Update – July 2023
Wow we’ve had a wonderful time traveling and living in different cities on various continents! We didn’t make it around the world, but we did explore destinations in Central and South America, Europe, and northern and southern Africa. Along the way we have seen many beautiful landscapes, had flat tires, traffic fines, sprained wrists, blisters and a couple of picked pockets. While experiencing the medical systems of three countries, more fantastic desserts than we can name, and a deep dive into the dental community of South Africa. So much has happened to all of us since March of 2020. We were three months from completion of our two-year plan to slow travel our way around the globe, when the world closed its borders and sent everyone packing home. Catching one of the last flights out of Spain, we landed back in the United States with no place to go. Fortunately, our friends Mare and Bob, to whom we will ever be thankful, offered the use of their vacation home in Georgia for what we thought would be a few short weeks. If you had asked us a decade ago if we would ever live in Georgia, I’m sure we would have responded with an echoing NO! But the refuge offered to us on a small, private lake turned out to be wonderfully tranquil, in total contrast to the bustling city life we enjoyed in our travels. Originally, our thoughts about retirement included Albuquerque, New Mexico as our final destination. But as we sat on the porch one late afternoon watching the water and bird life, we reassessed everything. Fortuitously, a neighbor mentioned that his uncle was thinking about selling a piece of property a few lots away on the lakeshore. We now have our own little slice of heaven in the “low country,” south of Savannah. But my wife likes to say with a smile, “during the summer it’s like sitting on hell’s front doorstep.” Lessons: don’t lose your sense of humor, stay spontaneous, don’t procrastinate, follow your dreams, things in other countries work, and as individuals we share so much in common with other folks around the world. The more you travel the more you’ll consider yourself a global citizen.
We’re still taking trips and plan on doing so indefinitely.
You can also follow along on Instagram @2suitcasesfor2years.
2018 – We’re Craig and Donna, married, both 63 years old when we start our adventure in June. We love to travel, so we are going to hit the road and explore the world for 2 years (maybe three) as economic refugees, to bridge the time until we are eligible for Medicare and full Social Security, and have some fun along the way while we go about it. We figure it’s going to cost less than living in the states and a good way to stretch our modest pensions.
Why? Some think us crazy, considering us at 63 to be retiring; that we should work until full retirement age for the security of benefits. But sometimes you just get worn out and need a change. We would like to indulge in this experience while we’re still relatively young and healthy.
To do this, we are putting everything in storage; it’s just too costly to live where we currently do, in one of the most expensive areas amongst the mid-Atlantic states. And for what we are willing to pay for rent in this area, we are not excited about living in. So we’ve crunched some numbers and decided to downsize. Selling off the family silver (sorry kids) and other unneeded household items on Craig’s List or eBay. Dropped our health insurance (will have a catastrophic travel Insurance policy) and ordered a Pod (for storage) so that we can indulge our wanderlust until we return home to the states. We only intend to be short-term wandering expats; we have no plans to emigrate or buy property abroad.
This will be slow-travel around the world, with up to three months in each country to take advantage of the 90 days on our tourist visas. There will be some spells of continuous touring for short periods of time. But mostly we are looking to do short term rentals of 30 days or longer, so that we can reduce our housing costs and save on meals, using that extended stay in each to immerse ourselves into the local culture.
We’d like to share our experiences with you and hopefully provide some inspiration and motivation along the way to help you plan your own adventure.
Our first destination is the Galapagos Islands, then on to mainland Ecuador with a multi-day drive along the Avenue of Volcanoes, ending in the city of Cuenca where we will have our first short-term rental. Next we head north to Guatemala for 6 weeks. February 2019 finds us in Portugal, then Cape Town, South Africa. After that who knows? Hopefully we’ll explore all the continents. “We’re not going to Antarctica.” Nothing is carved in stone.
Two suitcases for two years for the two of us. “Really, just two suitcases?” “Yep!” “Oh shoot.” Yes, we promise to do laundry.
Wish us luck, we’ll keep you posted.
Craig & Donna
2 Suitcases for 2 years 