Discovering
The Good Life Abroad
Discovering The Good Life Abroad: A Month in Europe, a Group of Friends, and Room to Say Yes
What happens when a retired nurse from Vancouver Island spends a month living in a historic palazzo in Sicily? In our latest "Discovering The Good Life Abroad" webinar, founder Andrew Motiwalla was joined by Shirley Pratten, an alumna of our Palermo program, for an honest look at what living abroad with a built-in community is really like—the ups, the occasional downs, and mostly the good stuff.
Born and raised in England, Shirley spent her career as a nurse, mostly in mental health, and retired about a year ago. Travel has always been one of her great interests, and when she found The Good Life Abroad, the model just made sense. She describes herself as a "hybrid traveler"—someone who loves time on her own but also enjoys shared experiences—and found that a month in Palermo struck exactly that balance.
Why The Good Life Abroad Exists
Andrew has spent about 30 years in the travel industry, much of it working with companies that run traditional bus tours. Over time, more and more retired and semi-retired travelers told him the same thing: they had more time now, they knew how to explore a place, and they didn't want to hop from hotel to hotel or spend a day or two in each port.
Many of them had also dreamed of living abroad for a stretch—not permanently, but long enough to settle in. When Andrew dug deeper, the same concerns kept coming up: language, medical care, and loneliness, since making friends in a new country isn't always easy. The answer he landed on was community. Every program is an independent experience with layers of support underneath it, designed to make living abroad safe, social, and fun.
That support includes a vetted apartment suited to travelers 55 and older, a community of fellow travelers living in the same building or nearby, a local Community Manager, built-in travel medical insurance, and help connecting to local gyms, yoga, or Pilates if you'd like to keep up your wellness routine.
Month-Long Signature Programs and Short Stays
The Good Life Abroad offers two formats. Month-Long Signature Programs are the full immersive experience, and Short Stays run 14 nights, typically in slightly smaller cities. Short Stays work well on their own, but many travelers use them to extend a month—Lisbon followed by two weeks in Porto, say—or pair two together, like Bordeaux and Nice, for a month in France. Learn more about combining destinations through our Program Pairings.
Apartments Built for a Month, Not a Night
Andrew was candid about what "vetted for 55+" means. Many of us have stayed somewhere in Europe where you bump your head on the sink or can't turn around in the shower. Good Life Abroad apartments aren't luxurious, but they're modern and comfortable, usually in renovated older buildings, with walk-in showers and enough room to cook, eat, and relax. As Andrew put it, you can put up with anything for a night or two—but for a month, you want another level of comfort.
Apartments are typically 15 to 20 minutes outside the tourist center, in neighborhoods where locals shop for groceries and housewares, with the main sights a walk or short bus ride away. About 75% of properties have a washing machine in the apartment (with a very European drying rack), while the rest, including Palermo, have a shared laundry room.
Shirley's Palermo home was something special: a historic palazzo, home to a prince and princess in one wing, who invited the group to events and gave them a tour of the rest of the palace. All 15 travelers—five couples and five solo travelers—lived in the same building, with a shared lounge on her floor where they gathered weekly to catch up.
She had originally planned on a studio, but they'd sold out, so she booked a one-bedroom—and ended up glad she did. The full kitchen and separate sleeping area made it feel like home. She cooked about two-thirds of her meals in the apartment, usually breakfast and dinner, and ate lunch out while exploring. A shuttle between the palazzo and the city center made getting around easy, and Andrew shared that Palermo has since added a second daily shuttle.
A Weekly Rhythm, Not a Tour Schedule
Programs are cohort-based, so everyone arrives on the same day. After an orientation on the first full day—how to get around, where the market is, how the bus or metro works—the group celebrates with a welcome party. From there, a gentle rhythm takes over: the Tuesday Lunch Club, a Wednesday cultural activity, and a Thursday happy hour, with Friday through Monday left open.
Andrew explained that Tuesdays often feel like friends getting back together—trading stories from weekend trips and neighborhood discoveries—while Thursday happy hours turn into planning sessions for the weekend ahead. Lunches often include pre-ordered starters so everyone can try local dishes they might not know.
In Palermo, Shirley's group made pasta by hand, took day trips, went wine tasting, joined a mixology class, and tried their hand at pottery. Pottery was never on her list, but she decided early on to say yes to everything. She had fun, was pleased with what she made, and doesn't plan to take it up at home—and that's fine. Every activity is optional, but in her group, nearly everyone showed up anyway. And because each activity takes only a few hours, there's always time afterward for a nap, a stroll, or your own plans.
What Community Really Means
Before arrival, each group meets on Zoom about a month ahead, and a WhatsApp group follows soon after. In the city, it includes an announcements channel from the Community Manager and member-to-member chats, plus whatever subgroups travelers create—solo travelers, book clubs, morning joggers, art lovers, weekend trips, and potlucks.
Groups average about 15 travelers, and Andrew noted that while you won't be best friends with everyone, you'll find a handful of people who share your interests. Shirley described community as a "slow burn" that grew over the month. Subgroups formed around interests, but there was always an umbrella of care over the whole group—and invitations like "a few of us are heading to Agrigento, anyone want to join?" were open to everyone.
Andrew drew a distinction he believes in: a community isn't a fan club. A fan club shares an interest; a community also looks out for each other.
Traveling Solo, Without Feeling Like a Third Wheel
About 30% of Good Life Abroad travelers come solo. Shirley and two other solo travelers in her group hit it off, but she never felt like a third wheel. Couples and solo travelers mixed easily—on an organized hike up Mount Pellegrino, for example—and sometimes one half of a couple and a solo traveler would head off together to something the other partner wasn't interested in.
She did say she wouldn't have wanted to be the only solo traveler in the group. For those who want that assurance, Solo Traveler Sessions are reserved entirely for solo travelers and always include a more affordable studio option.
Meet the Community Manager
Andrew calls the Community Manager the linchpin of the program. Beyond organizing activities, they share local events, meet with each traveler early on to learn their interests, and help plan everything from a museum day to a weekend in another region. They're available by WhatsApp Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and anytime for a true emergency. Andrew thinks of them as your local friend who knows all the cool things in town.
For Shirley, Palermo Community Manager Federica was "a gem." Born and raised in Palermo, she brought her love of the city to everything, including a lively, hands-on history session. If Federica didn't know the answer to a question, she found out. And when new interests surfaced partway through the month, she was there to help.
That support mattered most when Shirley missed a connecting flight and landed in Palermo alone at midnight. She stayed in touch with Federica the whole way, and a driver was waiting to bring her to the palazzo and help her inside. Shirley said the Community Manager created a real sense of safety and enriched the whole experience.
An Honest Look at What to Expect
Andrew was clear: this isn't a tour. There's no bus, life moves at a slower pace, and there's plenty of walking and public transportation. Living in a European city center is different from a suburb or a 55+ community back home, and a basic comfort with smartphone apps like WhatsApp and Google Maps helps.
Shirley's advice was about connectivity. Her pre-purchased eSIM didn't work on her phone, so she bought a local eSIM in Palermo, which worked right away. Next time, she'll wait and buy one on arrival—though travelers whose eSIMs worked might happily do the same thing again. Checking with your carrier about an international plan is another option.
Room for Serendipity
Shirley's favorite memory came from a weekend trip to Agrigento with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, who were traveling in Sicily. After an hour down a narrow country lane—she felt like they'd gone down the rabbit hole—they arrived at a family-run farm with a perfect sunset view of the Greek temples, peacocks (including her first white one), goats, and a homemade Sicilian breakfast. Her grandson had the time of his life.
She traveled in May, when it was warm but not humid. Andrew shared that Palermo is a wonderful winter escape, with programs running from February through spring and again in fall, and that destinations at a similar latitude—like Cagliari, Málaga, and Valencia—offer the same mild Mediterranean winters.
Practical Questions Answered
When to book: Most travelers book about nine months ahead. April, May, September, October, and February in the southern Mediterranean sell out quickly. Programs in the first half of 2027 are filling now, and some early birds are already booking 2028.
Insurance: Travel medical insurance is included, with $100,000 in medical and $500,000 in evacuation coverage. It acts as your primary insurance abroad, covers U.S. and Canadian travelers, and claims are submitted online. Andrew noted he's heard Medicare doesn't cover care abroad but isn't an expert. Trip cancellation insurance is separate and strongly recommended.
Short Stays include everything a Month-Long Signature Program does—welcome and farewell parties, the Community Manager, WhatsApp—with two of each weekly activity instead of four.
Flights and airport transfers aren't included. After booking, a program coordinator works with you until departure, with travel agent recommendations, packing tips, and city information. Many travelers coordinate shared taxis through the group WhatsApp before arriving.
Getting around: Uber and local apps like Bolt work in many cities, though some, like Palermo, are more taxi-based. Most travelers learn public transit and walk a mile or two without a second thought.
Visitors are welcome at no extra charge. Register them about a month ahead. Guests can join informal gatherings but not official activities.
Working remotely is common. Wi-Fi is strong across properties, and most activities fall midday Tuesday through Thursday, with happy hour in the early evening.
Bring Your Own Housing includes everything in the program except the apartment.
Paris is moving to the 16th arrondissement starting next year, with spacious apartments in a neighborhood Andrew describes as a French village inside Paris, an easy metro ride or a walk along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower.
New destinations: With about 25 cities across Europe, the focus now is on deepening existing programs, with a new destination added occasionally.
Ready to Learn More?
Click Book Now on our website to search by city, dates, apartment size, and number of travelers, and see availability and pricing per person. Programs include your apartment, all scheduled community activities, your Community Manager, and travel medical insurance. Airfare, airport transfers, phone service, and optional trips aren't included. A $495 per-person deposit holds your spot, with about half the balance due upfront and the rest closer to departure.
Shirley's group has already met on Zoom since coming home, and a reunion is planned for this summer—13 Americans and 2 Canadians gathering in Canada. Her parting thought was that technology will never replace real human connection, and The Good Life Abroad is a place where real friendships form. Andrew agreed: virtual reality can't compare to physical reality, and artificial intelligence is nothing compared to emotional intelligence.
Curious where a Month-Long Signature Program or Short Stay could take you? Explore our destinations, request a free catalog, or sign up for an upcoming webinar to hear more firsthand stories from our alumni and team.