Corporate Farewell and Full-time Travel

Our walk to the DHL office is markedly different than it was a day ago when the streets were empty due to Greek Orthodox Christmas. Today the streets have an energy of hustle and bustle, and Kevin is carrying a backpack with his laptop and security card to send back to Apple. His eight and a half years of working for a big corporation are at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. I catch a bittersweet moment as I observe Kevin’s fulfillment of a lifelong goal to write software for a company he’s admired his entire adult life conclude with the exchange of a laptop and a couple hundred euros.

I step outside to get relief from the stifling heat inside the store, which is a sharp contrast to the crisp morning air outside. The now-empty pack is nearly weightless on my back and correlates with how much space we are giving the universe to reinvent us. It seems fitting that Kevin is shedding his past while we’re in Greece, which many say is the birthplace of innovation and the modern world.

We continue to prioritize family and friends and are committed to finding unconventional ways of shortening the miles between us. But we hear a benevolent call of modern-day Sirens and cannot turn our backs. Some people choose to plunge into freezing water to shock their bodies and brains. The path of unlimited slow travel is a more subtle song—we’ve traded security for surprise, consistency for creativity, and a home in one city for homes in many countries. This new lifestyle has caused us to grow and adapt more than we ever have, but with that growth comes waves of delight.

Our bargain with the universe is that as we willingly embrace some discomfort, our lives will expand in a myriad of ways that we couldn’t begin to conjure from the comfort of our small cocoon. We hope you will join us on this journey. It’s always more fun to travel with friends.