Peppy Castro, one of the founding members of the legendary rock band Blues Magoos and a lifelong New Yorker, dreamed of living on the water but he couldn’t afford most waterfront price tags. A few years ago he happened upon a one-bedroom waterfront condo in Lake Worth Beach, Florida and his life changed immeasurably. The beach calms the musician and there he met his partner, Jeanne McNaney. Peppy is now selling his one-bedroom condo, as he purchased a larger unit in the same building. On Episode 86 of Retire There, hear Peppy and Jeanne talk about the eclectic town of Lake Worth Beach and his one-bedroom condo for sale.

Peppy Castro’s website is PeppyCastro.com. 

Jeanne McNaney has authored two children’s books: Legend of Honey Hollow and Miracle in Sumatra: The Story of Gutsy Gus.

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Have you always assumed Hong Kong would be  prohibitively expensive to live in? When Brits Ben Zabulis and Hilary Garland spent nine hectic years living and working in Hong Kong, they didn’t consider retiring there. The worklife in the city grew tiresome and the couple returned to England. Unbeknownst to them, that move would mark the beginning of their retirement while still in their 40s. Eventually, they returned to Hong Kong and found ways to make living there pleasantly affordable. Find out more about the surprising retirement destination of Hong Kong, on episode 85 of Retire There with Gil & Gene. 

Ben Zabulis authored Chartered Territory: An Engineer Abroad.

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Have you ever seriously considered getting rid of almost all of your stuff and moving to a tiny home. Brandy Beverly had been intrigued with tiny homes for over 30 years, ever since she met a client who made flat-packed living quarters for oil field ‘man camps.’ When Beverly unexpectedly retired in 2020, she sold her 1,700 square foot home in Houston, the land of McMansions, and purchased a home in the Village Farm Tiny Home Community in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Beverly’s route to a minimalist home lifestyle, on Episode 84 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.

Watch Brandy featured on a YouTube episode of Tiny Home Tours here

View the Village Farm’s Tiny Home Community

The artwork of brandy’s father, Kerry Beverly, may be found at https://kerrybeverly.com/. 

Check out Brandy’s upcoming art exhibit of her Dad’s work here. The exhibit is to be held on June 11, 2022 at the Village Farm Tiny Home Community. 

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Bill Mauro and Marcus Laurence retired early while living in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. They soon realized that the high cost of health insurance would make it difficult to maintain their lifestyle in America. A vacation to Spain convinced them that retiring there was the answer! However, due to Spain’s residency rules they surprisingly learned that health insurance would be costly there as well. They researched and found they could move to Portugal and immediately use that country’s government healthcare. So, before ever visiting Portugal, they decided it was the place where they would retire. They boarded a plane bound to Portugal with six suitcases. The road to their home in the mountains of Portugal has not been completely smooth, but they now love, and are loved in, Portugal. Find out more about Bill and Marcus’ path to Salgueiro da Lomba, Portugal, on Episode 83 of Retire there with Gil & Gene. 

Bill created a Facebook group called Bears Retiring in Europe.

Bill and Marcus have an Instagram page, dedicated to their home, called CasaDaLomba050. 

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Lorrie Cox moved to Woodburn, Oregon because her husband found a house in a 55+ community and promised to renovate it to her liking. Her husband made the home beautiful. Sadly, he passed. Lorrie stayed on in Woodburn, as she loved the warmth and generosity of her community, beauty of the region, and many things to do. Lorrie became a real estate broker and she stands out when showing properties to house hunters in her 4-person, heated, purple and yellow golf cart. Find out more about Woodburn, Oregon, on Episode 82 of Retire There with Gil & Gene. 

Lorrie’s real estate website is here. 

For real estate information, she may be contacted at [email protected] or 503-989-1986.

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Sally Carrocino started traveling later in life, but she made up for it. She traveled extensively in Europe and even married in Italy. When her husband passed away, she was devastated but it did not stop her from pursuing her retirement dreams. California’s high cost of living motivated her to look at other states, but none seemed to meet most of her needs. Then she had an epiphany. While she couldn’t figure out where to move in the U.S., she knew precisely the neighborhood in Florence, Italy. Shortly thereafter  Sally rid most of her material possessions, and moved with her dog Zoe to Florence and she has not looked back. Find out more about Sally’s life in Florence on Episode 81 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.

Check out Sally’s life in Florence from a SeniorPlanet.org article titled Aging Out of Place in Florence, Italy. 

Sally blogs at espresso to prosecco.

Along with Sting, Francis Ford Coppola and others, Sally Carrocino appeared in a PBS special about living in Italy titled Dream of Italy: Travel, Transform and Thrive. To find out more about the show, click here.

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You are fortunate to be part of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and retire in your 40’s, but the American health insurance available is either inadequate or prohibitively expensive. What do you do? Tim and Amy Rutherford decided to sell their home and the vast majority of their belongings to live as global nomads in the U.S. and around the world. They accomplish this by travel-hacking and spending part of their time living rent-free as house-sitters and part-time renting on a short term basis. Find out more about this resourceful and enterprising couple on Episode 80 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.

TIm and Amy Rutherford’s YouTube channel is GoWithLess.

Their Facebook page is here.

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Craig and Melanie Briggs were what some may describe as early adopters of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement years before they knew what it was. Twenty years ago, while they were both around 40, the couple gave up their jobs and moved from the industrial town of Huddersfield, England to the beautiful rural countryside of the Northwest corner of Spain, known as Galicia. Craig and Melanie love the slow pace, luscious green landscape, warm people and scrumptious wines of Galicia. Find out more about life in Galicia, Spain, on Episode 79 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.

Follow Craig and Melanie’s journey in Galicia on Craig's website, Journey to a Dream.

Thus far, Craig has authored eight books on the adventures he and Melanie have experienced in early retirement, they are: 

1. Journey To A Dream: A voyage of discovery from England's industrial north to Spain's rural interior (The Journey Book 1)
2. Beyond Imagination: When the adventure of a lifetime becomes a lifetime of adventures (The Journey Book 2)
3. Endless Possibilities: Sunny skies and mountains high (The Journey Book 3)
4. Opportunities Ahead: Learn from the past, live in the present and always look forward to the future (The Journey Book 4)
5. Driving Ambition: Life in the slow lane (The Journey Book 5)
6. The Discerning Traveller: Let every new day broaden your horizons (The Journey Book 6)
7. A Season To Remember: Finding the right balance without tipping the scales (The Journey Book 7)
8. An Excellent Vintage (The Journey Book 8)

In 2021, Craig published his first novel, Pandora’s Box: A Taylor & Swift Saga.

Craig’s Facebook page is here.

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You love to travel, but you also love spending time with your children and grandchildren who are spread out mostly in the Western United States. How do you split your time? Carol and Bill Colborn decided to spend 6 months per year in a permanent home, 3 in a timeshare in Mexico and 3 visiting family. Due to its location, weather and cost of living, the well-educated, well-traveled and well-budgeted organized couple decided to purchase a modest home with great amenities in Mesa, Arizona. Find out more about the retirement adventures of the Colborns, on Episode 78 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.

Carolina (Carol) Esguerra Colborn authored three books:

• Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream;
• Cruising Past Seventy: It’s Not Only About Outer Journeys, It’s Also About Inner Ones;
• Cruising in an RV: The Basics You Need to Know

Carol’s Blog is Carolina: Cruising Past 70

See TravelAwaits.com for Carol’s articles here

An article about Carol and Bill is here

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We all expect to be respected at every age, especially when we retire, perhaps even revered. We also wish to spend less, but not compromise on healthcare, culture, traveling, our accommodations and safety. If you’re a single woman/man/person, safety may be on or near the top of your checklist. Deborah Tobin, teacher and travel journalist, found all of the above and more. She even bought a condo, gutted and renovated it, all for under $70,000 USD! Oh, and that pool … and over 100 temples …yummy street food, Parisian coffee and dessert, and dinner for less than 5 bucks! Learn more about the friendly, beautiful, peaceful city of Chiang Mai, Thailand on Episode 77 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.   

Follow Deborah Tobin’s YouTube Channel Mobile Dispatches, where she’ll teach you everything from retiring in Thailand, how to apply for a retirement visa in Thailand, how to buy a condo there, and so much more! 

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