Where to go next to? Hungary?

I got this today and found it intriguing.

In your mind, what do you think is the most important point you wanted to convey?

Try Colombia 🇨🇴

I think I am very happy living where i am liiving but if travel restrictions are dropped most like myself will enjoy exploring oyher countries

Forget Austria, Ireland and Germany if you think Hungary is expensive

I still think Hungary is quite cheaper than most other countries in the EU.

Have you considered Thailand?

Bulgaria is quite inexpensive to live.

atomheart wrote:

Have you considered Thailand?

I was thinking about it and I've been there many times.

I've been monitoring some forums about it and it's looking quite hard work to be there - permits/compulsory COVID insurance/muddled COVID response/dangerous traffic and just anti-farang (foreigner) crime.

SimCityAT wrote:

Bulgaria is quite inexpensive to live.

Bulgaria seems to be shrinking to nothing.  Their population is declining significantly.  Millions have left for better conditions elsewhere.

SimCityAT wrote:

Forget Austria, Ireland and Germany if you think Hungary is expensive

I still think Hungary is quite cheaper than most other countries in the EU.

Agree with that mostly but prices are increasing rapidly.  Switzerland is expensive too.   

The VAT in HU at 27% is just horrible. It's cheaper to drive to Austria to buy some consumer goods.

It's Hawaii or bust!

fluffy2560 wrote:

I've been monitoring some forums about it and it's looking quite hard work to be there - permits/compulsory COVID insurance/muddled COVID response/dangerous traffic and just anti-farang (foreigner) crime.

They have a retirement visa that isn't problematic to my understanding. Current Covid limitations/requirements is a different story, hopefully it won't last long.

Traffic is dangerous, but how much you have to drive yourself, depends a lot on your needs, most people get by with public transport and occasional Grab taxis.

Anti-farang crime is bs, when a foreigner is involved, he either got drunk af, or was loud and obnoxious, or disrespected the locals some other way, having been completely ignorant of local customs and culture, in particular around face saving...

Air quality is something you need to be mindful of in big cities or in the north during burning season. And mosquitos spreading dengue. And uncooked food with bacteria you're not used to. Yeah it's not perfect    , but if cost of living/having fun is important to someone who also appreciates a bit of adventure and exploring a different culture, TH is very hard to beat.

Edit: also, watch out what TH-related forums you attend, e.g. Thaivisa is extremely toxic, not representative of the expat community and life in TH...

atomheart wrote:

...

Anti-farang crime is bs, when a foreigner is involved, he either got drunk af, or was loud and obnoxious, or disrespected the locals some other way, having been completely ignorant of local customs and culture, in particular around face saving...
.....

Edit: also, watch out what TH-related forums you attend, e.g. Thaivisa is extremely toxic, not representative of the expat community and life in TH...

Yes, that's the one I dip into but I think it's called Asean Now or something like it.  Friend of mine was living there as was one of my brothers.  I also used it as transit stop going further East.

Killing a farang is hardly the  way to settle a problem.  It doesn't excuse murdering someone because they were behaving obnoxiously in some way.  And not with a scythe either - recent case of course.  Murderer will do some wai-ing, stern talking to cum rap over the knuckles, maybe some money and be out on the street in no time.

fluffy2560 wrote:

atomheart wrote:

...

Anti-farang crime is bs, when a foreigner is involved, he either got drunk af, or was loud and obnoxious, or disrespected the locals some other way, having been completely ignorant of local customs and culture, in particular around face saving...
.....

Edit: also, watch out what TH-related forums you attend, e.g. Thaivisa is extremely toxic, not representative of the expat community and life in TH...

Yes, that's the one I dip into but I think it's called Asean Now or something like it.  Friend of mine was living there as was one of my brothers.  I also used it as transit stop going further East.

Killing a farang is hardly the  way to settle a problem.  It doesn't excuse murdering someone because they were behaving obnoxiously in some way.  And not with a scythe either - recent case of course.  The murderer will do some wai-ing, stern talking to cum rap over the knuckles, maybe some money and be out on the street in no time.

They were reportedly playing loud music at 2/3amm that was what the excuse was for attacking them.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Killing a farang is hardly the  way to settle a problem.  It doesn't excuse murdering someone because they were behaving obnoxiously in some way.  And not with a scythe either - recent case of course.  Murderer will do some wai-ing, stern talking to cum rap over the knuckles, maybe some money and be out on the street in no time.

That's no anti-farang crime, it's something totally ordinary in the country, neighbors killing each other over some bs... Certainly if one looks for trouble, TH is one of the best countries for that as well.

SimCityAT wrote:

...
They were reportedly playing loud music at 2/3amm that was what the excuse was for attacking them.

Well, that's OK then.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

I lived in the Channel Islands, it was great to save money, but I could not live there permanently. 2 years was long enough.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

When I was in my 20's Hawaii drove me crazy, in my late 30's it also drove me bonkers but in my late 60's I'm ready to chill out.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

When I was in my 20's Hawaii drove me crazy, in my late 30's it also drove me bonkers but in my late 60's I'm ready to chill out.

If you're born there and all your family are there, then it's going to feel like home. 

But as an "incomer" one is going to take years to adjust or maybe  never.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

I lived in the Channel Islands, it was great to save money, but I could not live there permanently. 2 years was long enough.

Wow, I was there quite a few times. It's a weird place really.  Unique really.    Makes me laugh Bergerac had enough crimes to investigate.  Tiny place.    I remember the beer - Mary Ann I think.

I've also been to Alderney for the day.  Went on a little plane, hired bikes and cycled all around the island.  People seem to have absolutely nothing to do there.

atomheart wrote:

Have you considered Thailand?

Im funny about snakes. I rarely see huge grass snakes in my Hungarian Tanya now and they freaked me sometimes.
but I watched a programme about  Thailand and there are many poisonous snakes City, Town and Villages.
Each village has a snake expert....
So not for me

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

...
They were reportedly playing loud music at 2/3amm that was what the excuse was for attacking them.

Well, that's OK then.

Nothing worse than noisy neighbours.

anns wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

...
They were reportedly playing loud music at 2/3amm that was what the excuse was for attacking them.

Well, that's OK then.

Nothing worse than noisy neighbours.

Or those with trees overhanging my property and which I have to spend time cleaning up the leaves.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

My freind in Hilo was on the mainland visiting family a couple weeks ago.
She was blown away because they moved and talked so fast.
You need to chill out and slow down to be happy living on an Island.
I know many wild Hungarians who have lived in Hawaii for decades.
Not sure how they all found themselves over there.
Think one person visited and talked everyone else into coming over.
My son was born on Maui and I even as a high energy 21 year old loved Maui, was sorry to leave.
Hilo wasn't for us, far to wet and rainy all the time, I mean it rained every single day.
Honolulu is actually a very busy place and has all sorts of things going on besides surfing.
In our "old age" sitting on beach chairs watching the sunset sounds rather nice actually.
Hilo drove me nuts, every Island has a different  sort of vibe.
Hawaii also has no snakes, they brought in mongoose to keep the place snake free.
They are nasty little buggers.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's Hawaii or bust!

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

My freind in Hilo was on the mainland visiting family a couple weeks ago.
She was blown away because they moved and talked so fast.
You need to chill out and slow down to be happy living on an Island.
I know many wild Hungarians who have lived in Hawaii for decades.
Not sure how they all found themselves over there.
Think one person visited and talked everyone else into coming over.
My son was born on Maui and I even as a high energy 21 year old loved Maui, was sorry to leave.
Hilo wasn't for us, far to wet and rainy all the time, I mean it rained every single day.
Honolulu is actually a very busy place and has all sorts of things going on besides surfing.
In our "old age" sitting on beach chairs watching the sunset sounds rather nice actually.
Hilo drove me nuts, every Island has a different  sort of vibe.
Hawaii also has no snakes, they brought in mongoose to keep the place snake free.
They are nasty little buggers.

Mongoose now invasive species it sounds.  Like cane toads in Australia.  And hedgehogs in New Zealand.  I was looking at conversation videos in NZ and they teach their kids to dislike hedgehogs.  But we over here in Europe really like them.  Humans are I suppose the ultimate invasive species.

Mexican retirement visas are quick and simple to get, little bureaucracy once you're in the country, and Spanish is easier to handle than Thai or Turkish. Lots of different and varied places to choose from. Low cost of living. For older Americans, return to the States for medical treatment on Medicare isn't that difficult.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

My freind in Hilo was on the mainland visiting family a couple weeks ago.
She was blown away because they moved and talked so fast.
You need to chill out and slow down to be happy living on an Island.
I know many wild Hungarians who have lived in Hawaii for decades.
Not sure how they all found themselves over there.
Think one person visited and talked everyone else into coming over.
My son was born on Maui and I even as a high energy 21 year old loved Maui, was sorry to leave.
Hilo wasn't for us, far to wet and rainy all the time, I mean it rained every single day.
Honolulu is actually a very busy place and has all sorts of things going on besides surfing.
In our "old age" sitting on beach chairs watching the sunset sounds rather nice actually.
Hilo drove me nuts, every Island has a different  sort of vibe.
Hawaii also has no snakes, they brought in mongoose to keep the place snake free.
They are nasty little buggers.

Mongoose now invasive species it sounds.  Like cane toads in Australia.  And hedgehogs in New Zealand.  I was looking at conversation videos in NZ and they teach their kids to dislike hedgehogs.  But we over here in Europe really like them.  Humans are I suppose the ultimate invasive species.

Mongeese and Buffo Toads in Hawaii.
I had to attened a meeting at animal quarantine in Hawaii before they finally releashed my dog from his 4 month prison sentence.
Half the meeting was about the dangers of buffo toads.
I was like WHAT?
Never heard of them before.
You could hear them croacking away in the countryside at night.
One night for some reason my sn and husband were out, just me and my Doberman at home.
I went outside to check on him and say good night( He wasn't allowed indors with our lease agreement)
I turned on the ourdoor light and saw him standing in the car port with a huge toad in his mouth.
He loked both proud and shocked at the same time.
I screamed and shook his head until the nasty things dropped and ran off. I had to grap the garden hose and flush my dogs mouth out, neraly drown him.
These toads release a toxic posion and can kill dogs.
I was crying and upset.
Got on the phone to call a vet who tld me my dog could be dead within the 20 mins it took to drive to his office.
I just prayed and kept washing his mouth out.
It was a long night.
Some desperate people actually lick these toads to get high!
My poor dog was fine but he must of had a trip that night.
He once gt his nose torned up by a wild mongoose while he was running through a cane field.
Those things are wilder then a stray cat.

zif wrote:

Mexican retirement visas are quick and simple to get, little bureaucracy once you're in the country, and Spanish is easier to handle than Thai or Turkish. Lots of different and varied places to choose from. Low cost of living. For older Americans, return to the States for medical treatment on Medicare isn't that difficult.

Mexico does seem attractive.
It's also on our consideration list.
I like Hungary but my Hungarian husband gets the traveling bug or I should say moving bug every decade or so.
It's all good, I try to never get attatched to places.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

zif wrote:

Mexican retirement visas are quick and simple to get, little bureaucracy once you're in the country, and Spanish is easier to handle than Thai or Turkish. Lots of different and varied places to choose from. Low cost of living. For older Americans, return to the States for medical treatment on Medicare isn't that difficult.

Mexico does seem attractive.
It's also on our consideration list.
I like Hungary but my Hungarian husband gets the traveling bug or I should say moving bug every decade or so.
It's all good, I try to never get attatched to places.

Costa Rica is supposed to be pretty good.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

One night for some reason my sn and husband were out, just me and my Doberman at home.
I went outside to check on him and say good night( He wasn't allowed indors with our lease agreement)
I turned on the ourdoor light and saw him standing in the car port with a huge toad in his mouth.
He loked both proud and shocked at the same time.
I screamed and shook his head until the nasty things dropped and ran off. I had to grap the garden hose and flush my dogs mouth out, neraly drown him.
These toads release a toxic posion and can kill dogs.
I was crying and upset.
Got on the phone to call a vet who tld me my dog could be dead within the 20 mins it took to drive to his office.
I just prayed and kept washing his mouth out.
It was a long night.

Dogs I reckon are very resilient.   They eat all sorts of rubbish.  Our dog eats horse dung if it finds some fresh stuff which is reasonably often.  I don't know why they do it.  Perhaps it's like probiotic yoghurt. Some attempt to restore bacteria in their gut.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Some desperate people actually lick these toads to get high!
My poor dog was fine but he must of had a trip that night.
He once gt his nose torned up by a wild mongoose while he was running through a cane field.
Those things are wilder then a stray cat.

Getting high?  Licking toads has to be the pits.

I've got lots of alternatives.

Afternoon tea is great.  Toasted crumpets with Marmite. Old movies on a windy cold rainy afternoon.  Playing cards or Monopoly with the kids. I could go on!

People don't know what they're missing but each to their own.

Hawaii is a collection of all sorts of odd balls and some very nice down to earth people.
Many people go there to hide away from society.
Or the law...
The vet told me since my dog weighed 108 lbs, he probably wouldn't die from licking a buffo toad but many small dogs do die.
He also used to drag in white field mice he would catch. So gross to come out in the morning and find a pile of dead mice waiting for me!
I had no idea dogs were mice catchers.
My pet was such a housedog before we moved to Hawaii.
It doesn't take much effort fr dogs to get back to their wild ways if let to roam around.
He once totally freaked me out when he brought down from the hill a whole pigs leg!
There was a pig farm upcountry from us.
I never smelled a thing or saw a thing but once in awhile things in nature would go very quiet, my dog would sort of hide and lay down, you could hear the pigs screaming in the distance.
Guess he went exploring near the pig farm and found himself a little treat with that hairy old leg.
He's lucky he didn't find himself in a stew pot going up there.
Our landlord was a nice local man.
He told us once that he could tell we loved our dog so we had better watch him.
He told us his wife saw a nice big Rottie walking near their place, she called to the dog but it woldn't come to her.
He then said, "We no see that dog no more".
BBQ time anyone?
Yes, some cultures do find dog tastey, black dog is known to be the finest meat.
Sounds crazy of me but that was one reason I moved off Island, the thought of my dog being made into mince meat was something I couldn't live with.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
Yes, some cultures do find dog tastey, black dog is known to be the finest meat.
Sounds crazy of me but that was one reason I moved off Island, the thought of my dog being made into mince meat was something I couldn't live with.

Surely if a dog has a collar on it, they aren't going to eat random dogs walking past?   

Our dog is chipped and wearing a flea collar.  And people know it and lots of people stop to say hello to it when they walk past.  Kids love it as she's super friendly.   

If anyone sees a stray dog in the village, it's all over Facebook.  It doesn't always work.  One of our neighbours saw a wandering goldie and retrieved it thinking it was ours.  On arrival at our garden, our goldie was very happy to see a new doggy visitor who looked the same.   

And our neighbour was stuck with a random dog.

We had a debate over chipping the cat. I thought it was a good idea but Mrs F thought it was a waste of money as cats are not the same as a dog.

Dog dinners - it'd be too late if someone found the chip in their dinner.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

When I was in my 20's Hawaii drove me crazy, in my late 30's it also drove me bonkers but in my late 60's I'm ready to chill out.

If you're born there and all your family are there, then it's going to feel like home. 

But as an "incomer" one is going to take years to adjust or maybe  never.

What is nice for my husband in Hawaii is the locals love him.
He was 28 when we moved to Maui.
Within short rder he was "adopted" in the local Maui sufer gang of loclas.
They never warmed up fast to most mainlanders but for some reason they took a shine to the 6 or 7 Hungarian guys on the Island. My husband was the only ne excepted into the gang of surfers.
He used to respect their beach but would sit and watch them surf for months every morning.
He bought a bard and slowly took it out into the water.
No ne told him to get lost but gave him tips on surfing.
He son was out in high waves and had a natural talent for the sport.
He was invited with the loclas to spear fish and was invited t many personal events of their such as weddings.
I had a freind who lived next dor to us who was married to a Hawaiian.
Across from us was a nice Hawaiian women with a small girl and was about 5 months pregnant. My next door neighbor and i both were 7-8 months pregnant.
We all hung out together.
This local Hawaiian women invited me to her parents house to meet her mom and dad.
Her father was dying from cancer but still she wanted me to meet him before he passed.
I was invited to his funeral and went.
Not easy to get invited to these personal events as a mainlander unless you are taken in as family.
In Hilo we were invited to yet another wedding, we were the only mainlanders there out of a couple hundred peple. It was such fun and felt like a real emtional family event.
We were asked to be at the ceremony where only a dozen or so close peple are invited, then the big party came afterwards.
In Hilo I was always being invited to take trips with a group of Hawaiian ladies to Las Vegas.Hawaiians love to visit Vegas to gamble.I never went but it was sweet to be asked.
It's not too hard to warm up to people who treat you as family.
It takes a few weeks to drop your mainlander defences and blend in on the Islands.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

When I was in my 20's Hawaii drove me crazy, in my late 30's it also drove me bonkers but in my late 60's I'm ready to chill out.

If you're born there and all your family are there, then it's going to feel like home. 

But as an "incomer" one is going to take years to adjust or maybe  never.

What is nice for my husband in Hawaii is the locals love him.
He was 28 when we moved to Maui.
Within short rder he was "adopted" in the local Maui sufer gang of loclas.
They never warmed up fast to most mainlanders but for some reason they took a shine to the 6 or 7 Hungarian guys on the Island. My husband was the only ne excepted into the gang of surfers.
He used to respect their beach but would sit and watch them surf for months every morning.
He bought a bard and slowly took it out into the water.
No ne told him to get lost but gave him tips on surfing.
He son was out in high waves and had a natural talent for the sport.
....
It's not too hard to warm up to people who treat you as family.
It takes a few weeks to drop your mainlander defences and blend in on the Islands.

Adopting the local way of life is bound to increase acceptability in the community.  I guess, no baggage between islanders and Hungarian guys.   Not like they had an axe to grind with Hungary.  Small community relies on mutual support.

In the 70's people seemed more open to each other.
Now with social media ect. people are very inwards and can't carry on a conversation without checking their phones or trying to take a selfie.
Self-centered attitude.
My husband used to get allot of attentin when he took our red headed boy with him to the beach.
Crazy little Hungarian man with a redheaded baby was not an everyday event.
If you are friendly in Hawaii you usually are expected very quickly or not.
If not, they let you know right away, no games.
The only thing I never did , perhaps because I wasn't raised in Hawaii or had lived there very long is to speak ,"pigeon".
Maybe I'd say,"How's it" but that was my limited on the local slang.
We knew a Hungarian country guy who couldn't speak any English before he moved to a remote area on Hawaii.
He learned Englsih from the locals. I couldn't make out hide or hare of what he ever said.
Used to just get on my last nerve at the salon I worked in when my co-worker would always ask me,"Where's da kine".

There are some places that are best for holidays only and some that are better for either employment or retirement. Hungary scores very highly by me for retirement.
The cost of a home, utilities, transport and entertainment all make it a winner. And Budapest is beautiful .

But I prefer beaches for holidays. Other capital cities and mountains.

Most of my working age friends find the high taxation rate too expensive in Hungary compared to other places. And health services are variable.

There are some places that are best for holidays only and some that are better for either employment or retirement. Hungary scores very highly by me for retirement.
The cost of a home, utilities, transport and entertainment all make it a winner. And Budapest is beautiful .

But I prefer beaches for holidays. Other capital cities and mountains.

Most of my working age friends find the high taxation rate too expensive in Hungary compared to other places. And health services are variable.
Maybe I am wrong but I could not live long term in a more tropical place because of snakes, insects, tropical deseases, unregulated traffic etc
However great for adventure and holidays.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Sounds nice but is it really? 

I've lived for short periods on tiny islands and I reckon over time people go bonkers in those kinds of places.

My freind in Hilo was on the mainland visiting family a couple weeks ago.
She was blown away because they moved and talked so fast.
You need to chill out and slow down to be happy living on an Island.
I know many wild Hungarians who have lived in Hawaii for decades.
Not sure how they all found themselves over there.
Think one person visited and talked everyone else into coming over.
My son was born on Maui and I even as a high energy 21 year old loved Maui, was sorry to leave.
Hilo wasn't for us, far to wet and rainy all the time, I mean it rained every single day.
Honolulu is actually a very busy place and has all sorts of things going on besides surfing.
In our "old age" sitting on beach chairs watching the sunset sounds rather nice actually.
Hilo drove me nuts, every Island has a different  sort of vibe.
Hawaii also has no snakes, they brought in mongoose to keep the place snake free.
They are nasty little buggers.

Mongoose now invasive species it sounds.  Like cane toads in Australia.  And hedgehogs in New Zealand.  I was looking at conversation videos in NZ and they teach their kids to dislike hedgehogs.  But we over here in Europe really like them.  Humans are I suppose the ultimate invasive species.

We Kiwis still love hedgehogs but don't tell the NZ Department of Conservation...

wavydavid wrote:

....
We Kiwis still love hedgehogs but don't tell the NZ Department of Conservation...

My daughter currently lives in NZ and she found a hedgehog and as a UK person, brought up to love hedgehogs,  was caring for it and asked me if she should take it to a wildlife centre. I said, give it some dog food, some water, then let it go.  Wildlife centre would probably have to kill it as NZ DoC might have to become involved.

Instead of culling NZ hedgehogs, they could ship them back to the UK as we've got a shortage..

I am not sure when an invasive species become an accepted part of the local flora and fauna.  Where is RadiumPotato in this forum when you need him?

BTW, I believe NZ hedgehogs are slightly smaller than UK versions.  Darwin at work.

I plan to drill a hole in my fence so that hedgehogs can move freely in and out of our garden.