Episodes

Sally Carrocino started traveling later in life, but she made up for it. She traveled extensively in Europe and even married in Italy. When her husband passed away, she was devastated but it did not stop her from pursuing her retirement dreams. California’s high cost of living motivated her to look at other states, but none seemed to meet most of her needs. Then she had an epiphany. While she couldn’t figure out where to move in the U.S., she knew precisely the neighborhood in Florence, Italy. S...

You are fortunate to be part of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and retire in your 40’s, but the American health insurance available is either inadequate or prohibitively expensive. What do you do? Tim and Amy Rutherford decided to sell their home and the vast majority of their belongings to live as global nomads in the U.S. and around the world. They accomplish this by travel-hacking and spending part of their time living rent-free as house-sitters and part-time renting...

Craig and Melanie Briggs were what some may describe as early adopters of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement years before they knew what it was. Twenty years ago, while they were both around 40, the couple gave up their jobs and moved from the industrial town of Huddersfield, England to the beautiful rural countryside of the Northwest corner of Spain, known as Galicia. Craig and Melanie love the slow pace, luscious green landscape, warm people and scrumptious wines of Galic...

You love to travel, but you also love spending time with your children and grandchildren who are spread out mostly in the Western United States. How do you split your time? Carol and Bill Colborn decided to spend 6 months per year in a permanent home, 3 in a timeshare in Mexico and 3 visiting family. Due to its location, weather and cost of living, the well-educated, well-traveled and well-budgeted organized couple decided to purchase a modest home with great amenities in Mesa, Arizona. Find out...

We all expect to be respected at every age, especially when we retire, perhaps even revered. We also wish to spend less, but not compromise on healthcare, culture, traveling, our accommodations and safety. If you’re a single woman/man/person, safety may be on or near the top of your checklist. Deborah Tobin, teacher and travel journalist, found all of the above and more. She even bought a condo, gutted and renovated it, all for under $70,000 USD! Oh, and that pool … and over 100 temples …yummy s...

Peggy Cleveland grew up a military brat, served in the Army for 12 years, and was a military spouse until her husband retired from the service. It’s no surprise, Peggy has literally been around the world and has moved 33 times. Being exposed to so many locations, where would such a person choose to retire? Not long after she and her husband Richard saw the place, they knew the quaint town of Steilacoom, Washington was for them. Find out more about this gem of a town in the Tacoma, Washington are...

Karen Blue (Blue) worked a stressful job and lived in a very expensive city. At 52, she was ready to retire, but her accountant advised that she’d be unable to do so if she wished to stay in California's Silicon Valley. Blue then has a premonition about living in an enclave. A few days later she read an article about expats living in an “enclave,” known as the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. She visited the town of Ajijic on the Lake. The rest is history. It has been 26 years since Blue sold her Ca...

You live in a pricey northeast city which you find is becoming more expensive to live in, what should you do? Barbara Winard and Martin Kozlowski felt that way about Jersey City, New Jersey but they had to figure out where to go. They landed in New Castle, Delaware which checked off many boxes on their list of wants but also gave them, what Martin described as, a tingle. New Castle, a place which made HGTV’s list of 2021 Most Charming Towns in America, has lower real estate taxes and less expens...

You desire to retire in France, but it’s prohibitively expensive, where do you go? Rosemary Bointon and Ian Cole opted for the cosmopolitan, cultural, yet charming, city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It is the largest city in Portugal and one of the oldest cities in the world. It is home to majestic cathedrals, colorful city landscapes, mild climate and friendly neighborhoods. Rosemary and Ian purchased a home on the outskirts of Lisbon, where it is less pricey and less congested than the ...

Would you retire to a rural mining ghost town? Pearce, Arizona doesn’t have a supermarket or a movie theater, but it has musicians Donna and Gary Brown for entertainment. The couple grew up in Chicago; formed a band when they were young; got married and had long non-musical careers while living in Colorado; had their band rediscovered, put out an album, and toured while they were in their sixties; retired and traveled the country in an RV; and finally settled down by purchasing a home in Pearce,...

When Americans think about places to retire, few would consider Krakow, Poland. They might visit there for historic reasons, but not as a place to live full-time. Grace Nagiecka and Greg Spring would beg to differ! They fell in love with the place and moved to Krakow to retire. What is not to love about Krakow? It is a big, fun and cheerful city with a small city vibe, contains history around every corner, is full of greenery with great places to walk, an easy place to make friends, somewhere yo...

You retire with limited income and savings and don’t wish to live overseas, what do you do? Consider “senior housing?” Joan and Steven Reid moved from a small apartment in the affluent community of Pearl River, New York, to a senior housing complex in Vero Beach, Florida. In this community, the Reids pay under $900 a month for a very nice 2 bedroom apartment with a pool in the complex. The catch - to qualify for their unit - is that they have to be 62 years or older, have limited assets but enou...

Sometimes, retirees don't spend long in what they believed would be their “forever home.” After retirement, Al Salas and Carlos Torres moved to, what was, their vacation home in the small seaside town of Lewes, Delaware. They soon realized the place they loved going to on weekends was not where they wanted to settle. Additionally, as young retirees, the couple had to pay for their own health insurance, a hefty price in the United States. Al and Carlos soon discovered that Alicante, Spain, a smal...

What images come to mind when you hear the terms trailer park or mobile home park? You may think of run-down communities with stray dogs and men walking sporting wife-beater tops. That stereotype is what led to the birth of the name “manufactured” homes and their communities. Many manufactured home communities in Florida have beautiful dwellings with fabulous amenities such as pools, gyms and pickle ball courts. Design a mid-century style manufactured home in your dream venue and you’ll be set. ...

Brits frequently complain about gloomy weather, but how many of them leave the country because of it? Fiona Mackenzie-Spence did. I was spiritually guided to Gozo, Malta , says Fiona, a place she had never been. Gozo is a beautiful Mediterranean island where nearly all of the natives speak English. Listen to our conversation with Fiona, about moving to Gozo, on Episode 67 of Retire There with Gil & Gene . Fiona Mackenzie-Spence’s book on relocating to, and living in, Gozo, Malta is Rock Hopping ...

How would you like to retire to a diverse, vibrant city, one that is much, much more affordable than New York or San Francisco? Sarah Vogel opted for Philadelphia, a city which offers all the amenities of other major hubs at, what can be, a fraction of the price. Among other things, Philly is brimming with cultural and historic institutions, delicious eateries, pro-sports teams, many parks and wooded trails. Join us as we chat with Sarah Vogel about the City of Brotherly Love on Episode 66 of Re...

Happy 2022! In Episode 65, Gil & Gene discuss how the Retire There podcast has evolved in 2021. Specifically, they chat about what they have learned from their guests, themselves, and where they think they’ve agreed to retire. Gil & Gene are proud of their 2021 achievements: Retire There with Gil & Gene won a 2021 Golden Crane Award for Best Society & Culture podcast by the Asian American Podcast Association. They were invited to and appeared on Wes Moss’ podcast Retire Sooner. It’s Episode 52,...

If you were retiring on a U.S. military pension and wanted to live a comfortable life, where would you go? Donny Chamberland recently retired from the military, and his wife, Victoria, recently did the same from a civilian position. They decided to leave Madison, Wisconsin and retire to San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Each year throngs of people come to relax at the many resorts the Dominican Republic has to offer. But what is it like to reside there full-time? Find out on Episode 64 of Retir...

If you were in the red zone of retirement and you love outdoor activities such as fishing and hiking, where would you retire? Julie Sosinski selected a lake home near Hayward, Wisconsin for most of the year and a condo in Bonita Springs, Florida for the winter months. Find out more about Julie’s adventurous life, on Episode 63 of Retire There with Gil & Gene .

Imagine this, you are living in Abu Dhabi but desire more of a rural life. You have never been to Spain and you don’t know Spanish, would you purchase an old house, without a roof, in a rural spot in Andalusia, Spain? That’s exactly what Sabina Ostrowska and Robert Ryan did. It took a year and half to renovate the house, which included the addition of two guest suites that they rent out under the name “Cortijo Berruguilla.” Although the couple is very busy with their airbnb and running an Englis...

Find a home within a two-hour driving radius of Hoboken, New Jersey, where your new grandchild resides. Where do you go? Nancy and Joel Collamer decided to check out Bucks County, Pennsylvania by renting a home in an active 55+ community in Langhorne. After a year, they ended up loving it and purchasing a home in the same community. Bucks County has the best of both worlds--quaint towns and beautiful nature for outdoor activities. Our guest, Nancy Collamer, shares all the details on Episode 61 o...

In 1992, Mark Greenside was a 47 year old New Yorker living in Northern California. His most valuable possession was a 20 year old car and he considered himself downwardly mobile and a lifelong sceptic. Nevertheless, he purchased a beautiful home in Brittany, a quaint area in France. Mark is now retired. He and his wife, Donna Umeki, enjoy a tri-coastal life - they live part-time in Alameda Island, California; New York City and Brittany. Tough life, but someone has to do it! Hear about Mark and ...

Many immigrants come to America for better opportunities for their future generations, then yearn to return to their homeland in their golden years, only to find that what they left behind has dramatically changed and their American born offspring innately have no desire to join their parents in their ancestral lands … what do you do? That precise conundrum is what gave Iggy Ignatius the idea of creating a retirement community, geared to immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, in Florida. Iggy ...