Top six sunny post-election retreats

By Kathleen Peddicord
It’s no secret that variations of the search “How can I move to Canada” spiked during this presidential campaign.
Ever since the Vietnam War, Canada has been a beacon of refuge for castoff Americans. But there is a major drawback to moving north: Canada’s winters often look like the “Star Wars” blizzard scenes on the ice planet Hoth.
The truth is, whether you’re thinking you might want to get out of the States sooner rather than later… or you just like the idea of exploring the opportunities and adventures that other countries have to offer…
You have far, far more enjoyable, more affordable, and better weather options than our frosty neighbor to the north.
So if cold isn’t your thing, we say anyone contemplating changing their latitude after this past election should consider moving south instead of north.
Here, we’re looking at our top six sunny and inviting picks for a post-election bug-out…
Tulum, Mexico
Accessible, affordable, and offering diverse lifestyle options, Mexico is the easiest possible choice for North Americans…
Only an hour from Playa del Carmen, the town of Tulum is positioned nicely along the path of progress moving down the Yucatán Peninsula. Plenty of pristine beaches, coral reefs and nearby UNESCO World Heritage Sites will keep the visitors coming for years to come.
This area is easily among the most exotic and beautiful geographical areas on earth. Rocky coastlines intermixed with white-sand beaches and spectacular cenotes (crystal-clear swimming and diving pools), tropical jungles, and remnants of Mayan temples all compete for visitor attention. The expats that live here call it paradise—it’s truly a nature-lover’s playground.
The lifestyle in Tulum is calm and casual. Lying on the beach drinking a couple of cervezas is a typical pastime. For the outdoorsy adventurous types, take advantage of scuba diving, fishing, visiting ruins, backpacking, surfing and yoga.
You could live here on just US$1,300 if you own a home; if you rent, expect your monthly expenses to be closer to US$1,800.
The side streets radiating both southeast and northwest from the highway through town are disappointing… poorly kept with weeds and rubble alongside mostly sub-standard houses and vacant lots. What gives? Therein exist the investment and business opportunities.
Tulum has been popular with the backpack crowd for many years, many of whom have settled-in and started tourist-service business—small inns and B&Bs, cafés, restaurants, and bars. There are still plenty of small-business opportunities at all tourist amenity levels as the town grows and upscales. This will happen over a period of a few years, but there will be serious money made here in tourist services. Plus, the normal services that a booming tourist town needs, such mundane—yet scarce—services as mechanics, dry cleaners, well-stocked hardware stores, and construction materials will be needed, too.
Cayo, Belize
“If the world has any ends, British Honduras [Belize] would certainly be one of them. It is not on the way from anywhere to anywhere else. It has no strategic value. It is all but uninhabited,” wrote Aldous Huxley in “Beyond the Mexique Bay” back in 1934, and it still holds true today.
This little country is strategically unimportant to any country other than the United States, the U.K., and Guatemala… no one cares about Belize… heck, some don’t even know it exists, or, if so, where it lies. This may well be the best place on the planet to fly under the radar.
In everything from politics to stray dogs and religion to bad roads, Belizeans are tolerant. Above and beyond that, Belizeans are fundamentally all about mutual respect and freedom. They have very little interest in meddling in other people’s affairs.
Modern utility infrastructure and information technology are relatively recent arrivals to Belize, so almost everyone could easily revert to an off-line, self-sufficient lifestyle. If people in Belize lost access to power, water, and telecommunications for an extended period of time, they wouldn’t panic… life would go on.
Nowhere in the Western hemisphere will you be able to remove yourself from the long arm of government better than Cayo, Belize.
Far from the coastal locations that Belize is known for, Cayo consists of Belize’s lush, mountainous interior. Water and sunshine are in no short supply, which makes it easy to grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs. With a few solar panels, Cayo is ideal for becoming self-sufficient and living off-grid. Expect to spend around US$1,200 or so a month living in this rustic corner of the country.
Rain forests, reefs, ruins, and rivers… year-round tropical climate… the best place in the world to embrace the self-sufficient life, a great back-up residency option… plus everyone speaks English… This is Belize.
Panama City, Panama
The Hub of the Americas is warm and sunny year-round, the U.S. dollar is the official currency, and it boasts thousands of miles of beaches. Plus, whoever wins the White House won’t be able to tax the first hundred grand of your earned income if you are an official resident of Panama.
The country offers one of the most hassle-free residency programs on the planet, and, for retirees, a pensionado visa is the Gold Standard for retirement visas worldwide and gives you discounts on a long list of items, including movies tickets, restaurants, hotels, health care, utilities, and real estate closing costs. The “Friendly Nations Visa” is both affordable and easy to acquire if you’re from one of the nearly 50 countries designated as “friendly,” including the United States, Canada, and U.K.—and this visa even gives you a work permit, should you want one.  
With these benefits in mind, North Americans have been flocking to Panama City and its nearby beaches along the Pacific coast, just west of the capital. The city offers First World infrastructure, international-standard shopping, and easy access to the rest of the world. If beaches are more your speed, just an hour from the big-city hustle and bustle are miles of beaches, condos, and surf shacks.
Panama is not the cheapest place to live south of the border, a comfortable city-living budget might land somewhere between US$2,000 and US$3,000… but it is certainly one of the easiest places to set up shop, and so is one of the most attractive options for those still looking to earn some money.