Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
How
Travel Prepares You for the Unexpected
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Even before we met, as individuals, Billy and I have always loved to travel.
I have written about my cross-country adventure on the back of a motorcycle
when I was 19. Billy also traveled with his van to
Guatemala in the 1970s
and back again to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
As a couple we lived and journeyed through Europe for six months before we
purchased our restaurant in
Santa Cruz,
California.
These trips were life-changing experiences and we just got
hooked on adventure.
When we left the traditional work force in 1991, we sold everything and
began to travel the world. These experiences
forced us to
be flexible even
when we didn’t want to.
Power outages
For instance, when we lived on the
tiny island of
Nevis, West Indies, every
afternoon or early evening, the power in our home would go out. It could
happen at 4pm or at 7:30, but it would happen. Lights would go out, and the
TV would click off (right as the plot thickened in the movie we were
watching). The pump bringing water to the kitchen sink or toilets wouldn’t
work without the electricity, so things like doing the dishes, taking a
shower or using the restroom had to be prepared for in advance.
We read books by flashlight or had discussions on future travel plans.
No running water!
Speaking of taking a shower, in Nevis we shared the Governor of Nevis’s home
with other housemates who were opening the Nevis Four Seasons Resort on the
island.
Aside from us and Billy’s best friend who was the head chef, all the rest of
the roomies were young twenty-somethings and used to First World Living. One
young woman would start her hot shower, then go to the kitchen, toast bread,
smother it in peanut butter and jelly, eat the sandwich, then return to a
steam-filled bathroom with the water still running and take her hot shower.
As natural water-savers ourselves, we thought this was over the top.
However, we had no idea how much so, until one day… we found out that the
cistern was empty. The only way the tank was filled was by rain that fell or
by water trickling out of the city’s pipes from 10 am to 11 am daily. And by
trickle, we mean drizzle by drop.
Our spectacular house on Nevis, West
Indies with a view of the Atlantic Ocean
We were out of water, with all the conveniences that running water brings to
living, so how were we going to take a shower?
Being in the tropics, rain came fairly regularly, like every other day or
so. One morning around 9:30, it was a typical tropical downpour. Billy and I
saw the flooding of water through the gutters and into our rain barrels and
we both grabbed towels and soap. Moving a barrel and standing under the
drainpipe of the gutter we lathered up and enjoyed this pleasure of a
beautiful shower out in nature. The jungle and sugar cane fields pushed up
against our house, and we had a straight shot of Nevis' volcano.
Spectacular.
Then… the rain stopped.
Oh Lord. There we were, soaped up, naked, and out in our back yard when the
maid popped in for her thrice weekly cleaning.
She was hysterical with laughter as we both searched the skies for the next
possible rain shower. It came quicker than we even hoped, and we learned our
lesson. Soap up sections, rinse quickly. Soap up again, rinse quickly.
Prioritize!
Citywide garbage strike… then simultaneous railroad strike
While
visiting
Rome, the garbage collectors went on strike. In the hot weather, it only
took a day or two for the bags of rubbish to become ripe. Besides the
shoulder high piles of trash which were only getting larger by the day, the
smell was the kind that would knock you over.
We had to make our way north.
This is when we found out that the railroad workers had also decided to
strike, so scheduled trains didn’t appear or those that were already there
didn’t move from the stations. We had to be creative and assertive in
finding our way out of Italy by jumping on any train moving north no matter
its destination.
Other miscellaneous challenges
We’ve been in places where there were no hotel rooms available for the night
and either had to sleep in the train station or move on to the next
city or country on our journey. Or the weather was such that the streets
flooded up to the kneecaps or waist. Then parts of the town shut down due to
necessary cleanup, interrupting daily routines like getting groceries or
even leaving our hotel.
Flooding in Chiang Mai Thailand
Sometimes bars would play their “music” until 4 in the morning, not allowing
our adjacent hotel any peace to sleep during the night.
Or maybe we’d
order
something off a menu and receive something that seemed
inedible. Maybe we’d get directions from a local (long before Google maps)
and found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. Once,
I almost lost
my finger
as I deboarded a bus in
Antigua,
Guatemala! That in itself was a huge adventure that required lots
of flexibility, a personal driver, operations and appointments in the
capital city, and
problems with our maid.
All this brings us to making this point.
Travel is often
dealing
with the unknown, and things can change quickly, just like when Billy
was in Guatemala when authorities
shut down the airport, borders and public transportation. There really isn’t
any “normal,” only adjusting to what is, and having a plan in, out, or
around.
Sort of like today with the COVID-19 scare.
We made it through all those countries, and all those circumstances and
have survived
to tell the tale.
And we’re are stronger for it, too.
We know you can and will survive this interruption in your daily routine.
You will adjust and because of this, you will be more personally secure and
robust for it.
We have faith in you.
For more on
Retirement Topics,
click here and
here
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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