Post military retirement expats

dmwhiteman

Hey all! New couple here. Looking towards our life post US military retirement. My wife is currently going through her medical retirement process from the Air Force and we are trying to come up with a 6 month post retirement plan. And Bali is looking like a great place to go. I'm hoping to find some info on what our process will be. We are both too young for retirement visas, but aren't sure if we will be working. Any other young retired military?? Hope to get in touch and make lots of new friends.

Markit

Welcome to the forum. Simple answer: your retirement on Bali depends entirely (pre-retirement visa eligibility) on your economic situation. Can you live without working because working here is nearly impossible for foreigners. Many will tell you to ground a company or work from home online but for all intents and purposes it is impossible - by the time you have your "company" up and running you will be ripe for retirement - a long and weary process. Tell us more about yourselves.

davita

Hi Guys...welcome to the Bali forum and congrats on your retirement. I'm sure during your service you've traveled a bit so are familiar with Asia. Bali is a great place for a holiday but is not so easy to think in terms of permanency. I'd suggest you keep an open and flexible mind on your plan...there are many places to visit within the region. Indonesia makes it difficult to work...you need a work permit (IMTA) which is not easy to attain. It is also not easy to get a long-term visa to stay...many do stay for a long time but have to occasionally leave (even for a day) and return, which gets to be tedious. It is possible to get monthly extensions to the 2 month tourist visit visa.....and we can explain if you ask questions surrounding your plan..

dmwhiteman

Our economic situation will depend on her VA benefits and our savings from vehicle sales and home sale. The retirement hasn't gone through yet, but she is in the process so it will be a year or so. Then we are taking 6 months to get everything in order. We are a young couple, married 3 years in August. I'm 30 and she's 23 . She keeps me young. Our goals are to travel around more as the Air Force didn't give us much opportunity. She has only been in for a little over 1 enlistment. We spend most of our weekends and summers overlanding North America and had hopes of going around the globe but want to backpack/travel to counties we can't take a vehicle too first.

ronb

Welcome dmwhiteman & partner. I am sure you will enjoy 6 months and we will all be interested in your reactions as it progresses and also in your final decision. Markit says

Many will tell you to ground a company or work from home online but for all intents and purposes it is impossible

But this is too negative. Around Ubud and Canggu there are many younger people who can be described as "digital nomads" or "on-line entrepreneurs". Some are using technical skills like web-publishing or software development, but others are running on-line consultancies where the skill they consult about can be anything like marketing related, human relationship related, or whatever. At this point in time, the "no work" conditions of visas seem to have no impact on these people. There is a Facebook page worth a look, but not too many people there reveal what they are doing, but you may get some hints. https://www.facebook.com/groups/balidigitalnomads/

davita

dmwhiteman wroteOur economic situation will depend on her VA benefits and our savings from vehicle sales and home sale. The retirement hasn't gone through yet, but she is in the process so it will be a year or so. Then we are taking 6 months to get everything in order. We are a young couple, married 3 years in August. I'm 30 and she's 23 . She keeps me young. Our goals are to travel around more as the Air Force didn't give us much opportunity. She has only been in for a little over 1 enlistment. We spend most of our weekends and summers overlanding North America and had hopes of going around the globe but want to backpack/travel to counties we can't take a vehicle too first.

I find your post as being retired, and a veteran, at age 23, a little amusing. I served in the RAF from age 15 to 37 and never think of myself as a veteran...more as a low paid worker. I then joined an airline until mandatory retirement at age 55 (I actually resigned age 54 to immigrate to Canada) ....that was 26 years ago....and Immigration Canada wouldn't believe I was a retiree at that young age. They suspected I would find employment in Canada. But I envy you guys....great idea to see the world when you're young enough to enjoy. Most of us oldies scraped/slaved to reach that dream and, when it arrived...too fffing old and grumpy to enjoy.

dmwhiteman

ronb, thanks for that info! I'm not sure if we will be seeking employment or what the whole plan is, as we've just started planning. She has a degree in public health and food safety, so maybe resort work if any. I have a small background in IT, so maybe for me that wouldn't be a bad idea. We are trying to get away from the 9-5 we have been forced into so if we can make our monthly budget fit a lifestyle with little conventional work that is our goal. davita, it was funny to me as well when she told that she was being medically retired. But after everything the US military puts it's enlistees through, it is understandable. I'm just excited our healthcare will be taken care of. Anyone who comes out of the military in the US is considered a veteran, even if they have only ever been stationed stateside. That's a fight I choose not to get involved in.