The Good Life Abroad

Have you ever dreamed of living abroad — not just visiting, but really living somewhere — without giving up the comfort of community or the peace of mind that comes with local support? That's exactly what our recent "Discovering The Good Life Abroad" webinar was all about.

Founder Andrew Motiwalla sat down with alumna Shirley Pratten, a retired community mental health nurse from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, who recently completed a Month-Long Signature Program in Palermo, Sicily. Together, they walked through what it's really like to spend 30 nights living like a local — the apartments, the community, the support system, and the honest considerations every traveler should weigh before booking.

Why The Good Life Abroad Exists

Andrew has spent nearly 30 years in the travel industry, and over that time he kept hearing the same thing from travelers: a desire to slow down, skip the rigid itineraries, and simply live somewhere for a while. But that dream came paired with real concerns — will I get lonely? What if something goes wrong? What if the apartment doesn't match the photos?

Those pain points are manageable on a two-day hotel stay. Over a month or more, they matter a great deal. Andrew's answer was community: built-in groups of like-minded travelers, vetted apartments, a local Community Manager in every city, included travel medical insurance, and connections to optional wellness offerings like yoga, pilates, or gyms. The goal, as Andrew put it, is to make an entire month abroad feel completely turnkey.

Signature Programs, Short Stays, and Everything In Between

The Good Life Abroad offers two core formats. Month-Long Signature Programs are a minimum 30-night stay in independent apartments, while Two-Week Short Stay programs run two weeks and are typically based in smaller towns with more full-service, apartment-hotel style accommodations. Both formats share the same community structure and activities — the difference is simply length.

Many travelers combine the two: a month in Barcelona followed by two weeks in Granada, for example, or a month in Paris paired with a Short Stay in Nice or Bordeaux. Recognizing this pattern, The Good Life Abroad now offers ways to link programs directly, stretching a four-week stay into six weeks across two destinations.

For solo travelers, certain sessions are designated exclusively for solos, so anyone who wants that guarantee can find it — though on average, roughly one-third of travelers on any given program are solo and two-thirds are couples. There's also a Bring Your Own Housing option for those who want to book their own accommodations while still participating fully in the community, activities, and support.

Life Inside the Apartments

Andrew and Shirley spent time walking through what the apartments actually offer: kitchens or kitchenettes (usually with a stovetop, refrigerator, and microwave, and often a full oven), dishwashers in most units, high-speed Wi-Fi, and smart TVs for streaming. Laundry setups vary by city — sometimes a washer within the apartment, sometimes a shared laundry room in the building — and air-drying racks are common, in keeping with typical European habits.

Shirley stayed in Palermo's Palazzio Di Gregorio, a former palace with a rich history, where her group of 15 all lived under one roof. "I was actually very glad in the end that I did have a one-bedroom," she shared, "just for me and what my needs were in this space." Having that separate living area also meant she could host friends from the group for an impromptu dinner — something she said became a regular, welcome part of the month.

Community Is the Whole Point

If there's one word that came up again and again in the webinar, it's community. Every Month-Long Signature Program and Short Stay follows a similar rhythm: arrival, an orientation walking tour, a welcome party, then a recurring pattern of Tuesday Lunch Club, Wednesday cultural activities, and Thursday happy hours — with unscheduled days in between for independent exploration. A farewell party closes out the program.

Shirley described the balance as "just the right amount" — enough shared structure to build real friendships, with plenty of room for independence. Her group's activities in Palermo included a Sicilian cooking class, a wine tasting, a mixology class, a pottery class, and a coffee-culture session with their Community Manager that taught the group the right way to order a latte in Sicily (hint: ask for a "latte macchiato," or you'll get a cup of warm milk).

Andrew drew a clear distinction between a fan club and a true community: "We have a shared interest, but more importantly, we've got each other's backs." That ethos shows up in small but meaningful ways — group members walking each other home after dinner, checking in on someone who's feeling under the weather, or simply being there when the unexpected happens.

Communication happens largely through WhatsApp, where each group has an announcements channel run by the Community Manager alongside member-created subgroups for everything from morning joggers to book clubs to history buffs.

Meet the Community Manager

Every city has a local Community Manager — the person at the heart of the entire experience. They organize the official group activities, but they also meet one-on-one with each traveler early in the program to understand individual interests and goals, then tailor suggestions accordingly. Beyond organized events, they're reachable by WhatsApp text and available for emergencies at any hour.

Shirley credited Palermo's Community Manager, Federica, with experiences she never could have found on her own — from a family-run restaurant dinner outside the city to tracking down an obscure fountain pen shop for a friend back home. "The community manager knows all these little things that you maybe wouldn't be able to find and discover yourself," she said.

Setting Honest Expectations

Both Andrew and Shirley were candid that this style of travel isn't for everyone. There's no tour bus — travelers walk, use public transportation, and move at a slower, more local pace. A smartphone and basic comfort with technology (like Google Maps and WhatsApp) are important, and city-center apartments mean traffic, later evening activity, and occasional nighttime garbage collection are part of the experience, even with double-pane glass to help with noise.

Shirley spoke openly about her own learning curve — sorting out an eSIM for her Android phone (Apple users on her trip had an easier time), and working up the nerve to try public buses for the first time. "Once I had the Google Maps," she said, "I thought, 'Oh, I can let myself get lost now and I know I'm going to be able to find my way back.'" She also noted that group members often tackled these firsts together, turning nerves into a shared, and ultimately confidence-building, experience.

Who Joins These Programs

The Good Life Abroad programs are designed for adults 55+, though as Andrew and Shirley both emphasized, age within that range is far less important than health, mobility, and mindset. Groups average around 15 travelers (capped at 20), roughly 90% from the U.S. and about 9% from Canada, spanning ages from the late 50s into the late 70s and beyond. What unites them, Andrew noted, is a shared appreciation for going deeper into a culture rather than checking off a list of sights.

Ready to Learn More?

Program pricing depends on destination, apartment size, season, and number of travelers, and includes the apartment, all scheduled community activities, meals and drinks at those events, Wi-Fi, weekly cleaning, your local Community Manager, and travel medical coverage. Airfare, airport transfers, and phone/data plans are not included. A $495 per-person deposit holds your spot, and cancellations 120 or more days before the program start date are fully refunded (with the deposit converting to a future credit).

Because The Good Life Abroad leases apartments on travelers' behalf, most people book around nine months in advance, and popular destinations and dates can fill up well before that.

Curious where this kind of month-long, community-based living could take you? Explore our destinations or sign up for an upcoming webinar to hear more firsthand stories from our alumni and team.