Retiring Overseas; Cheaper Than Therapy, So I Wrote a Book

I never set out to write a book about retiring overseas. In fact, I never really imagined writing a book at all. At least not one anyone would actually read.

I’ve always written. I started as a teenager, scribbling moody poetry into dog-eared notebooks, pouring my existential teenage dread into every overly dramatic line. Most of it still exists, which is unfortunate. That stuff should have been burned in a backyard bonfire the moment I graduated high school. But somewhere in the mess of metaphor and angst was the beginning of a writer.

Later, I wrote scripts for documentaries, believing that storytelling could change the world. What I learned was that storytelling doesn’t always pay the bills. Turns out passion and “thoughtful awareness” don’t translate into rent money. So I shifted gears and started writing for corporate clients and non-profits. Proposals, outlines, funding pitches, video treatments. It wasn’t always exciting, but it sharpened my writing and taught me how to be clear, persuasive, and concise. Three things I’m still working on, to be honest.

Through all of that, I kept writing for myself. I’ve got notebooks tucked into drawers, wedged between couch cushions, stuffed into travel bags. I usually have at least two going at any one time. Some are journals. Some are just catch-alls for thoughts, rants, and reminders that I need to buy more coffee.

The Start of Frazzledad

Then came the blog.

In 2016, after two kids and not nearly enough sleep, I started Frazzledad.com as a way to make sense of the chaos of parenting. It started off as a kind of digital journal, a place to vent about the absurdity and joy of raising small humans. Over time, it morphed into a mix of stories, reflections, and slice-of-life updates. I never set out to build a brand or launch a writing career with it. I just wanted to write honestly, and maybe make a few people laugh or nod along in solidarity.

But then something happened.

I started thinking about retirement. Or more specifically, about how impossible it felt. I was in my sixties, with two kids still at home, and the numbers didn’t add up. Not for the kind of retirement I’d dreamed of. The math said I’d be working into my eighties, or living on crackers and ketchup soup. That didn’t sit well.

From Quiet Panic to Excitement

So I started researching. I went down rabbit holes about retiring overseas, comparing cost of living, healthcare, residency requirements, safety, weather, transportation, and how easy it would be to get a decent burger. What started as a quiet panic turned into something more like curiosity, and then excitement. I realized there were actually places where we could live well for less. Places where retirement could still mean freedom and adventure, not just survival.

Over the next two years, I dug deeper. I watched webinars, bookmarked forums, and read every article I could find. I joined expat groups. Then I asked tons of questions. I made lists. And somewhere along the way, I thought, maybe I should write all this down. Maybe someone else was in the same boat I was, wondering how to make retirement work when the traditional path wasn’t cutting it. Maybe others were looking at retiring overseas.

And that’s how Overseas by Design: The Savvy Retiree’s Roadmap to Living Abroad came to life.

It didn’t happen overnight. Writing a book, as it turns out, is hard. Really hard. Especially when you’re balancing family, work, and the creeping doubt that maybe no one will care what you have to say. But I kept going. Bit by bit, chapter by chapter, I shaped it into something I’m genuinely proud of. I think I did it more for me than anyone else.

A Book is Born

The book launches on July 18. For the first two days, it’ll be available as an ebook for $2.99, which is less than a fancy coffee and won’t give you heartburn. I wanted to sell it at $1.99 for the first 48 hours, but turns out Amazon won’t let me. Despite that, I think it’s still a great deal, considering everything I’ve packed into it. I would be thrilled if you dropped a couple of bucks and picked up a digital copy. I’m hoping I can get a Bestseller ranking, so my strategy is promote hard for the first 48 hours.

I’m also publishing a paperback version, mostly because I still love the feel of a real book in my hands. I have a secret thrill of excitement, imagining someone with a dog-eared copy of my book sitting on their bedside table!

If you’ve ever thought about retiring overseas, or even just want to imagine a life somewhere warmer and cheaper, I think you’ll find something in it worth reading.

This isn’t a sales pitch. Okay, maybe it is a little. But mostly it’s just me sharing where I’ve been, and why I wrote this book in the first place. It came from the same place as this blog. A need to make sense of life, to connect with others, and to leave something behind that might help someone else navigate the chaos.

From Dreaming to Doing

Thanks for reading, whether you’ve been following Frazzledad for years, or just stumbled onto this post. I hope the book finds its way to the right people, and maybe even inspires a few to take that leap they’ve been dreaming about.

And if nothing else, it proves that even a frazzled old dad with too many notebooks and a healthy skepticism of Amazon can still get a book out into the world.

Oh, and by the way, I’ve found my own dream retirement. And I can’t wait…