One Year Anniversary

Today is our 1 year Anniversary as homeless grey nomads.

April 15th, 2022 marks the day we handed over the keys to our home of 19 years. 

Five days later we handed over the keys to our car.

One year later we have this to say:

We have no regrets. We love what we are doing!

Has it been perfect and blissful everyday? 

No.

But would we do it again? 

YES!!!

Are we figuring it out as we go along? 

Yes!

Have we made some mistakes? 

OH YA! (Oh well.)

"Would we do some things differently?" 

Sure! We should have started younger!

"What are you doing for luggage?"

We each have one suitcase and a small carry-on bag. It is manageable to carry and our wardrobe is not "too" repetitive. Often I will ask John "Do you like what I am wearing today?" He very sweetly says "Yes. It looks very nice." 

I answer "Good! You are going to see it again tomorrow!" 

"Are we sick of our clothes?"

Not really. And that is pretty amazing since both John and I have always been "Clothes Horses". Neither one of us have bought much new clothing, because, if we buy something new, something old has to be left behind. And anything new has to fit into the scintillating repertoire and be multi purpose. 

For instance - I bought a pair of comfy shoes in Italy. Later I said to John "I wish I had bought more in different colours". 

John looked at me and said "You sound like a woman who owns a closet."

Truer words were never spoken. There are no frivolous purchases since suitcase volume and weight is an ongoing issue. 

"How do we pick our destinations?"

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself, sometimes it is to a place we've wanted to go for a long time, sometimes visas dictate our meanderings. And then there are times we're not sure where we are, why we're there and how we got there. 

"Do you get lonely?"

Surprisingly, not really. 

Something that helps a lot are video calls with friends. 

Video Cocktails in the evenings with friends replace meeting up for a drink or dinner. Sometimes the video calls are for lunch or coffee. 

Time zone differences sometimes complicate that, especially if the time change is greater than 12 hours. Cocktails or wine over breakfast generally don't work for me.

Another great communication tool is WhatsApp to keep in touch or tell a quick story. 

I know there are some people that are not keen on Facebook and/or Instagram, but, I will confess, they are lifesavers for both John and me. 

We both love to post FB photos and also love to see people "like" them and comment. It helps us to feel connected and not alone or lonely out in the big world by ourselves. That might sound pathetic, but, it is the truth.

We also love to see our friends' Facebook and Instagram posts because it keeps us up to date and feel connected to them. That may also sound a bit dismal, but, it is the truth. (Maybe we are a sorry lot?)

Then there is the blog/travel journal. It is my love-hate relationship. It is so time consuming, and when the internet is dodgy it is incredibly frustrating. 

But, I am sure in decades to come I will be very glad to look back at it and remember what an incredible experience we have been so fortunate to be able to have. 

Plus, I love seeing the blog stats when people read it, and especially if they make comments. That also makes it a little less lonely to know that people are curious and following us as we stumble our way around. 

We have also been fortunate to sometimes meet friends on their home turf, or, very grateful when friends have taken the time and expense to come and met us in exotic locales. 

"How do you manage being together 24/7?"

Well, that's a very good and very BIG question. I have to be very careful how I answer that because I certainly don't want to start a fight with John. So I will have to choose my words carefully. 

Our biggest issues are in the car, specifically, navigation. 

Okay, maybe parking too. (Even though John is the "Parking God" and I am, admittedly, "Parking Challenged".)

Audio Google Maps helps a LOT! Not always perfect, but, it keeps interior road rage down to a dull roar. 

We feel very fortunate that we get along really well. (Basically. Except for when John starts it.)

John is a good travel companion in so many respects. (I suppose I should go on and extol his virtues to make up for the rare tiffs that I perhaps, maybe, occasionally, have started.) 

He is good natured, forgiving, kind, amiable, adventurous and ready to try new things. (Basically.) 

He does 99.9% of the driving (mostly because I refuse to drive with him as a passenger.) He is always a gentleman and helps me with my luggage, which I greatly appreciate, even though I can manage it on my own. He is becoming an excellent planner and lately takes care of all the transportation issues, which is greatly appreciated. 

Most importantly, he puts up with me, my idiosyncrasies and my occasional foul moods. 

In summary. we both feel very grateful to be able to do this. We both admit that neither one of us would have the courage to do this on our own, but, together its very fun to be grey nomads wandering aimlessly with no fixed address.

How much longer will you do this?

We don't know. 

We enjoy what we are doing and don't feel the need to settle down and be "adults" again. 

Moving forward we want to stay out of war zones, areas of conflict and natural disasters.

Bottom line, we will try to stay one step ahead of Interpol and the IRS. 

We would love to have you join us in whatever way works for you. 

Thanks for following and keeping in touch. 

Happy Trails.