02 Feb Bob and Suzi’s Perpetual Vacation
By Suzi Jensen
That was the name of our blog when we retired. But then, the writing got to be too much like work, so we dropped the blog in favor of just living life and traveling. Our initial idea for retirement was to live 1 to ? months anywhere we wanted to go. Just keep traveling with our one suitcase and two backpacks.
We did that for about a year seeing much of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. After that first year and wanting to see more far away places, we had a meeting and came to the decision that we needed a home base. Since we had returned to Nueva Gorgona three times in two years, we came to the conclusion that it was our sweet spot, our home!
I truly believe that where you stay and the people you meet have a huge impact on how you feel about a place. We met the most wonderful friends in Gorgona and liked everything about how it felt. Being on the beach, falling asleep and waking up to the serene sound of the surf as well as enjoying the strong sense of community. We felt with our neighbors made it easy to call this “home”. Having three major grocery stores, many great restaurants and everything we need and want within close proximity didn’t hurt either!! We rented a condo on the beach but the travel didn’t end!
I honestly believe travel is good for the soul and keeps us young. What could be more exciting than seeing other cultures and meeting people just like us, going through life, endeavoring to be their best person.
Since settling in Gorgona, we have traveled to China, India, Russia and several countries in Europe and have taken two transatlantic cruises. One back to Colon from Spain and one from Barcelona to Florida. In a couple of months we have a cruise scheduled to Cuba and then an epic road trip in the US visiting family then heading to the Pacific Northwest and an Alaska cruise. Our future is so bright, I need sunglasses!
Sometimes we look at our very long list of places we want to visit and see what we can plan. Other times I will see special offers on Travel Zoo (TravelZoo.com) or Gate 1 Tours. Bob will be minding his own business and I’ll throw out, “Hey, do you want to go to China?” Loving husband that he is (and fellow travel bug), he usually says “Sure, why not”. That how the plans for our China trip started, as well as he India trip.
Both places were fascinating. We both love seeing the different cultures and exploring places we’ve only seen in books and pictures. And the Great Wall of China really was a “moment” as was the magnificent Taj Mahal in India. It still blows my mind that we have really been to those places! Here’s another amazing memory…I truly believe life is not meant to be lived in one spot. As long as we can, we will keep on traveling, loving life and enjoying the world.
“It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.”
— Brian Tracy