There are no harmless conversations.....
Surely some are wondering why a couple married for over 30 years would retire at the age of 56. That's a good question. Tamara and I (Walter) got to know and love each other when we were 16. That means we promised to love and take each other seriously for a whole lifetime... - hence, and because we were sitting in the car, I could not avoid my wife's question in the fall of 2016, when she asked on the way back from Treviso (IT): "I would like to take a year off with you. What do you think about a longer trip?"
..panic is followed by fear
...I clung to the steering wheel in shock and tried to buy some time by asking what she meant by that exactly. Tamara repeated the question, and I felt that she was serious.
At the same time, I knew that I couldn't just get out of this with the... 'I want to go travel for a year.' In my panic, all my synapses were firing, and I replied: If I don't work for a year, I won't be able to re-enter the workforce with the same commitment. That's not possible.
A plan is being forged.
30 years of experience in collaborative problem-solving helped us continue the discussion. "What do you envision?" I asked my wife. "I would like to travel around the world in a motorhome." A thousand questions arose in me, and panic increased. I instinctively reacted out of pure survival instinct: "Then we will do everything we can to retire early and go on a world trip."Surprisingly, my wife quickly acquiesced, and I was trapped.
So I replied, "If we want to tackle this plan, then we need to plan the necessary measures now, so we can decide whether this is a realistic plan." Attentive readers will notice that I am the more anxious one of the two of us.
On July 14, 2017, we clarified with a wealth manager the requirements for retiring at the age of 58. We created a checklist for the requirements of our world travel mobile and visited the Caravan Expo in Bern for the first time on October 28, 2017. We set up a financial plan and calculated that we want to buy the car in 2024 and retire in 2026.
The plans seemed very far away to me back then, but not impossible. From my underlying fear, or rather obvious panic, I suggested that we apply for a two-month sabbatical from our employers for our 50th birthday in 2018 to test our travel readiness. We received approval for a sabbatical, but we had to take it during the summer. The driest travel destination in July-August is Indonesia.
So it was decided that we would travel through Indonesia with our backpacks for 8 weeks. Those who are interested in this journey are welcome to read the separate report. In any case, it was clear afterwards that we would embark on our trip. The encounters with other people, cultures, the stunning nature, exciting history, and the different religions captivated us.
Now it went quickly. In 2020 we moved out of our condominium to practice as landlords. In 2021 we considered the options for our motorhome, and by the end of the year, the 'requirements specification' for our 'house on wheels' was completed. On October 29, 2021, we were back at the caravan show in Bern and knew what we wanted.
On January 19, 2022, we visited the exhibition model and on March 16, 2022, we signed the contract. That's 2 years earlier than planned. Wow, and now?
Once again, we planned the next milestones with our first trip to Italy and our cold test during winter camping in Morteratsch.
The trip to Sicily also increased our desire for more time and leisure in life. Now the question arose whether we wanted to leave in 2026 or even earlier.
In December 2023, we definitely decided under the Christmas tree for an "early early retirement" :-).
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THE ADVENTURE BEGINS!