For me the desire to retire in Tonga started when my retirement nest egg was nearly totally whipped out by some poorly executed real estate ventures. My fault, just got a bit greedy and now I am paying the price.
Simply stated: I needed a cheap place to retire!
My criteria: 1. Mild to warm year round climate. 2. Friendly locals. 3. Inexpensive cost of living. 4. Access to medical/dental. 5. Near the ocean. 6. Not overly crowded or developed. 7. A place that friends and relatives would want to visit yet too far for drop ins. 8. A place that I could continue my hobbies of sailing, surfing, gardening, snorkeling, and others. 9. Hopefully, a place that I could live and not be a major drain on the environment, really want to live "off the grid".
Searched for many months and found "My Paradise" and Tonga is it's name.
