Hello everyone, I am new to the site and I want to move to Sosua.
I want to get out of the rat race, want to get away from winter, get away from pollution, fog and stress.
I'm 37, my wife is 33 and we have a 3 year old son. We live in Milan (Italy) at the moment and I hold both British and Italian passports while my wife is full Italian.
I have a basic knowledge of Spanish that I aquired when I worked in Madrid for a year.
It would be an all out move with the idea of starting a business. We also need to take care of our 3 year old son. Finding the right school/education for him.
I?ve been dreaming of moving to the Caribbean for quite some years.
Never had enough courage to make the move as I was probably too young and not experienced enough.
I picked the DR because I feel comfortable with it, just the place I would like to try and relocate to. The DR feels like it?s growing. Wouldn?t like to move to a place where there is no room for future development. Virgin Islands as an example are already ?there?, if you know what I mean. Cuba could be another option but not in the short future?
Business wise is where I have the most doubts. I?ve been working in various industries but for the last 13 years I worked in the financial industry. As a institutional broker for banks dealing in governments bonds on the Italian domestic market. So I have no real ?handy? experience to put into something. I would probably go for a bar or restaurant having grown up in this business having a father that owned bars and restaurant. And is probably the best option since the major industry in DR is tourism. Also a small hotel could be an interesting option.
My wife is the typical city woman, busy with her career (director of a private school for foreign languages) and enjoys shopping, going out, spending hours on the phone etc etc? I think she is the one that might ?suffer? the culture shock more than myself but, you never know. It could be the other way round. Having said that she loves the beach, the sun, the hot weather and really enjoys helping others. She is good at organizing things and is awesome in PR.
How much would a family need to be earning to live a comfortable life in Sosua ? What sort of expenses should I consider ? The house would cost about 400$ p.m. including all comforts, maintenance and maid. Another 200$ or so for school and insurance, could a family like mine live on 1000/1300$ p.m. considering I have no mortgage or rent ? Investing in time deposits denominated in Dominican Peso, could offer yields up to 15/20% for a bank CD or up to 24% for commercial paper. What is the bank industry like? Is it reliable? Do any of you bank there or do you keep your money in your home country ?
I?m not talking about a retirement move as such, I am too young not do anything all day, but a better quality of life. It is a big move, especially from Italy. Considering the family attachments and all that comes with it. Any advice ?
Thanks
I want to get out of the rat race, want to get away from winter, get away from pollution, fog and stress.
I'm 37, my wife is 33 and we have a 3 year old son. We live in Milan (Italy) at the moment and I hold both British and Italian passports while my wife is full Italian.
I have a basic knowledge of Spanish that I aquired when I worked in Madrid for a year.
It would be an all out move with the idea of starting a business. We also need to take care of our 3 year old son. Finding the right school/education for him.
I?ve been dreaming of moving to the Caribbean for quite some years.
Never had enough courage to make the move as I was probably too young and not experienced enough.
I picked the DR because I feel comfortable with it, just the place I would like to try and relocate to. The DR feels like it?s growing. Wouldn?t like to move to a place where there is no room for future development. Virgin Islands as an example are already ?there?, if you know what I mean. Cuba could be another option but not in the short future?
Business wise is where I have the most doubts. I?ve been working in various industries but for the last 13 years I worked in the financial industry. As a institutional broker for banks dealing in governments bonds on the Italian domestic market. So I have no real ?handy? experience to put into something. I would probably go for a bar or restaurant having grown up in this business having a father that owned bars and restaurant. And is probably the best option since the major industry in DR is tourism. Also a small hotel could be an interesting option.
My wife is the typical city woman, busy with her career (director of a private school for foreign languages) and enjoys shopping, going out, spending hours on the phone etc etc? I think she is the one that might ?suffer? the culture shock more than myself but, you never know. It could be the other way round. Having said that she loves the beach, the sun, the hot weather and really enjoys helping others. She is good at organizing things and is awesome in PR.
How much would a family need to be earning to live a comfortable life in Sosua ? What sort of expenses should I consider ? The house would cost about 400$ p.m. including all comforts, maintenance and maid. Another 200$ or so for school and insurance, could a family like mine live on 1000/1300$ p.m. considering I have no mortgage or rent ? Investing in time deposits denominated in Dominican Peso, could offer yields up to 15/20% for a bank CD or up to 24% for commercial paper. What is the bank industry like? Is it reliable? Do any of you bank there or do you keep your money in your home country ?
I?m not talking about a retirement move as such, I am too young not do anything all day, but a better quality of life. It is a big move, especially from Italy. Considering the family attachments and all that comes with it. Any advice ?
Thanks