ByTRAVELER LuxeTraveler Luxe

 An upcoming seventieth birthday is a major milestone in life. Unless I plan to live to be 140, I’m already well past middle age (I’ve always thought of myself that way because I’m still healthy and active). As the end draws nearer, I feel restless and unfulfilled because there are so many places I still want to go. And not just for a quick look—I want to experience life there, not just take a one- or two-week trip.

The idea kept nagging at me, and I could no longer suppress it. I took a deep breath and said, “Tim, you know, I don’t want to upset you or make you uncomfortable, but I have to be honest. I’m not happy in Paso Robles. Heaven knows it’s not because of you, but I realize there are so many places I want to see before I get too old to travel. I’m not ready to give up exploring the world, but a three-week vacation isn’t enough for me. I think we need to figure out a way to spend more time away from home than in it.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to see his reaction and afraid he’d misunderstand and think I was unhappy with our life together.
 
Instead, he burst out laughing. “My God, we’re on the same wavelength! I’ve been thinking the same thing for months, but I was afraid you’d think I’d lost my mind. I didn’t think you’d want to leave our home and the grandchildren.”
 

I stared at him in disbelief, and just like that, the plan was born. We would “retire” but not stop exploring, and find a way to roam the world freely, experiencing the sights and places that had gathered dust on our endless wish lists. That night, we stayed up all night, excitedly talking about short-term plans, long-term goals, how to get there, where to go, and more. It had been ages since we’d felt so lighthearted and joyful. Miraculously, we were of one mind, making the dream of leaving home to experience the world a reality. Everything suddenly seemed possible. I could imagine myself picking tomatoes at a sunlit market in Italy, exploring the mysterious souks of Marrakech, or making a soufflé at a French farmhouse, while Tim opened a cool bottle of white wine on the terrace. It felt like a dream, one where we reclaimed the time we’d lost being apart.

Worried about not being able to travel too far, we listed every conceivable expense—and were pleasantly surprised to find that our monthly budget was more generous than we’d thought. Then we drew up a detailed budget for ongoing expenses, including the cost of renting abroad and every imaginable expenditure. The numbers were exciting—they were very, very close. If we sold the house, we could live comfortably in almost any country in the world.
 
Despite our excitement, we still felt uneasy, wondering if we could really handle such a challenge. What if we were gone too long and came back to find no home to return to, no comfortable bed to curl up in, no space in the closets? What would it feel like to live in other people’s homes for years? What emotional impact would our plan have on us? Would the stress of moving to a new country every few months and starting over again and again wear down our otherwise happy marriage and the bond that our friends envied? Our four daughters already thought we were restless, always traveling around the country looking for a place to retire—would they even speak to us if we spent years abroad? Were we ready to face an uncertain future, far from our comfort zones and loved ones?
 

Finally, we reminded ourselves that we’d never get another chance to do this. Seize the day. We decided to take on the challenge and say “yes” to this groundbreaking idea.

Then a wave of practicalities hit us: what would we do with the dog, the furniture, and the car? What should we keep and what should we discard? And would our family forgive us for being away for so long, preferring to wander the world instead? The thought of explaining the plan to our very close children overwhelmed us, so we pushed it to the bottom of the “to-do” list. We started discussing where to go, how to make new friends, what kind of insurance to buy, and every detail that would take months to figure out and confirm. Just when I thought we’d covered everything on our list, another question popped into my head. “Oh my God, how will we handle mail? We won’t even have an address!”
“That’s true,” Tim, ever the calm one, replied with a shrug. “We’ll make the world our home!”
 
With those miraculous words in our hearts, we embarked on a thrilling adventure around the world: the skyscrapers of Buenos Aires; the serene estates of San Miguel de Allende; a small apartment in Istanbul overlooking the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara; a charming single-story flat in Paris, just blocks from the Seine and with a lovely kitchen; a villa apartment overlooking Florence; a medieval three-story apartment in La Charité-sur-Loire, France; a suite with a balcony near the Thames in London; an apartment with views of the Irish Sea in a 300-year-old Georgian mansion on the outskirts of Dublin; two rooms tiled with colorful mosaic in Marrakech, Morocco; and a seaside cottage near Lisbon, Portugal.
 
The best part? We didn’t have to rush. This lifestyle gave us the most precious thing in the world: time. We weren’t tourists. We were temporary locals, free to leave our suitcases wherever we pleased. And since we were “making the world our home,” wherever we were, that was home. Who knew what adventures lay ahead?
To be continued…

【Profile】Lynne Martin
In 2010, 73-year-old Lynne and 68-year-old Tim embarked on a retirement life of following their dreams. The couple sold their house and belongings, packed their lives into two suitcases, and traveled the world as nomads, documenting their globe-trotting adventures on their blog “Home Free Adventures.” Their surprising retirement lifestyle was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in December 2012 and garnered widespread media attention. Before retiring, Lynne worked in public relations and interior design in Hollywood, while Tim was a lyricist. The couple continues to live their nomadic life until they can no longer travel thirty years from now.
Blog: http://homefreeadventures.com
 
【Info】
Book Title: Why Not Travel – The Martins’ Home-Free, Freedom-Filled Global Adventure
Author: Lynne Martin
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Mona Lisa Press

Kinokuniya: http://www.books.com.tw/products/0010676415

 

Why Not Travel – The Martins’ Home-Free, Freedom-Filled Global Adventure