The economy. The state of the union. Crime. All these issues and more are leading many older Americans to retire overseas. The baby boomers are no longer looking at staying in the United States and recent research proves that.

In the past decade, the expat lifestyle has had a growing popularity. Researchers predict that this popularity will double over the next ten years. Right now there are roughly over 7 million North Americans (including people from Canada and the United States) who reside around the world in different countries. That is about the size of the population of Chicago. Seven million is larger than the population that is contained in over 30 states.

Medical Tourism – it is estimated that about 6 million Americans will travel overseas for their health care this year.

It is also believed that a lot of these people are actually looking for other health care alternatives and that is why they choose to retire abroad. “Modern Health care” estimates that nearly three quarters of a million Americans went overseas for health care within the last two years. They are predicting that this amount will grow 700%, with up to 6 million Americans going overseas by 2010.

This list of five guidelines to follow for life as an expatriate will be very useful to you if you decide to follow this road someday, for whatever reason. Your plans will go much more smoothly and your decisions should be a bit easier to make.

1. Money, money, money! Retirement is not always cheap. It is important that you assess your finances and ask yourself if you can sustain your current lifestyle with the nest egg you anticipate. If you fear you cannot, you must make some changes to your plans. You may need to work past age 65. Perhaps you will consider moving somewhere where the expenses are lower. Combining these two options would be an excellent idea; you may want to create a business that can be run from any location, allowing you to make money

2. If you are truly interested in finding the best place to retire overseas, then you need to start exploring and learning about different countries so that you can find one which is the right ‘fit’ for you.

3. Don’t just go to your chosen country blindly, but get to know it beforehand. Ideally, you want to have several extended visits under your belt before making that final move. This way, among other things, you can find out how you are at handling the various seasons, and whether or not you will have to buy any sort of equipment for your home to make things comfortable.

4. Get a complete physical before moving overseas. If you know what your overall health status is, you can anticipate what you will need in the future for health care. Though costs may be extremely high in your own birth country, health care costs should be considered in the country you choose to live in. In addition to costs, you should also consider specialized care, such as cardiology. You should be certain that all medical needs will be covered in the country that you choose for retirement. If this happens to be one of your concerns, it is important that you should start setting money aside. Monies set aside for an emergency fund can be used if you happen to be one of those unfortunates that become sick while overseas. Not only will the emergency fund cover your health care costs, but it will also give you peace of mind.

5. Talk with your friends and family. How are your friends and family going to deal with the fact that you have retired overseas? If you have grandchildren, you might feel the loss the most, since you won’t be able to see your grandbabies grow up during their formative years. If you feel you can comfortably retire overseas with the knowledge that you won’t need to see your children, grandchildren, and friends as often as you want, then there are two things you need to consider: 1) Will you have enough money to fly back to your birth country at least once a year, and 2) Will you have the right amount of room in your new digs to let family or friends stay with you when the need warrants?

Grab your copy of a free e-book on the year’s top retirement havens. You can live your dreams to move overseas with outstanding health care and live like royalty in paradise.