5 Best Gay Countries for Slow Travel in Retirement | Queer Money Ep. 659

Where should you actually retire abroad? Maybe you should stop vacationing there first.Seven days of hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and cocktails tells you whether you like a vacation destination. It doesn't tell you whether you'd enjoy buying groceries, finding a doctor, navigating public transportation and doing absolutely nothing on a Saturday there.

And it definitely doesn't tell you what it feels like to live there as a gay person when Pride isn't happening.

In this episode of Queer Money®, we're ranking the 5 best gay-friendly countries for slow travel, especially for Americans who may secretly be test-driving their future retirement.

We started with more than 40 countries recommended by experienced slow travelers and put them through the Queer Money Slow Travel Test: LGBTQ+ friendliness, staying power, ease of everyday life, healthcare access and the ability to experience multiple potential retirement lifestyles.

And our #2 country surprised even us.

🌈 The Top 5:🇦🇷 #5 Argentina – Buenos Aires gives you world-class city life, while Mendoza, Córdoba and Patagonia let you test completely different retirement lifestyles.

🇧🇷 #4 Brazil – Rio, São Paulo and Florianópolis offer incredible variety, with visitor stays potentially reaching 180 days and retirement residency options for qualifying retirees.

🇹🇭 #3 Thailand – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the southern beaches combine affordability, healthcare, infrastructure and a huge international community.

🇨🇱 #2 Chile – The surprise of the list. From Santiago to wine country, beaches and Patagonia, Chile offers enormous variety plus surprisingly strong LGBTQ+ protections.

🇪🇸 #1 Spain – Madrid, Valencia, Málaga, Gran Canaria, northern Spain and, yes, Sitges. World-class transportation, healthcare, LGBTQ+ acceptance and dramatically different lifestyles make Spain our best country for slow-traveling your way toward retirement.

💡 Takeaways from this episode:🏳️‍🌈 Why LGBTQ+ laws AND public acceptance matter when test-driving a retirement destination🛂 How long Americans can potentially stay in each country before pursuing residency🏥 Why healthcare access needs to be part of your test drive💰 Why your vacation budget isn't your retirement budget🌎 Why staying somewhere during its less-fabulous season can tell you more than visiting during perfect weather🏠 Why you should rent in a real neighborhood instead of living in a hotel

Before choosing your retirement destination: