Employed in retirement, globetrotting extensively - Michael and Debbie Campbell exchanged their residence for two substantial travel bags.
Michael and Debbie Campbell have marked over 90 nations on a global map and consider over 320 Airbnbs as their homes. However, they can't live without their personal pillows. They find their native country, the United States, expensive, and traveling is financially advantageous. Debbie commented to stern in an interview, "We adore Seattle and have kids and grandkids there, but I believe that traveling keeps our bodies active and fit." They utilize travel planning apps on their smartphones and artificial intelligence to stay current. They believe that by doing so, they are exercising their brains and safeguarding them against dementia.
Life Beyond Retirement: Embracing the World as Home
Michael and Debbie have always had a thirst for knowledge. As Michael puts it, "In school, we learned about various countries' geographies and histories from books. Through our long-term travels, we can experience it firsthand and visit these countries. It's like a puzzle that falls into place." Their travels are not like a quick city tour packed into a weekend. They travel at a leisurely pace, spending months in Italy, then moving on to Spain or Austria. They live solely in vacation rentals, sometimes just taking a stroll or visiting a café. In essence, they are living life to the fullest in the world's numerous nations.
"Traveling is wonderful because you realize that people, regardless of where they are in Turkmenistan, Rwanda, Japan, or America, are kind and want the same for their families," Debbie says. And their nomadic lifestyle broadens their horizons: "We love exploring the world. But if you retire and stay at home, your world shrinks. You interact with fewer people in your daily life and meet with the friends who are still alive," Michael explains.
The only drawback to traveling for Debbie and Michael is that they don't get to see friends and family as often. But they hang photos of their loved ones on the refrigerator in every vacation rental. The only annoyance they encounter while traveling is the heavy luggage, the constant moving, and some remote controls that have given them headaches. However, Debbie has cooked in over 300 kitchens. Overall, for these seniors, the benefits of long-term traveling far outweigh the drawbacks.
Maintaining Fitness as Senior Nomads
Debbie and Michael attribute their physical fitness at 68 and 78 years old to their exchange of a fixed home for the entire world. They walk a lot, use public transportation, and rely on local doctors if needed. For instance, last October in India, Michael was hospitalized due to bronchitis, and Debbie was treated in an emergency room in Tunisia. They both received excellent care in both countries. They have noticed that medical treatments in other countries are significantly less expensive than in the United States.
Debbie and Michael Campbell are still hesitant about settling down in one place after more than a decade of travel. However, they have reached a compromise: they rent a house in Seattle for the summer to spend time with their 2-year-old grandson. After that, they plan to visit their favorite European countries. Following the holidays, they plan to spend the winter in Mexico, specifically in San Miguel de Allende, a city known for its large community of American and Canadian expatriates, nicknamed "Gringos" by the locals. The couple is drawn to the city's historical charm and dynamic arts scene.
Debbie shared in the interview that despite their deep affection for Seattle and their family there, she believes that the continuous travel keeps their bodies active and fit, contributing to their overall health in their retirement years. Despite their extensive travels, Michael acknowledges that they miss out on seeing friends and family frequently, but they make up for it by decorating the refrigerators of their vacation rentals with photos of their loved ones.
Michael and Debbie's active lifestyle during their retirement years is a stark contrast to the potential shrinking of one's world if one were to retire and stay in their native country, interacting with fewer people and fewer friends on a daily basis. Their fitness regime includes plenty of walking and using public transportation, and they rely on local medical facilities for treatment whenever necessary, which they have found to be significantly less expensive than in the United States.
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