American Expat

What if the life you've been dreaming of is just one bold decision away? In 2021, amid global uncertainty and COVID lockdowns, Barbara Grassey left behind the familiar comforts of the United States and boarded a plane to Portugal. She had never set foot in the country, didn't know a soul, and couldn't speak the language. What she did know? It was time to stop waiting and start living. American Expat: Moving Abroad Solo After 60 is a candid, often funny, and deeply relatable travel memoir that chronicles Barbara's first year in Portugal-from the confusing bureaucracy of getting a visa to the nerve-wracking leap of faith that brought her across the Atlantic. Along the way, she learns how to navigate a new culture, build a new life from scratch, and rediscover a sense of freedom she didn't know she'd lost. Written for dreamers, doers, those with wanderlust, and anyone who's ever thought, "Maybe I'm too old" or "Maybe I shouldn't do this alone," this book is a powerful reminder that reinvention has no expiration date. Whether you're 35 or 75, partnered up or flying solo, American Expat shows you what's possible when you stop waiting for the right time or the right person-and go anyway. If you've ever dreamed of leaving the US, this book is your permission slip, your roadmap, your proof that it's never too late to change your life.