This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gilen Chan and Gene Preudhomme, both 63 and retired lawyers, who are the creators and hosts of the “Retire There with Gil & Gene” podcast. It has been edited for length and clarity.
It’s been over five years since we started our podcast.
In early 2020, we were both thinking about retirement and knew we wanted to leave Brooklyn, where we’d raised our son and lived for many years.
The idea of being surrounded by nature appealed to us, so we began considering a move to a different state. We decided to take a trip to explore our options and headed to Winter Park in Florida. It was nice, but we knew right away that it wasn’t for us.
We returned to New York, wondering where our next scouting trip would take us. However, the pandemic struck a few weeks later. All travel had stopped, and we found ourselves stuck, just like everyone else.
We came up with the idea of starting a podcast about where to retire. We wanted a show where we could interview people across the country and hear their stories.
Starting our own podcast
We reached out to family, friends, and their networks, and we were lucky to find people willing to share their experiences. We knew that new podcasts often launch with several episodes, so we recorded four right away.
Finding guests, however, has remained one of the most challenging aspects of producing the show. Just as our pool of interviewees from our initial circle began to run dry, a friend introduced us to someone who had retired in Paris. We interviewed him, and he became our first international guest.
When we started the podcast, we were a little intimidated. At the time, we assumed most podcasters were younger than we were. But since we’re both fairly tech-savvy, we figured if they could do it, so could we.
When we were living in Brooklyn, we recorded from our basement, which we’d soundproofed. Each conversation lasts about an hour to an hour and a half, and can take between four to five hours to edit.
Our podcast has over 200 episodes so far, and we’ve learned that the best guests are also willing to admit when things have not gone as planned. Some have shared that while they love a place for vacation, living there long-term simply does not feel right for them.
We’ve had some memorable guests through the years, including an American retiree who wanted to move to Costa Rica while his wife wasn’t so sure.
To change her mind, he hired a local expert to take her on a solo trip around Costa Rica for two months. When she returned, she told her husband she couldn’t wait to move there. That was a good one.
We recently received a sponsorship. It’s not a large amount, but it covers the cost of the services we use, like our recording software subscription, editing software, and our website.
Broadening our perspectives
Interacting with so many people about their retirement experiences has shaped the way we think about our own, especially after we began speaking with those who chose to live internationally.
It broadened our perspective and inspired us to think about spending part of our retirement overseas.
We’re now based in Pennsylvania. Our plan is to find a home here — which we’re still searching for — and spend about three months each year living abroad, choosing one city at a time and exploring from there.
Before the podcast, we would’ve never considered living abroad ourselves. We were both poor growing up, and the thought never crossed our minds. But then we met ordinary folks who seemed just like us who’d made it happen.
We realized that a flight from New York to California takes about six hours, and a flight to Europe can take about the same amount of time. Psychologically, it suddenly didn’t feel so far away.
In the end, we felt our lives could be so much richer if we could give it a try. Our son, who we’re very close to, lives in Rhode Island, so we aren’t ready to make the leap to live permanently abroad just yet. That’s why we’re going to start small.
In the countries we’ve visited, including France, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, we’ve enjoyed every one
What retirement has really taught us is that we’re now at a stage where we feel safe in knowing who we are. Traveling has only expanded our minds.
Do you have a story to share about relocating to a new city? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
