Where to go?

My wife and I are "Wanna be expats" who plan on leaving the U.S. within a few years.  We are only staying where we are right now to care for our elderly parents who are both in poor health.

Our son is currently 15, and when the time comes he may not wish to go.  I am assuming he will be 18 by then since we have a 2-3 year plan right now.

My big question is where can we move and live SAFELY and comfortably?  I subscribe to Kathleen Peddicords emailings as well as International Living.  I constantly see numbers like $600.00 a month thrown around, but when I look closer it appears as though that is a budget for living under a bridge.

We currently live in a very small town, it only has 1 3-way stop intersection, 1 convenience store, and a small thrift store.  We currently drive 15 miles for groceries, hardware, and almost anything else we need, so we are used to that.  We also have lived in a small 2 bedroom wood frame house even when we could afford a large brick home (we found other stuff to waste our money on )

With that being said, I have looked into Belize and the Philippines.  I keep hearing that the Philippines are dangerous, and when I posted in the Belize forum I was told that a $1700.00 a month budget would be tight.  I was surprised to hear that $1,700 would be tight even if we purchased a home and paid cash for it, but facts are facts and I dont want to learn the hard way!  Still being in my 40's gives me time to earn a bit more and increase my monthly budget if needed.

What I am looking for is;

1. A warm environment. I am from Texas where we get frequent 100+ degree weather but it's not real humid.

2. Safety!  I know that nowhere is 100% safe and well being anywhere requires good judgment.

3. Warm friendly people (maybe this should be #1)

4. Ease of getting around.

5. Beautiful countryside.  This could be beaches or mountains etc.

6. Decent infrastructure. (We just got DSL in my town in 2007)

7. Low cost of living.

I am sure there are many more questions to follow, but these were on the top of my list.  I crave a simple life after 22 years workig in a 911 environment where I go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye.

Right now I just seek advice from someone not wearing rose colored glasses and trying to sell me tickets to their next seminar.

Thanks in advance, Thomas