about Us
Retire in | Move to Panama
Your Panama Relocation Experts
Oscar Peña
Co-Owner/President
After studying tourism in his home country of Colombia, Oscar moved to Costa Rica, started working in small luxury hotels, and participated in many seminars on customer service. After a few beautiful years in Costa Rica, he was ready for a new challenge. He moved to Boquete, Panama, in 2009, where he currently resides. Once in Panama, he started working as a private guide and offering assistance to expats. He also worked as a hospitality manager at an exclusive gated community and resort, owned an eco-tourism company, and guided private relocation tours.
Having lived in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama, he has had the opportunity to learn about each country’s unique culture and history. He now passionately shares that knowledge with international travelers through his company’s professional services. He feels blessed to have lived and traveled in these unique countries; he loves Panama and its amazing people and is proud to call it home. It is important for him to have a positive impact on his community and create relationships everywhere he goes. He loves to get involved whenever he can; in the past, he worked as a volunteer coordinator for Boquete community projects and as a volunteer for the Civil Defense of Panama (Sinaproc).
When you take a tour with Oscar, you have a unique opportunity to experience a connection with the culture and the people. You will undoubtedly feel Oscar’s passion for his work as he aims to provide the best service so you can fully enjoy all the magical moments of your travels, whether alone or surrounded by loved ones. Oscar and Panama Expat Service complement the energy behind Retire in Panama Tours as he encourages his guests to live life to the fullest. Read Oscar’s full story HERE.
Rod Larrivee
Co-Owner/COO, CFO, CTO
Rod, originally from Vancouver, Canada, has been involved in the internet technology field for more than 30 years. He started building computers and setting up some of the first websites online in the early to mid-1990s. He spent 15 years developing and maintaining advanced worldwide office and warehouse networks and e-commerce websites in a multi-million dollar import/wholesale company, where he served as COO and CTO until 2006.
In 2007, Rod started an online business in website marketing, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing. Rod moved to Panama in late 2011. He met Oscar shortly after moving there, and they became good friends. They quickly started doing business together in local tourism and helping expats move to Panama.
Rod has also been involved in the Publishing and Social Commerce sector as Owner and President/CTO of a large Publishing Company and Social Media website for books headquartered in Austin, TX, with offices in Toronto, Canada, and Panama City, Panama. He ran a business in Panama City to provide IT support for his Austin, TX, company. Rod retired as president of his company in December 2017, and he was looking for new adventures.
He feels his experiences as an expat and his many years working in Tourism with his business partner Oscar make him an excellent fit for the Retire in Panama Business. Oscar and Rod are also the owners and admins of the Expats in Boquete Facebook group, one of the best online communities for Expats in Panama. Read the Full Story HERE.
Megan Thompson
Operations Director
Megan grew up in the Pennsylvania countryside, about one hour outside Philadelphia. She attended Penn State University, graduating with an International Development and Spanish Language degree. Hoping to gain professional skills and experience the world before starting a career, she applied to serve in the Peace Corps for two years.
To her surprise, she was asked to go to Panama to work in their environmental conservation program. During her two years of service, she lived and worked with Panamanians throughout the country, learning about their traditions, language, and culture. She led projects in environmental education, English language, sex-ed and goal planning, and recycling and trash solutions.
Megan met Oscar and Rod towards the end of her volunteer service. She decided to move to Boquete and join in the creation of Retire in Panama as a director and advisor in Panamanian culture and language. After completing her permanent residency and work visa, Megan accepted the role of Director of Operations and handles much of the logistics and operations of the tours. She loves to share with tour guests her experience of learning to live as a Panamanian.