Retired Michigan couple moved to Panama and don't plan to return

Greg Kitzmiller and his wife, Jen, left Michigan and settled in Panama after retiring. Greg retired in 2016 and Jen retired more than a year later. They wanted to escape the snow, find what they called "eternal summer," stay close enough to the US to make travel easy, and appreciated that Panama uses the US dollar; the Pensionado visa also offered retiree discounts on utilities, medication, and transportation.

They made exploratory trips — a week in October 2017 and a nine-week visit in February 2018 — before deciding to move. After selling their house, holding garage sales, donating what they didn’t need and fitting their lives into five suitcases, they relocated in June 2018 and bought a two-bedroom condo in Coronado for $210,000.

The condo sits in a country club community with a golf course wrapping around the building and 180-degree views of the ocean and mountains, and church friends make up the core of their social circle. Moving sparked an unexpected passion for writing.

Panama, Coronado

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