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Escape Artist A new book gives you the know-how to fly the coop at any age 
In the film, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” many of us watched a middle-aged Diane Lane say “arrivederci” to her American life in exchange for an Italian villa. But few of us probably considered following her. According to Rosanne Knorr, author of “The Grown-Up’s Guide to Running Away From Home” (Ten Speed, 2008), life as an expat isn’t as daunting as one might expect. “I didn’t get the junior year abroad, so I took the ‘senior’ year abroad,” says Knorr, who moved with her husband to a village in France. Although the big move involves careful planning and quite a bit of effort, Knorr says it doesn’t necessarily have to include a hit to the wallet. She says more and more Americans are choosing to spend their retirement in portions of Mexico and South America. “I consider [Mexico] a U.S. suburb now because there are so many Americans over there,” she says. She notes that Panama and Costa Rica are also particularly popular. For Knorr and her husband, the undertaking was worth it, largely in part because of the health benefits living abroad offered. “Despite all the work in getting over there, it was a liberating experience to get out of the routine and the rut and the responsibilities of adult life,” she says. “You feel like a real kid again because you’re seeing the world. It wakes you up and revitalizes you.” She adds that for her, because Europeans tend to eat smaller portions and include more fresh food, the diet was healthier. And because most foreign countries “don’t live on the car culture like we do,” exercise felt like a routine part of daily life. “They’re not overweight in Europe like we are,” she says. “You walk more. I was in better shape – I biked, I walked, you just don’t use a car, and we weren’t sitting home watching TV. We were out enjoying ourselves.” Knorr says barring any major health issues, a life “Under the Tuscan Sun” is possible at any age. “Anybody that has the dream to enjoy the experience and is healthy can do it,” she says. |
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