In this report, I share the real reason for flying away in retirement.
There are a million reasons why I am happy that I flew away in retirement. But after 16 years, of living outside the USA, the real reason becomes more clear to me every day. But in fairness to you, I will share why the real reason took almost 16 years to become so completely clear.
The Real Reason for Flying Away
You see, you are likely to be blinded by all of the obvious reasons for flying away in retirement for the first decade or so. The obvious reasons are so strong initially, it was a no-brainer for me to fly away in the early days, and to stay away.
But once you are gone for 3 to 5 years, if you are like me, those initial reasons just become part of your new normal life. Once you have paid $400 in rent for 5 years instead of $1200, $400 rent is just normal. It is just rent now. You won’t think much about the $800 per month you are saving.
Once restaurant meals are routinely less than $4, you won’t remember the $15 you used to spend for meals anymore. Your lower expenses overseas are just normal now. You may even forget that you were able to retire early–only because you flew away.
When you are sitting in a park reading, walking through a museum, or meeting friends for lunch overseas, you will forget that you would still be working if you had stayed in the USA. How good your life has become will just be normal to you eventually.
But some days you will remember. There is one thing that will remind you better than anything else–Going home to visit family and friends.
I just returned from the USA visiting family and friends. I love my family and friends more than anything in the world. But I stay away as long as I can. Every other year or so I try to make it home to see my family and friends. That is when the real reasons for flying away in retirement becomes perfectly clear to me.
As I talked with friends and family living in the USA, I could feel the fear and anxiety they were experiencing in their normal lives in the USA. It is not horrible on the surface. They are all racing through amazing lives. Races, nonetheless.
So the difference is more subtle than I would have realized had I not just spent the last 16 years living outside the USA. Have you ever heard the old saying? Put a frog in a pan of cool water and slowly raise the temperature. The frog won’t jump out. It will just sit there and cook.
So, yes, I was bleeding money while I was in the USA. But that was not the biggest reason I am happy I flew away 16 years ago. The biggest reason is more about how it feels being in the USA now. Expat friends from Europe, Canada, Australia, etc. have noticed some of the same things when they go home.
People just seemed to be feeling anxious about their future and some of that stress had transferred to me during my visit.
People are just feeling overwhelmed by the high cost of living. Some are feeling a sense of heaviness and pressure due to constant competition and comparison. Most people are feeling pressure to keep up with societal expectations and standards.
Young people wonder if they will be able to provide for their families and secure their future. Some are giving up on the idea of having families. Social media has many people feeling isolated and disconnected from the real world. With artificial intelligence (AI) and outsourcing threatening to take over jobs, people of all ages have fear of the future.
I love my family and friends, so it is difficult to hear these thoughts bouncing around in their heads, and the lines forming on their faces. Anxiety and stress are in the air. You could cut it with a knife.
As a friend drove me to the airport, I could feel the anxiety lifting from my shoulders. Because I knew I was returning to a place where life is simple. Where people are not so tense about their futures.
The quality of life is really about what it feels like to be alive. As the airplane took off, I felt lucky I did not have to live in the USA anymore. I knew the airplane would soon land where I would be living a simple life–a more relaxed life.
I would soon be back in a place where I would not wake in the middle of the night with fears about some unexpected expense. I would not need to keep up with the Joneses. I would not be swimming in the hot water and anxiety of normal daily life in the USA.
As the plane cleared the clouds, I was once again leaving my troubles behind. I couldn’t love my family anymore. I just wish they didn’t have to run so fast and worry so much about the future.
In an odd way, I am glad they don’t fully understand how hot the water around them has become. If I could, I would transport all of them to this new world I have come to know. But I just don’t have the resources to do that. So I will just shine the light on a future that I know about and hope some will find their way.
So, I am grateful for the decision I made to leave the USA, and that becomes more clear each day. I have a simpler and more fulfilling life abroad. I am happy I took the risk to step out of my comfort zone. Little did I know I was actually stepping into a comfort zone.
But some things you can only believe by experience. I am proud I was able to adapt to this new life. I continue to feel excited about the adventures available to me that would be cost-prohibitive in my old world. I have access to beautiful natural surroundings and opportunities for adventure.
But as the airplane takes me back to my dream life, I become more in touch with the real reason for flying away each time I leave the USA. When this airplane touches down overseas, I will have the ability to live life on my own terms and create my own path.
I experience a different way of life here that is more aligned with my values and priorities. Living in and amongst the locals, I see like-minded individuals who value simplicity. I just don’t see the pressure here to conform to societal norms. I no longer feel the need to keep up with the latest trends or own the newest gadgets. Instead, I focus on what truly brings me joy and fulfillment.
I feel a greater sense of freedom living outside the USA. I don’t feel bound by societal expectations and pressures. I pursue my passions without any fear of judgment or criticism from the sphere of influence I grew up with. Nobody knows me here.
I am whoever I say I am. My life is authentic because I don’t know or care what anyone thinks about me. I am the same nice man I have always been but I don’t need to add anything to my life to create acceptance by anyone else.
I do not attract people with any flashy toys or possessions. I don’t want that kind of attention. That frugality probably doubles the choices I have in life. I value experiences over possessions. Just because I am a foreigner, the locals see me as a big fish without any proof around me.
So my social status is higher here without even trying. As a result, I feel more financially secure and less stressed about money, which improves my overall well-being. Additionally, living in a smaller pond with a higher social status contributes to feeling less pressure to meet societal expectations.
That brings me to the real reasons for flying away in retirement. Life feels better because I am living my life on my own terms. I am not bending to any societal expectations. I am in alignment with my own values and expectations for a good life.
I am living my life my way and I am not part of any social structure that races through life judging myself and others. The real reason for flying away in retirement was that I finally get to listen to myself in a vacuum. I become more me and less everything else.
By living overseas, I get to be both the puppet and the master making the puppet dance. All those other million reasons for flying away are just bonuses as far as I can tell.
Thanks for listening to my report, The real reason for flying away in retirement.
To grab a free copy of my eBook., click here: How I Fired My Boss and Traveled the World for 16+ Years.