R

etirement.

It’s a word that seems 

terrifically distant when 

we’re young, and terrifically 

appealing when we’re not-so-young. But the 

appeal of retirement has changed over the years. 

My parents retired long before they were the 

age I am now (which is 66) and then, after a few 

years, packed up and moved from New Jersey to 

Florida. That is just what people did back then. 

That was the dream.

For me, the dream has always been different. 

I love to travel, both internationally and in the 

U.S. I had dreams of retiring somewhere warm, 

beachy and foreign. 

And I wasn’t alone.

Over the past decade, expat retirement 

communities have boomed. “Expat,” short for 

“expatriate,” which Webster’s defines as “to 

withdraw from one’s native land or allegiance 

to it,” has become less about allegiance and 

more about lifestyle. The expat approach has 

become a popular and viable retirement option, 

particularly for spots in Central America. Senior-

age Americans are moving for financial reasons 

and out of a desire for a culturally different life 

experience.

I thought I would be joining them.

But that was before … before I grasped all 

that I’d be leaving behind (like friends … people 

I want to invite over for dinner once I get the 

time); before I appreciated how much stuff can 

be accumulated living in the same house for 

over 25 years; before I meticulously listed what I 

want to be able to experience beyond the “warm, 

beachy and foreign” draw of expat retirement. 

There are dozens of reasons to choose to retire 

overseas … and an equal number of reasons to 

decide against it. Here are some steps I suggest 

to take in reconsidering the expat trend.

1) Start research early.  

Google variations of  “Retiring abroad,” such as 

“retiring abroad concerns” and “retiring abroad 

nightmares” and “retiring overseas challenges.” 

Be sure you read from sources that are not just 

the upbeat or promotional-sponsored blog sites. 

One of these sites is internationalliving.com. The 

site definitely has a bias (and apparent financial 

interest) in supporting the expat lifestyle, but it 

is a useful clearinghouse of information. That 

said, International Living sponsors overseas 

retirement workshops packed with speakers, 

connections and guidelines, from how to 

choose a country matches your needs to tax 

implications and medical care options. If you 

are considering a particular country, you can 

examine it carefully through country-specific 

workshops held in that country (such as 

Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Thailand). 

Here, you can meet locals and get a better sense 

of the culture and challenges. These workshops 

are not cheap, but if you can’t afford the 

workshop, you can’t afford the move. 

2)  Know what keeps you content.

A beach feels idyllic when you get to one for 

only a week a year, but beach bliss may wear off 

after six months. Unless you absolutely love a 

beach, it cannot compensate for culture, music, 

restaurants, film, friends and family that you 

would leave behind.

3)  Master the language.

Some popular expat destinations are English-

speaking areas and some cater to English 

speakers, but living abroad full-time means you 

will need to master the local language—and for 

Begin Here: Suggested online reading

internationalliving.com 

Very “pro expat” but will 
send daily articles and info on 
countries and towns that are 
drawing Americans overseas. 
Sponsors useful workshops 
and trainings.
 

retiredbrains.com 

Site on diverse retirement 
issues, but with an extensive 
“Retire Abroad” section that 
rates popular retirement 
destinations by categories 
such as infrastructure and 
climate.

expatinfodesk.com 

An excellent relocation guide, 
but weak on retirement issues. 

expatexchange.com 

Another all-age site, but 
the forum section provides 
excellent on-the-ground 
assessments of locations. 

Popular expat r

etir

ement destinations include Granada, Nicaragua; 

San Jose, Costa Rica; Panama City; Playa Maderas, Nicaragua.

25

Topeka SR