How Military Retirees Spend Months Overseas Without Moving Abroad

“We weren’t ready to go home.”

After several short visits to Rota, Spain, Bill and Linda realized a week no longer felt like enough. They wanted time to slow down, walk to favorite restaurants, join local events, use the military base, and experience daily life in a place they already loved.

Bill, an Army retiree, and his wife, Linda haven’t moved to Spain, but they found a way to make overseas travel part of their life for 1 to 3 months at a time. Their story shows how retired military travelers can turn a favorite overseas destination into a seasonal home base without moving abroad full time.

The First Trip to Rota

Bill and Linda’s first Space-A flight was also their first visit to Rota, in 2009. Linda had heard about Space-A travel from friends and started researching how it worked. She found Pepperd.com, an online forum with Space-A information and planned meetups for military retirees, including a Rota gathering called “Sun & Sangria” (S&S).

Always up for an adventure, Bill and Linda decided to attend. After a couple days of trial and error learning the ropes of Space-A, they took their first “hop” on a C-5 from Dover AFB to Rota.

By the end of that first trip, they had fallen for both the adventure of Space-A and the relaxed pace of life in Rota.

When One Week Isn’t Enough

Over the years, Bill and Linda came back to Rota multiple times with the S&S group and a couple times on their own. They stayed in base lodging and usually spent about a week.

After several trips, the usual vacation timeline started to feel too short. On one visit, Bill and Linda realized they didn’t want their time in Rota to end so quickly, so they began exploring apartment rentals and the possibility of an extended stay.

Their family was supportive. Linda had dealt with medical issues in the years before she and Bill resumed traveling, and their children encouraged her to make experiences like this a priority again.

“Mom, you got your health back,” Linda remembers them saying. “Get out and travel and enjoy life.”

Both Linda and Bill saw the extended stay as an adventure, and as Bill confirms, they never regretted their decision.

Linda describes the two of them with a laugh: “We’re old and we don’t know it.” They’ve learned to adjust their pace, but they haven’t lost their willingness to try something new and take calculated risks.

That mindset eventually led them from short stays in base lodging to a longer experiment: renting an apartment in town.

Linda now shares more about their travels on her Substack, Two Retirees & A Passport, including updates from Rota, Space-A travel, and other adventures in retirement.

Finding Apartments in Rota

Bill and Linda found their first apartment through a Facebook connection. Linda saw the listing and began corresponding with Alice, the owner, who sent photos of the apartment. At first, the unit was not available for their dates, but Linda stayed in touch. Several months later, she followed up, and Alice confirmed that it had opened up for the couple’s preferred timeframe.

Bill and Linda committed to the apartment for 3 months, though they still had one major concern: how could they know it was legitimate?

They had seen photos and exchanged messages, but they were still planning to fly to Spain for an apartment they had not seen in person. Linda worried they might send money up front and arrive in Rota with no place to stay.

Fortunately, Alice didn’t ask for any money up front. She simply told them they could take care of payment when they arrived.

“That made us feel a lot more confident that it was the real deal,” Linda explains.

With that reassurance, Linda and Bill traveled to Spain, this time flying commercial. And when they arrived at the apartment, they were greeted with wine and cheese, local recommendations, and sincere offers to help with anything they needed.

The rest of their visit was equally positive. In fact, it exceeded their expectations. As Linda explained, “That’s why we were anxious to come back over and over again.”

On future trips, Alice’s apartment was not available. After an unsuccessful rental based on an informal referral, Linda now uses the real estate website “Idealista” to search for apartments.

Linda and Bill prefer 3-bedroom, 2-bath apartments (to accommodate family and friends who visit while the couple is in Rota). Their rentals have ranged from about €1,300 to €1,500 per month, including Wi-Fi and utilities.

Now, when they are in Rota, they’re proactive about finding apartments for their next visit. They walk past apartments they find online so they can assess the street and exterior for future stays.

Why Rota Works for Long Stays

For Bill and Linda, Rota’s walkability makes a long stay much easier.

They walk a lot while they’re in Rota (they don’t rent cars except for regional travel), and they enjoy exploring the town, which Linda says has more to it than they realized when they were only visiting for a week at a time.

They stroll the beach in the mornings, walk to local restaurants and festivals, wander Rota’s port and historic district, and depending on where they stay, they can also walk to the base.

Retirees can use many services on Rota Naval Base, and Bill and Linda take advantage of them, including the fitness center, MWR trips, church services, and medical support, when needed.

Staying in Rota also makes it easy to travel elsewhere in Spain or the rest of Europe. Bill and Linda have gone to Gibraltar, Morocco, Cordoba, Portugal, and Sweden, among other places.

“Rota’s just a great jumping off point,” Bill explains.

Settling Into a Rota Routine

One of the benefits of a long stay is that they don’t have to pack every meal, outing, and sightseeing stop into a few days. Bill and Linda can settle into Rota at their own pace, and they refer to their apartment there as “home.”

They appreciate the break from the responsibilities and commitments they have while in the U.S. Life in Rota is relaxed and stress-free, and it doesn’t include an alarm clock. As Linda says, “We wake up when we wake up.”

They might get coffee at a local café, walk on the beach, shop at the market, or explore the town in search of new restaurants to try. They also go to the gym on base or meet up with local friends they’ve made over the years.

Over time, Bill and Linda have also moved beyond sightseeing and started using services in town the way residents do. The couple has used local dental services and physical therapy, both of which they found equal to or better than what they received in the States, and at a much lower price.

Bill and Linda rely on WiFi while they’re in Rota; they do not purchase local SIM cards or international cell phone plans. That means they’re not “online” all the time, but they like it that way.

“We try to really disconnect when we travel. We don’t even watch television,” says Linda. “This opportunity is for us to spend more time together.”

What They Do Differently Now

Bill and Linda have now done three extended stays in Rota, with another planned for Fall 2026. They’ve learned that they got pretty lucky with the first apartment.

When they returned to Rota the second time and Alice’s apartment was not available, they rented another unit based on a recommendation from someone who knew of the availability but had not seen the apartment. It didn’t match the photos and did not meet Bill and Linda’s expectations. They didn’t stay for their entire planned visit.

Now they use Idealista, because they feel they at least have recourse if there are problems with the apartment.

They’ve also learned which locations they prefer and noted the tradeoffs. Their first apartment was between the beach and the base, which made it easy to walk in either direction. Their most recent place was directly on the beach with ocean views, and it was closer to the action in downtown Rota, but it made for a long walk to the base.

Their travel strategy has changed, too. Although Space-A first brought them to Rota, Bill and Linda no longer use Space-A to get there. Space-A to Rota is now restricted, and anyone who is not stationed there on orders cannot fly in from the United States. Eligible travelers can still fly Space-A out of Rota.

That means Bill and Linda would need to fly Space-A into another European hub, such as Ramstein, then arrange onward commercial travel to southern Spain. Instead, they fly commercial to Spain at the start of their stay, which gives them a firm arrival date for their apartment reservation.

For the return trip, they “hop” from Rota, giving them a chance to enjoy their favorite way to travel without risking the start of their stay.

Could Bill and Linda Move to Spain?

After their first long-term stay in Rota, Bill and Linda researched the possibility of obtaining a Non-Lucrative Visa (aka “retiree visa”) so they could stay in Spain as long as they wanted.

Unfortunately, the visa’s requirement for private health insurance was cost-prohibitive because they are both over age 70. (Spain does not accept TRICARE coverage to meet this requirement). So, now they work within the 90-day limit for tourists visiting the Schengen Area of Europe.

The experience taught Linda one more lesson: some options become harder with age. “I wish I had started doing this or looking into long-term residency years ago, when we were younger.”

Their Advice: Use the Time You Have

From a practical perspective, Bill and Linda recommend starting an apartment search about 6 months out, or as soon as you have your travel dates. In Rota, as in many vacation destinations, it’s easier to find apartments in the off season. Bill and Linda visit in the spring or fall.

Also, they emphasize the importance of researching the local culture and customs before you go. Spain has a slower pace of life than many Americans are used to, and Bill points out that patience matters.

“Don’t go there expecting things to be the way they were at home,” Linda adds. “You’re not home, you’re in another country.”

But their strongest advice for fellow retirees has less to do with logistics and more to do with mindset: “Go for it.”

When Linda and Bill tell other retirees they spend up to 3 months in Spain, people often respond with disbelief: “How do you do that?”

For Linda, the answer is simple. “You make up your mind that this is what you want to do, and you do it.”

She knows not everyone has the same flexibility. But for retirees who have the time and ability to travel, she sees extended stays as a choice about how to spend the freedom they worked so hard to earn.

“People have the time,” Linda says. Rather than spending those months at home watching TV, she explains, “we choose to take the time we have and spend it differently.”

That’s the lesson Bill and Linda keep living: when you have the time, health, and flexibility to travel, make the most of it.

How to Plan Your Own Extended Stay Overseas

If Bill and Linda’s story has you thinking about a longer stay in Rota or another overseas destination, here are some things to keep in mind:

Finding Short-Term Apartments

Websites like Booking.com and Airbnb offer short-term rentals around the world and may feel familiar. But many countries also have local rental platforms, such as Idealista in Spain and Portugal. Those websites often offer better prices and fewer service fees, but you’ll need to research the most commonly used platforms in your target country.

When choosing an apartment, narrow your options by price, size, location, and amenities. We’ve stayed in dozens of short-term apartments around the world and created a checklist to track the features that matter most to us. Here’s what we look for.

Staying Connected Overseas

Bill and Linda rely exclusively on Wi-Fi to use their phones overseas, which means they are not connected 24/7. That works for them, especially because they intentionally disconnect while traveling.

But if you want reliable phone service for navigation, transportation apps, reservations, or staying in touch with family and friends, you have several options. Here’s how to think through them.

Planning Your Flights

If you plan to use Space-A as part of an extended overseas stay, make sure you understand the current rules and restrictions for your destination. In Bill and Linda’s case, they fly commercial to Spain and use Space-A from Rota for the return trip. Never flown Space-A? Here’s how it works.

Interested in Staying Overseas Long-Term?

Bill and Linda’s approach is a practical middle ground: they haven’t moved overseas, but they’ve found a way to spend meaningful time abroad in a place they love.

If you’re curious about military retirees and veterans who have taken the next step and moved overseas full time, check out our Veterans Living Overseas interview series.

Whichever path you choose, take Linda’s advice and make up your mind to take the next step!