Thank you for this masterfully written piece that backs into the reasons to make the choice you suggest should not be made. In my case, the journey to my choice to travel about ten months a year outside of the USA included steps that were not my choice. I timed out of a forty year career seventeen years ago. In a more dramatic way I timed out of a forty-five year marriage when my wife died fifteen years ago. Those two conclusions left a gaping, life-sized hole behind, only slightly smaller than the narrow band of life left surrounding it. After experimenting with a new version of life traveling outside the US for a minimum of eight weeks a year for ten years, Covid grounded me for a while. I had just moved to a loft in the center city. As soon as I could I started traveling again, it did not take long to decide to lighten my load so that all I had left was the backpack and a bag large enough to hold some basic electronics. It is not far from three years now traveling almost full time. Even when I am back with family in the US, I live out of my backpack, continuing to write Substack and Facebook articles. I published my first book in June and have just started the next one. (I have told parts of this story here and elsewhere before - but then it is my story, the only one I have, so no apologies for repeating it.). I loved this post. You made a lucid and compelling case for making the choice you made and the choice I have made. Thank you.
Thank you for this masterfully written piece that backs into the reasons to make the choice you suggest should not be made. In my case, the journey to my choice to travel about ten months a year outside of the USA included steps that were not my choice. I timed out of a forty year career seventeen years ago. In a more dramatic way I timed out of a forty-five year marriage when my wife died fifteen years ago. Those two conclusions left a gaping, life-sized hole behind, only slightly smaller than the narrow band of life left surrounding it. After experimenting with a new version of life traveling outside the US for a minimum of eight weeks a year for ten years, Covid grounded me for a while. I had just moved to a loft in the center city. As soon as I could I started traveling again, it did not take long to decide to lighten my load so that all I had left was the backpack and a bag large enough to hold some basic electronics. It is not far from three years now traveling almost full time. Even when I am back with family in the US, I live out of my backpack, continuing to write Substack and Facebook articles. I published my first book in June and have just started the next one. (I have told parts of this story here and elsewhere before - but then it is my story, the only one I have, so no apologies for repeating it.). I loved this post. You made a lucid and compelling case for making the choice you made and the choice I have made. Thank you.
Thank you so much. And congrats to you for taking what was handed to you and turning it around! I hope to meet up irl!
I would love to do so sometime should circumstances allow.
It's that comfort level that stops people. You lay out some hard truths here, Chris.