“When I was very young
and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people
that maturity would cure this itch.
When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that
greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility
will do the job. Nothing has
worked. . . . In other words, I don’t improve; in further words, once a bum
always a bum.”
John Steinbeck, “Travels With Charley”
Like Steinbeck, Connie and I find it hard to remain in one place, as those of you who have followed our other trips can attest. We have been away from home for four of
the seven and a half years since we retired and outside the US for more than three
years; Africa, Australia, Central America, Middle East, South America,
Southeast Asia plus several camping trips in Canada. But we have always returned home. That is about to change.
I am not sure exactly when we decided to move to Europe. We had always planned to visit in 2011, maybe for a full year. Why not five years? Or ten? Connie's pensions begin in February along with our healthcare coverage. We can sell the house and go. And just like that we were committed.
It will be a few months before we leave, which we hope will give us time to take care of all the things that we have to do. Already the trip, still embryonic, has taken on a life of its own. And taken over a big part of our lives, too. You can follow our preparations and share the adventure right here. We are the Expatriate Vagabonds!
