Bruce spent over 30 years in small town Wisconsin. A certified registered nurse anesthetist, on call at two tiny hospitals in Platville and Darlington. Recently divorced. 13 acres of land back home and a plan to keep working until at least his full retirement age of 66 and 8 months.

He retired early instead, and he did not go back.

Watch Bruce's full story here

The Visit That Changed the Plan

Bruce had already been to the Philippines three times before he ever considered moving. On his last trip he did exactly what he had heard on our channel, touring BGC, Davao, and Cebu before landing back in BGC for good.

The reason was simple. Everything else in Manila requires booking a Grab to get anywhere. In BGC he can walk end to end in about 20 minutes. He found a two bedroom condo on the 30th floor, over 80 square meters, overlooking the Manila American War Memorial Cemetery, for $1,000 a month. He still sits on the balcony most mornings with his coffee.

What He Tried First

Bruce almost did this alone. He found a unit listed at the Bellagio that looked perfect and reached out directly.

The realtor told him it was no longer available, then immediately asked what else he was looking for so they could find him something instead. He recognized it instantly as the bait and switch he had heard about on our videos, a nice looking unit posted purely to get foreigners to inquire, then quietly swapped for something else entirely.

That was the moment he decided to stop trying to figure it out on his own.

The Bill That Says Everything

Bruce had a skin cancer removed before he left the United States. Six months later he was due for a full body follow up exam. Medicare and his supplemental insurance do not pay for anything outside the country, so he booked an appointment at St. Luke's, a 20 minute walk from his condo, and paid out of pocket.

The same appointment in the United States would have run into the hundreds of dollars even with insurance involved.

The bill at St. Luke's came to 2,000 pesos. Less than 40 dollars.

He also joined a gym for about 26 dollars a month and hired a personal trainer for one on one sessions at under 20 dollars an hour, the kind of individual attention that would run 40 to 60 dollars an hour back home, if you could even get a trainer to yourself instead of splitting one across six or eight people.

What Actually Changed

Bruce worried before the move that he would lose touch with his kids. The opposite happened. He talks to them more now on WhatsApp than he did living alone in Wisconsin.

He is still waiting on his SRRV and ACR card, still signing five contracts in triplicate for a lease, still getting used to a country where the government moves at its own pace. None of it has made him want to leave.

His plan now is the exact reverse of what he expected walking in. The Philippines is home. The United States is where he goes on vacation.

Start your move to the Philippines the right way.

Travel Well,
Evan Lorezca
The Savvy Expat