Route to Retire ...the path to financial independence

Boquete, Panama Places to Live… We Found a Rental!

Looking at places to live in Panama is kind of an adventure. There are a lot of nuances you need to be aware of or you could end up very unhappy. For instance, if you don’t know to ask, you could get a place that has what they lovingly refer to as “suicide showers” here. And by that, they mean that it doesn’t have hot water! A lot of the local Panamanians here are used to that and that’s just how they live. But imagine not knowing, moving in, and then jumping into the shower for the first time. SURPRISE!!! YIKES! But if you know what to look for, you can find some real gems. Although costs aren’t as cheap

What the Hell Is Going On with Our Living Expenses?!

Boy, this has been one helluva rollercoaster lately. Our living expenses have been all over the map this year. We’ve had a ton of abnormal spending (both more and less) throughout the year. The biggest factors for this were: Preparing for our big move Enjoying our July adventure Living in Texas with family for most of August Now living in Panama For a guy with control issues, this is throwing me off a little. The roller coaster ride we’ve been on this summer is just about wrapping up, but we’re still not running a normal budget right now. It’s been so crazy with so many unknowns that I’m struggling to project what our living expenses are finally going to settle

We’re Now Living in Panama… Finally!!

It feels like we’ve been planning this for years (because we have!), but it’s finally happened… we’re now living in Panama! I wasn’t going to post about this yet since we’ve been here less than a week, but I figured a lot of you want to know the details about this adventure. Although I started this site in 2015 intending to focus mostly on personal finance, I feel like I’ve become known more for our plans to retire early and move to Panama more than anything. That’s not a bad thing at all – it was just a little unexpected. We were doing this just because it seemed interesting to us. It was initially “just” a plan to utilize geoarbitrage

Striving to Let Go and Be a Better Person

Well, tomorrow is the big day… we’re finally flying out and moving to Panama! And with that, I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about change and my plans to be a better person. That’s right – who woulda thunk I could be any more of a better person than I already am?! Well, guess what – even people like little old me have a little breathing room to improve on in our lives! Striving to let go So let’s start on the side of letting things go… I’m a planner and a worker and always have been. Organization is my middle name. When a trip or event is being scheduled with friends or family, I’ve

Flexible Travel Can Yield Huge Benefits

One of the facets of early retirement I was looking forward to the most was flexible travel. I knew that we’d be able to save some money by not having to be so rigid in our plans. I didn’t realize the extent of how beneficial it could be though. We’ve been retired for less than eight months now and what we’re already experiencing is awesome! Between cheaper flights, hotels, and cruises, the price is definitely right. Then you throw in that the destinations are generally less crowded and that makes things even better. Mix in a little more hassle-free travel along the way like smaller lines through security screenings and life becomes a real winner! Vacations step up their game

Were We Spending Too Much in July? You Tell Me…

Our July adventure is officially over and now I’m wondering if we were spending too much throughout the month. As most of you already know, we’re moving to Panama later this month. When we booked our flight earlier this year, my wife, Lisa, wanted to wait until the end of summer to fly out so we could go on vacation with her side of the family first. Because of that, we were running a month-to-month lease on our apartment for the last few months. Well, Lisa had a brilliant thought to end our lease a month early and use that money to spend the month of July as vagabonds floating around the country. The idea was that without the cost