last work day is this Friday! planning to ditch the belongings and hit the road ASAP!

There’s a saying for early retirees, aka FIRE folks, your worst day is everyone else’s everyday. Fear stops a lot of us. But, the worst thing that can happen is one has to return home and get a job. You guys are amazing. Keep spreading the word and I hope to be out there soon. 😊

Oh my gosh you are exactly so spot on when you say that the public transportation and trains will give you a good lesson in patience, and a healthy sense of humor. I read about the trains, busses and subways in each location that we are going to. Intially my darling husband questioned my selection of them, but after getting him around Seoul, Taipei, and numerous cities in Italy early on in our travels, he just now asks how I know where to go. He does great on all of the photos, videos and all technology, so we are each bringing a different set of skills. 😊 My husband also hit the wall while trying to fast travel through Europe last year, and it was made very clear this isn't working. We have since agreed, no less than a week in one place. We are doing 5 countries in 5 months, but 3 months are in one country. The others are 7, 8, 8,and 10 days. But our blessing is that we are best friends so we talk about everything and we are always willing to adjust our plans for the other's need. Love and understanding goes a long way.

Great stuff. Wife and I are retired early (50) and moving to Greece in September. We will have an equivalent of 3-4 annual expenses in cash and have the rest invested in the stock market. Our brokerage has $500,000 in capital gains that I will harvest in the next few years until our pension kicks in at 55. Since we will barely have any income until then, I will realize up to $90k for $0 capital gains and reinvest in index funds. With a step up basis, we will barely pay any capital gains tax on all of our investments since the rest is in a Roth.

Re: re-entering the workforce, I can attest. After trying my own thing for a bit, I applied for jobs in my late 50's. Of course, all companies have their, "we don't discriminate on race, age...." printed all over. All that means is...they can't admit it 🤦‍♂

It’s interesting how travel desires change over time. When I was in my 30s-40s, I traveled to 40 countries for both work and pleasure, staying from a week to 3 months. In my 50s, I traveled to fewer countries looking for a place to relocate. I sold everything and was away for years at a time. Now at 64, I’m less interested in starting over in another country, and even the idea of slow travel is not as compelling as it used to be. My cost of living is so low that living abroad no longer offers the cost savings it used to either.

I was one of the people that asked you about an exit plane ticket and you reassured me that one is not needed. Then when it got closer to time to go I got cold feet and since I knew where I was planning to go next I just went ahead and bought the ticket to be sure. I was coming to Vietnam, and they have a reputation for strict rules so I wanted to make sure I didn't have an issue. You were right though, they didn't ask anything about onward travel, they didn't even want to see my Visa. I just went through the passport control, they visually scanned the photo page, stamped it and off I went. Should have listened to you :)

Great video. A lot of these items are what new retirees face in general - lack of familiar routine, watching your budget and choosing activities based on your plan, making new social connections, etc. I’m facing this in a couple of weeks. Scary, exciting.

Thanks for the video. As a single person and traveler, I'm most concerned about isolation over time. I love to travel, but I have found being in a new place by myself, and not knowing the language, different culture, etc. just wears me down mentally over time being alone. This is my biggest hurdle to doing full time slow travel alone. Need to just get over this!

Fabulous vlog again 👏🏻 Honest communication is so vital in a relationship.

Love this, my wife and I have recently retired and started our slow travel lifestyle. Really appreciate you both, we are now at that point that we need a little purpose and I think we will be going down the KZfaq rabbit hole. Need a little something else to learn and do, plus we hope to help/inspire others with our personal journey

My wife and I are looking at retiring next year (we will both be 53). Luckily we both have defined retirement plans that are indexed to inflation. We have watched plenty of videos of what to expect in retirement and appreciate all the content you have produced. We vicariously live through you guys and can't wait to start our own adventure.

Especially as a solo traveler w nobody to share the research load with, my version of slow travel will likely be 90 days in one country at a time w short trips from base. I've tried faster solo travel. It's utterly exhausting trying to research & plan logistics WHILE sightseeing

My wife and I love spending 24/7 together. We are besties. We do get our alone time - I get up earlier than she does and she stays up later than I do. But we love spending time together. The reverse culture shock is very real. Even though we only spend shorter periods of time outside of the US, each time we come back we make changes to our lives - eating better, getting rid of material possessions, we set up our back patio to be more inviting & relaxing so we could spend time talking, having a drink and smoking a cigar together - trying to replicate that relaxing environment we had outside the US.

Another great video! Thank you for the experiences you share.

I love how you guys choose the perfect topics. You are fantastic about addressing issues that can be stressful with grace, humor, and solid information. I think you’re trustworthy because you always remind people to do their own due diligence when traveling full time. The way you guys respect each other reminds me of my husband and me. No sarcasm, just mutual appreciation and love. 🌷 Great video, again!

We love you guys and the channel! Have done two legs of “Our Radical Sabbatical” so far. We hit the road for leg number 3 on July 22nd! Happy travels and early “retirement.”

Hello again from Vancouver, Canada. You guys are doing a fantastic job. The quality of your videos and the content are excellent. Good luck with everything, keep going and remember to enjoy every minute of your work. Chris & Kyle

Well done! Very informative. Your best video to date (IMO).

Wow!!! This is one of the best comprehensive vlog that addresses all aspects of fast and slow traveling in retirement. I appreciate your video even though I have lived through all those aspects. It would be so nice to meet you someday.

Such helpful content. Thank you!!

Wonderful video! Thanks!

Nice video. We love watching you both.

Hi guys, Good advice as always. I can see how it can be more difficult to establish a routine when you are moving between countries. Here in Spain people eat their main meal of the day at 14:00 whereas most other countries. Have it early evening. Because it is hot here in the summer we do our shopping early in the morning when it's cool. Have lunch at 14:00 followed by a siesta. Basically try and fit in with the routine people have in the country where you are and you will be happy. 😊

Great information 😊

Thanks, Brian and Carrie, for another informative video. Great to hear from you from Hungary. Love Budapest.❤ Funny you say that get off the phone or you will fall into a hole when walking around abroad. Great tips on pace yourself. It is a lifestyle and not a vacation, when you slow travel.

You guys are great!! :)

No toilets on public transportation are my biggest nightmare, especially while traveling once from Slovenia to Italy being held at the Italian border for a couple of hours due to an illegal immigrant on our bus.

Thank you so much for the amazing content and honesty. Lots to think about as I consider slow travel as a possibility for the future. Your info is very useful. And entertaining.🤣

Good stuff.

I would just like to say that your videos are so informative and interesting...(with some humor thrown in). I am not presently interested in moving abroad....but I feel like I now have so much information to consider if this mindset should change 😊

I did four months and absolutely loved it. Will be headed out in August until the holidays. Every new location comes with a day or two of adjustment. Part of the process.

Thank you for all your insights and information that you both provided on your channel. I will begin my slow traveling tomorrow 7/12/24 in KL. I’m looking forward to it. I’m definitely not new to traveling, but new to slow travel. John’s Journeys

Wonderful expert advice from you both. Thanks for sharing. I've marked this video to show my spouse. We are retired but waiting to see our youngest through high school before beginning our slow travel adventures.

Thank you for your personal insight now I have a generalized idea ofwhat I want to do.

Great video! I would love to hear how you guys live your lives without a permanent address and options for those of us who would love to do what you do!

Great information. I love hearing about your transportation experiences. My worst fear is go in the wrong direction or getting off at the wrong stop. 😅

Great discussion, guys! And the new shirts look great, Bryan. Stylin'. Le Crocodile! Thumbs up! As for culture shock, I think a lot has to do with what one has grown up with where one lives or has lived. I have more culture shock going to the East Coast than the first time I went to either Thailand and the region solo in the late 1990s and onward or Scandinavia and other parts of Europe solo at age 17/18 and onward in the early-mid 1970s. But, during part of my elementary school years, I lived in an area with Scandinavians although I'm not Scandinavian. And then in later elementary years moved a few hours by car down to very multi-cultural L.A. County and into a neighborhood with a lot of Japanese. We were eating sushi in elementary school in the mid-1960s and going to the Buddhist temple for festivities. I'm neither Japanese nor Buddhist. But, my parents always believed in exposing kids to cultural diversity. We grew up with our parents' saying, "There's more going on out there in the world than what's going on in our backyard, so get out and explore!" Although not Thai, with L.A. having the largest population of Thai people outside of Thailand, I've been used to the culture for decades, along with other Asian cultures. And if I were ever to go to Armenia, I think I'd fit in very easily as L.A. County has the largest population of Armenians living outside of Armenia. And there are also lots of other cultures. I don't really have culture shock with people/traditions/food, but maybe more with getting used to some inconveniences of how things might run in some countries. I've done 6 continents. The exposure of cultural diversity is important from a young age. And I think that culture shock might also depend on at what age one started traveling into other cultures since as one gets older, one can develop more fear of the unknown. Since I started so young and solo, I just kind of went with the flow and never had any real fear anywhere in the world, but really could have had some in some places where I've traveled due to traveling female and also standing out like a sore thumb in a lot of places. And let's throw in all of the unrest in the world over the decades. But, it was mentally always mind over matter, suck it up, and keep going. As for travel, guys, this is the time to do Japan. The yen has hit 161.30 yen to a U.S. dollar. When I was there in 2017/2018/2019, I was getting around 105-110. Greetings from Los Angeles

This is great perspective, as always. Thank you for the time you put into thoughtful videos. Another idea: I do two-month summer trips to one place as a home base, just living there, as you said, and work remotely. Do day trips on weekends. It's a nice way to dip your toe into what you're doing.

Liked the video and subscribed to your channel.

Parkinson's law - work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

Useful information. I am three years away from retirement, at 57, and am hoping to slow travel for half of the year. I appreciate the relationship information as that is one of my main concerns. Spouse and I have different interests and different ways of traveling. I like to walk and explore, spouse likes minimal walking and prefers to relax. Glad to see that you are enjoying your journey after three years.

More quality content. For the relationship, I think that the communication aspect of setting up common ground with expectations going into it, with periodic and ongoing check ins are crucial. You both seem so well connected and we should all be so lucky to find that person to take on this potentially intimidating change in life. Your ongoing theme about retirement is not an extended vacation but rather living somewhere else is crucial. So very true. I do think that you both would both quite easily return to the workforce should you choose it, but I don't see that it's a concern going forward. Happy travels.

My husband and I traveled to Eastern Europe. We visited Poland and I woke up with a logged in tick at my waistband section. Never in my life did I expect this. I went to the doctor and at that time they needed my doctors prescription for antibiotics. Well they thought I was ok without it. Just told me if I start to see spots (rash) on my skin. I did get tested and treated with antibiotics when I returned it was negative but worrisome at the time.

Add Medellin, Columbia to your list if you can, I spent a couple months touring the city and then the country and had a great time! Buenos Aires, Argentine is another beautiful city with great people...

Great video! Thank you so much! We are so inspired by you guys over the past year, we are going on our first trip to Thailand in December, switching to working part time only from April to September in BC Canada ! Hope to see you sometime somewhere, we are following same countries and facing same problems in 🇨🇦 😢

Great video guys! Thank you!!! We are thinking of connecting with local churches wherever we go to volunteer and find community. We're leaning toward as slow as possible without a visa. I wish Thailand was 3 months. :) You guys have helped so much as we prepare!!!

I’ve found that TIME itself has fluctuated/flexed since I retired 5 years ago. Time is flying now- weeks whizz by and I often think how slow time moved in comparison when I was working. I’m more concerned now that I’ll run out of time to do everything I want to do… sad really 🤔

Great video/podcast guys! Very helpful points for further discussion. We’re about to embark on 8 weeks of travel and we wonder….will we be ready to come home or stay longer. Thankfully, we have flexibility and can stay longer if we decide to. Keep going down those rabbit holes Brian, they’re paying off. 😊 Have a wonderful day ~ cheers

Excellent video, Brian and Carrie. It's a tad ironic that we are now looking at global healthcare after preparing our whole life for US healthcare. The other issue is inflation and travel. Recently tourists have been targeted bc of how inflation has impacted locals, and I wonder if we can travel without feelings of guilt and privilege. I never imagined these complex problems while I worked (and studied) in California. But here we are. Retired slow travelers wanting to make an impact. Thank you both for the insightful videos!! Dean & Cindy

I like the Izod/Lacoste shirt. and when I'm on my phone walking or driving I am ONLY ever watching Brian and Carrie! :)

Thanks for the video! I think slow travel is gonna suit me well. I would definitely burn out if I'm moving quickly from place to place. I have to BE where I am and acclimate. Thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom!

Great video as always. Vietnam was a huge culture shock for me, I was really worried to the point of cancelling our 2 weeks vacation. I absolutely bloody loved it!! So much that we have booked 5 months in SE Asia, (Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam/Thailand & Malaysia) 🙂

Thanks for sharing your experiences. My wife and I are a couple short years away from reaching FIRE at this point we are only mid 30s but still want to travel and enjoy life and also balance with the growth vs inflation as you stated. Holding stocks and dividend funds that pay us every month is huge as we never need to worry about selling shares even in a down market, also keeping a small portfolio of rental properties hopefully will sustain the lifestyle for the long term. Reinvesting some dividends each month to increase our "Paycheck", rising rents and staying under budget is the goal!

I am a routine person too. Hence the career in program management. I just want to travel and not to plan anything! I will need a longer stay in this case. I also love walking. In DC we walked over 16 miles a day. It was awesome! I came back home 5 lb lighter :) I like driving (it soothes me) with a great music like Rachmaninov concerto 2! But I want to have a public transportation available. Florida sucks when it comes to that. I will enjoy Europe for sure! Thank you for another great video!

Thank you for this video, great advice. So, the hidden secret here is, to make sure wherever I stay, it has Netflix. ;)

I find the biggest issue is making the decision to just let go. I do a lot of travel, both in the US and overseas. In the past year I've been to Italy, Mexico, and several trips to Colorado and Vermont for skiing. Probably close to two months of travel, and I maintain a home base with all the expenses of that. Next week I'll be in Massachusetts and then off to Europe for six weeks. I have other travel plans in the coming months and I keep thinking I should just sell my place and do what you guys are doing, although in my case it would be mostly solo travel and I'm quite a bit older. But I could definitely see doing slow travel for a year or two. I've been thinking about this for awhile, actually the pandemic put a lot of my plans on hold although I travelled even then, where I could. I'm fortunate in not having any real constraints, since I'm no longer working, healthy, and unmarried, kids are away and living their lives, other family are distant, I have nothing really holding me back except inertia and what to do with all of my STUFF! I admire you for doing what you're doing, and you seem to be having a great time doing it, which is an inspiration. Thanks!

first couple dont use the term "cheap" but inexpensive.. Thanks !

Have a great day!

1. Love boring nap days.... Great for dodging weather extreme.... Heat of the day in SE Asia. For example...😮 2. One month is perfect maybe even 6 weeks for supper interesting affordable areas. 3. Google maps selecting bus or train option tells us which bus, train or stop to get on and off here in Rome. Helps cost savings staying outside of tourist areas.... Makes expensive places easier. 10 km away from city center... If needed... 4. Routine... Meals and work out even getting laundry done each week like back "home".. "cleaning" the accomodations weekly if not part of rental.... 5. Lol. You didn't want to say she was right😂... Agree 100 we have a rule... Either of us can say we need a break or slow down anytime.... We've even decided after our now first year to spend 8 weeks in one location after going back to Washington...6 weeks of fast travel to see everyone.... More stress than slow travel.... Keeping everyone happy.... Sharing time... Great video, Love to buy you guys a beer in Leavenworth... Or Pybus market Wenatchee..... August we're home... Safe travels..... Thanks again for all the advice..... You were an inspiration and motivation to us both... Cheers, Larry and Minnie....

Great videos. Minor suggest - An index would help viewers.

Thinking of gutting my TSP/Roth to move abroad. Have a military pension which will cover me as well, but the extra money will get me started.

Have you two ever considered doing a livestream, Q&A, type video?

STICKER SHOCK from another currency ! Even after 20+ years living in Brasil, I still get shocked at prices in the BR currency, because the actual number is high compared to the US dollar - 5 x 1. If I see something let's say it's r$25 vs another option at r$18, I automatically go for the r$18 BUT the difference in USD is only $1 ! Let's say I am shopping online for a new modem. A is r$275, B is r$375. The difference seems so huge but if you divide that 100/5 it equals $20 usd Eating out, one churassco steak dinner is priced higher in the south = r$60, while one even nicer in the north is r$49 PP. Hell NO I am not wasting r$11 for the higher cost one ! I'd normally just not go to that one BUT the difference is r$11 which is only $2 USD ! I guess this price number shock helps me save money in the long term but I'm not really saving that much, it just feels like I am ! Sometimes I (and friends too) tell myself NOT to be so cheap but it comes naturally for me !

Work isolation isn’t just something associated with travel. When you retire, your “work family” tends to loose attention. The entire “retirement transition” is always hard!

It would be great to meet up one of these days for a beer if we are ever in the same part of Europe at the same time. Nice videos!

Thank you for this video. Here in the USA there are many public transit systems that aren't necessarily safe. Do you always feel safe hopping on buses in Europe? I think the trains are safer in general but i will need to use buses around the small towns in Portugal, France and Greece.

I absolutely love your videos. I have been consuming slow-travel KZfaq videos for the last 3 years in anticipation of commencing my own travels and I still always learn something new from you guys. I really appreciate you sharing your advice and experiences.

Good info! I’d have to agree. We retired early 3 years ago at ages 28 and experienced similar things.

Nope, I won’t/can’t do routine .

I will be curious as to what you think about the prices in San Miguel de Allende and Cdmx in Mexico. I find things are less than the US but not as radically cheap as many might expect. Last year we were in southern Italy and found the prices for some things (especially groceries) to be substantially cheaper than the US.

As I sit in neighborhood restaurant/bar, I'm reminded of your comment. Americans do the the same thing month in month out. As a 65 yr old male, I leave October for 2 months in Europe, ..I may not come back...Thanks.

Spent time with expats from Canada and the US recently and found out early how well they live on 2500$US per month for couples..Returning in a few months for a longer 60 days to make our final decision on escaping this declining Canadian city..

Hi Brian and Carrie 😊 Any regrets in selling your property? We are deliberating selling or keeping to stay in the market and renting it out. Concerned housing market will have left us behind if we want to return home after 10yrs travel and bit older in work force? Thanks for vids…fab info! 👍

Just as important as inflation are currency exchange rates.

Brian and Carrie, love your videos! However, do you two ever disagree and if so, how do you resolve the situation? Curious. JP Porto

We used to want to travel quite a bit when I FIREd. Luckily I was able to get an Expat assignment to work in Japan. I realized that I didn't really enjoy travel, it's just we needed a change away from the USA. I do want to slow travel eventually, but with my young daughter I'm not sure if it makes more sense to give her some stability. In the meantime, my wife was forced to retire due to VISA restrictions.

Background- we retired early and slow traveled overseas (Europe & SE Asia). We loved it. Now we are breaking and traveling the US in our camper. We are thinking of traveling alternating 90 days at a time. Less VISA issues, no dealing with Schengen limits, easier to pickup prescriptions that aren’t available overseas, & a little more time home to see the kids. Question- are you seeing a dramatic increase in stress or costs since you shifted to a shorter travel window?

Once again. You made 41 minutes feel like 25. Thanks

What’s your monthly or yearly budget. I’m 42. Soon to be 43. In USA. Still working. But been to the Philippines twice and a few other places. I am planning on selling everything and will have 2 million. Single. No kids. Am I ready for your lifestyle? Or should I work a few more years?

Colonoscopy in Thailand! Drink spicy liquid instead ?

If you have a US passport you don’t need a visa to enter Thailand but you have to leave within 30 days.

You may have mentioned it in other videos but can I ask you if you got any kids? If so how do you handle it being away from them? Thanks

Do you have an exit plan? My concern is once we’re older (alot older), do you go home? Pick a place for your final years?

Thanks for going in such depth. You mentioned a little here but you made a video on other sources of income. As International Content Creators 😌, dare I say Influencers😉, could you speak on the "potential " for additional revenue geared around merch, digital downloads(products), user generated content, affiliate programs, and sponsorships?😊 Of course you don't need to what you earn but from research and chatting with others There might be some data points. Say low range, medium range, and high range. 💰📊 Do you find your views on these options evolving over the years? 🤔👍📚🧠

Sharp camera. What model?

Tax is just wild. American citizens will always pay tax in the US. The rest of us need to avoid staying 180/183 days in another country to not pay their tax. It is also possible to not pay tax in your home country (if not US) but that requires advice. The bilateral agreements only apply if you trigger 2 countries rules.

I guess it depends on your definition of retired. I am curious how many hours a day you spend on your social media platform… and is it a job or fun??

How many countries have you been to since you’re slow traveling?

Have you been getting prescription meds on your travels or just waiting until you get back to the US to stock up? I know it can often be a lot less expensive to get medications pretty much anywhere outside of the US, but not sure how easy it is to get them.

Do you own or rent a primary residence, use a PO Box? Any real estate rooted in US?

How much did you have saved? How much did you decide you could live on every month? If that is not too personal a question.

You could always go solo for a while and meet back up

There are NO Health care travel OPTIONS for anyone over age 79. Also remember, the USD's value will keep declining due to our $35 Trillion USD debt. I doubt anyone has considered that that is inevitable.

Curious...How much longer do you plan on traveling abroad? Were you thinking of coming back to the states permanently once you start collecting social security/Medicare? I was just wondering of you all had a timeline in place when you started, if any? Great info, as always!!! :)

When you are employed, you may get a raise to deal with inflation. When you don't have a paycheck, I think your investments have to be working hard to beat inflation.

Are you planning on doing this forever or will you ever settle down? Also do you have kids or family back in the US?

good stuff. getting a bit long. 😉