Ep 12: I Moved to Panama Without Seeing It First… Here’s Why

Moving to another country is a monumental decision. Most people spend months—even years—meticulously planning, researching, and visiting their destination before ever packing a box. But when Sable decided to relocate to Panama, she did it completely differently: she packed her life and moved without ever setting foot in the country first.

In this episode of The Bougie Expat Podcast, Sable pulls back the curtain on the real reasons behind her leap of faith. She shares the strategic priorities that helped her choose Panama over other popular expat destinations, how she weighed the risks of moving sight-unseen, and what actually mattered most when it came to long-term quality of life.

This is not just a story about a spontaneous move. It's an honest look at how to evaluate a new country based on lifestyle, infrastructure, healthcare, and safety rather than just beautiful beaches and warm weather.

Sable dives deep into the practical realities of her transition, including the real cost of living, the healthcare system, infrastructure, and the things that completely caught her by surprise once she arrived. Whether you are actively planning your move or just beginning to dream about what is possible, this episode is a masterclass in trusting your decision-making and prioritizing what truly matters for your next chapter.

This episode is for Black women over 40 who are ready to stop overthinking, start evaluating their options practically, and discover what it really takes to build a thriving, secure, and beautiful life abroad.

In This Episode

• Moving to Panama without ever visiting first
• Why Sable chose a different path than the traditional "research trip"
• How Panama stood out compared to other popular expat destinations
• The specific priorities that guided her decision-making process
• Healthcare in Panama: What you actually need to know
• Evaluating safety, security, and local infrastructure
• The truth about transportation and getting around
• The real cost of living and managing your budget
• The biggest surprises that came after landing in Panama
• Why living abroad is about long-term quality of life, not just vacation vibes
• Practical advice for anyone considering Panama as their next home

Thank you for listening to The Bougie Expat Podcast.

If this episode spoke to you, subscribe to the podcast and share it with another Black woman over 40 who has been thinking about relocating abroad, retiring overseas, or designing a new chapter with more freedom, peace, and intention.

Join Sable, your bougie girlfriend:

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572263316409

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thebougieexpats?igsh=MXc2d2FqdHA3MW42bw==

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sableryan/

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@thebougieexpat

Transcript

Sable 0:00

There were some things I did absolutely take in consideration because it was only about four or five years prior I had been in Costa Rica and I was walking the streets and I thought, wow, I could retire here. She's done waiting. She's done shrinking. And she's done building empires in rooms that were never designed for her. This is the Bougie Expat, the podcast for black women over 40 who are ready to reinvent their lives, rebuild their income, and relocate with intention. If you're done settling in corporate, tired of environments that no longer feel aligned, or quietly planning your next move, you are in the right place. Hosted by Sable live from Panama City, Panama. Seven countries, four continents, one move she made in five months flat. Income strategies, exit plans, or a life designed to actually fit you without starting over broke. Let's get into it. So I'm probably gonna surprise you with my response on this one because I get this question all the time. Why Panama? Why did you decide to move there of all the places in the world? So I'm not gonna give you this long response of, oh, I researched all these various countries and I looked at the cost of living in the healthcare system, and then I looked at the infrastructure, and then I went on three scouting trips, and then I went back and I went and checked out housing, and then I then I then I then I bought no, I didn't do all that. I didn't. I had decided that when I retired, it definitely was not going to be in the United States. I knew that for sure. I knew that from like when I was living in another country, I always knew I wasn't gonna finish my last days on US soil. Then I always knew, well maybe not always, but I kind of knew I wanted to really relax. I wanted to be in a relaxing environment, so much so that my mantra became sister locks, tank tops, and flip-flops. That was the vision I had for my retirement. I just saw myself not being all entangled and pressured about my appearance in the way that I was in the United States about how my hair had to look, so I could be considered to be professional, or how my clothes had to look, or all the things that we, you know, kind of get caught up and worried about. And so I knew I didn't want that as I was kind of taking it down and slowing it down a bit. So when I decided that it was going to be Panama, there were some things I did absolutely take in consideration because it was only about four or five years prior I had been in Costa Rica and I was walking the streets and I thought, wow, I could retire here. I think I want to buy some investment property here. I kind of like this place. But when I was about to settle, Costa Rica was not even on my radar for some reason. And really, there weren't too many other places on my radar. I just kept saying for the last five years that you know what? I'm gonna retire to Panama. Yep, I'm gonna retire to Panama in five years. That's what I'm going to do. And what had really stood out for me was one, I knew for sure that the language, while I was not fluent in Spanish, but I had enough that I could maneuver. Now I had lived in other countries where I didn't know a single word when I arrived in that country. I mean, I have lived in countries like the only thing I knew was they spoke another language. Now, yeah, they spoke English, but sometimes English is not English. Because you can go into a country and they're like, yeah, we speak English, and you hear a lot of people speaking English, and you can't understand them, and they can't understand you. So it's not always about moving to a country where they always speak, they speak English, because the English language, there's American English, there's British English, there's Canadian English. I mean, there's all versions of English. And yes, it gives you a foundation, but sometimes even the tone of how each person says the word from plumber to plumber could also cause some challenges. So I knew that Spanish was something that I could probably soon or later get a handle on. I also knew that there was strong infrastructure. And as a person who has lived in countries where there was lack of infrastructure, where I needed to have a well in my backyard or a borehole, otherwise, there was not going to be any water in that house, where I was mainly a supplement, a major supplement to my electricity supply, because the electricity was so unstable that if I didn't have a generator or if I didn't have an inverter to give me power, then there was not going to be any electricity in that home. I also knew that I wanted to live someplace where there was gonna I was gonna feel safe, where security was not going to be an issue. And so looking at Panama, I knew that that was not gonna be a concern. I have lived in places that by 8 p.m. you better be in your house, you better have that door locked down, heavy security doors, you know, with fences this high that were wrapped around in bob wire because security was definitely a concern. So I knew in my old age, security is not something I wanted to worry about. I also knew that I wanted to be someplace where healthcare was going to be strong. Understanding that not only was Panama the number one destination by international living for retirees, and healthcare being one of the indicators because they have some of the best health care in this country. It also has a country where you can use your Medicare, you can use vet benefits, you know, there's different ways to use those. I knew that that resonated with me. I knew that coming somewhere as you start to mature in age, you need to have good health care. And not only good health care, accessible, easily accessible, and health care that also is affordable. And so those were also part of my considerations. My consideration also was around community. I wanted to be someplace where I was not going to be the only person that looked like me. I always kind of had a dream of living in another country, and no matter where I stood in that country, from far away, you couldn't tell if I was an insider or an outsider. That was kind of like important to me as well. Um, having an expat community was also really important because as you have an expat community, every once in a while you just want to speak your home language, like you don't want to be explaining anything, you don't you want to just like tell some jokes and everybody get that joke, you want to hear your music, you want to do your dance, you want to eat your food, you just want feeling of home and understanding that um Panama had a black expat community that was very vibrant and alive for many, many, many, many years. I mean, like over 20 years, this thing has been pumping, and that also was a major attraction for me. And housing, I knew affordability was also here. I knew affordability was here in housing. Um, I have a beautiful apartment. Someone just came to visit me the other day, and she's like, I cannot believe this is how you're living. And um, so housing is very affordable. Uh, basic things for infrastructure for your housing, getting utilities, getting things like internet and electricity and water are so simple to get that that was also very important. And so, when you're thinking about moving, you have to also think about the ease of your transition. And that this was such an easy transition because infrastructure in this country was so um is so established. Transportation is also something that was a consideration for me. Where am I going to have to drive? Um, I've lived somewhere where I was able to drive. I've lived in most countries where I was able to drive and where I also had my own car. I've lived also where I've also had to have drivers to take me to certain places because it was too dangerous for me to drive by myself, and also places where I was able to drive also by myself as well. So I knew that that was something transportation was important. Here I do not have a car, I don't plan on owning a car anytime too soon, and I usually use Uber everywhere I go. If I decided I want to take public transportation, it is a breeze and it is so unbelievably affordable that I could do that. But at this age and stage, I've kind of made Uber my best friend. I've kind of decided that that is kind of how I wanted to be uh going around the city, but there's options, and so that was also important because you do want to have various options for taking transportation. So transportation is something I also did some consideration around. So each one of these things were just considerations, they were considerations that Panama had um actually kind of scored A for me in that knowing that I can move someplace, I was gonna be having an easy transition, I was gonna be bumping into people that look like me, I would be able to uh move around just you know, somewhat in the language that I was gonna be able to live in a place that I felt super comfortable with. I wouldn't feel like I was downgrading in my lifestyle, but I was also being able to maintain the lifestyle that I became accustomed to at an affordable rate, at a retiree's rate, right? At a non-working rate. So those were some of the things that were super important for me. And Panama just kind of hit each one of them. I would say this, as many of you already know, I did not visit before I came. I did come sight unseen, and I was surprised by a lot of things. A lot of things did surprise me in a good way. Um, I did not expect to see high rises everywhere, and that is kind of nice because that gave me a such an abundant amount of places to choose from. I did not expect to be in having a choice of so many luxury apartments with beautiful furnishings, that was all throughout the place, so that was really cool. So that was unexpected and made me really confirm in my choice. I went to the doctor while I was here, um, and I heard that a healthcare was affordable, but I didn't realize it was going to be such an ease that I just walk in, I would see someone, um, and some of the people did speak English, a lot of them only spoke Spanish, but I was able to communicate enough to get my health care needs taken care of during that visit. So that was also a pleasant surprise. So while I did not have like the every detail of those things, what I found out as I've been living here has been pleasantly surprising. I'm so I was very surprised to see there was a store very similar to Costco and Sam's here. Nice surprise that I can now also enjoy bulk pricing and um buying bulk items and having a lot of items from the US brand also here. So while um those things were not super important to me, it's nice that I can actually enjoy them now that I do have access to you. So I would say when you're thinking about moving somewhere, yeah, have your list of things that are important to you. But I also would say this remember this, you are taking you with you. And wherever you're going, yeah, they can have all the things that are on your checklist, but at the end of the day, it's how you fit into that place. And I kind of move to places thinking like, hey, how do you guys flow? That's how I'm gonna flow. I'm not expecting them to flow the way I have always flown or my expectations. I'm learning of how their culture is, I'm learning of how uh they interact with each other. So I'm learning that when I go to a restaurant, if I need my bill, I'm gonna have to ask for it, right? I'm not saying, well, where's my bill? Because that's part of their culture. I'm learning that as I walk the streets here, that O lot is not how people greet each other by saying hello, it's Buenos. So you learn and you adapt. If adapting to new cultures, if adapting to new way of doing things, if you're like my way or the highway, it has been your way of life, even in the United States. I don't care what country you move to, you're gonna have a little struggle. You are going to have a struggle. So Panama has worked out beautifully for me. I love the environment. I love the fact that I have easy access to the United States. I can go back as much as many times as I want. It's not a long flight, it's just a couple of hours. I love the fact that they have nonstop to so many different places, so many different airlines also appear. So it hits all the important markers for you. For me, get your markers, know what's important for you, know who you are as a human being, if you're a person who is flexible, if you're a person who likes things the way you like things, understand that about yourself because that also will affect how you move, right? Because if you're a person who doesn't like a lot of change, then you want to move someplace that's very similar to where you're moving from. So you don't have to deal with a lot of change. I mean, I have gone to countries and lived in countries where putting toilet paper inside the toilet bowl was not allowed because of their system of drainage. Now, if that's gonna freak you out, you better know that before you go to that country, or you just better know that hey, things are gonna be different. So these are my tips why I moved to Panama. I am so sorry for those of you who thought I was gonna give you all the research that I had done and all the links of all the websites and all the people I spoke to. No, I'm just a girl who took a chance on something that she's always been dreaming at, and now she is living a dream. That's me, Sable, your bougie girlfriend, so you continue to live an elevated life. That's a wrap. And if this episode resonated with you, go ahead and follow the podcast and share it with another woman who's ready for her next chapter. And if you're ready to move beyond thinking and start building your exit strategy, I invite you to join me inside my live experience at the Elevated Exit Masterclass. You'll find the link in the show notes. Until next time, make your next move a bougie one.