Questions worth asking before you decide.

Escape Hatch is a private, veteran-founded and veteran-led company that helps U.S. veterans look at life in the Philippines. EXPLORE coordinates planning and accommodation for destinations across the country. SETTLE and SETTLE Plus add extended local support in Davao City only.

No. Escape Hatch is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for the U.S. government, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any branch of the U.S. military.

U.S. veterans and retirees who want to try everyday life in the Philippines, or who are ready to look at a longer stay. Spouses and adult children are welcome in the planning conversation. Who can travel, and whether a home suits them, is confirmed before you book.

Not until you're ready. We created our EXPLORE package so you can see and experience the better life before you decide. The SETTLE package is a separate choice, with its own agreement, if you later want a longer stay.

Headquarters is in Davao City. EXPLORE accommodation can be arranged in advance wherever you want to go in the Philippines, subject to availability and confirmation. Planning is coordinated from Davao, and paid legal work for EXPLORE is executed there. SETTLE and SETTLE Plus extended relocation and local support are only in Davao City. Your proposal names the property before you commit.

Nate, the veteran who founded Escape Hatch, says he came to love everyday life in the Philippines and wants other veterans to know that kind of chapter is possible. The company exists to put his local experience to work, so you spend less time figuring out every unfamiliar detail on your own and making costly mistakes like most often do

That is his account on the About page. The practical offer is clear information, housing and arrival help, and someone to talk with while you decide. In a nutshell, Nate built a company he wished had existed before he moved to the Philippines.

Escape Hatch was founded by Nate, who leads the company alongside a trusted team of local business professionals and legal experts with decades of experience and established networks in the Philippines.

EXPLORE is a furnished stay of at least three months, with accommodation arranged in advance wherever you want to go in the Philippines, subject to availability and confirmation. SETTLE is longer-term housing and local support in Davao City, with a 12-month minimum for both membership and housing. SETTLE Plus is assisted independent living in a private Davao City home. Each one uses its own arrangement.

Read the outlines on the services page. The full EXPLORE detail is on the EXPLORE page.

A furnished place arranged in advance for the destination you choose, subject to availability and confirmation, plus pre-arrival planning and departure planning. Passport, visa, and document help stays within the scope we are qualified to provide, and paid legal work is executed in Davao. EXPLORE does not include an on-the-ground team, orientation, or resident contact at each destination.

It is not a tour package, and resident membership is not something you can buy on its own. There is no set sightseeing schedule.

Help finding longer-term housing in Davao City, relocation and move-in coordination, an orientation for new residents, and ongoing housing and local support. That extended local support is only in Davao City, with access to trusted local providers rather than a priority guarantee. The minimum is 12 months for both the membership and the home. The written agreement is what you are bound by.

SETTLE Plus is assisted independent living: a private home in Davao City for older veterans who want fewer daily chores and someone dependable nearby. It is not a nursing home, not inpatient care, not emergency care, and not round-the-clock medical care.

The recommended $2,500 USD monthly budget includes weekly housekeeping and wellness services. Visits include delivery of essentials such as food and toiletries. Delivery is included. The goods are a living expense unless your proposal says otherwise. Scheduled support also includes nurse wellness visits for vitals and condition checks, medication preparation and intake tracking, individualized medical assistance, and routine medical and lab checkups usually every three months, plus records and family updates through the online platform. These are scheduled services within assisted independent living, not guaranteed outcomes. The full overview is on the SETTLE Plus page.

No. Resident membership is tied to active Escape Hatch housing. It is not a standalone subscription for a place you arrange on your own.

Only if you want to, and only under a new agreement. Finishing EXPLORE does not enroll you, upgrade you, or obligate you to continue. You can also go home with a clearer answer. Either outcome is a fair use of the stay.

Membership is $50 USD a month for EXPLORE, SETTLE, and SETTLE Plus, and it begins when planning begins. Recommended housing and package budgets are $449 USD a month for EXPLORE, from $350 USD a month for SETTLE, and $2,500 USD a month for SETTLE Plus, including housekeeping and wellness support. Your proposal confirms the property, inclusions, and terms before you agree.

The $50 membership is consultation, coordination, and access to providers, not unlimited professional work. Travel, food, and other personal spending stay separate. The SETTLE Plus recommended budget already includes housekeeping and wellness services. Utilities are included with SETTLE Plus and separate on the other packages. Optional document, legal, transport, and tech work is available on request and billed separately.

On EXPLORE, housing is furnished and prepared before you arrive. Housing charges are paid to Escape Hatch under the housing agreement. What that payment includes is confirmed before you book.

Travel, local transport, food, and other personal spending stay separate unless the written proposal says otherwise. Utilities are separate too, except on SETTLE Plus, where they are included. Airport-transfer fare is generally separate. Tours, extra transport, and special requests are separate and depend on availability.

Yes. Everyday living costs in the Philippines are lower than in the United States, which is a big reason veterans look here for retirement and the golden years: a pension can cover a comfortable home, good food, and a slower day, with more room to enjoy it. What you actually spend depends on the city and the lifestyle you choose, and not every single expense is cheaper. The Why Philippines page shows crowdsourced Davao examples as a sense of scale. Those figures are not Escape Hatch fees and not a quote.

No. Utilities are not included in the housing charge, except on SETTLE Plus, where utilities are included.

We help with passport, visa, and document questions within the scope we are qualified to handle. That help does not guarantee approval. Legal work beyond that scope is optional, quoted separately, and still not a promise of an outcome.

For SETTLE and SETTLE Plus in Davao City, we arrange an airport transfer and coordinate move-in. The fare is generally separate unless your proposal includes it. Orientation there covers ordinary tasks such as a SIM and data, payments, local transport, everyday etiquette, and local contacts. EXPLORE plans the stay from Davao and does not include that on-the-ground arrival service at every destination.

Support follows the package you choose and the service hours you agree. EXPLORE includes planning and accommodation coordination from Davao through departure. It does not place a resident contact at every destination. SETTLE and SETTLE Plus include ongoing local support in Davao City during agreed service hours.

SETTLE Plus adds the included weekly housekeeping and scheduled wellness services. None of the packages is round-the-clock coverage, emergency response, or a promise that someone is available all the time.

SETTLE Plus includes scheduled nurse wellness visits for vitals and condition checks, medication preparation and intake tracking, individualized medical assistance, and routine medical and lab checkups usually every three months. Medication support is planned around your needs and the agreed care arrangements. Escape Hatch is not a clinic. This is not inpatient care, not emergency care, not round-the-clock care, and not a guaranteed outcome.

Tell us during planning. We will talk through who is traveling and any access needs, and we will say plainly whether a property is suitable. Suitability is never guaranteed. EXPLORE does not include personal care.

Send a note with the kind of days you want, your timing, and a working budget. We reply with what is actually available and, if it fits, a proposal you can accept or walk away from. Use Ask a question and pick the package you are considering, or leave the service as “I’m not sure.”

Davao City is one of the Philippines' best-kept secrets! It offers a rare combination of modern city living, an affordable tropical lifestyle, and incredible natural beauty, all in one place.

You get the conveniences of a modern city, with great shopping malls, hospitals, restaurants, and entertainment, alongside fresh, affordable seafood, fruits, and local produce. Beautiful beaches, tropical islands, mountains, rivers, and waterfalls are all within easy reach.

And then there are the people! Filipino hospitality is legendary, and Davao takes it to another level. You'll be amazed by how warm, friendly, honest, and genuinely helpful the locals can be. It's the kind of place where people make you feel welcome, even when you're thousands of miles from home.

What makes Davao truly special is the balance. You can enjoy the comforts of modern living while feeling like you're on a tropical vacation, surrounded by welcoming people and natural beauty. It's a lifestyle that locals, expats, and American retirees have come to love, and one of the biggest reasons we believe Davao is such a wonderful place to call home.

Davao City has built a strong reputation for safety and security, with a visible security presence and decades of attention from the local government. For many residents, businesspeople, and foreign visitors, that sense of order is one of the things that makes Davao stand out—and one of the reasons they feel comfortable making it home.

It’s understandable to have questions when you see travel advisories mentioning Mindanao. Davao City is part of Mindanao, but conditions vary across this large region, and a broad warning does not tell the whole story of daily life in Davao.

Everyday food, housing, and daily life in Davao are lower than comparable costs in the United States, which is why a pension can leave room for a comfortable home and a slower day. Your neighborhood, your lease, and how you live set the real numbers. The Why Philippines page shows crowdsourced Davao examples as a sense of scale. Those figures are not Escape Hatch fees and not a quote.

English is an official language of the Philippines and is widely used in daily life, alongside local languages. In Davao that shows up in restaurants, malls, hospitals, banks, and ordinary conversations, which makes the first months of settling easier. It does not mean every conversation will be in English.

Malls, supermarkets, familiar restaurant chains, mobile service, and private hospitals are part of ordinary Davao life. Greenery is close enough to matter on a weekday, and Samal Island is across the water for a beach day when the boats are running. Weather is warm, humid, and rainy, so heat and heavy rain are part of the plan. A social life grows the usual way: a meal, a walking group, a church, a hobby, and neighbors who learn your name.

Yes. EXPLORE can arrange a furnished stay in Davao, at least three months, subject to availability and confirmation. It is a way to learn the city's food, weather, errands, and people before you decide whether a longer home fits. Planning is coordinated from Davao. On-the-ground extended support for a longer stay is the SETTLE and SETTLE Plus scope, and that support is only in Davao City.