We're Packing Our Bags for Panama

Moving abroad has been a lifelong ambition for me. So, as my retirement date approached, I perused hours of videos featuring Black expats living all over the globe. Beyond the ubiquitous beach footage of Black women frolicking on white-sand beaches, brown skin glistening under a Caribbean sun, I was most fascinated by scenes of expats practicing Spanish as they bartered with a seaside fisherman selling his catch on the shore, or at a vibrant roadside vegetable stand. Shaky videos of colorful parades celebrating some unfamiliar to me religious holiday, marching down narrow, cobble-stoned streets—participants dressed in national garb—struck me as both unpretentious and profound. I looked at every possible expat video on the cities and countries on my radar that fit the retiree lifestyle I envisioned for myself, like Merida, Mexico; Trinidad and Tobago; and even Bogotá, Colombia.

The Next Great Migration

I listened to the strategies of Stephanie Perry of YouTube’s Vaycarious (@StephaniePerry) and Career Break Expert Roshida Dowe (roshidadowe.com). I even attended the 2022 Exodus Summit (exodussummit2025.heysummit.com), an online conference they created together, to learn more about moving abroad. I began to formulate my vision for a life abroad. I sat, mesmerized for hours, watching Black expats gather beneath fuchsia sunsets for cocktails at rooftop restaurants in Panama, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, or at city cafes in Lisbon for coffee on warm, sunny mornings. I studied multiple online resources and checklists like this one from Adalia Aborisade at Picky Girl Travels the World (pickygirltravelstheworld.com), which helped me prepare for when I would finally have the chance to explore foreign lands.

But I noticed something. Many of the Black women I watched on YouTube who were declaring their freedom to move about the world untethered were often, by their own admission, without spouses and/or without children. That’s not to say that all of them were single and childless, but in the early days of this movement, there were few examples online of Black couples who had successfully worked together to build a life outside of the United States.

While there is no official count, The Wall Street Journal estimates that between 4 and 9 million Americans live outside the US. Of that number, Forbes.com estimates that more than 655,000 are African American. In time, however, collaboration among couples became evident, and soon there were YouTube channels like @OurBlackUtopia and @handdeeabroad.

Could I Convince My Mate to Make the Move?

Now, while living abroad had always been a dream of mine, my husband Freddy was already living that dream. He had come to the United States in his early twenties from Trinidad and Tobago and had already lived in Atlanta for over fifty years. Whenever I’d express my desire to move abroad, he’d respond playfully, “I already live abroad.” We discussed a move back to his homeland before the 2016 election, but we were both still working.

Freddy retired about a year ahead of me, enjoying the fruits of his labor, and his adult son lived nearby. He wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of leaving, but already an immigrant, he was uncertain about how a move abroad would affect his overall security. After almost 25 years of marriage, he wanted me to have the life I envisioned, and I wanted him to feel happy and secure as we both aged.

While watching videos about tropical places like the ones we enjoyed on vacation, I’d try to appeal to his frugal nature. I’d explain to him how our cost of living could be significantly lower in other places. When Freddy complained about having to cut the lawn, I’d say, “If we lived in a condo in Mexico, you wouldn’t ever have to cut grass again.” He’d smirk, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. And when watching videos of Panama expat testimonials, I’d turn the volume up loud enough for him to hear, or invite him to sit and watch with me, which he would.

But I learned that there are compromises. I’ve met two women who wanted to move abroad, but their husbands didn’t. In each of those cases, the women chose to travel alone at least part of the year. Conversely, I also know two couples where the man is more interested in leaving. Ironically, in these cases, the women, while apprehensive, fully intend to go along with the move in an effort to support their husband’s ambitions.

In all of these situations, like mine, the couples are older. Those of us who are of a certain age, both men and women, did not likely grow up with many examples of people that we knew who traveled the world, much less moved abroad. Except for those who may have served in the military, we are often the first in our families to do something so adventurous.

¡Adiós, América, Hola, Panamá!

Eventually, I decided that if Freddy didn’t want to leave, then we’d stay and make the most of it. I didn’t want to live a life abroad with a spouse who didn’t really want to be there. And though I am confident in our marriage, I didn’t want to test the waters by pressuring my husband to move—and I had no intention of leaving without him. But I prayed, saying, “God, if it’s meant for me to leave the U.S., then you will have to make it happen.” And then I forgot about it.

We’d planned to travel to Trinidad so I could apply for residency by marriage, since Freddy has dual citizenship. Because of the current national climate, I wanted to have access to another country. Two weeks before we were to leave, I came in from the grocery store, and seemingly out of left field, Freddy said to me, “Let’s think about going to Panama instead.” I was gobsmacked. I had finally accepted that I might never get to live my dream of moving abroad, and then he had a change of heart. It turned out that he had spoken with a cousin who lives in Canada but frequently travels to Panama to visit his son. He told my husband how much Panama reminded him of home, and how wonderful it was.

And that’s what turned him around. I never expected Freddy to consider Panama, since he’d already said he didn’t want to have to learn another language. But in my own research, I learned that the Pensionado Visa was ideal for retirees; excellent health care was more affordable, and tropical weather was year-round. So, I was excited about the possibility when he wanted to check it out. Over the years, we’d prepared financially for retirement by saving as best we could and investing in our 401 (k) plans through our jobs, as well as our pensions.

 Enter the Black Expats in Panama Relocation Tour (BEIP) created by Charlotte Van Horn (blackexpatsinpanama.net). We registered for the tour in April 2025. On our first trip, we made instant friends on the tour and found a built-in community. Freddy’s fear of not knowing Spanish seemed to dissipate because, not only do many Panamanians speak English, but I also took Spanish in college, which helped us to maneuver socially when we needed to. We returned in June to apply for the Pensionado Visa. And we’ll finalize the sale of our home in Atlanta, where we’ve lived for 25 years, to begin our life abroad. [Editor’s note: The author wrote this story in the fall of 2025; she and her husband have recently moved, and you can read her update in her March 2026 story, What Nobody Tells You About Retiring Abroad.]

Many have asked me, “How did you get him to change his mind?” And I have to tell them the truth—which is I didn’t—he changed his own mind, in his own time.