Interesting topic!

The one thing that scares me about some of these great locations (domestic and international) is the lack of top notch healthcare. I don't mind going for a couple of weeks to some exotic third world location for a vacation but don't want to spend the rest of my life in a place with less than stellar healthcare. I think I would want to be within 15 minutes of a place that could handle a serious emergency (such as heart attack or stroke) and maybe within an hour of a place that would offer top notch treatment for other serious (but not immediately life-threatening) illnesses. Sorry to bring this up, but I am just keeping it real.

I like the idea that someone posted earlier of continuing to live where I do (with 8-9 months of good weather), and just leave for 2-3 months a year to get out of the worst of the winter. You could go to a different location every winter.

A lot of the final decision depends on how much money I will have when I decide to retire in 10-15 years.