We are living our retirement in reverse. We’ve decided to do all the things many people say “someday” to, NOW. Because, there will always be another a reason to wait. To combat that, we’ve taken a “redshirt” year(or more) from jobs and apartments to fulfill our dream of traveling the world. The crazy thing is–after this adventure–all the experiences we’ve had will make what we come back to that much sweeter.
From a blog posted in May 2011:
Since we announced our plans to travel, a lot of people have asked us why? I don’t want to regret not having taken this opportunity when I’m older and settled down and can no longer zip line through the jungle. I don’t want to read in a magazine at the dentist’s office that the best thing someone else has done in their life was see the pyramids. I want to see the pyramids too. I want to have experiences. I want to explore different cultures. I want to be able to tell stories. I want to understand the world better. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to see what is out there.
They say as you begin your working career, the hardest thing to come by is time. It’s not the expense of a trip. It’s stopping everything, the moving train of promotions and projects, to make time and go for it. It’s ending the cycle of accumulation and getting rid of stuff. It’s living each day, not just the weekends. It’s knowing that leaving the workforce will not be detrimental to our careers, but only make us better, more attractive candidates in the future. It’s doing it now before something else comes along that gets in the way. It’s taking an amazing risk.
I really believe that some things are once in a lifetime. Meaning you have one chance to see or do or taste or experience it; otherwise, the moment will be gone and you won’t get another. I want to have as many of those once in a lifetimes as I can.
redshirtliving 