Six Years, Two Suitcases, and Twelve Lessons from a Life on the Road
Six years ago on a beach in San Pancho, Mexico, we asked ourselves a question: What would we do if we weren’t afraid?
Five months later, we’d sold our house, pared down to a tiny storage unit, and hit the road with two suitcases, launching six years of vagabonding across the U.S., South America, and beyond. It wasn’t always easy for lots of reasons. But it was unforgettable—and the best decision we ever made!
When Covid hit, six months of travel plans were wiped out overnight, but we didn’t let it stop us. We just did the Pandemic Shuffle: zigzagging across the U.S., chasing the sun, dodging the ’vid. Once the world opened again, we spent five and a half magical months in Mexico before realizing we’d officially maxed out on hauling our suitcases around. We’ve now settled down in our favorite mountain town: Asheville, North Carolina.
Here’s a small slideshow from our gazillion pics (tap to scroll):
12 Lessons Learned
Home is not a place—it’s wherever we are, here and now.
Trust life. Make plans, of course! (We were very planful.) But also let go of the oars and let Intuition/Flow be your guide.
The world is kind. Wonderful people are everywhere.
Fear is a doorway. Great things wait on the other side.
Gratitude changes everything—for this planet, for each other, for the journey.
Nature heals. It is medicine. Period.
Assumptions—and fake news—are so misleading. The developing world is more modern, and safer, than you think.
Abundance is received and allowed, not chased.
The earth is magical. Surprises and synchronicities wait around every corner.
We are resilient. We can adjust, flex, and be courageous.
Circumstances don’t matter; state of being matters. It’s not what’s happening but the narrative you wrap around it that makes all the difference.
We expected constant togetherness—24/7/365—to drive us bonkers. Instead, it wove us deeper.
Honestly? I could keep writing about things we learned for days—this is Earth school after all! We learned a lot from six years without a home base. But we’ll leave it here (for now).
Other Popular FAQs We’ve Gotten Over the Years
What was the hardest part?
Every life has potholes! Vagabonding was no different. Each new location meant starting over—new routines, new grocery stores, gyms, landlords, neighbors, recycling rules, even new smoke alarms (omg the f*&%$ smoke alarms). It took a lot of flexibility and presence, but was worth every frustration. It taught us even more about trusting the flow and living in the moment.
Where did you stay—RV? Tent? Couch-surfing?
Mostly Airbnbs, VRBOs, or short-term leases—houses, cabins, condos—depending on location. We prioritized nature and off-the-beaten path spots! But hit some cities too. With some exceptions (like in Patagonia, Chile), we spent a minimum of 2 weeks, max 6 months. Greg was our Mastermind Housing Sleuth; without his patience for sifting through listings to find the good ones (“cats and dogs,” he called the fails), we’d have quit early on. I have no juju for it.
How far in advance did you plan?
Before Covid, we roughly sketched a year ahead. During Covid, we booked three to six months out. The surge in remote workers gobbling up rentals during the plague made things tricky, but between planning, intuition, and a lot of trust, we always seemed to land in just the right place.
Funniest story?
A tie:
The time a mama bear and cub broke into our New Hampshire kitchen at dawn and stole Greg’s bag of almonds. He chased them out banging pots together… in his boxers.
Greg’s Medellín haircut. He tried (via charades) to say “no fade.” He walked out looking like the Fonz from Happy Days, if you go back that far.
How did you stay healthy?
We built most of our trips around nature: hiking, biking, kayaking. In cities, we walked everywhere and joined gyms. Even the tiniest towns in the middle of nowhere often had a gym. Fresh produce was plentiful everywhere we traveled; almond or oat milk was surprisingly easy to find. Honestly, we were healthier on the road than we were before!
Mail?
A virtual service called Traveling Mailbox scanned and forwarded our mail to our email. Easy.
What did the newly-retired Greg do while you worked?
Ha! So many people asked us this. Vagabonding was a full-time job: researching, planning, moving, adjusting. Greg was our Master Planner; I pinch-hit. It worked.
Read the prequel to this traveling journey in my book Into the Flow, coming June 2026!
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