Episodes

Doreen Hall Vann is a native Hawaiian who has always loved the state and thought she would never leave. That all changed when one of her daughters relocated to the mainland. Doreen pulled up her stakes, along with her husband and young son, and moved to North Las Vegas, Nevada to be closer to her daughter who was starting a family. However, her daughter later returned (!!!) to Hawaii but Doreen decided to remain in Nevada. Hear why Doreen stayed in North Las Vegas on Episode 201 of Retire There ...

Celebrate the New Year with Gil & Gene! Tune in as we reflect on the remarkable growth and transformation of the Retire There Podcast throughout 2024. We share behind-the-scenes happenings, revisit standout episodes, and offer a sneak peek into the exciting plans for 2025. If you value the Retire There podcasts, consider supporting Gil & Gene by making a $5 donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/retiretherepod. Each contribution goes towards production expenses. Retire There was spotlighted in the...

Marsha Scarbrough worked in Hollywood for 20 years as an Assistant Director on major feature films and prime-time television shows. In 2006, she retired and moved to Sante Fe, New Mexico, a place she thought would be her “forever home.” In Sante Fe, she used her small nest egg to purchase two houses as investments. Unfortunately the Great Recession of 2007-2009 rendered her real estate near worthless. By 2010, she was bankrupt, in foreclosure, and owed money to a friend. Marsha believed she coul...

Jennifer Oliver O’Connell and Lynn O’Connell were living in southern California and were hit hard by the Great Recession of 2007-2009. They had thought long and hard about relocating to a less expensive part of the United States. After doing extensive research, in 2023 they finally made the big move to a small town in Alabama: Muscle Shoals. It may be rural there but it is known around the world for the music made there. It is home to two famous recording studios and is known as “The Hit Recordi...

Maxwell Lee and Kelly Lei were living in Florida but believed it was important for their school-age children to experience other cultures. This prompted their decision to move to Asia and selected Taipei, Taiwan due to its relative ease of accessing a visa and comparative low cost of living. Viewing the move as a practical task rather than an idealistic dream made their transition smoother. In Taipei, their children are acclimating to public school, Maxwell is rekindling his desire to become a m...

Retire in Frankfort, Michigan! Mike Andersen had lived in Chicago for many years but he loved exploring small-towns. Whenever he had a chance, he would take short car-trips staying at hamlets along the way. Those excursions led him to an eighteen-month trek across the United States visiting villages. Those towns and more are featured on Mike’s website, BestSmallTownsInAmerica.com. When the opportunity to move to a small-town arose, he jumped at the chance to settle in Frankfort, Michigan. For mo...

Retire in Valencia, Spain - EP195 Christopher Wells enjoys experiencing new cultures and meeting new people, so it was no surprise when he moved to Valencia, Spain. However, an attractive job opportunity brought him back to the US. When the chance to return to Valencia arose, he jumped on it. The city seamlessly combines old world charm with new styles and technology. Hear Christopher share his story on Episode 195 of Retire There with GIl & Gene. Christopher’s website is CleverExpat.com and his...

Retire in Istanbul, Turkey - EP 194

Retire in Portsmouth, New Hampshire - EP 193

Retire in San Antonio Tlayacapan, Lake Chapala, Mexico

Retire in Dublin, Ireland & Celebration, Florida - EP 191

Retire in Rosarito, Mexico

Retire in Traverse City, Michigan

Selena Medlen, an attorney, and Jason Luban, an acupuncturist, had successful careers in Oakland, California, but they were stressed out. After taking a trip to Spain, they fell in love with Ronda, a small mountain top city in the southern part of the country. The next thing you know, Jason was selling his practice, Selena was quitting her job and the couple was moving to Ronda for a change of pace. These Gen Xers intended to stay a year and then reevaluate their situation. It has been over 5 ye...

Imagine being a college student for the rest of your life. Enjoying a college town with lifelong learning while living on campus, what could be better? No exams! Former university president Jessica Kozloff and her husband Steve Kozloff, a former physician, chose this lifestyle and couldn’t be giddier. The active couple retired to Mirabella at ASU, on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Residents don’t just live on campus, they are interwoven into the fabric of university li...

Ed, an American guy, and Tomo, a Japanese gal, were living and working in Tokyo when they thought about retiring somewhere less expensive and more relaxing. They soon developed a fondness for Thailand after visiting a few of its locations. The couple agreed that the island of Koh Samui seemed like their dream location and they quit their jobs and moved there. Koh Samui was not a nightmare for the pair but it was far from paradise. After a year and a half, Ed and Tomo left the island and moved to...

Can a couple of longtime Brooklynites survive the peace and quiet of a 17 acre property in Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley? It took a little time for Lisa Preudhomme and Servulus Billy, who moved from Brooklyn to Holmes, New York, but they eventually fell in love with the beauty and serenity of country living. The couple aren't always alone on their property - their estate contains three homes, two of which are rented out as Airbnbs. For more about this relocation to greener pastures, check out...

Lori Cronwell is a writer, travel and lifestyle blogger, small home advocate and designer, slow travel aficionado, and the recent owner of a home in the French countryside. As a part-time expat and digital nomad, Lori divides her time between Portland, Oregon; Loire Atlantique, France; and traveling the world. Check out Lori’s life in this region of France on Episode 184 of Retire There with Gil & Gene . Read about Lori’s life in France, downsizing, small space living, and slow travel on her blo...

From 2020 to 2023, Boston area residents Kathy and Tom traveled the U.S. extensively enjoying the sites while also keeping their eyes open for potential retirement locations. A number of “B” towns caught their attention, including Boulder, Bozeman, Bend, and Boise. The small city of Boise, Idaho won out as it seemed to possess just the right amount of culture and wilderness. Find out more about Kathy and Tom’s new life in the “City of Trees” on Episode 183 of Retire There with Gil & Gene .

Oklahoma native Ryan Crain had just spent an exhilarating year traveling the world when he found himself back in Oklahoma during the pandemic. He wanted to take a stab at living in another country but most of the borders were closed. Although it was far from his first choice, Mexico was allowing foreigners in. After visiting a few Mexican locales, he and partner Kayla MacArthur landed in Sayulita, a bohemian beach town on Mexico’s west coast. Since moving there almost three years ago the couple ...

Living in the Silicon Valley, Bill Ross and his family were fed up with the state’s high cost of living, crime, and politics. Wanting to leave the west coast, they searched for a place without the major problems of California but with a friendly community. They found all that plus a quintessential “Main Street” in Boerne, Texas, a town located about 30 minutes north of San Antonio in Texas hill country. Find out why the Rosses chose the Lone Star State on Episode 181 of Retire There with Gil & G...

For Philip and Sonya Hubbard figuring out where to retire was all about compromise. She wanted somewhere not too cold and he wanted a place not too hot. They narrowed locations down to Europe, then to France, then to Brittany. They had their hearts set on a house with an ocean view in Brittany, but the prices exceeded their range. Ultimately, they found a very nice large house inland in Brittany, in the town of Pontivy. Find out how the Hubbards’ concessions led to peace of mind and joy on Epis...

Surf, sand and big hair! Would you like to live in a quiet beach community with walkable access to a town with a quaint main street and another known for hosting famous music acts. Rosa and Guy Losa found their way to Bradley Beach, New Jersey, with its neighboring towns of Ocean Grove, recognized for its abundant examples of Victorian architecture, and Asbury Park, legendary for its rock ‘n roll history. All three towns are seaside resorts and the area is less than an hour to two international ...

At the age of 51, Patricia Brooks had a well paying corporate job in Richmond, Virginia but there seemed to be something missing in her life. She yearned to live in a French speaking country. As someone who was a painfully shy child and still considered herself an introvert, she surprised many, including herself, by moving to the South of France. A few years later, Patricia is living in Ceret, France and loving it. Find out more about Patricia’s courageous move to France on Episode 178 of Retire...