The Best Places To Escape The Polar Vortex

As we write this, a polar vortex is swooping down from the Arctic and clutching much of the upper U.S. in its bitter embrace.
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As we write this, a polar vortex is swooping down from the Arctic and clutching much of the upper U.S. in its bitter embrace.

Called a "punishing blast" by one weather reporter and an "icy invasion" by another, the understatement award goes to a Weather Channel senior meteorologist who says, "It's going to be a shock."
2016-12-12-1481565133-3605415-dsMaleconinAjijicMexico.jpgThe Malecon in Ajijic, Mexico
Yes, we'd say so. Anything below 50 degrees above zero is a shock to us these days. Temperatures as low as -30 F to -40 F -- which is what's predicted for upper states from Montana to Michigan -- well that's a bit more than shocking. That's a death sentence should you be caught unprepared.

The term "polar vortex" is one we'd not heard until just a couple of years ago when, suddenly, it was bandied about everywhere. And now, unfortunately, it's commonplace.

Sure, as kids we trudged eight miles to school through seven feet of swirling blizzard-y snow ... but never did we do that in temperatures that can freeze your eyeballs. (Yes, that can happen at -40 F.)
2016-12-12-1481565675-5455932-dsThetownofChapalaMexico.jpg
The Town of Chapala, Mexico
Scientists say "Get used to it." This freezing freak of nature will be a more frequent visitor in coming years, especially if you live along the U.S. east coast. The science behind it is complicated, but apparently, you New Yorkers ... and everyone else in the upper States for that matter ... should "Beware the Ice of March"... The vortex is likely to strike yet again in the Spring, with all its frigid fury.

Do a Google search and you'll find a plethora of warnings telling you to "brace yourself" and enlightening you about how to prepare...

Get out there and wrap your pipes, people. Caulk your windows. Check your furnace. Buy a new car battery. Pile on the layers and top them all with a down-filled parka. Don't forget the snow boots, the mittens and scarves, the trapper hats...

And while you're at it, stock up on some extra money to help you pay for all this.

If we could join the rabble rousers for a moment and chime in with a singular survival technique of our own:

Get the heck outta there.

There are so many more suitable places for a retiree to be these days than in the middle of the frozen tundra.

Go south. Anywhere in the Tropics will do.
2016-12-12-1481565781-9718334-dsTownparkinAtenasCentralValleyCostaRica.jpg
Atenas Town Park in the Central Valley, Costa Rica
Defined as the areas of latitude nearest the equator between the Tropic of Cancer (about 23° north) and the Tropic of Capricorn (about 23° south), you'll find a far more suitable climate. Never, ever...except perhaps on the highest elevations of a distant snowcapped peak ... will you find temperatures below freezing. Instead, you'll typically find daytime temperatures hovering anywhere from 70 F to 90 F.

If you like warm, sultry temperatures, you'll find them in coastal areas of the Tropics. If you prefer a more moderate climate, head for the mountain areas. Today, in mid December as we write this, it's a lovely sunshine-y 70 F here in Ajijic, Mexico on the north shore of Lake Chapala. (The perfect weather is why this area is home to the world's largest overseas community of U.S. and Canadian retirees.)

Mexico's Lake Chapala area is just one place to escape the wrath of winter. You'll find fellow sunbirds in Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Southeast Asia, and beyond.

And they're not just in it for the weather. They're also escaping the money drain ... the "flushing your retirement dollars down the toilet" vortex.

Think of how much less your annual budget would be if you weren't burning money in your furnace every winter ... or spending it on air conditioning in the summer, for that matter. That extra $200 to $300 or more a month adds up ... and it's an amount that goes far in any of the most popular tropical retirement destinations.
2016-12-12-1481566029-5472566-dsPavedstreetinCotacachiEcuador.jpg
Cotacachi, Ecuador
Depending on your lifestyle needs, a couple can live very well on a budget of $2,000 a month in a place like Lake Chapala or Costa Rica's Central Valley. In our home base of Cotacachi, Ecuador, you'll find it hard to spend that amount ... Unless we've been traveling, we've rarely spent more than $1,400 a month there. And we dine out often, with wine and (sometimes, guiltily) dessert.

But of course, life is not all about weather or money. It's about friends and family and living as happily as possible. The money surely helps, though. With what we save every month, we can easily go back to the States often to visit family. And the friends we have here are the best ... an easy-going, happy, adventuresome bunch that love life.

And why wouldn't they? They're surely not worried about any threatening vortexes.

This article comes to us courtesy of InternationalLiving.com, the world's leading authority on how to live, work, invest, travel, and retire better overseas.

Ecuador: Perfect Score from InternationalLiving.com
Scoring a perfect score of 100 in the climate category in InternationalLiving.com's annual Global Retirement Index 2014, Ecuador lies right on the equator, so the entire country enjoys 12 hours of direct equatorial daylight, 365 days a year. InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Suzan Haskins, InternationalLiving.com
Ecuador: Tropical Temperatures
The beaches and rainforests of Ecuador enjoy the tropical temperatures that you’d expect from equatorial lowlands, with highs ranging between 80º F and 90º F.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Hugo Ghiara, InternationalLiving.com
Uruguay: Like Carolinas Climate
The climate in Uruguay is like that of the Carolinas in the U.S. You can expect high temperatures up in the 80s and sometimes higher in the summer (December through February).InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of InternationalLiving.com
Uruguay: Mild Climate
Uruguay has a warm temperate climate with almost unknown freezing temperatures. The country’s mild climate is due to the fact that the whole country is located within a temperate zone.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of InternationalLiving.com
Malta: Mediterranean Climate
Malta enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers. Spring comes early, around late February, and the summer lingers until October. Frost and snow are completely unknown.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Glynna Prentice, InternationalLiving.com
Malta: Mild Winters, Hot Summers
The climate in Malta is temperate for most of the year, with a mean temperature of 19° C (66° F). Average annual rainfall is about 56 centimeters (about 22 inches).InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Glynna Prentice, InternationalLiving.com
Panama: 1st Place Overall, 4th in Climate
Coming fourth in the climate category but first overall in International Living’s annual Global Retirement Index 2014, Panama has two seasons: wet (“winter”) and dry (“summer”). Summer is roughly from December to April.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Erica Mills, InternationalLiving.com
Panama: Santa Fe Temperatures
The climate in Santa Fe, Panama, is perfect, with daytime temperatures in the 80s° F (and evenings 10 or more degrees cooler). The rainy season is officially from May through November, but afternoon rains are often fleeting. Most mornings are sunny.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Suzan Haskins InternationalLiving.com
New Zealand: Weather Varies Dramatically
New Zealand sees average annual temperatures ranging from 50 °F in the south to 61 °F in the north. However, that is by no means the full story. Weather varies dramatically across the country’s regions. The west coast of the South Island is known for its wet weather while areas such as Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury are almost semi-arid. Meanwhile, in areas such as Northland, New Zealanders enjoy a subtropical climate.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Steenie Harvey, InternationalLiving.com
New Zealand: South Island Diversity
The southern and south-western parts of the South Island of New Zealand have a cooler and cloudier climate, while the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest.InternationalLiving.com 2014 Country RankingsPhoto courtesy of Steenie Harvey, InternationalLiving.com

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