This summer (2023) we are planning our next trial run in preparation for the next phase of life. We plan to radically downsize once our son heads off to college. At that point I’ll retire from technology sales, we will sell, donate, or get rid of virtually everything (save a few items put into storage) and spend several years, perhaps even decades, traveling around the world. At least, that’s the plan. It’s an early, retirement reimagined.
In 2022 we did a trial run, staying a month on Cape Cod in a couple small Airbnb/VRBO spots and had a great time. So in 2023 we are trying again, but this time in Panama. No, not Panama City, Florida. Panama, the country, and home to the Panama Canal.
Why Panama? Realistically, it evolved from our son wanting to do a Spanish Immersion camp. So we looked at options and considered that neither Hillary or I could take a full month off. Central or South America are close for Time Zones allowing us to work part-time and do meetings on a normal schedule. That led us to Amigos International’s Panama.
So that’s the plan for this year. A month in Panama, staying at Airbnb’s and splitting time between Panama City, Boquete, and Gamboa. Hillary and I can work part time and take vacation part time. We can have lots of unique experiences together and with DJ, when he isn’t at camp. We’re still planning the experiences but expect them to include coffee plantations and hiking Volcán Barú in Boquete, a sloth preserve and jungle zipline adventure in Gamboa, the Panama Canal, museums, and local food in Panama City. And of course “living like a local” by buying our own food to cook, using the subway and buses in the city, and trying out slow travel with a long-distance bus between Panama City and Boquete.