Discovering
The Good Life Abroad
What does it actually feel like to pack up your routines, fly to Vienna, and spend a month living—really living—in another country? In this edition of our Discovering The Good Life Abroad webinar series, founder Andrew Motiwalla sat down with alumna Kim Tate-Brown, a retired attorney from New Hampshire who did exactly that.
Kim traveled solo to Vienna as part of a Month-Long Signature Program, and she came back with a lot to say. This conversation is honest, warm, and full of the kind of detail that only someone who's actually done it can provide.
Why The Good Life Abroad Exists
Andrew opened the webinar by zooming out to explain the origin of the program. After a long career in travel, he kept hearing the same thing from semi-retired and retired travelers: tours and cruises are great when you have limited time, but what they really wanted was to slow down—to live somewhere for a while, not just pass through.
The pain points were real: What if the apartment doesn't look like the photos? What if something goes wrong? What if I end up in the wrong neighborhood? The Good Life Abroad was built to solve for all of it—making living abroad simple, safe, and social for adults 55 and older.
The Programs: Month-Long Signature and Two-Week Short Stays
Andrew walked through both program types. The Month-Long Signature Programs are what TGLA is best known for—spending a full month in your own vetted apartment in an iconic European city. Short Stay programs are two-week experiences, typically in smaller cities, and can be combined with a Signature Program to create a longer, richer journey. (Think: a month in Lisbon extended with a Short Stay in Porto for a six-week Portuguese experience.)
Other program features covered:
Solo Traveler Sessions — dedicated sessions where roughly 30% of the group are solo travelers
Bring Your Own Housing — for travelers with specific needs or preferences around pet-friendly housing, budget, or a splurge stay
Flexible deposit and payment structure, with full refunds available when canceling more than 120 days out
What the Apartments Are Actually Like
One of the most practical parts of the conversation. Kim stayed in a beautiful early 1900s apartment in Vienna's 18th district—two bedrooms, a spacious combined living and dining room, high ceilings, a smart TV, and reliable high-speed Wi-Fi throughout. The kitchen was well-appointed but compact, as is typical in Europe.
She also gave a candid account of European laundry: a combination washer-dryer that technically works, but clothes still end up on a drying rack. (Her first load ran for four hours and eighteen minutes before she discovered the shorter cycle.) Andrew confirmed this is the norm across destinations—set the expectation, and it's easy to navigate.
Guests can also have visitors stay with them at no additional fee, though guests are asked to register with the trip portal and are not included in the official program activities.
Community Life: Tuesday Lunch Club, Happy Hours, and the WhatsApp Group
A typical week in a Month-Long Signature Program includes three community touchpoints: a Tuesday Lunch Club, a Wednesday cultural activity, and a Thursday happy hour. All are optional, all are included in the program fee, and all are thoughtfully chosen by the local Community Manager to take participants somewhere they might not find on their own.
In Vienna, Kim's group did a walking city tour, a Wiener Schnitzel cooking class, Viennese waltz lessons, and a hike to the Vienna Woods with views of the city from above. Beyond the scheduled programming, the WhatsApp group became its own living thing—members creating channels for solo travelers, book clubs, running partners, and more.
Kim's advice: give yourself about a week to settle in, then let go of the checklist. After that, you're not a tourist anymore—you're just living there.
The Community Manager: Your Local Friend on the Ground
Community Managers are the heart of every TGLA program. In Vienna, Kim's Community Manager was Markus, and his impact on the experience was clear throughout the conversation.
Markus held one-on-one meetings with participants in the first week to understand what each person wanted from their time in the city. He connected Kim with a professional photographer friend for a full day of shooting at the Vienna Central Cemetery—an experience she called the most special day of her trip. He was available Monday through Friday by WhatsApp, and in emergencies, always reachable.
Community Managers don't make reservations or book tickets for participants, but they know when the jazz recital is happening at the university, which neighborhood is worth taking the tram to for lunch, and how to help you make the most of every week.
Solo Travel in a Community Setting
Kim is married, but she traveled alone to Vienna—and she had a lot to say about why it worked so well. With five of the nine people in her group traveling solo, the sense of community formed quickly. Friendships started before anyone even boarded a plane, in the pre-departure Zoom call where the group met each other and Markus for the first time.
For anyone wondering whether solo travel at 55+ to a foreign country is too daunting: Kim's answer was essentially, once you start getting connected to your group and receiving information from the program, the anxiety just goes away. Things click. People find each other based on shared interests. Dinners get organized the day before, informally, the same way you'd make plans with friends at home.
Practical Tips and Q&A Highlights
On language: English is widely spoken across Europe, especially among younger generations. TGLA teaches basic local phrases in every program—making the effort matters, even if you're not fluent.
On technology: Kim used a travel eSIM for data and recommended getting it set up well before departure. The program runs primarily on WhatsApp and Google Maps, so comfort with a smartphone goes a long way.
On money: Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere in Vienna now. Kim arrived with about 100 euros in cash and found ATMs easy to access throughout the city.
On visas: US and Canadian travelers can stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period—no visa required for a one-month or even two-month experience.
On booking: Programs are selling out further in advance each year. 2026 still has some fall availability; 2027 is booking now, and 2028 dates will be released within the coming month.
Program Options
The Good Life Abroad offers two main program types:
Signature Month-Long Programs are available in larger cities across Europe — Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Florence, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, and more. This is the full immersive experience.
Two-Week Short Stays offer the same structure and community in smaller cities — Porto, Granada, Edinburgh, Nice, Bordeaux, and others — ideal for extending a month-long program or as a standalone experience.
Solo traveler sessions, Bring Your Own Housing, and specialty programs round out the options.
Pricing varies by destination, apartment size, number of travelers, and season. Everything is included in the program fee — apartment, all scheduled activities, Tuesday Lunch Club, happy hours, cultural excursions, travel medical insurance, and Community Manager support. Airfare, airport transfers, groceries, and optional independent trips are separate.
To explore availability and pricing, visit thegoodlifeabroad.com and click Book Now.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If Vienna — or any of our other 20+ destinations across Europe — has been calling your name, there's no better way to imagine the experience than hearing it directly from someone who's lived it.
Watch the full webinar recording, then reach out to our team at info@thegoodlifeabroad.com with any questions. Many 2026 programs are already filling up, and waitlists are available for sold-out sessions.
Wherever you are, you deserve the good life.