This morning we got up early to record our third in the series of Reader Questions. Today we address 2 questions that are on the minds of readers:
- Do you guys ‘check’ out the places you visit and think ‘hmm, this is where I’d like to spend my retirement’? - from Joanna
- Can I ask what you do about your mail? I looked into mailboxes and post office boxes but it seems they want you to physically empty them regularly. Also I have found that most banks dont accept PO boxes as an address, so what do you do for a postal address in this situation? - from Rob
What a great way to start our day here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We are loving our time and will continue sharing our experiences through video, photos, and words with you all.
As always, if you have a question you would like us to address in a video please drop us a line (wtalbot (at) marriedwithluggage (dot) com) or include it in the comments below. We love to be able to share these videos with you and are open to answering virtually any of your inquiries.
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About Warren
Betsy’s “We’re only 40!” exclamation cracked me up. That kind of personality is tough to convey through traditional blog writing, but the video works really well. Good job.
We feel the same way about locations. We typically stay only three to seven days in any one place and it’s hard to imagine wanting to “settle down” someplace for years and years when there is so much of the world we still haven’t seen. We do “try on” the places we visit, though, and are always considering whether we’d like to stay longer term. We think at some point we might want a more permenant base, a place to chill for a couple of months or for a season, each year while we’re not vagabonding around. But it’s hard to imagine not getting bored with a place. Until that changes, I guess we’ll keep moving.
Brian, thank you for the comment. Yeah, we love dong the videos as we know that we cannot convey everything about ourselves in word alone. It is also fun to put these together.
We seem to both be addicted to change. While we love to move around, we’ve found we also like to stay long enough to really get a feel for the place and its people. Sounds like we are kindred spirits. I hope that our paths will cross on our journeys.
What a gorgeous spot for the video! Thanks for sharing. And I’m impressed with your Thai phrases already….:-)
Hey Maria,
Thank you for the compliment. I spend time every day working on Thai and I am passionate about getting to a point where I can speak with people for a conversation. Yesterday I practiced with the lady giving me a massage. While she seems to laugh a lot she really enjoyed my effort. The good news is it can only improve.
Look at you two…. looking all adorable. We’re excited to see what you uncover in Thailand. We loved it there and want to get back for an extended stay.
Kent, you make us smile knowing that our happiness is coming through on the video. Hopefully you guys are planning your extended trip to overlap with ours. It would be great fun to explore parts of SE Asia together.
Something tells me you guys will NEVER retire. You’ve got too many dreams to follow and adventures to have.
I think you are absolutely right. We never use the word “retire” but instead talk about just living our lives. To us it seems like this life is so natural and we don’t consider it to be retirement or work, just life.
Good idea to answer readers questions in this format. Hey, looks like you’re looking for a next location and while you’re in SE Asia you MUST go to Luang Prabang, Laos and Hoi An, Vietnam…and….Cambodia is essential, a country who’s people will break your heart while also inspiring you with their will to make it better.
Hey Rhonda,
We absolutely love shooting these videos. It gives us a chance to share more than possible in our posts plus it lets us put a bit more of our personalities out there. We certainly plan to explore SE Asia far more while we are here and will be hitting all the areas you mention and more. No timing or set plans but we now know we cannot miss them. Thank you for the suggestions and we are looking forward to the experience.
Hi guys, I am really lucky and have been married to a wonderful man for almost 20 years and we are in our early 40′s with no kids. So similar to your situation. But…. Don’t you sometimes get tired of each other?!!! don’t you need space? How have you managed that part of your relationship.
Hi Eva, it is wonderful “meet” you virtually. Sounds like we are very similar to you guys, though we have been together just shy of 9 years. I love your questions as this is a perfect subject for a reader questions video. We can hash out all our differences and problems with each other in front of you guys. You are ok watching for a couple hours, right?
Thank you for a great question and we are excited to answer this in depth in video format very soon.
Hey thanks for the answer the re mail situation, but what about banking mail, even on line banking produces some mail, are you comfortable having strangers reading and scanning your banking mail, what about fraud/theft?
In general we get very little mail, but as you say there is occasionally banking statements as well. I don’t have an concerns at all with fraud our theft as a result of this situation as these are not complete strangers opening our mail. They are friends and clients. I trust they are doing the right things and have confidence they are not trying to steal from us.
Wow.. I really like your blog. I must say people who like to travel do not feel like settling anywhere. There are so many places in the world that we have not seen and maybe one life is not enough. When I visited Singapore and Leh (India); I thought I would love to go there again and again but I really doubt that I will go there again unless otherwise it is work related travel. So just keep traveling…..
Hi Pratiksha,
It is wonderful to hear from you again. We absolutely agree that to us the idea of “settling down” has changed meanings significantly since we left the US. We can imagine the idea of staying in different countries for extended periods of time (6 months or more) but never putting down roots. We have found places we absolutely love, but know there is just more out there in the world to explore. Plus, we love change and the excitement that comes from exploring new places. Not sure if that will ever change, but for us we’ll keep following your words and “keep traveling”.