Feeling quite dejected after figuring out our full-time national park trip wasn’t going to happen the way we dreamed because of the expense, and honestly not wanting to have to buy a trailer or camping gear for some of the trip at all, Brett and I decided to have one more go at figuring something out for our post-Tennessee life.
For weeks nothing we proposed to each other caught our imaginations. We admitted to ourselves that maybe we should move to the northeast after all and learn to deal with those bitter winters.
But then a sort of amazing thing happened. What, we thought, would happen if we got away from this all or nothing mindset we seemed to have gotten ourselves locked into? What if we kept what was meaningful and appealing to us but divided up the year?
What happened was that we came up with a very good plan that includes everything we want and love to do, in places we want to do them. There are no poison pills, and we can afford everything as well as continue to save.
When our time in Tennessee is over we will (tentatively) move to New England, to a location near our daughters. We’ll again rent an apartment and establish a home base. We’ll take advantage of the sightseeing and camping in the area, and spend the holidays with our kids and grandkids. We’ll be close by when and if new grandkids arrive, and can set up health and dental care to see us through to the end.
But those winters? Brett, Kaipo, and I will become snowbirds and head for warmer weather January into March. We can choose one place to settle in every year or we can see the world and go someplace different: Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Greece, the south of France, and southern Italy all enjoy mild winters. It’s summer that time of year in Argentina. Or, we can stay in the U.S. and head to Arizona or Southern California or even back to Hawaii.
And what happened to seeing the national parks and getting those checked off? In September and October of each year we will go west in the car for around four to six weeks and visit a few national parks, tent camping some of the time to mix things up. We can see and do a lot in that time period and it won’t break the bank. We’ll be back in New England in time for leaf peeping, the fall holidays, and Christmas.
We again seriously and in-depth asked ourselves whether we should buy a trailer, but realized we a) would rather have a home base, and b) the cost for the trailer we want, new or used, would cost more than we’re willing to spend at this time of our lives. By dividing our travel into two parts during the year we can travel more efficiently and spend less over all. We still enjoy camping, although for short bursts, and will invest in a good tent and camping gear and include some camping in our travels out west and during summers in New England.
Doing a little of everything has it all: family, a home base, adventure, and travel, all without built-in poison pills. Each part works, is affordable and doable, it easy to adjust as needed, and makes everyone happy . . . especially us!
The Occasional Nomads 
Well done on coming up with a workable plan. Life never has to be an all or nothing decision, plus we are allowed to duck and weave and change direction if we so desire. We are currently in Thailand after an absence of 10 years, and being here reminds us of how vibrant life is outside of regular life in the US or Oz. However don’t think I could take the heat and humidity to live here full time which was something we considered 15 years ago.
LikeLike
We truly love the flexibility of this plan. Nothing is really set in stone, or has to be a certain way, or be for so long.
Excessive heat and humidity are the big NOs for us!
LikeLike
This sounds perfect! I’m curious also if you use any credit cards for points? I’ve got a Capital One Venture X and will get the Chase version as well. It is terribly confusing to figure it all out, but I’ve got nothing but time right now and it’s a great goal that will help us considerably.
We went through the same thing when we realized we’d have to leave the Schengen Area in Western Europe periodically. What do we do? Just the other day I had FB memories of my trip to Argentina come up, and problem definitely solved lol.
LikeLike
We only use a CC for cash rewards and air miles (we currently have two free domestic flights or to Mexico on American). I wish I was better at figuring it out. We also have one of the big mileage cards (Chase) but used up all of our bonuses years ago so now we hardly ever use it.
The 90-day limit in the Schengen Zone is very restrictive, but you can go to England for up to 180 days or Ireland for 90 and then go back to a Schengen country for another 90 days in a calendar year.
We flew from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Paris. L-O-N-G, L-O-N-G flight that I hope I never have to make again!
LikeLike
That sounds about perfect. I had confidence you two would come up with something that gave you what you wanted. 😊
LikeLike
This plan has everything we want, with few to no restrictions. I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have a basic plan figured out – the details will come later!
LikeLike
YAY!!!!! Life is about pivots and finding what works for you. And it can change. We are pivoting and selling our cabin which we were going to retire to. Mostly because of the fact our kids won’t be there that much (we are 3 hours away) and we want to be away in the winter (in Canada so our wi tears can be harsh) and when we are back we want to watch the kids play hockey. People think we’re crazy but we are doing what is alright for us. It’s a big investment to not be using it all the time. I applaud you to do what works for you two. I look forward to your adventures !!!!
LikeLike
Thanks, Jackie. We are so happy with this plan, and have over a year now to really pull plans together. Our first opportunity to go somewhere will be in the fall of 2025, and we already have a few ideas to look forward to. We love that we can write the story as we go along with no major investments or commitments.
LikeLike
Yeah, I have debated so so often about getting a camper/van/travel trailer but I just don’t want to spend the money so I totally understand your reasoning. At any rate, I think your plan sounds fabulous for y’all and I love reading about your plans!!!!
LikeLike
We have been through this several times now but the cost for what we want is just too big an investment now (unless we were going to live in it full time). The further along we went, the more we want and the bigger the cost and we finally accepted that it would weigh us down as much as buying a house. So no trailer.
This new plan fits us perfectly – gives us perimeters to do what we want but no walls.
LikeLike
Sounds like a good plan with plenty of room for flexibility!
LikeLike
The flexibility is what we like the best and what makes us happiest. We have a schedule but no rules for enforcing it; it really gives us everything we want.
LikeLike
I love this plan! It gives you the best of everything! It will allow you to be close to family and still allow you to travel.
LikeLike
It really does allow us to have and do everything we want from having a home base to family nearby to travel. Just wish it hadn’t taken so long to figure out!
LikeLike
That sounds ideal! Plus affordable, realistic, and flexible.
(I updated the ridiculous username WordPress arbitrarily gave me, ha ha. And reset my forgotten password, so now I’ll be able to log on from my phone again.)
LikeLike
The new plan did hit the trifecta: affordable, realistic, and best of all flexible. It gives us everything we wanted and time to rest and reflect in between.
LikeLike
I had the second cataract surgery last week and am catching up on your posts. I think this is an excellent plan! The best of all worlds.
LikeLike
Congrats! I keep getting emails from my eye doctor that I need to come it, but keep putting it off because there’s been no deterioration in my vision.
We’re super happy and satisfied with the new plan – truly the best of everything.
LikeLike