That's a really really good question, and one that certainly keeps me up at night. Everything I've read so far makes it seem like this is going to be a relatively painless thing to accomplish. Sure there will be some hiccups, but in the grand scheme of things, not very hard. What am I missing? What huge thing have I overlooked?
Maybe nothing. The possibility I'm hoping is true, is that I'm not like other people. I have very strong, life-long friendships… but I'm not worried about losing those by living abroad for a couple years. Technology makes it easy to stay in touch. Bali has decent internet, so FaceTime, Google Talk and WhatsApp should work just fine.
What I DON'T have is a relationship or desire to have children. According to a new Gallup Poll, only 5% of Americans are not married and don't intend to get married. In addition to that, only 14% of Americans don't want to have children. That puts me in a very small group of people who, without moral/legal/romantic attachments to others, can choose to pursue life on their own terms. My barriers to pulling the trigger are mine alone, and don't affect those I love.
Quite frankly, it also frees up a LOT of money for my potential future. I will not be paying for a wedding, honeymoon, braces, cars, trips, and college tuitions. If everyone in my situation chose to ditch their lives and move abroad, it would still be a tiny fraction of the public, and of course, most people desire a traditional lifestyle.
So why isn't everyone doing this? Because as nice and as awesome as it sounds, it doesn't fit with the life they currently live, or want to live in the future. However, it does fit well with my life and my future desires, so I'm going for it!