3372: Want to Retire Early Abroad? Do These 10 Things First by Christina Browning of Our Rich Journey

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Optimal Finance Daily
Host/Narrator: Diania Merriam
Episode Title: Want to Retire Early Abroad? Do These 10 Things First
Source Post Author: Christina Browning of Our Rich Journey
Date: December 1, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode dives into the practical and essential steps anyone should take before pursuing early retirement in another country. Drawing from personal experience, Christina Browning (and her husband Amon) shares the ten most important things to do before making an international move for retirement—highlighting everything from healthcare realities to understanding local culture. Diania’s narration brings these tips to life, spotlighting both the excitement and the critical research necessary to ensure a smooth transition to expat living.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scope Out the Healthcare System ([01:28])

• Insight: Don’t just research—experience the medical and dental system firsthand in your prospective country before making the move.
• Rationale: Research can only reveal so much. It’s crucial for those with special healthcare needs to understand real, practical differences, especially in non-English-speaking countries where medical culture and processes vary.
• Quote:

  “You don't know what it's like until you have firsthand experience... especially if you have special medical needs.” — Christina Browning ([01:30])

2. Interact with Local Government ([02:10])

• Insight: Direct encounters with government processes reveal potential bureaucratic hurdles.
• Personal Example: Amon’s experience paying a parking ticket in Spain was far less straightforward than in the US.
• Tip: Visit city offices or engage in official processes to get a sense of the system.
• Quote:

  “Dealing with local government is a true test of what it'll be like to live in a new country.” — Christina Browning ([02:18])

3. Connect with Local Expats ([02:53])

• Insight: Other expats, especially those from your home country, can provide candid perspectives on day-to-day challenges.
• Rationale: Their stories are often less about glowing reviews and more about the realities and struggles, which is invaluable for avoiding false expectations.
• Quote:

  “Meeting with other expats... will teach you not necessarily how much they love the country, but more so the struggles they've faced while living there.” — Christina Browning ([03:01])

4. Visit Your Native Embassy ([03:31])

• Insight: Understanding the embassy’s work culture is crucial for emergencies.
• Example: If a disaster occurs, knowing your embassy is responsive and proactive is vital.
• Quote:

  “You want to know that your embassy is going to be as responsive, helpful and proactive as possible in a difficult situation.” — Christina Browning ([03:45])

5. Visit Local Schools ([04:03])

• Audience: Parents or those planning to have children.
• Insight: Check out educational systems and facilities; sometimes, homeschooling requires local school registration.
• Quote:

  “If you're relocating with kids, you need to get a feel for the country's educational system... this helps you understand if your kids will get a suitable education.” — Christina Browning ([04:07])

6. Can You Keep Up Your Hobbies? ([04:38])

• Insight: Not all hobbies travel well. Investigate availability and cultural fit for your passions.
• Personal Example: In Japan, Amon struggled to pursue his hobby of restoring Airstream trailers due to scarcity and high costs.
• Quote:

  “A lot of people's hobbies are simply not that transferable to other countries, or they can be really difficult to do.” — Christina Browning ([04:42])

7. Visit Year-Round ([05:22])

• Insight: Seasonal extremes and off-peak realities reveal what true year-round living is like.
• Examples: Tourist hubs may become deserted and infrastructure limited out-of-season. Seville is lovely, but “unbearably hot” in the summer.
• Quote:

  “If you're going to retire somewhere, you won't be in vacation mode... you'll be living there all year round.” — Christina Browning ([05:34])

8. Leave the Tourist Areas ([06:15])

• Insight: To get an authentic experience, explore neighborhoods and settings where tourists rarely tread.
• Quote:

  “Living like a tourist and living as a local are two very different realities.” — Christina Browning ([06:18])

9. Stay in a House, Not a Hotel ([06:43])

• Insight: Only by living in a typical home can you discover practical quirks and real-life details (e.g., maintenance issues, local amenities).
• Quote:

  “Staying in a house is going to reveal some of the quirks of local buildings... you should do this at least once.” — Christina Browning ([06:49])

10. Drive a Car Locally ([07:19])

• Insight: Driving norms (manual vs. automatic, narrow streets) can be radically different. Test-drive in your potential area if you plan to drive.
• Personal Example: Japan’s narrow roads and prevalence of manual transmissions in Europe were surprising challenges.
• Quote:

  “Rent out a car and drive it wherever you want, though preferably in the area you want to live in.” — Christina Browning ([07:22])

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On doing your research:

  “Relocating to a new country, especially for the remainder of your retirement, is a huge decision and one that requires lots of research. Make sure you do extensive research so that you feel comfortable with your final decision. I know we did.” — Christina Browning ([08:45])

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Diania Merriam’s Reflections ([11:10])

• Personal Anecdote: Diania shares an inspiring conversation with a friend living in Bali who pays $200/month for a luxury apartment:

  “She has a luxury two bedroom two bath apartment for like $200 per month... she eats out basically every day and her total cost of living is fifteen hundred dollars per month. Sounds like a dream.” — Diania Merriam ([11:27])

• Broader Thought: The appeal of extended travel grows as financial independence progresses, highlighting the limitations of traditional vacation time (2-4 weeks per year).
• Motivational Closing: Diania expresses excitement about the freedom and global exploration that financial independence can offer, even if she herself isn’t planning to move abroad.

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Key Takeaways

• Don’t just dream—do your homework. Experience daily life (healthcare, government, neighborhoods) before moving.
• Community matters. Learn from expats and locals, especially about challenges.
• Year-round reality differs from a vacation. Check out your retirement destination in all seasons and settings.
• Embrace practicalities. Housing, education, hobbies, and transportation can make or break your experience.

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For first-time listeners or those considering early retirement abroad, this episode offers a balanced dose of wanderlust and grounded, real-world advice—delivered with warmth and honesty.

Transcript

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[Christina Browning]

This is Optimal Finance Daily. Want to retire early abroad? Do these 10 things first by Christina Browning of rrichjourney.com have you been thinking about retiring abroad? We don't blame you. We loved the idea so much. We just did that. We retired in Portugal, but we didn't make the decision to retire in Portugal without first doing a lot of research. So if you're looking to retire abroad, I've got some tips for you. In fact, I have 10 things for you to do 10 of the most important things to do before you relocate to a foreign country. Number one, Scope out the health care system. The lower cost of living, particularly the low cost of health care, are two major reasons so many people choose to retire abroad. But in my opinion, using the medical and dental system in your chosen country is an absolute must before moving. It's all well and good to do your research, but you don't know what it's like until you have firsthand experience. It's vital that you get familiar with the medical facilities in this new country, particularly if you have special medical needs. Getting to know the public health care system is especially important if you're moving to a non English speaking country. You want to be sure you understand all of the cultural differences in medicine that may get lost in translation before you move. Number two, try to interact with the local government. Aman once got a parking ticket in Spain and came away from the experience understanding that even something as simple as paying a parking ticket in Spain isn't an nearly as straightforward as it is in the us. Obviously I'm not telling you to get a parking ticket just so that you can interact with law enforcement, but there are other ways you can find a similar experience, like visiting the local city offices. Dealing with local government is a true test of what it'll be like to live in a new country, so I recommend that you get some firsthand experience to understand how things work. Number three get to know some local expats. This tip is so useful, and one that many other expats will recommend too. Meeting with other expats in the country of your choice will teach you something immensely valuable. Not necessarily how much they love the country, but more so the struggles they've faced while living there. When moving to a foreign country, it's important to be realistic and acknowledge the potential drawbacks of wherever you're moving to. I'd also recommend meeting up with an expat from your own country, as they've probably faced the same challenges you might face while relocating. Number four Visit your country's embassy. That is to say, your native embassy in the country you're planning to move to. While most embassies essentially operate the same way, there can be different work cultures within embassies. You'll want to know what the work culture is at your particular embassy before you move. Say a natural disaster occurs in the country you've chosen to retire in and you need to potentially relocate or leave the country as quickly as possible. You want to know that your embassy is going to be as responsive, helpful and proactive as possible in a difficult situation. Number five Visit local schools. This is more applicable for all the parents or soon to be parents out there with school aged kids. If you're relocating with kids, you need to get a feel for the country's educational system. This will help you to understand whether your kids will get a suitable education in local schools. And what better way to understand this than actually visiting schools? This is true even if you're planning to homeschool your kids. As in some countries, it's required by law to register your kid with the nearest school. Number six make sure you can keep doing your hobbies. It's sad to admit, but a lot of people's hobbies are simply not that transferable to other countries or they can be really difficult to do. For example, when we were living in Japan, Amman wanted to pursue a hobby of restoring old Airstreams. Unfortunately for Oman, Airstreams are pretty difficult to get a hold of and extremely expensive to renovate. In Japan, hobbies are a significant part of life for a lot of people, so it's important to think about this before you make the move. Number seven Visit the country in every part of the year Most people love to vacation during their favorite time of the year. If they love the snow, they want to vacation during the winter. If they love the beaches, they want a vacation during the summer. This makes perfect sense for someone on vacation. But remember, if you're going to retire somewhere, you won't be in vacation mode there. When you retire somewhere, you'll be living there all year round. So you have to visit that country all year round. Don't just visit it during the time of year you love the most. The truth is, when people talk about the moment they fell in love with their country of choice, it usually happened during an optimal time of year. But if you're going to live somewhere rather than visit, you'll want to know what it's like during every season. One example would be our time in Seville, Spain. In the summer, Seville is unbearably hot. You honestly would never know it if you never visited during this time, especially because it's quite a bit hotter than the other parts of the country. There are countless similar examples, especially touristy places that have bustling communities during the summer but turn into ghost towns during the colder months. The last thing you want is to move somewhere like this where the services and infrastructure are really limited during most of the year. 8. Remove yourself from the tourist areas Living like a tourist and living as a local are two very different realities. If you're moving to a foreign country, you probably don't plan to live as a tourist. So when visiting, make sure to venture out into areas with no tourists and no tourist attractions. This will give you a much better idea of how locals in that country really live. And on that note, 9. Stay in a house, not a hotel. In most places, hotels are going to have the best amenities in the area and everything's going to be in good working condition. Staying in a house is going to reveal some of the quirks of local buildings that you won't get in a hotel. You should do this at least once, since a hotel is never going to be an accurate image of how normal living is in that country. And number 10 drive a car. That's right, rent out a car and drive it wherever you want, though preferably in the area you want to live in. This is especially true if you plan to drive in your new country, because the way you drive may very well look different. While living in Japan, for example, we discovered that many Japanese roads are quite narrow and it can be difficult to maneuver your car while driving. Another example would be European countries where many car models are manual and it may be difficult to pick up if you're used to driving an automatic. These are just some of the ways you can get to know your dream retirement country before you move. Relocating to a new country, especially for the remainder of your retirement, is a huge decision and one that requires lots of research. Make sure you do extensive research so that you feel comfortable with your final decision. I know we did. You just listened to the post titled Want to Retire abroad? 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[Christina Browning]

Management made Simple While I don't have any current plans to live abroad, I'm fascinated by my friends who've taken the leap. I was at a campfire event in Colorado talking to a new friend who lives in Bali. She was back in the US for a stint to spend time with family. I was captivated by her description of her lifestyle and blown away by the cost of living over there. I thought I had it good in the Midwest, but she has a luxury two bedroom two bath apartment for like $200 per month. She also really hooked me with the community she found there. There are a lot of digital nomads and entrepreneurs that find their way to Bali and there are tons of classes and meetups where you can meet really expansive minded people. She takes yoga and other classes and eats out basically every day and her total cost of living is fifteen hundred dollars per month. Sounds like a dream. While I'm not sure I would want to live on the other side of the world permanently, I'm thrilled at the prospect of spending an extended amount of time there. At a certain point in our financial journey, I think we start to feel the opportunity cost of having a full time job. 2 to 4 weeks of vacation per year is simply not enough time to explore the world. That'll do it for today. Thank you for listening. Have a great rest of your day and I'll be back for tomorrow's show where your optimal life awaits.