This report includes Our Liability Disclaimer-The Risk is on You.
If you use the information or opinions in our videos, our website, or our reports, the risk is on you. First, read our liability disclaimers. Then read my risk examples to help open your eyes to risk.
Liability Disclaimer
While we have done our best to share our travel data with you, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained using this information. All information is provided “AS-IS,” with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness, or for the results obtained using this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will we be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on this information for any consequential, special or similar damages. Any reliance on this information or the comments below is strictly at your own risk. Instead, you should consult with legal, medical, financial, tax, and/or other such appropriate professionals familiar with your unique and detailed factual situation before taking any actions.
Cost of Living Disclaimer
Our cost of living estimates includes only the cheapest food, rent, and local transportation. It does not include medical insurance or any other expenses. Before moving here, you must do a temporary exploratory site visit in order to accurately calculate your personal cost of living here for all costs for your lifestyle and needs. Plus, make sure you have access to significant additional savings in case you face an emergency.
My Thoughts on Risk
First, I have thought about various risks that I assumed by deciding to move outside my home country. However, I am not a genius. I have made hundreds of mistakes in life, some quite costly. There are probably 100 different ways that life could go wrong as an expat that I haven’t even thought about. But after living outside my home country for 13 years, in 65 different countries, I have determined I like it way more than living in my home country (the USA), so I am willing to assume the risks for myself, but not for you. So, if you consume my information and decide to move or travel overseas, you are doing it at your own risk.
Second, the disclaimers say that you are assuming all risks if you use my information. I will give you a few example risks, but there are literally hundreds of more risks than those shared below. The risk is not on us, all of the risks are on you. Now let’s look at some examples.
Cost of Living Data (The Risk is on You)
We often post videos with titles such as, “Retire Early on $XXX Per Month in XYZ Country,” or “Cost of Living or Retiring in XYZ Country.” Those posts share data only for cheap food, cheap rent, and cheap local transportation for one person. But you may want to eat nicer food, stay in nicer places, and have nicer transportation. Plus, there are so many more expenses in life than food, rent, and local transportation. They do not include the costs of shoes, clothing, incidentals, health care, the dentist, hair cuts, gasoline for your car, medical insurance, car insurance, buying a round of drinks at a bar, fine dining, wine, beer, inflation, deflation, currency devaluation, etc. Why do my cost of living reports not include things like that? Think about it? How could I possibly provide you with that data when I know nothing about you? Those are all dependent on your age, sex, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, hobbies, your favorite toys, extra travel, number of dependents, and many other variables. Some of you will want to estimate your costs for everything. I often provide ideas on how to estimate some of those, but you will never know your actual costs of living anywhere until you do a temporary site visit (feet on the ground) and calculate what your actual living costs would be based on a rental property you select, the costs of restaurants you select, the transportation your select, the medical insurance you select, if any, and any other costs you would have if you moved there. So, if you use our information, the risk is on you.
Health and Well Being (The Risk is on You)
I love living outside my home country. You may not. Make sure you have enough resources to get home. The risk is on you. I am healthy and rarely go to the doctor. I don’t even have health insurance right now. I just pay for medical as I need it out of my own pocket. I don’t recommend that you do that. It is too risky. I recommend that you buy health insurance. If you don’t, the risk is on you. I may provide various ideas on how to get health insurance in foreign countries, but what if the policy turns out not to be what you thought? What if you got some rare disease that required you to fly to another country not covered by the policy? You have to ask the right questions when deciding what policy to buy. The risk is on you. I eat street food, I eat in local restaurants, and I try all the local foods. What if you get food poisoning and die. The risk is on you. I go to local dentists. I got a tooth filled in Ecuador for about $20 USD. I got tooth surgery in the USA that failed. I then went to Thailand where they performed the surgery successfully and installed two crowns for 80% off USA prices. What if you aren’t so lucky? What if things don’t go so well for you? The risk is on you. I ride scooters outside my home country. Some people think I am insane. That risk is on you. I go white water rafting, I bungee jump, I hike in steep areas, I have even been skydiving. That risk is on you. I am often living in places that have malaria, dengue, TB, and an assortment of different diseases we don’t have back home. That risk is on you.
Financial Decisions (The Risk is on You)
I keep my money in USA banks and I take money out at ATMs. I haven’t had an ATM card stolen or improperly used. That risk is on you. I recommend not buying real estate in foreign countries because I worry about liquidity, land use laws, taxation, etc. But that could be a bad idea if the foreign land appreciates faster. That risk is on you. I recommend renting so you can hand the keys back to the landlord and move to a better place, but what if rents increase rapidly? That risk is on you.
Crimes and Scams (That Risk is on You)
I have traveled outside my home country for 13 years to 65 countries. I read online from time to time about how terrible the crime is outside my home country. But I have not found that to be the case in my own experience. People sometimes share in the comments of my Youtube videos something that happened to them. My experience is that the world is generally a safe place. I have had a few games played on me along the way, but so far so good. I have not suffered any violent crimes. I use common sense and I have been lucky so far. That risk is on you.
My Travel Karma
I treat people well and do my best to not leave myself or others in vulnerable positions. My thinking is wholistic and win-win. I respect the people and the world around me. But my travel karma could all end any day. My life has been an adventure, but with adventure often comes risk. You may be able to identify and moderate the risk you are willing to assume, but that risk is on you. I have been lucky so far. That may not be true for you. All risk of using any of my information is on you.
Seek Professional Advice
To moderate your risk and help think this through, you should consult with legal, medical, financial, tax, and/or other such appropriate professionals familiar with your unique and detailed factual situation before taking any actions.
If you see any value in this information, please like, comment, or subscribe. Plus, share this with anyone else that is at risk with you when making this decision.
Please feel free to grab a free copy of my eBook, How I Fired my Boss, and Traveled the World for 13 Years. This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Thanks for stopping by. The world is your home, what time will you be home for dinner?
