Month: July 2025

This season is unlike any other.

You’ve probably seen the photos: vibrant markets, cozy apartments with mountain views, joyful couples sipping coffee in the sun. But beyond the Instagram images, many women over 60 are asking a quieter, more personal question: Could I really start over in another country?

Prefer to listen? We’ve recorded a special podcast version of this article so you can enjoy it while walking, packing, or sipping your morning coffee.

Press play to hear: Could You Build a New Life Abroad After 60? Here’s What Other Women Are Discovering

It’s not just about finding a cheaper place to live. It’s about finding a new way to live. And women just like you are already doing it – slowly, thoughtfully, and on their own terms.

Why Some Women Are Considering a Move Abroad

There’s no single reason women choose to relocate later in life. Some feel drawn by the cost of living. Others want a fresh start after retirement, divorce, or loss. And many are simply curious: What would life be like if I lived somewhere where I could breathe differently?

A recent survey by AARP found that nearly 12% of Americans over 60 have considered living abroad. For many women, it’s not about escape – it’s about expansion. It’s about stepping into a new chapter with fewer obligations and more possibilities.

You Don’t Have to Be Brave All at Once

If the idea of building a new life abroad both excites and terrifies you, you’re not alone. Starting over – especially in a new culture – is emotional. You may find yourself energized one moment and overwhelmed the next. That’s okay.

You don’t need to make the leap in a single bound. In fact, most women who make the move do so gradually: they start with research, then visits, and finally, they make a move that fits their rhythm – not someone else’s.

Taking time to observe, reflect, and gently try things out is part of the process. Some women begin with a three-month trial stay or explore different towns before settling in one spot. Others join online forums or take part in local expat Zoom calls before they ever book a plane ticket.

What Real Women Are Discovering Along the Way

Here are some of the quiet truths women over 60 have shared about starting over abroad:

• Belonging takes time – but it often begins with one kind neighbor, one shared coffee, one helpful conversation at a market.
• Purpose isn’t always what you think – it might be teaching English, planting a garden, or simply learning how to listen in a new language.
• Friendships can surprise you – especially when you step into local clubs, creative workshops, or women’s meetups abroad.

One woman in her early 60s, after moving to southern Spain, said she expected to feel like a stranger but instead found herself welcomed into a circle of artists. “We don’t speak the same language fluently,” she said, “but we connect over paint and bread and laughter.”

Another woman in Ecuador shared that after her husband passed away, she found comfort in a local sewing group. “I didn’t expect to feel seen again,” she told us. “But I do. These women saved me in ways I didn’t know I needed.”

Community and Purpose Are the Real Currency

Beyond the cost of rent or groceries, what really shapes a successful life abroad is emotional connection. The women who thrive in their new homes abroad aren’t the ones who figured everything out in advance. They’re the ones who kept showing up, kept saying yes to possibility, and allowed themselves to feel unsure at times.

Many have shared that the most meaningful part of life abroad isn’t the scenery – it’s the freedom to redefine yourself without pressure. To be a beginner again. To find community by simply being open.

In countries like Portugal, Costa Rica, or Mexico, some women find comfort in established expat networks. Others feel more drawn to integrating with local communities. There’s no right way to do it – only the way that honors who you are now.

Things to Consider Before Making a Move

• Healthcare: Research what’s available locally, and what kind of insurance you may need.
• Legal Residency: Understand the visa options for retirees or long-term stays.
• Language: You don’t need to be fluent, but learning key phrases can make everyday interactions more rewarding.
• Walkability and Transit: If you won’t be driving, consider how easily you can get around town.
• Climate and Culture: Think about how you handle heat, cold, crowds, or quiet. Different regions offer different emotional landscapes.

Ready to Learn More?

If your heart is curious – even if your feet aren’t ready yet – that’s enough to begin exploring. One of the best ways to start is by understanding your personality profile. Knowing how you’re wired can help you make more confident, fulfilling choices about where and how to live. We recommend starting with the free Enneagram test at EnneagramZoom.com.

You don’t have to decide today. But you’re allowed to imagine what’s possible.

Final Thought

This stage of life isn’t about shrinking into safety – it’s about expanding into what might still be. You’ve carried so much wisdom, resilience, and grace to get here. What if a new life abroad wasn’t about leaving behind who you are – but becoming even more of it?

Imagine waking up and being gently stretched by possibility – not by pressure. Imagine being welcomed, even haltingly, into a culture that encourages slow mornings and unhurried conversations. Picture yourself sitting at a café or by the sea, sharing stories with new friends who also chose to live life differently.

If something inside you stirs at the thought, listen to it. A new life doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be deeply meaningful. It can be quieter. Softer. More your own. And it can start with a single question: What would happen if I moved abroad after 60 and built a life that feels like home?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you looking to start over after retirement, divorce or loss? What does starting over look like in your mind? Have you taken steps toward this goal?

Are they really making up?

How did that event affect their relationship?

Reading a variety of genres is fun. In this group of seven books, we have four history books, three memoirs, two novels, five that take place in foreign settings, two about war, and one natural history. Impossible? Not really. Interesting books often span genres such as The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating that is a memoir centered around raising a land snail. Pachinko is a historical novel set in Korea and Japan, spanning three wars.

Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Eliot Stein (St. Martin’s Publishing 2024)

Angelic pasta in Sardinia, mirrors in India, night watch men in Sweden – the list goes on of singular treasures in danger of extinction. Stein visits each location and subsumes himself into the lore. Ok, I never wanted to know that much about the history of soy sauce, but overall, it is informative and fun.

If ever a book cried out for illustrations and maps, this is it. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I had my atlas at hand. I Googled the ancient things, so I knew how they looked. There are endnotes, an extensive bibliography, and an index – but no pictures of the treasures. Go figure.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Berkley, 2015)

I learned after reading this book that the Japanese are famous for their “talking cat” books. Who knew?

This is an easy read told from the point of view of the cat, Nana, a stray that Kosuke, a young man, saves after a car accident. The book is full of wisdom about life, mostly acceptance of what life deals you. I would love to read this book to a 7–10-year-old, as it provides opportunities to discuss important life lessons.

Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin (Grove Press, 2011)

A memoir written as creative non-fiction, Godwin takes us to his childhood, adolescence, and adult life in Zimbabwe, Africa. Godwin’s parents are white settlers, his mother a doctor in the government medical service, his father a corporate works manager. He has an older sister, but is practically an only child, reared with the assistance of Black house staff.

Godwin’s parents are liberals who chose to remain in the country during and after the revolution of the Blacks against the whites, 1964 – 1978. There is really no hope for the whites, even as Godwin serves in the white government army.

I found this a totally engaging, unsentimental slice into modern African history. Godwin is an expert reporter and wordsmith. And I found out this is the first of three memoirs. I put the other two on my library reserve list. Worth reading, and so informative.

The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World’s Oldest Writing by Joshua Hammer (Simon and Schuster, 2025)

Not an easy read, but a rewarding one. Hammer takes us to two worlds: Victorian England and Mesopotamia, beginning 3500 BCE. The Victorians were excavating the Middle East, uncovering the vast treasures of kingdoms that thrived and died. And with these vast ruins came tablets and temples etched with cuneiform writing that no one could sound-out, much less translate. Notably, writing remained largely consistent across dynasties and kingdoms.

In Victorian England, three men (a swashbuckling archaeologist, a suave British military officer turned diplomat, and a cloistered Irish rector) vie for glory in a race to decipher this script. It would enable them to peek farther back into human history than ever before. And they do it! This extended to the pronunciation of certain words as well.

For Bible scholars, this discovery is important because it verifies portions of the history contained in the Old Testament. If you just enjoy a good history book, albeit crammed with minutiae, this is for you.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Grand Central Publishing, 2017)

Picking up some more of my Korean reading, author Min Jin Lee is a Korean immigrant whose family settled in New York City when she was seven. Her academic career is laudable, but two years after practicing law, she left it to write full time. Her immigrant experience enlightens what she writes.

Pachinko examines the popularity of a Japanese gambling game that is primarily managed by Korean immigrants living in Japan. The Japanese enjoy the game but consider providing the gaming parlors beneath them. So, they allow Koreans to run the gaming parlors, a criminal enterprise in Japanese eyes.

This class structure of Japanese over Koreans dominates Pachinko. When the Japanese conquered Korea in 1910, they took many Korean prisoners to Japan as virtual slaves. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Korea regained independence, only to be split in 1948. Many Japanese in Korea were left stateless. Pachinko’s 70-year story of a Korean family, their emigration to Japan, and their ultimate success in Japan and the U.S. is fascinating. I loved every page.

M Train: A Memoir by Patti Smith (Vintage, 2016)

I picked up this book on a whim from a library display. I had heard Smith was a great writer but never enjoyed her music. What a find! Smith’s writing is elegant, lyrical, and engaging. It is poetry in a paragraph. She writes about nothing: her morning cup of coffee, a gravestone, shack on the beach in Red Hook. I would stop and reread paragraphs to grasp the beauty of the words.

She illustrates the book with her amateurish black and white Polaroids that somehow enhance the writing. This method reminded me of the use of photographs in Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald. Highly recommended.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010)

A beautiful, poignant little book. Ms. Bailey suffers from a mysterious virus/auto-immune/debilitating illness that keeps her bedridden and weak. A friend brings her a woodland violet dug from Ms. Bailey’s woods. Secreted in it is a small land snail. This companion is perfectly suited to Bailey’s energy level and mental slowness. As the snail explores her new home atop a crate, Ms. Bailey finds a manageable project to occupy her mind. That includes moving the snail into a terrarium and researching her new friend.

As Herman Melville expanded our minds and imaginations about whales in Moby Dick, so Ms. Bailey does with the land snail. Who knew they could be so interesting? Recommended.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What unusual book have you happened upon? Do you prefer book recommendations, or do you pick your next titles on a whim?