not running from politics when I left the USA 17 years ago. I was running towards exploring our beautiful world. I was excited to taste Tacos in Mexico, Pad Thai in Thailand, and snorkel in the most beautiful reefs of the Philippines.

I left the USA with a smile on my face, excited to explore the foods, music, architecture, history, and cultures of the World. I have lived in 73 countries. Life is too short to waste your time. So, I will not recommend any country to you, unless I have had my boots on the ground there.

Increase Overseas Success with Very Little Extra Effort

If you are a regular viewer of my channel, you know that I suggest that you never make a permanent decision about where to move overseas while sitting on the couch watching videos in your home country. I believe you must visit in person before making any decisions.

But, everyone seems to be in a hurry these days. So I will assume you are in a hurry and you are only willing or able to do one exploratory visit before deciding where to move overseas. That is the purpose of this video. In that case, I suggest a cluster visit to increase your success.

What is a Cluster Visit?

Many people seem to want to pick where they will move or retire overseas while sitting on their couch at home. In that case, here is what I suggest to increase your odds of success.

Go ahead and pick what you believe will be your perfect place to live or retire overseas while sitting on your couch at home. Then go there and make sure it is right for you before making a final decision. But do one more thing to ensure your success.

The flight is the expensive part. So, visit a few neighboring countries while you are in that part of the world. The cost of visiting nearby countries is pretty reasonable. Visiting a cluster of countries will increase your odds and confidence in your decision.

The flight to another part of the world could easily cost you $800 to $1500 round trip. But once we are in a new part of the world, the buses, trains, and mini-vans to neighboring could be as little as $20 to $50 per person. Even flights to an adjacent country may only be $50 to $100 one way.

Let me give you a few examples. I will suggest three of my favorite clusters to give you concrete examples. The three clusters include SE Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. These are just examples. You can create your clusters just like I will show you now.

SE Asia Cluster

Let’s say you have been watching YouTube videos and you decide that your perfect place to retire overseas would be Thailand or the Philippines. But you check on Skyscanner and learn that a round-trip ticket to Thailand will cost you $900 USD round trip, depending on where you fly from.

If you stay in Bangkok in the Sathon Area where we stay in an Airbnb it is about $30 USD per night. Your meals will be anywhere from about $2 USD where we eat or in the fancy tourist restaurants you could easily pay $8 per meal.

The costs could vary greatly, but in this example, two weeks on the ground in Bangkok would be about $700. With airfare, it would be $1614 USD to see only Bangkok. You may want to split the 2 weeks, one in Bangkok and one at the beach in Thailand. There are buses running to beaches starting at around $20 USD each way per person.

But after your time in Thailand, whether two weeks or two months, it is not much more expensive to do a cluster visit of nearby countries: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines.

  • Bangkok Thailand (2 Weeks): $1614 USD
  • Flight: $975 (Round trip)
  • Accommodations: $429 ($30 *14 days),
  • Restaurants: $210 (14 days, $5 average per meal), $2+ local meals, $7+ tourist meals flight
  • Visa: 60 days free on entry
  • SE Asia Cluster Visit
  • Thailand:  2 weeks
  • Cambodia: 1 week
  • Vietnam: 2 weeks
  • Philippines: 2 weeks
  • Cambodia (1 Week): $340 USD
  • Bus: From Bangkok to Siem Reap $20 USD
  • Tourist Visa Cambodia: $36 USD.
  • Accommodations: $182 USD (7 nights, $26 per night)
  • Restaurants: $102 USD (21 meals $5 average each), Local meals $3+, tourist meals $7+
  • Vietnam (2 Weeks): $694 USD
  • Flight: $211 USD. Siem Reap to Da Nang Vietnam
  • Tourist visa: $35 USD.
  • Accommodations $280 (14 nights, $20 per night)
  • Restaurants: $168 USD. ($4 average meals, 42 meals), Local meals $3+, Tourist meals $7+
  • Philippines (2 Weeks): $711
  • Flight: $211 USD. Da Nang Vietnam to Manila
  • Bus-Ferry: $34 USD. Manila to Puerto Galera
  • Tourist visa: 28 days free.
  • Accommodations $280 (14 nights, $20 per night)
  • Restaurants: $252 USD. ($6 average, 42 meals), Local meals $4+, Tourist meals $8+,
  • Back to Bangkok: $103
  • Bus-Ferry: $34 Puerto Galera back to Manila
  • Flight: $69 Back to Bangkok to catch roundtrip leg back to USA

Bangkok Only: 14 days: Daily Rate $115

Location

Total USD

Daily Rate

Bangkok

$1614

$115

Cluster Financial Analysis: 49 Days: Daily Rate $71

Location/Days

Total USD

Daily Rate

Bangkok/14

$1614

$115

Cambodia/7

$340

$49

Vietnam/14

$694

$50

Philippines/14

$711

$51

 

 

 

Cluster Total

$3462

$71

By visiting a cluster of countries around your target country, you get to see 3 more potential countries, and you get to spend 49 days in SE Asia instead of just 14 days. You will either confirm that Thailand is your favorite, or you will find out that you love another part of SE Asia more.

This increases your chances and confidence in picking the right place. Of course, you get to design your cluster and add or remove countries like Laos, Malaysia, or Indonesia, and shorten or lengthen your stays.

Here are two additional clusters I would recommend depending on whether you are more interested in Latin America or Eastern Europe. I will start with Eastern Europe.

I have 265 reports and two courses on how to move overseas and earn money online that go on sale for 50% off soon, but you need to jump on my email list so you will be notified when the sale starts. So, grab a free copy of my eBook to get notified.

Eastern European Cluster

We really loved our time in Albania this past summer while touring around Eastern Europe, but we would suggest the following Eastern European countries, for a cluster visit.

 

My favorite in this cluster is Tirana Albania. But I would fly into Serbia (often a cheaper flight) and spend time in Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia. Obviously you can add or remove countries, and change how long you stay in each country in your cluster.

We have 265 full detailed reports on our favorite cities in each country to help you add or remove locations for your cluster and how long to stay in each place. This is just one example cluster.

  • Eastern Europe Cluster Visit
  • Serbia: 1 week
  • Montenegro: 1 week
  • Albania: 2 weeks
  • North Macedonia: 2 weeks
  • Belgrade Serbia (1 Week): $954 USD
  • Flight: $443 to Belgrade Serbia depending on your departure city.
  • Tourist Visa: 90 Days free depending on your home country.
  • Accommodations: $343 USD (7 nights, $49 per night)
  • Restaurants: $168 USD (21 meals $8 average each)
  • Kotor Montenegro (1 Weeks): $497 USD
  • Bus: $28 USD Train-Bus to Koto Montenegro from Belgrade Serbia
  • Tourist visa: 90 Days free depending on your home country
  • Accommodations $280 (7 nights, $40 per night)
  • Restaurants: $189 USD. ($9 average meals, 21 meals), Local meals $7+, Tourist meals $11+,
  • Tirana Albania (2 Weeks): $714 USD
  • Bus: $28 USD Kotor Montenegro to Tirana Albania
  • Accommodations: $392 USD ($28 *14 days),
  • Restaurants: $294 USD, Local meals $5+, $10+ tourist meals, $7 average, 42 meals
  • Visa: 1 Year Visa free for Americans, Most other countries 90 days
  • Beach: You may want to split Albania, 1 week Tirana, 1 week Saranda (Beach)

 

  • Skopje, North Macedonia (2 Weeks): $820 USD
  • Bus: $22 USD Bus to Skopje North Macedonia from Tirana Albania
  • Accommodations: $420 ($30, 14 days),
  • Restaurants: $378 USD Local meals $7+, $12+ tourist meals, average meal $9, 42 meals
  • Visa: 90 days free on entry

Cluster Analysis: 42 Days

Location/Days

Total USD

Daily Rate

Belgrade/7

$954

$136

Kotor/7

$497

$71

Tirana/14

$714

$51

Skopje/14

$820

$59

 

 

 

Cluster Total

$2986

$71

The final cluster example is for Latin America. But I know what you are thinking. You are wondering what free resources we have to help you plan your escape.

Come to VagabondBuddha.com, click the courses tab, then click the retire overseas course, then watch this video that explains all of the resources we have, both free and with memberships. And grab that free eBook so you are notified when the 50% off sale starts.

Okay, my final cluster example is Latin America. And remember, this is a boots-on-the-ground recommendation.

Latin America Cluster

 

  • Latin America Cluster Visit
  • Guatemala: 2 Weeks
  • Costa Rica: 1 Week
  • Panama: 2 Weeks

 

Antigua (2 Weeks)

I have already shown you the tools I use to get cheap flights (Skyscanner), accommodations (Airbnb), and ground transportation (Rome to Rio), and prices change constantly so I will let you use those tools.

Week 1: Antigua. I would fly into Guatemala and spend my first week in Antigua, which is my favorite city in Central America.

Week 2: I would take ground transportation to Lake Atitlan in Northern Guatemala. Of course, we have retire cheap reports on both if you want to know where we stayed, ate, and did while we were in both locations.

I do not suggest traveling south from Guatemala over land so find a reasonable flight to Costa Rica on my Skyscanner. For all of our flights, we use Skyscanner to find the cheapest, but then we book directly with the airlines because if you have to make changes, the airlines are nicer to you.

Costa Rica (1 Week)

This will seem odd to you. However, I do not recommend Costa Rica as a place to spend much time in Latin America. I have been all over that country and I think it is overrated for what it costs. But everyone else will tell you how great it is so you need to see it for yourself, so you can decide for yourself. Otherwise, all the press on Costa Rica may create doubts about your final decision.

We have videos and reports all over Costa Rica to help you decide where to stay there. If you want to be surrounded by tourists I would recommend Tamarindo. If you like being around locals more, I would suggest Quepos or Uvita. Then head south on ground transportation through Costa Rica into Panama.

Panama (2 Weeks)

First, if a flight to Panama is much cheaper than to Guatemala, consider starting in Panama City and heading north through this cluster in Central America. Okay, week 1 in Panama.

Week 1: I would stay in Boquete Panama. It is a gorgeous highlands region (cool weather) with some of the most beautiful hiking I have ever seen. During that week, I would take the local bus down the mountain and spend a day in David.

Week 2: I would stay in Panama City. It’s not the old town area, but one of the other areas we talked about in our Panama City Report.

Cluster Design Resources

Remember, when you are designing your cluster visit, we have free videos on YouTube of all the places. The videos show you what a place looks like while my voice-over shares what I learned about the place while my feet were on the ground there.

Plus, the locations are arranged by country name so you do not need to scroll through hundreds of unrelated topics to get what you need. You just watch videos for that country only.

Plus, if you click the first link in the notes below any video, there is more data about each place such as weather, residency, retirement visas, things to do, healthcare, where to eat, and where we stayed.

Okay, now grab your free eBook so you get notified when we start the 50% off sale. And finally, we also have a YouTube playlist that compares countries to one another. Since we have seen these places with our feet on the ground, these are often the most valuable things when you are narrowing your search. I will put the country comparison playlist on screen now so you can see what I mean.