Retire abroad

Gay Retire Abroad: The World Collection

Seven countries to begin again after fifty, from France and Italy to Thailand and beyond, a Compasserie Collection.

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Researched and verified September 2026, against official or primary sources.

How it begins

France sits near the top of the world's retirement dreams, and it earns its place: it offers an unmatched quality of life, beauty, culture, food, and an art of living, la douceur de vivre, that the French have refined over centuries, along with one of the strongest healthcare systems in the world.
Gay Retire Abroad: The World Collection, chapter one

What is inside

7 places, in one book.

Each gets the full treatment, the same 12 chapters a single guide would give it.

France

Why Gay Men Dream of Retiring in France
The Best Places for Gay Retirees
The Money: What It Really Costs
Visas and Residency
Healthcare: Among the World's Strongest
Feeling at Home: Community, Language, and Welcome
Safety and Peace of Mind
Practical Life: Banking, Home, and Daily Rhythm
Taxes and Your Money Across Borders
Making the Move: A Sensible Timeline
A Week Scouting the Southwest
Your Pre-Move Checklist

Italy

Why Gay Men Dream of Retiring in Italy
The Best Places for Gay Retirees
The Money: What It Really Costs
Visas and Residency
Healthcare: Among the World's Best
Feeling at Home: Community and the Honest Picture
Safety and Peace of Mind
Practical Life: Banking, Home, and Daily Rhythm
Taxes and Your Money Across Borders
Making the Move: A Sensible Timeline
A Week Scouting Puglia or Bologna
Your Pre-Move Checklist

Greece

Why Gay Men Are Discovering Greece
The Best Places for Gay Retirees
The Money: What It Really Costs
Visas and Residency
Healthcare: Good and Affordable
Feeling at Home: Community and Welcome
Safety and Peace of Mind
Practical Life: Banking, Home, and Daily Rhythm
Taxes and Your Money Across Borders
Making the Move: A Sensible Timeline
A Week Scouting Athens and Crete
Your Pre-Move Checklist

Colombia

Why Colombia, and Why Now
Where to Land: The Places That Fit This Life
What It Really Costs to Live Well
Visas and Residency
Healthcare and Insurance
Money, Banking, and Taxes Across Borders
Finding and Making a Home
Safety, Confidence, and Being Out
Building Your Circle
Everyday Life
A Country Within Reach
The First Ninety Days

Thailand

Why Gay Men Choose Thailand
The Best Places for Gay Retirees
The Money: What It Really Costs
Visas and Residency: Know the Rules
Healthcare: World-Class and Remarkably Cheap
Feeling at Home: Community and Welcome
Safety and Peace of Mind
Practical Life: Banking, Home, and Getting Around
Taxes and Your Money Across Borders
Making the Move: A Sensible Timeline
A Week Scouting Chiang Mai
Your Pre-Move Checklist

Vietnam

Why Vietnam, and Why Now
Where to Land: A Long and Varied Country
What It Really Costs to Live Well
Visas and Long Stays
Healthcare and Insurance
Money, Banking, and Taxes Across Borders
Finding and Making a Home
Safety, Confidence, and Being Out
Building Your Circle
Everyday Life
A Region Within Reach
The First Ninety Days

the Philippines

Why the Philippines, and Why Now
Where to Land: Choosing Your Island
What It Really Costs to Live Well
Visas and Residency: The SRRV
Healthcare and Insurance
Money, Banking, and Taxes Across Borders
Finding and Making a Home
Safety, Confidence, and Being Out
Building Your Circle
Everyday Life
Islands Within Reach
The First Ninety Days

Nothing in any Compasserie guide is legal, medical, or immigration advice. Every guide names the authority that decides and the date it was checked.

Three lines from the checklist

Specific, or it is not worth your money.

The last working chapter of every guide is a checklist. Three of its lines, quoted exactly, as verified September 2026:

The 7 percent election calendar written down: tax residency in year one, application to the tax office by 31 March of year two, payment in one sum by the end of July.
The treaty position for your income mapped by a US-France cross-border adviser: Social Security, pensions and IRA distributions, dividends, and the property at home against the IFI's five-year exemption.
French begun at least a year before the move and continued after it; B1 is the level that makes the prefecture, the doctor, and the neighbours possible.

Quoted from the edition on sale today. Fares, opening hours, and entry rules move, which is why the book names the authority to confirm each one with and the month it was checked. If one of these has gone out of date, tell us at hello@compasserie.com and the edition gets corrected and reissued.

Stay current

When this guide stops being true, you will know.

Entry rules change, a museum moves its free hours, a neighborhood changes character. When that happens in a guide you are relying on, we correct the edition and we write to tell you. You will also hear when a new city goes up. That is the whole list.

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