Reader Visitor Submit – Journey Earlier than Dementia

At this time, I carry you a visitor submit from a few nomadic retirees, Tom Swan and Georganna Hawley. They’ve been residing a nomadic way of life for about two and a half years and don’t have any plans for stopping.

In the event you’ve thought of this way of life in retirement, and even in the event you haven’t, you’ll discover their story fascinating and study helpful classes from their experiences. Matters coated embody their expertise with downsizing, how they’ve handled well being points whereas on the highway, selecting areas the place they wish to spend time in retirement and dealing with logistics, and different classes discovered alongside the best way.

We now have no monetary relationship. Take it away Tom and Georganna….

It is a Way of life, Not a Trip

“We’re NOT on trip” is probably the commonest reply to our pals’ and household’s misunderstanding of our Nomad way of life. Usually, Individuals go on a 2-3 week trip, frantically seeing every little thing attainable in a “whirlwind tour.” Then they return house and require one other 2-3 weeks to get better from the holiday. 

Sure, we have now seen some great, iconic, even unique locations. Nevertheless, we additionally purchase our veggies on the open market, experience the native trains or buses and take free strolling excursions as an alternative of organized “touristy” excursions. Generally we even keep in and simply do laundry like everybody else.

We’re Tom Swan and Georganna Hawley, semi-retired Individuals. We live our greatest life with this new, and sometimes misunderstood way of life. In September of 2021, we “embraced the change” that lots of our fellow boomers aren’t but able to face.

Embracing Change

Covid-19 restrictions allowed Tom to shut his workplace and work on-line. Our grandsons grew to become adults, and we immediately didn’t want a giant home. A minimalist aesthetic was making us assume our stuff owned us as an alternative of the opposite manner round.

We had been intrigued and impressed by a radio interview on Rick Steves with Michael and Debbie Campbell, The Senior Nomads. All this was occurring on the point of looming retirement and had us asking what we would like from this new section of our lives.

Downsizing

We started the monumental activity of shedding all our possessions in 2020. I offered 4 stitching machines. Tom offered his treasured drill press and all his instruments. We additionally offered or gave away these particular china dinner settings our daughter didn’t need (NOTE: your children don’t want your stuff). We scanned all of the contents of picture albums (now saved on the cloud), had seven yard gross sales, and numerous journeys to Goodwill. 

Lastly, we acquired all of it all the way down to solely two rolling carry ons, and two backpacks. We retained two 14 gallon storage bins (half stuffed with treasures) to retailer at our daughter’s home. We offered our home and one in all our two vehicles. Final, we drove our truck to our daughter’s home handy over the storage bins, and we introduced the keys and pink slip of the truck to our oldest grandson.  

Associated: Downsizing In Retirement – Any Regrets?

Hitting the Highway

After that, we pretty danced all the best way to the airport jet solution to fly off to our first nomad vacation spot, Vienna, Austria, on September 23, 2021.

Some nomads select to maintain their home and hire it out, maintain a storage unit of their house city, and/or keep a mother-in-law cottage with their children. We selected to dive off the deep finish with none “what if we modify our minds” contingencies. We discover it retains us centered ahead, studying how you can make this nomad way of life work, with no “escape clause”.

I’m now 72, a retired archaeologist and textile artist. Tom is 65 and continues to work remotely as a retirement planner and monetary advisor. He works servicing shoppers’ wants from wherever we’re. 

Good WIFI is essential, and out there all around the world! His telephone is on a VOIP (Voice Over Web Protocol), and is definitely his previous workplace quantity. So shoppers acknowledge it’s him, however everybody he calls asks, “The place is Tom in the present day?”

What About Healthcare?

Tom wanted each arthritic knees changed, however his insurance coverage firm claimed he was too “younger” and wanted to attend for Medicare to pay for it. And most US surgeons will solely do one after the other. 

Whereas visiting Istanbul, Turkiÿe he obtained a free session with a crew of two orthopedic surgeons who quoted a value that was lower than 1/3 of the insurance coverage copays in California. So, we scheduled surgical procedure. Tom had his knees changed in Istanbul; each on the identical day. 

His care was exceptional. Bodily remedy was painful however tolerable, and 5 weeks after surgical procedure we had been strolling alongside Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. 

We do carry worldwide well being care insurance coverage for emergencies and an evacuation coverage for me. However, to be trustworthy, if one thing occurred to me, I’d relatively go to Türkiye.

The USA has medical insurance, the remainder of the world has well being care. Large distinction.

Getting Round

Our transportation mode of alternative is through practice in Europe, however buses are additionally choice if we wish to go a bit slower. Public transportation in Europe is often clear, low cost, and intensive. We now have discovered {that a} good various may be to rent a personal driver, particularly if we’re crossing a number of borders in non-EU international locations. 

Journey in South America gives fewer alternate options. There are few trains, and buses can vary from nice to downright terrible. We often go for flying between South American international locations. 

Repositioning cruises are additionally a sensible choice for nomads for trans-oceanic journey. A cruise ship supplies us with our transportation, lodging, meals and leisure multi functional bundle. With cruises, we don’t need to pack/unpack for weeks at a time, and no jet-lag! We select to fly solely as a final resort normally.

Assembly Logistical Challenges

Journey preparations are in fact as much as us, and it has turn into an element time job. We work collectively, doing analysis on locations, what we wish to do, and the most effective time of 12 months to remain particularly areas.

We additionally take into account suggestions from different nomads. It usually is sensible to journey in a selected route; north and east for spring and summer time months, after which start heading south for the winter, all the time chasing 72 levels. 

Many nomads select to see the Arctic or Antarctic and have great tales and photographs. We select to remain in hotter climates and maintain our change-of-seasons packing to a minimal. If we by no means see snow once more, that might be simply fantastic with us.

The web is (largely) our pal for planning and making reservations. It takes fairly a little bit of group, however we handle redundancy with a paper calendar, excel spreadsheets, and each of us having all confirmations and reservations on our computer systems and telephones.

I copy a map on-line and label the following few months the place we might be, then submit it so household can observe our progress.  Despite the fact that we work collectively to plan our travels, we have now nonetheless managed to make airplane reservations for the flawed day, forgotten how the Worldwide Date Line works, and gotten our timezones confused.  

As Nomads, we have now discovered to pivot, resolve issues and discover alternate options shortly.

Selecting Lodging

We like to remain in flats with a kitchen and washer with easy accessibility to the native metro or bus. Normally discovering Airbnb’s in a metropolis heart neighborhood fits us. Quick, dependable WIFI and an elevator are a should. 

We additionally take pleasure in volunteering at English Immersion retreat periods and we have now accomplished this 4 occasions now. It’s a good way to satisfy and get to know the native folks and the free lodging assist to stretch the finances. 

This 12 months we added a home/pet sitting into the combo. We get to spend high quality time with canines and cats, and keep in an actual house, typically within the English countryside, different occasions in a southern California suburb. Selection retains our nomad way of life enjoyable and attention-grabbing.

Advantageous Tuning Our Planning

We’re nonetheless looking for the candy spot of how lengthy to remain in anyone place. Usually per week is sufficient to maintain our curiosity, and a month could also be too lengthy. 

If climate or timing maintain us from doing all we had been planning for, we all know we will all the time come again subsequent 12 months, or the following. Generally we purposely don’t hunt down all that we expect could be attention-grabbing, understanding a city or area will certainly be on our “return for longer” record.

The Schengen Zone is a problem for us and different Nomads, and is an important a part of our planning. The Schengen Zone includes 27 European Union international locations + 4 different international locations. 

As Individuals we will solely keep within the Schengen for 90 days out of 180. The international locations outdoors the zone means our  “Schengen Shuffle”  is continually on the radar (there are apps for that). 

Final 12 months Croatia entered the zone, and in 2024 Romania and Bulgaria are scheduled to enter. This implies we might want to discover various international locations to discover whereas we watch for our Schengen clock to reset. 

Türkiye, Albania, Macedonia, Georgia, and 5 of the “Stans” are good nomad decisions. Even the tiny mountain nation of Andorra between Spain and France is outdoors the Schengen. And what about North Africa? The limitless prospects are a giant cause we maintain touring.

Isn’t This Costly?

In fact we have now a finances, we’re not spending wildly on trip, in spite of everything! The cash saved not having to pay utilities, taxes, vehicles, gasoline, tires, repairs, and a number of insurances means we spend lower than if we nonetheless lived in California. Even our month-to-month lodging prices are lower than our mortgage.

Transportation prices are additionally a lot lower than the price of proudly owning a number of vehicles. We don’t usually purchase clothes as a result of the house is restricted in our suitcase. Many nomads purchase garments at thrift shops and re-donate after they go away a location. We select to go together with what we have now and if it will get chilly, we simply head south! 

We every personal one pair of sturdy strolling sneakers. I did purchase a beautiful classic denim jacket in Hamburg, Germany final 12 months. It’s too cumbersome to pack, so I needed to make the aware resolution that I have to put on it on each journey day. When that will get to be too cumbersome, I can go away it in a donation bin for another person to like.

Leveraging Journey Rewards

One other finances stretcher is utilizing bank card reward factors to our benefit. Final 12 months Tom manipulated our factors into 22 free resort nights and 16 free enterprise class airplane tickets. The “factors recreation” is rising in recognition amongst nomads, and nicely price Tom’s time spent finding out the repeatedly altering choices.

Associated: Journey Extra & Spend Much less With Credit score Card Journey Rewards

Are we nonetheless proud of our option to do away with every little thing and journey the world as modern-day senior nomads? Sure! When will we plan to cease (the second most requested query)? We don’t.

If well being or unknown circumstances make us rethink our way of life, we will pivot. We now have accomplished it earlier than, we will do it once more when that point comes.

Chris’ $.02

Due to Tom and Georganna for sharing your story. Their solely want for sharing their story is to ispire and join with others who share their pursuits. You’ll be able to join with them by way of their “Two Vacationers” Fb web page.

In the event you loved their story, take a look at one other visitor submit from nomadic retirees Margot and Nick.

Reader visitor posts are all the time widespread on the weblog. In the event you’d wish to share your story ship me an e-mail at [email protected].

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[Chris Mamula used principles of traditional retirement planning, combined with creative lifestyle design, to retire from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. After achieving financial independence, Chris began writing about wealth building, DIY investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design at Can I Retire Yet? He is also the primary author of the book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence. Chris also does financial planning with individuals and couples at Abundo Wealth, a low-cost, advice-only financial planning firm with the mission of making quality financial advice available to populations for whom it was previously inaccessible. Chris has been featured on MarketWatch, Morningstar, U.S. News & World Report, and Business Insider. He has spoken at events including the Bogleheads and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants annual conferences. Blog inquiries can be sent to [email protected]. Financial planning inquiries can be sent to [email protected]]

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