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Should I retire overseas?

Alan and Ros Cuthbertson are living their dream. The Queensland couple, both in their 60s, packed up and sold up in 2014 to fund their ideal retirement lifestyle, travelling the world.

The former IT manager and disability worker are currently based in Nha Trang Bay in Vietnam but have lived in several countries since retiring, including long stints in Thailand, France and Singapore.

After paying off their mortgage and seeing their children grow up and leave home, Ros and Alan were ready for a better quality of life.

“The cost of living in Vietnam is less than half that of Australia,” says Ros. “Rent is around 70% cheaper here and you could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for around $5 a day if you wanted to.” 

Their website and Facebook page, frequenttraveller.com.au, is full of advice on planning the perfect holiday with tips on how to make your travel dollars go further. 

“We save on frequent flyer points and find savings on a range of tours and cruises,” says Ros. “We also house and pet sit, which allowed us to live in England for six months, which was fantastic.”

During the COVID pandemic, the couple returned to Queensland to stay with their adult children, but once international travel bans lifted, they got their roving retirement lifestyle back on track.

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