This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Britt McAlister, 56, who left the US to retire in the Philippines. It's been edited for length and clarity.
I realized I wasn't happy with my life in the US.
After my divorce, I was working 12 to 15 hours a day as a sales manager in the roofing industry. Each day, I'd get a few hours of alone time, then go to sleep and do it all over again.
I had all the things I thought would make me happy: a car, a condo, a small yacht. But still, I felt like I was missing something.
A large part of it was social connection, especially after the pandemic. My family and old friends were in Georgia, where I grew up, while I was working and living in Alabama, where I found it hard to make genuine friends.
I could go to a bar and see people I knew, but I missed having someone I could call and say, "Let's grill out today. Let's invite some friends over." I tried pickleball and church, but everybody was paired up or had kids to get home to.
A move to Florida didn't help
I thought a change of environment might help, so I put my condo up for rent and spent six months in an Airbnb in Pensacola, Florida. But it was the same thing: the locals tended to s...