Our Story

Before 2020 — before the pandemic changed the world — we were living a usual American life in California, raising our two children and doing what most families do: working hard, planning for the future, and wondering if there might be another way to achieve a better life balance.

In 2020, we made a decision that would change everything.

We left the United States for Granada, Spain, and our adult children came with us. What began as a temporary move quickly became a life-changing journey. From that moment on, the adventure truly began.

Over the years, we have lived and experienced life in:

Granada, Spain
Durrës and Shkodër, Albania
Antalya and Konya, Türkiye
Mandalay, Myanmar
Hua Hin, Thailand
Penang, Malaysia
Panama City, Panama
Pereira, Colombia

Each country taught us something different — not just about the cost of living, healthcare, housing, or visas — but about family, community, culture, and what truly matters in life.

We also learned that despite the differences, we all share commonalities and goals across all walks of life. Living abroad showed us the importance of togetherness, both within our own family and within the communities we became part of.

Community life abroad is profoundly different from life in the United States. Neighbors talk to one another. People slow down. Relationships matter. In many places, the stress level is dramatically lower. Greater emphasis was on the quality of life everywhere we went.

Along the way, we formed lifelong friendships with people from all over the world, including many Americans who had already been living abroad for years. Through them, and through our own experience, we discovered something surprising:

Living abroad does not require lots of money!

We met Americans living comfortably on Social Security or pensions. Some supplemented their income by teaching English online. Others used savings strategically or combined a few income sources.

The benefit of simplifying their lifestyle is what we also experienced: contentment, lower stress, safety, and access to excellent healthcare in most countries.

For these reasons, we created G.L.A.D. Global Connections. We want everyone to "Go Live and Discover" just like we did!

We want people to know that living abroad is not just a dream — and it’s not a scam, or a social media fantasy, or an influencer highlight reel. It is a real, achievable lifestyle, even on a fixed or modest income, when done with the right knowledge and mindset.

We have lived it.

We have experienced: