Would you retire to a Middle Eastern playground if you could?

[GiveUsThisDayOurDailyPizza]

For example UAE, Qatar

I will probably never be a high net worth individual anyway but even if I was I can’t imagine choosing to spend my retirement years in such places.

Work and live there for a few years to get ahead financially, yes, or a long layover on the way to somewhere else but what makes so many UK expats want to retire there?

This is prompted by something that came up at work. I’d love to understand the appeal as I have to interact with people for whom this is a long term ambition or plan.

Personally, I’d never go and live in the US and would never want my kids going to school there, or a to a shopping mall etc for fear of getting shot.

I feel safer in the ME (and I go several times a year) than I did even visiting the US.

Not in a million years. Can't think of anything less appealing. And I would judge anyone who did.

Yep, would be happy to consider it.

Good climate, good health care, good infrastructure, good food, and I like the culture and the region.

Also, not sure what on earth you mean by a “Middle Eastern playground”….?

Baffled by those who consider 45 C a good climate.

One of the things that always crops up on these threads is that the UAE/the Gulf 'has no history'. It's such a racist, ignorant point of view.

It's history isn't in its architecture, no, but people have lived in the region for thousands of years. Local people have strong cultural traditions and can often trace their family and tribe back hundreds of years. We just don't know the history because it's 'not relevant' to us Brits and we aren't taught it. The Portuguese occupied a lot of the Gulf at one point, there have been established trading routes, different occupying forces etc. lots has happened here.

It makes me mad when people say there's no history or culture. No, you just make no effort to know the history or culture!

Yes @CharlotteRumpling, that is strange! And people always say ‘Oh, but everywhere is air conditioned! You go from air conditioned home/hotel into air conditioned car and into air conditioned office/shopping mall’. I don’t like the sound of that as I like to spend as much time outside as possible, all year round. That is doable where I live in SE England.

Remember in the Qatar World Cup all the outrage. Some polls have said it was the best World Cup ever for safety and the match quality.

All these people saying I will boycott it are the same people who have no trouble visiting countries like USA where in some states abortion is illegal and you can be forced to have a child if you been raped. But that does not suit some people's agendas. It is only other countries that are barbarians.

Qatar: Why women feel safer at World Cup 2022 - BBC Sport

😂😂😂 pissed off emiratis and Qataris! I can only assume you know nothing about that part of the world

Baffled by those who can’t get their head around people liking different climates to them.

Yes if you like grey and overcast weather and a lot of precipitation the U.K. is ideal. If you like hot, sunny and dry the U.K. is shite and the ME far better, it’s really not that difficult to understand

Most are morally scummy so no.

I still think global warming is going to have a big impact in ME and Asia. I have friends there who are really suffering right now even with aircon.

I am from a hot country myself.

More likely Norfolk or Yorkshire!

I absolutely love the areas of the Middle East I lived/travelled in during my 20s, but probably because I was living within predominantly Arabic communities and had very little to do with anyone from the UK.
Most people who seem to slate the Middle East haven't actually been there, but hey ho.

Are we talking about Dubai or the U.K.?

*One of the things that always crops up on these threads is that the UAE/the Gulf 'has no history'. It's such a racist, ignorant point of view."
*

It does have history however you can't really judge if you hold them in high esteem as these country's are racist and ignorant.

Except the UK is hardly racism and ignorance free. Every country has people who hold racist viewpoints, so not sure why the ME is being judged more harshly.

NO.

As a woman, I feel a lot safer in the ME than in the UK. Much much safer and would happily raise my children there if DH was up for it.

It doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps they want to go there for tax reasons?

Agreed.

Yes, absolutely. We’re all different and I imagine the OP was expecting a range of views when she asked if we would retire to the ME. I’ve said no and given my reasons, which is the point of the thread. If I can’t spend at least an hour or two outdoors on most days of the year, it’s not somewhere I could live happily. I can only answer for myself, and that’s what I’m doing.

No way.