John and Bev are the “Retirement Travelers”.
They are a retired American couple who are travelling the world full-time,
whilst sharing their adventures with their 94,000 YouTube subscribers,
7000 Facebook followers and 13,000 Instagram followers!
They share their lessons learned in their FREE Travel School Series!
They want to inspire fellow retirees to see the world and live their best retirement lives.
You’ve Earned It/YEI, the digital media platform for South African 60-plussers
caught up with them whilst they were in Cape Town,
on the first part of their African leg.
John and Bev – Welcome to South Africa! We are following your travels with great enthusiasm and would like to ask you a few questions. We believe that your experiences will be of great interest to South African 60-plussers, who may well be keen to do something similar.
You are travelling the world in retirement? Why?
We were living in a golf community in Florida in the US, and we looked around one day and asked ourselves if we were happy with this lifestyle for the next 30 years. We loved this way of living, socializing and being active playing golf, but we had a yearning to see the world too. We couldn’t afford both, a home, and a full-time adventure, so we sold our home and took off to see the world. We realized that we were truly in our “go-go years” of retirement, and we knew that we’d be reaching the “slow-go years” and the “no-go years” sooner than we wanted. We didn’t want to live with regrets.
How long have you been planning this worldwide trip?
While we always dreamed of traveling the world, we never considered full-time travel a possibility for us until after we made our first trip in our Airstream travel trailer to see the National Parks in the US. This taught us that we didn’t need much, stuff or space, to live a happy, fulfilling life. We had a discussion one day and within a week, we agreed to a plan and sold our home. It was a very quick decision.
How long have you been on the road?
We left in May 2020 to travel to all 50 states and 51 US National Parks in our Airstream travel trailer. We decided during this time to live our lives outdoors. The parks in the US were open for camping and hiking, and we took advantage of this by social distancing in our camper. The parks were not crowded, and it proved to be a good choice for us (Americas National Parks are her crowning glory). We sold our camper and truck in October 2021 and left for Central America. We have been on the go ever since and have visited 92 countries in total.
How are you funding this trip?
John worked for 34 years in leadership positions for an aluminum manufacturing company having started as a project engineer, while Bev raised our 5 children. We saved for retirement, lived a debt free life as much as possible, and lived within our means. We saved money our entire lives for retirement and have had a good strategy of investment over the years. Additionally, by selling our home and possessions, we have very few expenses other than travel.
It seems like you have done multiple worldwide trips? Can you tell us about those?
We are currently on our 5th major international trip since 2021. We generally think of our travels as legs, and we do two legs a year. Our longest leg was nine months in Europe, where we stayed in the Schengen Zone for three months in Italy and Greece and then traveled to each of the Balkan countries to exit for three months before coming back for another 90 days in Southern Europe and up to Czechia. We return to the states between legs so we can see our children and grandchildren. We’ve been on six continents in our travels.
You mentioned South Africa is your 92nd country. How did the travel dream start?
We were not raised in families that traveled the world, but they encouraged us to dream big dreams. John’s family hosted international exchange students and his siblings studied abroad. His parents saw great value in world travel. Bev’s family didn’t travel either, but they encouraged big dreams too. Her father decided when she was very young to take the television out of their home because they watched to much in his opinion. This left a huge deficit of entertainment, so there was a concerted effort of her parents to fill their home with books and magazine subscriptions. This experience expanded her and her sibling’s imagination and knowledge of the world. As we raised our children, we added some world travel to their lives as we could afford it.
What are the Top Ten countries you have visited, and why?
In no order, here are some of our favorites. There are many more!!! Colombia, Guatemala, Norway, Slovenia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Greece, Romania, Latvia, and of course South Africa. To make the list of best countries, we like ones that offer beautiful vistas, have delicious food, and aren’t overrun by tourists. We appreciate off the beaten paths and places with welcoming people. We are often surprised by how proud people are of the places they call home; it’s very endearing. We often have viewers from our YouTube channel reach out for meetups when we arrive in a country, but Cape Town holds the record! We’ve taken some viewers up on a Sunday drive to a wine farm and another invitation from a group of viewers in Durbanville for a braai. Both will always be cherished memories.
Are there any countries you would not consider going back to?
We have learned something new in each country we have visited. We might have different approaches for a return visit, (such as less cities and more rural areas) but none that we wouldn’t return to. Many countries have challenges, but we are not after the “Disneyfied” experience, but the unique experience that each country contributes to the world. Each culture is different, and if we were after the one, we are most comfortable with, we’d stay home.
I would have thought that one needs to be fit and healthy to embark on such a trip. Bev, I see from your Facebook page that you have Multiple Sclerosis. Is that correct? Wow – such respect – how are you managing to do this world travel while you have MS? Are you working at keeping as fit and healthy as you can, despite the MS?
Our journey has a lot to do with my MS. Having a disease like this brings so much uncertainly to my life, and while I am healthy now, I have no promises that tomorrow will be the same. This idea of making the most of our go-go years is ever present and I’m trying to take advantage of my opportunities while I can. John has always promised to carry me if I am unable to walk, and he proves this every day of my life by making sure my needs are attended to. I try very hard to stay healthy by walking and eating well. At the moment, I only have tingling when I am overheated. I’m so thankful.
Your Travel School series contains a wealth of information, but I know that our 60-plus audience will have some burning questions, which I’d like to ask of you.
One question that South African 60-plus retirees are always asking in relation to travel is – travel insurance – which one is the best in terms of being affordable while being good enough to cover medical emergencies? What are your thoughts on this?
There are two parts to travel insurance, medical and insuring your trip. We did a video recently on the medical side in our Travel School. There are so many factors like the healthcare system in the country you are from, your age and pre-existing health conditions. There are some travel credit cards that provide some coverage, along with companies like Safety Wing that provide various options. As far as insuring our trips, we have coverage through our credit card, but we only book refundable hotels. We take a bit of risk with our flights, but we don’t book these until we know we are settled on our itinerary.
How do you manage in terms of visas and ensuring you arrive in a country before the visa expires?
We plan out our trips 6-12 months in advance and use a spreadsheet system called Monday.com to keep track of everything. We did a how-to video on this system in our Travel School. When we plan a trip, we check the visa requirements, and we make a note in on our spreadsheet. We have to be very careful. For us, being American citizens, many countries are generous with their visa requirements. For example, entering the Schengen Zone to visit the European Union doesn’t require a visa for us. We know that the requirements for us is different than many countries.
How do you manage the finance parts of your lives when you are travelling like this? How do you manage the cash you need, your banking cards, insurance, your retirement investments?
We recently did a video on money and banking while traveling. We have a trusted financial advisor in Florida who manages our investments, taxes, insurance, and estate planning. We use a travel credit for all purchases and try to minimize use of cash overseas. We carry very little cash, as most places take credit cards.
Let’s talk accommodation – you say you choose hotels over AirB&Bs – doesn’t this make a huge dent in your travel savings? As regular Retirement Travellers, what are your top priorities when it comes to choosing a place to sleep for the night?
We don’t think we are spending more with hotels. The fees have risen greatly with Airbnb’s over the years, especially the cleaning fees. While staying in the host home renting a room is far cheaper, renting the entire place is on par with a hotel, especially when staying for only a few days. We also try to maximize our credit card points so we can take advantage of reward stays. As far as priorities, we like being close to public transportation. We dislike renting cars because of the price, so being in a location that offers walking or public transportation is important to us.
How do you manage with suitcases and clothes? I’m imagining you must be travelling light? When I travel, my hairdryer has to come with me!! Clearly a trip like this would mean no hairdryer!
We have done a couple of videos on “packing light.” Our two most important rules are: 1. Only your feet touch the ground. NO rolling suitcases (or hairdryers). If we can’t carry it, it doesn’t come along, besides every hotel has hairdryers. 2. Pack for one week only. Regardless how long your trip is, think of it as many one-week trips and know that you can wash your clothes around the world. Our packing videos provide much more detail on our packing light strategies.
Are there any important lessons that you have learnt during your travels that you would like to share with YEI’s 60-plus audience?
Yes, your “go-go” years of retirement, where you have the health and energy to go see the world, hike, and travel go by very quickly. DON’T waste them and procrastinate your travels. You will be in your “slow-go” and “no-go” years before you know it and be unable to do the things you want to do. The world is a big place and there are many lessons to learn but the most important is to be open to the lessons she will teach you and live a fearless life. You can do it!
You can follow John and Bev’s adventures via these channels:
Facebook page: Retirement Travelers – https://www.facebook.com/RetirementTravelers
Website: https://retirementtravelers.com/
You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RetirementTravelers
Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/RetirementTravelers
