Greg Kitzmiller and his wife Jen (both US citizens who lived in Michigan) took advantage of their young retirement to enjoy this stage of their life. And after months of research, they finally decided to move to Panama.
Their entire process of retirement to Panama was documented in his blog and then released in “2 Retire In Panama?: Adventures of a Young Retired Couple”, a book that is the perfect guide to understand the process of how to move abroad, specifically to retire in Panama.
“When we started researching we didn’t know exactly where we were going, maybe an island in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, or Colombia…We knew that we would have eternal Summer, which was high on our list. We wanted to get away from the snow in the worst way”.
The couple came to Panama a few years ago, wanting to enjoy their retirement. Starting a new stage in life and wanting to live an adventure. Their decision was not emotional. Conversely, it was very rational. Analyzing and comparing different places to finally settle in a place that fully met what the two of them longed for.
And so they decided that the best place to live was Panama. He wrote his entire research, decision-making and adaptation process in “2 Retire In Panama: Adventures of a Young Retired Couple”. We spoke a little more with Greg so that he could tell us about the book and his experience in Panama.
“The people are so welcoming and they are wonderful”.
Greg Kitzmiller
P.L: What made you decide to move abroad?
G.K: We came from Michigan in the USA. My wife and I had been fortunate to be able to retire young and the weather was the big determining factor for moving south.
When we started researching we didn’t know exactly where we were going, maybe an island in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, or Colombia.
But we did a lot of research and Panama kept coming to the top of the list. We made a couple of exploratory trips and the last one we stayed for 9 weeks. We rented a condo in Coronado and used it as an anchor so we could explore the whole country.
P.L: What kind of things did you hear about Retirement in Panama that got your attention?
G.K: Partly the cost of living. We thought the cost of living in Panama was going to be a benefit to us in our retirement.
We knew that we would have eternal Summer, which was high on my list. I wanted to get away from the snow in the worst way.
Easy residency requirements were good for us. We got our pensionado visa, and enjoy the benefits that it offers.
P.L: What were the things that made you fall in love with Panama?
G.K: The people are so welcoming, and they are wonderful. I haven’t done very well with my Spanish but the people, especially in the interior, if you try, they love it and they help you.
We like the scenery, the jungle, the mountains. We love the beach and that’s where we decided to live. But we want to continue exploring other places.
P.L: Research. The process you went through looking for a retirement place. What kind of things were you looking for before you came here?
G.K: Mostly Google and Facebook.
When we decided to spend 9 weeks on the ground. We needed to know where to base ourselves because we knew it would be hard to explore the country from the city because it’s located in one end of the country. We wanted to base ourselves more to the middle of the country.
And we wanted to be in a community where we wouldn’t have a difficult time communicating. So an expat community would be perfect for us so that we could ask questions.
Those 9 weeks we spent on the ground was the best research we could have possibly done because we met other ex-pats. We were able to ask questions that don’t occur to you when you are 2500 miles away.
What do you do when you have a car problem? How do you handle an emergency? How is your internet? How do you watch American TV?
Those were questions occurring to us, and people explained everything to us.
We had our 9 week trip mapped out so that we could do enough research to make our decision.
P.L: So you guys like adventures?
Since we’ve moved here, Jen and I have had adventures with several friends. Places like Contadora, Boquete, Pedasi, and exploring more of the Caribbean side.
P.L: Costa Rica vs. Panama
G.K: We have really good friends that spent their first 12 years of retirement in Costa Rica and then moved here because the cost of living is so much less than there.
We had an opportunity to visit them at their house in Costa Rica. We explored the country, and enjoyed all Costa Rica had to offer. We thought that the drive through Costa Rica was beautiful. We spent time there on the beach and the mountains. .
We had a really nice trip but we are really glad that we chose Panama instead of Costa Rica.
P.L: Main differences between Costa Rica and Panama.
G.K: The cost of living is probably the main reason for choosing Panama.
I like the Panamanian people and we like the fact that in Panama we have the US Dollar.
P.L: How is your life now in Panama?
G.K: We made the decision to live here while we were on our exploratory trip. Our lives have changed drastically because we have retired and we are not working.
It’s hard for me to explain the difference between being up in the US and here. I would probably be shoveling snow several months of the year. We only had 2 weeks of summer, here we have a lot of good friends that we spend time with.
We get together with friends several times a week for some pool time, enjoying meals, happy hour, and dominoes.
I like the fact that we have a gym and a pool.
The restaurants and the nightlife. We have plenty for our taste but for those who want more you can find an abundance in Panama City .
P.L: Did you know anyone here?
G.K: The first trip we didn’t. We met a great guide, Marc Vargas.
We stayed at a resort in the city., Marc took us to Coronado where we met with an agent, who found us a condo that we could rent for 9 weeks.
We didn’t want to buy a place here right away, we wanted to explore before making a decision.
P.L: Let’s talk about your book. Why did you decide to write a book?
G.K: When I started doing the research, Panama kept coming to the top of the list.
We were talking about this more and more with our friends and somebody said: “Well, you should write a blog”.
So I did. I started writing the blog and I was trying to post once a month, maybe more when we had adventures. So, I had a lot of research and a lot of material to write a book.
Some things I could copy, paste, and rewrite. Most of it came from new experiences and adventures.
I have a friend that lives in El Valle. He had written a book that inspired me. I thought: “maybe I should use some of my time to write a book.”
P.L: Where can you find your book?
G.K: Amazon and Kindle. I self-published it. (you can buy it here).
P.L: Advice for people looking to move or thinking about retirement in Panama.
G.K: Come and explore, because the country has so many microclimates and so many different areas. I think that is my best advice. If you want eternal summer or eternal spring this is the place to be.
Check it out and spend some time here before making your decision. Do some exploring to see if it’s a good fit for you.
P.L: Top 3 things you love about Retiring in Panama
- I love the ocean, getting in the dune buggy, and going out to the beach.
- I love the people. For the most part, you worry about communication, but I know when I go out and I can’t find anyone that speaks English that there’s a way to communicate and they’ll help.
- The Adventures, I don’t think we’ll run out of adventures.
