Three years ago, a retired couple sold their house in Florida and packed their bags to embark on an adventure to see the world—and have since visited 96 countries.
Sixty-year-old Mr. Martin is originally from West Virginia and has worked in aluminum manufacturing and international relations management.
Hailing from a small town in Arkansas, Mrs. Martin, 61, was a stay-at-home mom to the couple’s five children.
Their desire to travel around the world stemmed from their upbringing.
When Mr. Martin was growing up, his family hosted foreign exchange students and some of his older siblings studied abroad.
On the other hand, Mrs. Martin grew up in a house that had no television but was filled with books, inspiring her adventurous side.
“As we raised our children, we wanted them to experience the world, and we traveled abroad with them some, but looking back, we wished we had traveled more,” the Martins said.
How Did It Begin?
“Surprisingly, when we began our journey, it began very differently than we imagined,” the couple said.In March 2020, the Martins planned to travel to Milan, Italy, but their plans were halted due to lockdowns. Undeterred, they bought an Airstream travel trailer to visit all the national parks in the United States—and were happily able to strike that item off their bucket list.
“We traveled over 40,000 miles in our truck, completing our list of visiting every state,” they said. “America’s crowning glory is the national park system, and [we were able to see] mountains, prairie land, deserts, caves, seashores, rivers, and streams in a short period of time.”
Though they had made preparations originally to travel the world over and had to pivot to other plans, some of their early process went as follows:
“We did our estate planning, and we downsized, simplified, and digitized every part of our lives,” the Martins said. “We didn’t leave any stone unturned, and we set up systems like online banking and a mail forwarding box to help us manage everything.”
Additionally, they have learned some tricks such as paying with a credit card for all their expenses and optimizing their points to get free hotel stays.
Another big part of planning was budgeting. The Martins chose to move all their finances online with their financial planners setting up a system to keep them updated on their retirement savings.
Living abroad brought them new perspectives.
They have learned that great adventures don’t always mean traveling to expensive destinations.
Ensuring Safety
One of the most important parts of the Martins’ extensive preparations is ensuring safety.“If we are in a country that has a reputation for being unsafe, we don’t walk around at night,” they said. “We also don’t live in constant fear; we keep our heads up, walk with a purpose, and don’t look lost.”
As a safe mode of payment, the senior couple opts to use Apple Pay.
Last year, while traveling through Europe, their credit card number was stolen. After a phone call, to the credit card company, they were able to update their Apple Wallet.
“We traveled all of Europe paying for transit, groceries, everything for months without a physical card,” the Martins said of the experience.
The Best of Memories
After traveling extensively around the world, the Martins have a list of unforgettable memories, but one of their favorites is a situation they faced while traveling from Salzburg to Prague by train. Narrating the incident, they said they were asked to transfer to a bus due to rail repairs.“A Swedish couple was seated near us and told us to follow them,” the Martins said. “When we got to the next station on the bus, we hopped off, and immediately, the bus took off leaving us in disbelief. No one else got off.”
They were left in a village with no Wi-Fi, no English speakers, and no cellphone service. After a few hours of waiting, they were able to board another train on its way to Prague.
“We look back on this with the best of memories!” they said.
One of their other fond memories was during their time in Cambodia. As the country was celebrating the new year, their driver told them to buy a soaker gun.
They took the advice and, to their surprise, had the most memorable water gun fight of their lives.
“Everyone was joyful, and we were soaked by the time the evening was over,” the retirees said. “We felt like little kids again!”
Adults and children alike were being driven around town in trucks, riding in the truck beds shooting water at each other, spreading joy and laughter along the way.
“It was so much fun!” they said. “Everyone had a smile on their face, and we were all friends that night.”
The globetrotters have experienced a diverse array of cultures, and they say there is one lesson they’ve learned that is the most valuable: “We are more connected as nations than people realize because we all have families from somewhere else. We all have people we love all over the world, and we all want good lives for the other.”
Another major lesson they’ve learned is that the “desire to be free people is ever present, even in countries without,” adding, “We’ve learned so much about the fight for freedom as we travel. Tour guides or cab drivers often share stories about their struggles to make a better life for their families, and freedom and education is at the forefront of their minds.”
Such conversations have been a poignant reminder to be grateful for what they have.
When asked if there is any country they dislike, the Martins always say “none” as they believe some countries present unique challenges but are filled with good-hearted people.
“No matter where we go, people love their families and their hometown,” they said.
However, their favorite countries to date are Slovenia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Romania, Greece, and the Netherlands.
Mrs. Martin’s favorite location is Raja Ampat in Indonesia as she believes the islands there are the best for diving and snorkeling in the world. Meanwhile, Mr. Martin loves Lake Atitlán in Guatemala for its natural beauty and warm-hearted people.
Surprisingly, the Martins say they haven’t encountered any major challenges as they transverse the globe, and have been amazed to discover that most countries have English speakers.
Staying in Touch With Family
As they’re always on the move, staying in touch with their nearest and dearest is a challenge they’ve embraced.“We try hard to stay in touch with our family and friends,” the Martins said. “Many of our friends text us, and we FaceTime with our family. Everyone is pretty tech savvy these days, including our mothers who are in their upper 80s.”
They regularly stay in touch with their children and visit their family twice a year. In the future, they plan to get back home more frequently to spend time with their eight growing grandchildren.
Everyone has been supportive of their retirement adventures, with some of their kids even traveling with them.
“One of our sons thought it was a little crazy, but he quickly realized that it was a great plan, and he jumped on board,” the Martins said. “I think he just wanted to know we were safe, and we were taking good care of ourselves.”
As they continue to create a truckload of memories, they share their daily chronicles with their more than 100,000 subscribers.
On reaching their 100,000 follower milestone, their children were more overjoyed than they were.
“They probably were a little shocked that their very ordinary parents could do it, but they were thrilled,” they said.
Future Plans
In the coming months, the Martins plan to visit the western coast of Africa, South America, and Japan. They also plan on growing their website as a valuable resource for encouraging and sharing their know-how and helping other retirees step out of their comfort zones to see the world.Although they had initially set out with a 10-year goal, they now see no end in sight.
“We’ve found that we love moving about and experiencing different cultures constantly,” they said. “Our minds are constantly challenged, and we rarely have a routine of where we walk or what we do.”
