But … what are you going to do?
Once we reach FI (financial independence), we won’t have to work. So now what?
What would you do? Would you keep working?
Initially we thought about moving to a state where the kids (heck, all of us!) could enjoy the seasons and outdoors (Houston is great and all (for many reasons that I won't go into right now), but it feels like the surface of the sun from about May through September. And that is putting it nicely.) We were thinking … maybe Colorado? Or even Bend, Oregon? Those may still be on the table …
 |
| 2018 Snow Trip to CO |
But our next thought was … why not travel? Why not travel while the kids are young? Max is in his third year of Dual Language (English / Spanish), and Sadie is starting her first year of Dual so why not Spain? I’ve loved our Dual program (shout out to their teachers!) … so maybe we should build upon that? Our current idea (nothing set in stone) is to maybe take flight to Spain for a school year (yes, enrolling them in public school - hope their Spanish holds up well!) once we reach FI. We like the idea of being able to immerse them in the Spanish language / culture. But ... time will tell.
Where would our next flight take us? That’s the scary / exciting part. Would we want to spend a longer time in Spain? Would we want to spend a year somewhere else outside of the US? Would we want to settle back in the US - Colorado or Bend, OR (or another place?) and take time to travel in the summer time when the kids aren't in school?
Our main goals right now are …
- Giving the kids an opportunity to be immersed in the Spanish language / culture.
- Learn about life with the kids through travel (whether that is full-time travel or on school breaks).
- Spending more time with family (my sister is in NYC, and we would have the flexibility to be able to visit more or for a longer period of time).
Another idea is to live in one big (expensive!) city once a year (a month or more) and show how it is possible to live off a smaller annual budget. First stop, NYC (well, we will be visiting there regardless). Paris anyone? London? San Fran? DC? Tokyo? (With Airbnb it is all possible!).
And what about just the opportunity to …
Explore? Nap? Find art and make art? (Still) Teach art? Sell art? Write art or other educational curriculum (which I may be making for my kids anyways)? Read? Write? Volunteer? Netflix Binge? (Drink wine? Eat tapas?)
How about you? What do you plan to do when you retire?
-Tara
Very informative ... interesting
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDelete-Four Take Flight / Tara
It is great that you are planning to give your kids that exposure to different cultures (and brave too!).
ReplyDeleteWe are Spanish so feel free to shoot us a message if we can help with anything.
Mr. Lyn
Mr. Lyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! I see you have a blog. Love that it is in Spanish (and option for me to be able to read in English). Where in Spain are you both from? We were thinking about going to Granada. Thank you for your support! We look forward to checking out your blog more.
-Four Take Flight / Tara
Hello Tara!
ReplyDeleteMrs Lyn here. We are from the North West of Spain, very nice region you should definitely visit to scape from hot Granada summers :)
Your story is so inspiring, I think for the kids it is a great experience to live abroad and experience new cultures. Hopefully we´ll get to do the same one day!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. Lyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, and for the information. We definitely want to take the time to explore Spain even if we are mainly in Granada. Any further recommendations / cities / areas? The word hot doesn't make us happy. We are in Houston where it is like the surface of the sun. We are anxious to escape the humidity and heat (although we may end up spending most of our summers in the USA with family).
What places are you interested in visiting?
-Four Take Flight / Tara