Retirement Without Borders: How to Retire Abroad--in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, and Other Sunny, Foreign Places

by Barry Golson

Barry Golson knows all about retiring abroad -- he and his wife, Thia, have lived in six different countries. Now they choose expatriate-friendly locales around the world for their low cost and their high quality of living and explain how to investigate and settle in each country with minimum hassle and maximum pleasure.

Taking you step-by-step through the process of researching, testing, and finally living abroad, the Golsons' practical how-to guide covers all the major issues, including health care, finances, real estate, taxes, and immigration. Each location is profiled by an expatriate writer who has made that country his or her home and who knows how to answer all the questions about living richly and economically in some of the world's most beautiful places.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Marjorie Elwood]

According to the authors, this is geared towards boomers and those loving sunny, warm places. Each of the top 10 countries has its own chapter and costs for rent, groceries, and maid service are listed for each. The authors make really good points about renting versus purchasing and the text often includes whether the country is gay-friendly or not. The two drawbacks were: it was written 15 years ago, so there are aspects that are out-of-date; and a number of the stories by different people are pretty “Ugly American”, with several of the men marrying local women half their age.

[Susan C]

My rating would have been higher if I had read this book when it was first published. Years later, it's out of date, but it still has some good information. I like the 'My (name of country)' sections in each chapter, where you get the perspective of expats who actually live in the country. Not all of them are positive, but all are thought-provoking.

[Sharon Frazier]

Info was dated

[Doug Walsh]

Informative and thorough, but also dated. The world has changed too much since 2008 for much of the information, especially about up and coming locations and cost of living, to be of much use.

[Leonardo Etcheto]

I read the first couple of chapters and skimmed trough the majority of the in-depth country reviews. This is a good starter book if you are thinking of becoming and expat. Fast read, I finished it quickly because I needed to get it back to the library and could not renew - too many holds.
I very much liked their suggestion to both know yourself and to rent rather than buy. They do not gild the lilly. Their set of questions to ask yourself and your partner are very good. I think they are right that the most succesful are those that adapt to the local conditions rather than those that are looking for higher standard of living for the same income than in the US. Motivation is the key, if it is only financial it won't work because it is tough to beat the familiarity and efficiency of life in the states. Cultural exploration is a much better reason.
Their in-depth report on Mexico jives pretty well with my own experience with living in that country.
I was surprised at how difficult it is to get residency even in countries with no strong state welfare systems. Sad actually.

[David]

First, I have to say I didn't read the entire book. Ten countries are covered in detail and I only read about the two I was interested in. There is a chapter that covers ten more countries in less detail and, again, I only read about the two that held my interest.

Next, the book was published in 2008 so much of the country-specific info needs to be validated (updated) by the reader.

However, the initial chapters (1-6) help a person analyze what, where, and *why*! For that reason alone, I highly recommend the book to retirees considering retiring abroad.

Oh, and also, there are books about volunteer vacations and list of organizations, but the author helps narrow that huge list down to those that accept and encourage senior participation. Very helpful!!

[Barbara]

Good discussions of the mechanics of retiring in several different Latin American and European countries. I especially enjoyed the end of each section where a variety of retirees talked about what they liked, disliked, were suprised about after having lived in these countries for awhile. The book came out shortly before Obama was elected, and I was suprised how many people in the book said they left the U.S. because George Bush got re-elected. I never thought people meant that when they said they'd leave the country!

[Teri Gillen]

Good but dated

The author is very quick to point out that facts in this book were in 2008, so one must take the passage of time into account for anything budget related. Given the growth of expats in recent years, there may be a big difference in what you read here. However, I am intrigued enough to do follow-up research on Latin America. I particularly appreciate the volunteer opportunities listed to check out.

[Karen Klein]

Not bad, just wish the information was a little more current...... but looks like a trip to Portugal this summer just might be in order........ :) Will continue to skim through this in between actually reading :)

[Sarah]

Great resource for starting to think about expat retirement. Lots of outdated information of course, but an easy-to-read format and relevant tips for what to think about when you start thinking of living abroad.

[Cathy Downs]

Retirement abroad is possible and can be complicated. The cost is less than I'd imagined - in some places.

[Suzanne]

Good info and things to think about. Less detailed than some other books and more geared to anecdotal experiences.

[Jon]

Seemed very thorough. The authors have definitely lived it.

[Amy]

Fantastic info.

[Beatrice M]

took a lot of notes and learned about many asspects of living abroad. and where I don't want to settle so that was good