Rather than being content to live life overseas in an expat bubble, many retired expats embrace the local way of life. As a result, they are more likely to feel at home in a short space of time.
Member of the community
Younger expats with careers take note: older retired expats often settle into life overseas more quickly than you do. That’s because retired expats often enthusiastically embrace the local way of life. The result of this open-minded, positive approach is they quickly feel like they’re part of the community. That’s according to a 2016 survey by HSBC Expat Explore in which 49 per cent of retired expats said it took less than six months to feel at home; 52 per cent said it took less than a year.
The secret of retirees
So what’s their secret? According to the researchers – who surveyed 22,000 expats in 100 countries – the retirees were clearly making a concerted effort to find local friends. But how do you make local friends? By simply immersing yourself in the local culture and interacting with the local community. Expats with careers and kids might feel they have less time and opportunity to do so than retirees, nonetheless, the findings of the survey are crystal clear: If we take a proactive approach to interacting with the local community, we will feel at home more quickly.
Fun-loving expats
The retired expats are also having a lot of fun. More than two in five retired expats surveyed said they had a more active social life than at home. They invariably enjoyed discovering new cuisines, which can play a major role in socialising, with seven in ten retired expats enjoying cooking or eating the local food. As a result of all the above, a majority of 63 per cent found it easy to form new friendships abroad. Nearly three-quarters of participants believed that they are integrating well overall with the local people and culture.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Photo: Terry Feuerborn – Flickr
