ExpatWomen's Interview with Rosanne Knorr

ExpatWomen: Rosanne, congratulations on the release this year of the second edition of your how-to guidebook, The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away From Home. Can you please share with us what led you and your husband to run away to France in the first place?

Rosanne: We were living in Atlanta, United States, working, playing tennis and golf, the usual suburban things. Enjoyable, but after decades of the routine, we were in a rut. We wanted to have an adventure while we still were still able to negotiate trains and planes and cobblestone streets. We had taken two short vacations to France where we sat in cafes sipping espresso and saying things like, "Wouldn't it be nice to live like this all the time?"
 
So I started researching what it would take to live there. The exchange rate was better back then but we were not rich by any score so we decided that we would manage five months and if it was too costly we would return home or head to less-expensive Mexico! The time sped by and we loved the lifestyle. Five months really was not enough! Next thing you knew, we had found a charming old home in a great little town and settled in.

Rosanne: Speaking from an American point of view, the fact that most American retirees have chosen Mexico, most appear to be leaving for the affordability. The other reason is to have more time to enjoy travel and explore more of the world. In the US, our vacations are typically limited to two weeks. That's miniscule!  Especially if you want to relax and enjoy your travel, rather than make it a road race. So when people have the chance to retire they can take advantage of their newfound freedom. I should add that, many times, living overseas provides an easier travel experience. No jet lag, for one thing. You can take off whenever you want to explore by car or train, then return to do laundry!  And, living overseas is less expensive than a vacation. Living on the local economy, shopping at local markets, is vastly more inexpensive than paying for hotels and restaurant meals three times a day.

Rosanne: Retirement is ideal, which is why my book is for "grown-ups". And with all the Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, it is an idea whose time has come. They can go and stay as long as they enjoy it. However, some people don't wait for retirement. They plan a transition time when they sell a business, change jobs or even lose them. A friend of mine lost her job last year but decided that was the time to take six months off for an adventure she had been wanting. And, of course, some teach English abroad, join the Peace Corps, volunteer or otherwise combine a form of work with the travel.

Rosanne: Some escapees choose countries where they can live comfortably on Social Security. That explains the popularity of Mexico, and Central American countries such as Costa Rica and Panama. And, in this economy, that interest is rising. Those who are more comfortable financially with pensions, investments or are lucky "trust-fund babies" have more flexibility in choice. But we deal with what we can afford in the US and people can make choices overseas as well to either choose the affordable country or find other ways to manage, such as by trading houses with someone overseas to cut living expenses or even working as a pet sitter or caretaker abroad for accommodations from a month to much longer.

One way to determine how much money is needed is right here at the computer. Do searches for expat sites, like ExpatWomen.com, and find resource ideas and people to reach out to. Talk to expats in the area of interest, research long-term rental costs for housing. Many web sites and books are available that discuss living or retiring in a specific country. Read several to get a balanced view then do up-to-the-minute research online to verify that prices or regulations for living there have not drastically changed.

When you get serious about moving to a location, take a trip to visit and get a feel for costs before you move. One thing I did add in The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away from Home is a budget planner that reminds people of the array of costs, including things that a lot of people might not otherwise consider, in both making the transition itself and the actual living expenses.