Love this. What you say about stress in the U.S. really resonates with me. I left the U.S. for Sweden with my family in 2019 and we were so much happier, almost overnight. The decision was difficult, though, and I am still processing the very unAmerican feeling that home was no longer a good or safe place. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts!
The weather is not easy. The hardest bit is actually the darkness. In November, you can actually feel your serotonin dropping by the day, so don't come then. Once you get to St. Lucia's Day, it's Christmas and all is well! And right now, it's never really properly dark, Crazy. Let me know if you need/want recommendations.
You guys are an inspiration to me! I retired 5+ years ago at 61 and thought I would travel the world but it didn't happen. Adult kid problems, not being able to say "no" to two fostered dogs no one wanted - and I scared myself out of doing it alone. Plan B was to move to a beautiful place, which I did - as I now live in Sedona AZ with those two beautiful girls.
I have traveled some ( just came back from three weeks in Spain and Portugal) but I just can't get rid of this travel bug - and reading your newsletter is not helping me!
So, for the month of January, I have rented out my house and the girls and I will be in a Phoenix Airbnb. I know, not far, but baby steps you know?? I plan to use it as a base for exploring the bottom half of AZ - Tucson, Bisbee, wine country and more
. I have the house rented out again in March and me and the girls will explore the northern coast of CA. We have twice traveled in CA for 7 week periods so I know the girls are fine with it. From reading your newsletters etc., I now have the confidence to try this out by myself with the girls of course.
If this all goes well, the plan is then to rent out my house for 6 to 18 months and travel across Canada Airbnb/VRBO to AirBnb/VRBO and parts of the US. The girls are only 6+ years old, so it'll be awhile until I can travel abroad for extended periods of time.
Meanwhile - please keep doing what you are doing. I enjoy your FB posts and the newsletter. You even make me laugh out loud sometimes.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to let you know you are making an impact.
You made both our days, Garey! That means the world to us. And as Michael said, we agree that the pet issue is a big one. I miss our two kitties (now dead) every day. One day I would like to share my life with cats again.
Enjoy your travels! Don't get discouraged. Everything in time. And thanks again for the kind words!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Garey! And it sounds like you've got a lot of great stuff going on yourself. I would totally be down spending some time exploring N. California as it's been years since we've done that. And I'm jealous of you getting to spend time with your girls. One of the things we most miss by being nomads is having pets!
Alas, it's a awfully ard to get absolutely everything one wants out of life, but it sounds to me like you've got a pretty great one going on! Maybe we'll cross paths one of these days!
Hi Michael, with regard to health care, I have often heard that it is way less expensive than in the US, and that often times you get equal or better care. I wonder how that works when one of us has cancer (bone marrow). Any idea? At this point, we are limited on time away as he needs to return for a shot/chemo at least once a month. Thanks , Lisa and Dave
Hi Guys, First off, I'm genuinely sorry you're having to deal with that. Man, life just isn't fair. This seems like such an important question I'm reluctant to give advice since American health care is so insane. I will say a couple of things though. Yes, health care is often much less expensive outside of the US and still of excellent care. Medical tourism is an entire industry and not one that we've had need to look into. My second thought is that this situation is exactly why we've kept an ACA policy, in case one of us were to come down with a chronic illness that needed treatment like this. That's the plan at least until we gain residency somewhere else. Here is the in-depth article we wrote about health care: https://brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.substack.com/p/how-does-heath-care-work-for-a-long. Feel free to ask any follow ups.
Hi Richard. Nice to make your acquaintance! It is pretty great and we count ourselves very fortunate. We're still in our fifties so health care probably isn't as complicated as it will be.
Brent is actually working on an article about this very question. But to nutshell it for you, we keep an inexpensive Obamacare plan in the US in case something went seriously wrong and we had to go back to the US. We also have two kinds of travel insurance -- expatriation insurance, which is insurance that gets you to the closest hospital in case of an extreme emergency, and back to the US if you need long-term care. And then we have another policy through Safety Wing that serves as our general health care insurance while living abroad.
The great part is that health care is so much more affordable outside of the US that it's often easier just to pay out of pocket.
If you'd like to get Brent's upcoming newsletter about this topic you can either sign up for the newsletter or just check back on our Subtack page.
Oooh, that's a tough question! Brent and I each have different answers, though we both agree that there is no place we've been that we regret going. And we even wrote newsletters about our top five.
I guess that depends on how much you want to do it? For me the first step would be selling my house so I had the money and no choice but to travel. Where would you like to go?
Hi Rick, Thanks for the note! I bet your house in Mexico is lovely. BTW, we do know a lot of folks in their sixties who are nomads, so don't let that necessarily stop you!
Love this. What you say about stress in the U.S. really resonates with me. I left the U.S. for Sweden with my family in 2019 and we were so much happier, almost overnight. The decision was difficult, though, and I am still processing the very unAmerican feeling that home was no longer a good or safe place. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts!
Thank you! Yes, I bet the darkness is tough. Not sure we could move back to Seattle at this point.
We will definitely come to Sweden one day!
Thanks, Laura! Sweden, eh? Visiting for the first time later this year and looking forward to it. Sweden seems great but I couldn’t handled the cold!
The weather is not easy. The hardest bit is actually the darkness. In November, you can actually feel your serotonin dropping by the day, so don't come then. Once you get to St. Lucia's Day, it's Christmas and all is well! And right now, it's never really properly dark, Crazy. Let me know if you need/want recommendations.
You guys are an inspiration to me! I retired 5+ years ago at 61 and thought I would travel the world but it didn't happen. Adult kid problems, not being able to say "no" to two fostered dogs no one wanted - and I scared myself out of doing it alone. Plan B was to move to a beautiful place, which I did - as I now live in Sedona AZ with those two beautiful girls.
I have traveled some ( just came back from three weeks in Spain and Portugal) but I just can't get rid of this travel bug - and reading your newsletter is not helping me!
So, for the month of January, I have rented out my house and the girls and I will be in a Phoenix Airbnb. I know, not far, but baby steps you know?? I plan to use it as a base for exploring the bottom half of AZ - Tucson, Bisbee, wine country and more
. I have the house rented out again in March and me and the girls will explore the northern coast of CA. We have twice traveled in CA for 7 week periods so I know the girls are fine with it. From reading your newsletters etc., I now have the confidence to try this out by myself with the girls of course.
If this all goes well, the plan is then to rent out my house for 6 to 18 months and travel across Canada Airbnb/VRBO to AirBnb/VRBO and parts of the US. The girls are only 6+ years old, so it'll be awhile until I can travel abroad for extended periods of time.
Meanwhile - please keep doing what you are doing. I enjoy your FB posts and the newsletter. You even make me laugh out loud sometimes.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to let you know you are making an impact.
You made both our days, Garey! That means the world to us. And as Michael said, we agree that the pet issue is a big one. I miss our two kitties (now dead) every day. One day I would like to share my life with cats again.
Enjoy your travels! Don't get discouraged. Everything in time. And thanks again for the kind words!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Garey! And it sounds like you've got a lot of great stuff going on yourself. I would totally be down spending some time exploring N. California as it's been years since we've done that. And I'm jealous of you getting to spend time with your girls. One of the things we most miss by being nomads is having pets!
Alas, it's a awfully ard to get absolutely everything one wants out of life, but it sounds to me like you've got a pretty great one going on! Maybe we'll cross paths one of these days!
Awesome! We left Canada at the end of 2017 as well. We are back now for a visit but looking forward to getting back out again!
Fantastic! It's been a crazy few years, hasn't it? Covid (and overtourism) changed a lot.
This was so cute. Glad you guys had a good time. Perhaps I'll try something like this in the future.
Thank you very much!
So glad I’ve stumbled across you boys. Looking forward to sharing your insights and continuing journeys with my husband. Staying toned!!! Glenn
Thanks! And we'll definitely stay in tune! We're trying to stay toned too but that's a whole other story... LOL
By the way! My favorite country is Costa rica and favorite city is Barcelona
We've only briefly visited Costa Rica but very much liked it. And Barcelona is incredible!
Hi Michael, with regard to health care, I have often heard that it is way less expensive than in the US, and that often times you get equal or better care. I wonder how that works when one of us has cancer (bone marrow). Any idea? At this point, we are limited on time away as he needs to return for a shot/chemo at least once a month. Thanks , Lisa and Dave
Hi Guys, First off, I'm genuinely sorry you're having to deal with that. Man, life just isn't fair. This seems like such an important question I'm reluctant to give advice since American health care is so insane. I will say a couple of things though. Yes, health care is often much less expensive outside of the US and still of excellent care. Medical tourism is an entire industry and not one that we've had need to look into. My second thought is that this situation is exactly why we've kept an ACA policy, in case one of us were to come down with a chronic illness that needed treatment like this. That's the plan at least until we gain residency somewhere else. Here is the in-depth article we wrote about health care: https://brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.substack.com/p/how-does-heath-care-work-for-a-long. Feel free to ask any follow ups.
Fascinating story.
Thanks, Richard!
Thank you for the helpful info. Happy trails,
You are very welcome!
Sounds wonderful.it would be my dream but i am 72 (in good shape benerally) .what domyou do about health care.
Hi Richard. Nice to make your acquaintance! It is pretty great and we count ourselves very fortunate. We're still in our fifties so health care probably isn't as complicated as it will be.
Brent is actually working on an article about this very question. But to nutshell it for you, we keep an inexpensive Obamacare plan in the US in case something went seriously wrong and we had to go back to the US. We also have two kinds of travel insurance -- expatriation insurance, which is insurance that gets you to the closest hospital in case of an extreme emergency, and back to the US if you need long-term care. And then we have another policy through Safety Wing that serves as our general health care insurance while living abroad.
The great part is that health care is so much more affordable outside of the US that it's often easier just to pay out of pocket.
If you'd like to get Brent's upcoming newsletter about this topic you can either sign up for the newsletter or just check back on our Subtack page.
What is your favorite place that you’ve been, and why??
Oooh, that's a tough question! Brent and I each have different answers, though we both agree that there is no place we've been that we regret going. And we even wrote newsletters about our top five.
Here is mine: https://brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.substack.com/p/michaels-five-favorite-travel-destinations
Here is Brent's: https://brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.substack.com/p/brents-five-favorite-travel-destinations
But my five favorite are Grimentz, Switzerland; Istanbul, Turkey; Bansko, Bulgaria; US National Parks; and Mexico City, Mexico.
My wife and I used to be big travelers but age and home ownership took over. How can we find our way back to travel?
I guess that depends on how much you want to do it? For me the first step would be selling my house so I had the money and no choice but to travel. Where would you like to go?
Of course! And there are plenty of solo travelers out there to meet up with!
Hi Rick, Thanks for the note! I bet your house in Mexico is lovely. BTW, we do know a lot of folks in their sixties who are nomads, so don't let that necessarily stop you!