Living the dream
Retire to the sunny south. Isn’t that the dream? What if you could retire early to the Caribbean or Central America? Isn’t that the dream on steroids’? In one of my first blogs, “Is Retiring Like Quitting Sugar“, I mentioned my friend Ryan, and how he retired early to Costa Rica. So today’s post is about that dream…on steroids! Or as Ryan always says, “Livin’ the dream” – “Pura Vida”!
Let’s start at the beginning; in that previous blog I said Ryan went “cold turkey” from working. At 42 years old, at the peak of his career he told me he was “retiring, selling everything and moving to Costa Rica at the end of October”. And he dropped this bombshell on me this the middle of October 2020.
Even pre-COVID, you have to know that you just don’t wake up on a Tuesday, snap your fingers, and make something like this happen. So after my “what the f@#% Ryan” moment passed…I got the rest of the details. Ryan and his partner Yannick were indeed selling everything and moving to beautiful Nosara, Costa Rica.
Living the Costa Rican Dream
Being mildly geographically challenged, I rushed to Google it! So, west coast of the country, on the Pacific Ocean side; closer to Nicaragua than Panama.
A Central American country known for its rainforests, beaches, volcanoes, and fabulous biodiversity. Apparently it’s “the” place to trek, ride motorcycles, do yoga, surf, and scuba dive. And like any good friend with a bestie announcing a life changing decision of this magnitude, I said, “hey, when can I come and visit”? Honestly, Costa Rica has been on my bucket list for years!
Turns out you can snap your fingers, sell everything, retire, and move to Costa Rica…if you have a plan. Unbeknownst to me, Ryan had always planned to retire in his early forties, and had been planning that part of his personal strategy since his teens. He might not have known the where, but apparently he’s always known the when. Once I found out there was a real plan, then I realized that this was my buddy Ryan after all…strategic thinker, always with a plan A, B, and C, in his back pocket! The lunacy of this brave new plan unfolded this way:
- Bought an investment property in Nosara in January 2020
- Put their Port Perry home on the market in May
- Downsized their lives to the size of one shipping container in August
- Sold the house in September
- Got married, pre-retired, and relocated in October
- And opened the doors to their freshly renovated, spectacular five star B&B in November.
And what’s really amazing, is that Corona hit, derailing their July relocation(that’s the value of having a plan A, B, C)! That, and the fact that all of this was accomplished both virtually and remotely. Who says men can’t multi-task!
In fairness, and the in the spirit of full disclosure, the saving grace for this ambitious and initially derailed plan was Yannick’s sister, Cynthia. She was already living Nosara. She stepped in and became their eyes and ears on the ground. It didn’t hurt that her keen eyes were those of an interior decora
So now let’s circle back to the title of this post, Serial Retirement: Opening a Five Star B&B in Beautiful Costa Rica. I’m taking credit for coining the phrase “serial retirement” because it’s totally going to catch on; and you heard it here first! Retiring, and taking your pension is retiring. Saying you’re retiring, taking your pension to underwrite your dream job is serial retirement. And my research seems to show that this is what modern retirement is looking like!
Ryan and Yannick may call their Bed & Breakfast, a hobby or a labour of love, but it’s still a different form of working. At least in my mind. He’s gone from a fire chief to a hotelier. Welcome to Casa Vitality!
Living the Five Star B&B Dream
So what does “retirement life” look like at a five star B&B in beautiful Costa Rica? Aside from the breath-taking views, incredible wildlife, amazing weather, white sand beaches, and a fascinating ex-pat community…what’s life like? According to Ryan, “weirdly like the fire hall”, with a few notable exceptions.
Clearly some of the differences are self-explanatory! But what’s “weirdly like the fire hall”?
Living the “Weirdly Like the Fire Hall” Dream
Seriously, how is any of this “weirdly like the fire hall”? Well, I’ll tell you. Because there’s two sides to the fire service. The public side; and the “behind the bay doors” side. The public side of the fire services looks cool and adventurous. Saving lives, having the kind of job that many people envy, but one that few actually step up to do. Then there’s the private side that requires long hours, hard work, constant upgrading, and endless chores. See where I’m going with this?!
Ryan might have been a fire chief in Ontario; he’s very frank in telling you that Yannick has six bars in Nosara. Like the fire hall, there’s staff to oversee, the need for a unified vision, on the spot problem solving, and the ability to do it all with a smile and good grace. Ryan is operations (deputy) and Yannick is administration (chief). And like the fire hall, the “having guests in your casa” is a 24-7 operation and requires the same type of total personal commitment to the well-being of others.
Living The “24-7 Operation” Dream?
Okay, so now I’m perplexed. How is this retired? How can this feel like an enjoyable, happy retirement? This is really where the serial retirement concept comes in. Using your pension to fulfill dreams and goals. Ryan and Yannick choose all of this. They love entertaining the people. They love the location, the climate, and the rainforest with all it’s biodiversity. But they love the hustle and bustle of growing and running it all too. Let’s not forget, they’re inviting us into their home.
This feels like retirement for them because it’s a labour of love. They’re totally psyched about growing and building their dream. Working, to them, would be doing all this for someone else. They’re retirement entrepreneurs.
Ryan’s performance measurements are no longer fire reduction, total community smoke alarms, or reduced employee sick time. Now it’s being fully booked, multiple repeat customers, and people thoroughly enjoying their hospitality, and saying so on TripAdvisor! Remember, the Ryan I know loves strategy, tactics, data, deliverables, planning, finance, and operationalizing it all.
Serial retirement is taking all the skills/tasks that you thoroughly enjoyed and excelled at from your day job; and putting them, and your financial resources, to work for yourself. That’s what makes it joyful. This is how, and why, running a spectacular five star B&B in Costa Rica can feel like retirement!
Living the Pura Vida Dream
So what’s next? I have sooooo many more questions of Ryan; and apparently, so do all of you. Questions started pouring in yesterday after I posted that this blog was “coming soon” on my Instagram page. This will definitely a multi-part blog. Ryan will probably be doing a guest blogger appearance here in the near future. Followed by a podcast, live from Nosara. Why? Because this is all way too interesting for just one post!
Stay tuned for the future posts when Ryan will talk more about what it’s like to move to another country. And I’m not talking about being a snowbird. I’m talking about the logistics, and the emotions, of selling virtually everything, and moving lock, stock, and barrel. How do you move to another country?
What are the rules for taking up permanent residency in another country? I mean Ryan is an awesome guy and all; but aren’t there regulations to follow? They just let you in??? What are you giving up? What are the advantages of Costa Rican citizenship verses Canadian citizenship? What if you hate it and want to move home? What made you decide to do any of this? What’s made it easier living so far from home? What’s the ex-pat community like? Having a plan to retire early and being able to is one thing. But when push came to shove, what made Ryan execute the plan? What tipped the scale for him in terms of having the career of a life time to walking away from the career of a life time?
What questions do you have? What’s your does your Pura Vida retirement look like?
Cynthia Ross Tustin retired early to pursue her passion for writing. Turns out, she's equally passionate about retirement! This author has spent 1000s of hours researching all the best that retirement has to offer. What you'll find here is a well-curated resource of amazing places to go and fun things to do as your retirement approaches. Not retired, no problem! There's plenty here for all of us that are "of a certain vintage"!