Retire There with Gil & Gene

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. 

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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...

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 ...

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 chos...

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 ho...

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 seasid...

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 ab...

If you are searching for a charming and historic southern city, AND, near the ocean, investigate Charleston, South Carolina. Keith Lucas, a realtor and YouTube influencer, moved from Florida to a suburb of Charleston and has become a huge advocate of both the city and its state. He is considered a valued expert on retiring in South Carolina and his YouTube channel contains over 200 videos. Will Keith convince you to move to South C...

City and suburban residents imagine living in the countryside and some consider purchasing a home on a large parcel of land far from a metropolis. Would you be willing to make such a move to a foreign country? Brits Beth and Jack Haslam’s rural fantasy came to fruition when they purchased a 400 acre estate outside of Toulouse, France. Learn about their journey on Episode 176 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.  

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Gigi Best Richardson and her husband Skip embarked on a quest to find the perfect location for relocating themselves and their African American bookstore/museum. Their criteria included a place with a rich African American history, abundant cultural institutions, and a blend of natural beauty along with a warm climate. Their search led them to St. Augustine, Florida, a city often regarded as the birthplace of African American histo...

Have you given thought to living alone later in life or joining a community of like-minded individuals? Some 50-plus individuals who are seeking this compromise are considering cohousing communities. Cohousing is defined by Wikipedia as “an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space.” Jude Tisdall has found that a cohousing community can be much more. Jude lives in New Ground, the United Kingdom's fir...

When Jo-Anne Bowen looked for a home in the Pacific Northwest, her wish list included an affordable single-story home in a nice community within a short distance of an international airport, as she loves to travel. She landed in the beautiful small city of Vancouver, Washington and her home is only eight miles from Portland International Airport. Jo-Anne’s motto, “spend as little as possible on the necessities so you have as much a...

Michael Andrade had visited every Spanish and Portuguese speaking country in the Americas searching for a retirement destination. The catch was his sole source of income was social security. He landed in Salvador, Brazil, a place he describes as “magical.” Michael’s rent is a mere $400 per month for a one bedroom apartment in an upscale neighborhood near the beach. Check out his vibrant life in Brazil on Episode 172 of Retire There...

Julie Diebolt Price and her husband Gordon spent much of their working years in Southern California, but longed for a change. They initially bought a cabin in Rhododendron, Oregon in the shadows of Mount Hood enjoying years of vacations there. Despite Julie’s firm stance against Arizona, where she had visited her parents for three decades, fate led them to Goodyear. Surprisingly, they explored a model home in Tuscany Falls, a 50+ c...

Brits Sallyann Phillips and her architect husband dreamed of designing and building a home on a Greek island. They started visiting the Greek island of Kos and later purchased land and began the process of planning the home. Just prior to the pouring of the cement foundation, Sallyann’s husband passed. She faced a monumental decision - stay in England or start construction of the house and move to Greece. Sallyann’s courageous move...

Beverley and Chris Wood moved from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to Mexico, where they stayed for 9 years. After a series of unfortunate events, Beverley yearned for more stability in her life and the couple journeyed back to Vancouver, Island. This time, to the small harbor city of Nanaimo, located mid-island. It is important to note that Vancouver and Vancouver Island are very unique places. The biggest difference be...

Are you courageous enough to move across the world to start a new life on rural land? Dani and Evan Benton relocated to Omishima Island, Japan and seem to be loving the challenge. The industrious couple purchased two akiyas (abandoned or vacant houses in rural japan) for a total of approximately $30,000. For income, they remodeled one of the homes and are renting on airbnb. They plan to earn additional income by raising honey bees ...

Have you watched the Yellowstone series and imagined roaming free on wide open land in Montana? Real estate agents Will and Angie Friedner moved to Whitefish, Montana where they enjoy living near Glacier National Park, lakes and a Rockwellesque downtown. The couple even have a YouTube channel, Living in Montana, and a book, Moving to Whitefish, Montana, where they explain what it is like to move to and live in Montana. To find out ...

Celebrate the New Year with Gil & Gene! Tune in as we reflect on the remarkable growth and transformation of the Retire There podcast throughout 2023. We share behind-the-scenes happenings, key 2023 statistics, revisit standout episodes, and offer a sneak peek into the exciting plans for 2024. If you value the Retire There podcasts, consider supporting Gil & Gene by making a $5 donation at at buymeacoffee.com/retiretherepod...