We Retired to Panama — Here’s Everything We’ve Learned

A Panaveria Sunset over Panama City on Retired in Panama

We Retired to Panama — Here’s What We’ve Learned

In 2018, Greg and Jen Kitzmiller left Michigan behind and moved to Panama. No corporate safety net. No Plan B. Just a lot of research, a scouting trip through the Canal Zone, and a conviction that retiring abroad could be done — and done well.

Eight years later, they’re still here. And they’ve never looked back.

If you’re dreaming about retiring abroad — whether Panama is on your list or you’re asking “what if?” — you’re in the right place. This site is built for you.

From Michigan to Panama: Our Story

Greg retired in October 2016 after a career as a manufacturing supervisor. Jen followed at the end of 2017, stepping away from government work. Together, they began researching Panama retirement seriously — visiting in October 2017 (including a bucket-list full Panama Canal transit from Pacific to Atlantic), then spending February–March 2018 renting in Coronado to explore before committing.

Panama checked every box. Roughly the size of South Carolina, it offers average temperatures of 72–88°F, hundreds of miles of beaches, lush rainforests, cooler mountain highlands, and one of the most welcoming cost-of-living environments for retirees in the Americas. Their friends urged them to blog about it. Neither had ever written a post. They said yes anyway.

We moved to Panama in 2018. That was the beginning of everything.

Eight Years on the Ground — and Counting

Greg and Jen have now spent over eight years living in Coronado, Panama, using it as their launchpad to explore the world. Since retiring, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries. Some highlights:

  • A cruise around Cape Horn, skirting nearly the entire South American coast, ending in Rio de Janeiro
  • Cuba, Greece, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Cape Verde — all in 2024–2025
  • Whale watching at Boca Chica, the Embera village deep in the jungle, the San Blas Islands, and Bocas del Toro
  • A 2026 author’s workshop in France, followed by a Norwegian cruise through northern Europe

They post about everything — from the adventures and logistics to the unexpected joys and real challenges of expat life in Panama.

→ Read the Blog — 75+ Posts on Panama & World Travel

From Panama retirement guides and cost-of-living breakdowns to dispatches from 40+ countries.

Books by Greg Kitzmiller

Living in Panama introduced Greg to a thriving literary community in Coronado — and writing became a second career. He’s now published six books in two series.

Non-Fiction:

  • Retired in Panama — the comprehensive Panama retirement guide for anyone serious about expat life in Panama.
  • The Retired in Panama Fonda Cookbook — celebrating the roadside fondas they fell in love with.

→ Retired in Panama store on Amazon

Fiction (writing as Logan Bahr):

  • The Detective Larry Saunders Mystery Series — gripping small-town mysteries set on Cape Cod. Currently, three books strong: Murder in Eagle Cove, Mayhem in Eagle Cove, and Malfeasance in Eagle Cove, with more to come.
  • New subscribers to Logan’s newsletter receive a free PDF of Murder in Eagle Cove.

→ The Detective Larry Saunders Mystery Series

Your hands-on resource for planning, financing, and loving retirement overseas in Panama.

The Blog: 75+ Posts Across Nine Years

Whether you’re deep in research mode for a move to Panama, planning a trip through Central America, or love reading about a life lived with gusto — dig into the archives. Earlier posts walk through every step of the relocation. Later posts take you around the world.

Topics include retiring in Panama (visas, cost of living, finding a home, safety, and daily expat life), exploring Panama (Bocas del Toro, Boquete, San Blas, Casco Viejo, Boca Chica, the Canal, and more), world travel across South America, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, and the long-game realities of expat life — community, food, culture, staying busy, and making it all work.

Free Newsletter — No Spam, Ever

Greg and Jen now focus more of their writing energy on the Retired in Panama Newsletter, which goes to over 1,350 subscribers. They’ve never sent spam and have never shared their list. When you subscribe and confirm, you’ll receive a free PDF of The Retired in Panama Fonda Cookbook.

Greg accepts no endorsement fees. When they recommend a place, business, or service — it’s because they’d go back themselves.

→ Subscribe to the Retired in Panama Newsletter — Free

Join 1,350+ readers. No spam. Cancel anytime. Free cookbook PDF when you confirm.

Blessings from paradise,

Greg and Jen

#welovepanama