We are both nurse and plan to travel for a good portion of this time, so 'living' in the small 1br or studio apartment for residence purposes will not be a major issue for us since we will rarely be there.

Insurance is definitely an issue there, and will continue to be.

I was wondering if anyone knew how I can connect with or market to investors who specifically purchase land/ lots? 

I've used the search feature on this forum but didn't have much luck.Are there any US investors, hard money lenders, or groups that invest in flips outside of the United States, specifically in Europe (Netherlands, Spain, etc.)?

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

@Dallas Morioka what specific help are you looking for? 

I've been on this platform for many years and, over the years, I've seen new members linked or part to Mexican real estate agencies posting educational content about investing in Mexico out of the blue shortly after becoming new members and then disappear as they realized that their efforts wasn't giving them the amount of business they were hoping for.

Meetup and eventbrite seem to be the other platforms that people post them in.

Specific example,  I tell all my owners that any minor repair less than $150, i will fix for free.   

They will issue an IRS Form 1099 in January, reporting your total taxable income to you and the IRS.