Around 2005, we decided we wanted to make some big changes in our lives. We were getting tired of living in a crowded, populous area (Washington, D.C.) that was only going to get more crowded; tired of trying to take care of a big house; tried of spending our days in cars and commuter trains and offices; and most of all, tired of trying to see the world in three or four weeks of vacation per year. So we hatched a plan to become vagabonds—that is, perpetual travelers.
We began paying off debts and then putting money in the bank (very un-American). Amazingly, we managed to sell our house in the middle of a sinking real estate market and then sell or give away most of our possessions. One by one, we cut the ties that had kept us bound to our suburban professional life. Last of all, we quit our comfortable office jobs to travel on our savings.
Crazy? Perhaps. But our life was getting too predictable, and we wanted to add some adventure while we were still young and healthy enough to enjoy it (and while our parents were still young and healthy enough that they didn’t need us close by). So in January 2008, we left Washington and set out on the vagabonding phase of our lives.
Our goals are to see the world in a slow, unhurried way; to meet people in other places and get a feel for different cultures; to try new things and learn new skills; and to see where the path of life leads us.
We spent most of 2008 in Europe, and we plan to spend much of 2009 in Central and South America. Hopefully, future years will take us to Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, and the national parks of the western United States and Canada.
Rather than try to visit as many different countries as possible, we like the approach known as “slow travel”: exploring fewer places in more depth. We usually stay in a town for at least three days, and if possible for up to a week. We generally take buses or trains instead of renting a car. Back when we were working in Washington, we had more money than time. These days, we have more time than money, so traveling slowly and cheaply makes sense for us.
To keep travel costs down—and to make personal connections in the places we visit—we try to stay in people’s homes as often as possible. We find hosts through online networks such as Couchsurfing.com and through some international home-stay organizations that we belong to, such as Servas and Lesbian/Gay Hospitality Exchange International (LGHEI). Staying in people’s homes gives us a better feel for the local culture than we can get as tourists. And often our hosts introduce us to a favorite place or an interesting local food that we might not discover on our own. Some of our best travel memories involve the people we stay with.
Whenever possible, we also like to spend a week or two doing volunteer work in exchange for food and lodging. So far we’ve worked at country hotels in Spain and Ireland, at farms in Italy, at a horse sanctuary in France. We found those positions through an online network called HelpExchange (www.helpx.net). The rest of the time we stay in youth hostels or budget hotels, or we rent an apartment if we’re going to be somewhere for a while.
Have a question about vagabonding? A traveler named Rolf Potts has written an entire book on the subject, called “Vagabonding”. You’ll also find more information under our “How We Travel” tab. If you don’t see your question answered there, send it to us and we’ll try to respond.
