We are Rachel and Al. In July 2021, we both retired from jobs we loved to begin the next great adventure in our lives. We hatched the plan as an interesting idea to talk about, far in the future: someday we want to live in a different country each year, for a full year, for ten years. Now the future is here! Our kids are grown and scattered, our health is still good. We seized the opportunity presented by an early retirement offer to fast-forward the time frame, sold nearly everything we owned, and here we are, exploring the world, one country at a time. If you’re interested in following along with our adventure, sign up below! If you want to learn more about us, click on About. If you want to learn more about the plan and how we launched it, click on the links to other articles we’ve written. And if you want to catch up on where we’ve been and what we’ve seen and learned along the way, check out our Blog and Photo galleries (above).
Latest Post
Crazy Rich Asian Food
It’s possible I have eaten more new-to-me foods in my first 12 days in Japan than in the previous 12 years combined. I admit I have not loved every bite equally—and some bites I never need to have again—but I am loving the adventure of it all. While gaijin (foreigners) typically recognize four seasons in…
Samurai Road
It felt like a balm to reach the mountains after spending three days in Tokyo, where we had recovered from the long flight and time change and explored just one small sliver of the third most populous city on Earth. In Tokyo, everything seemed to flash and sing and clamor for our attention. Our tiny…
Next Stop: Japan
A few months ago, I knew virtually nothing about Japan. We’ve heard from many people who have been there and loved it. The food, the culture, the scenery… but what is it about those things in Japan that is so magnetic, I wondered. I’ve been to Japanese gardens in many places around the world, eaten…
