The International Living Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget: How to Live Well on $25,000 a Year

Chapter 1Can You Afford to Retire Where You Live?

WE EXITED THE TERMINAL with our 90-pound chocolate Lab trotting at our side. He was delighted to have been liberated from his travel crate after the short four-hour flight from Miami. A smiling porter followed along, carting our two large suitcases and four huge cardboard boxes. (This was back when airlines allowed three pieces of luggage each—and a dog—at no extra charge.)

It was November 1, 2001, and we had jettisoned our previous lives to begin anew in Quito, Ecuador. Just as the thick fog that wrapped its arms around us that night, the future felt fresh and full of possibility.

The Ecuadorian friends we had met on a previous visit greeted us with cheers and hugs and loaded us up for the short ride to the home we’d rented for the coming year. Located in one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods, it had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guesthouse, and a gorgeous walled garden. The rent was just $600 a month.

As we walked into the house, the fireplace was roaring . . . more for ambience than anything else. November evenings in Quito are warm compared to our home state of Nebraska. The comforting fire and the kindness of new friends melted any hesitations we’d had about reversing the course of our lives in our mid-forties.

Why had we sold everything and run away from our lucrative marketing business? We were tired of the rat race. Tired of chasing the almighty dollar. Plain and simple, we were tired. And this was “our time.” ...