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"This little gem of a book offers sage advice..."
Too Young to Retire,
the perfect retirement gift for those who aren't calling it quits, is
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Jim and Kendra Golden:
Now back to their original story: On June 30, 1999, we (Jim and Kendra Golden), having (choose one):
started a year long "sabbatical from life as we know it." Having left our jobs of ten years, and sold our home of 20 years, we headed off in our 32-ft. motorhome with our 14 year old cat, first to Alaska, and then to parts unknown, to ponder the questions: "What do we want to do next (when we grow up?)", and where do we want to do it? Along the way, we hope to experience the splendor and diversity of this continent, meet new and interesting people, and find ourselves (a la the 70's). Thus begins the Golden Odyssey, a web site that documents the travels of Jim, an electrical engineer and Kendra, a lawyer, both 52. Equipped with laptop, cell phone, and Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie on tape, the Goldens are in the tenth month of their quest for "a new place to live and new things to do." On the preliminary wish list: small to medium-size city and/or college town, Unitarian Church with progressive attitudes, four-season climate, close to good skiing and other outdoors activities, good job prospects. As of this writing, they are still looking. Here's how the Golden Odyssey came about. Kendra: Both of us were tired of what we had been doing, feeling that there was less and less reward for the hours spent. Our former jobs were mentally challenging, but we didn't always have a good sense when we went to bed at night that we were doing good for humanity or having a good life...We had both been steadily working for many years and had savings that allowed us the luxury of taking this breather. We also took this step recognizing that we very well might earn significantly less than we had earned previously. That, however, was a trade off we accepted. Jim: I needed to get away from everything for awhile to let fresh ideas in. We had always talked about leaving NJ after the kids were grown. One day, about 2 years ago, we started talking about a trip to Greece and realized that we would use up all of our vacation. The solution was to quit our jobs, so that the trip would not be vacation time. Somehow the thought of just quitting took hold and we decided to take the chance. We felt that at age 52, we could take a break from careers and still be employable at the end of the day. We were at a crossroads, kind of a now or never moment. Buying a motorhome evolved out of our discussions of how to travel comfortably and economically. Kendra: As we travel, we are living very simply. We concentrate on seeing and doing all of the things we can find of interest in the places we visit that are free or very inexpensive. We focus on outdoor activities, local museums, art galleries, music and theater offered by local colleges, self guided walking tours, and window shopping. Traveling in a motorhome makes it easy not to buy things since we have very limited space to decorate or store things... We also find that it is easier and more fun to cook for ourselves rather than taking a chance on whatever restaurant we come across. Of course, I enjoy cooking - not everyone does. We try to find places to camp or park at night that are free or very inexpensive. We have been interested (and pleased) to see how significantly we have reduced our living expenses. Jim (after Alaska and 2 days at Denali National Park): As we leave the pure vacation part of the adventure, we're finding that the uncertainty is breeding a variety of conflicting feelings, and more anxiety than we've experienced before on the trip. How will we figure out what we want to do after this is over? Should we already have the answer to that question? Does a person (i.e. me) have worth without a job? How do we balance the enjoyment of the country with the 'work at hand'? Kendra (about staying connected) : We travel into some tiny town like Stewart, BC, go to the visitor information centre and ask very kindly if they would unplug their phone for us so Jim can dial one of the various 800 access numbers we have. Quick as a wink we upload, download and say thank you very much. Then we go to our little house on wheels, find a campsite, pour a glass of wine or open a beer and have the ceremonial, but not solemn, reading aloud of the email to each other. It really helps us feel like we are not 1000s of miles away and we love it. Jim: Some interesting
statistics about our first 74 days Jim: (after a mini-reunion of his Yale class in Oregon): We were not the only couple making or having made significant transitions. One of my classmates has been a physician in Petersburg, Alaska (shades of Northern Exposure), where most transactions are by barter rather than currency; he now lives in the Seattle area, and is leaving medical practice. The organizer of the reunion left a lucrative law practice in Los Angeles 8 years ago to move to Portland (saner place to raise a family). The Saturday afternoon discussion was full of significant sharing, including feelings. I found myself impressed that this group, many of whose members did not know each other, was capable of this level of sharing. Perhaps as we grow older, and are no longer focused on competing with one another, we have less need to build walls. About half way into the year, after exploring Port Townsend, Washington, Ashland, Oregon, and "three very rewarding days helping with a Habitat for Humanity house in Redding, CA"... Kendra: I am feeling restless right now- we have been on the road 6 1/2 months and I wish I felt clearer about what comes next and how soon. So far no epiphanies, just lots of conversations about possibilities. The main decision before us is whether to stop after a year, find a house and get settled or whether to stay in our rv home longer. If we do the latter I think we both want to find jobs or volunteer work for several months so that we would stay in one area and get to know it better. I think I will be ready to stop roaming and sightseeing by the end of the spring. We are going to start checking out some web sites we have heard about and maybe put in applications to parks or other organizations. We also might decide to revisit some of the places we have really liked so far. We have gotten very good at locating both the tourist and chamber of commerce bureaus, each of which gives us a tree or two worth of literature. We then grab a street map and ride up and down streets to get a feel for the town. We go for a walking tour, if one is available, check out museums and read ads for upcoming music/theatre attractions. We start a mental check list of good and bad things we see. Then we find folks to talk to. Jim and Kendra: Some of the "touted" retirement towns we have visited feel just like that -- retirement and not much else. We want a community with young and old. We both hope that the work we do in the future will be personally rewarding and beneficial to society at large. [It would be] great if the work mattered, whether or not there was a pay check. We plan to do volunteer work this summer for Habitat for Humanity with other RVers. And, there's lots of country to explore. Flagstaff, Utah, Yellowstone, Billings, Montana, Idaho, in the next few months. [This is] still very much a work in progress. Getting Started The RV Club: Home of the
Virtual Campfire Escapees RV Club Habitat for Humanity
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After more than a year on the road,
Jim and Kendra Golden, who left jobs, a home and friends in New Jersey, to
tour the country in an RV, landed in a small community in Washington State that meets most of their criteria
for a new home. In December, they braved strong winds and snow storms to cross
the country one more time, one of them driving the RV, the other a U-Haul loaded with
furniture, connected only by walkie-talkies for long stretches. "Mostly, I
focused on the job at hand -- driving, driving, driving -- but occasionally, I'd have a
feeling of -- oh my --, we're really doing this. This change seems like more of a
leap into the unknown than going on the road did. Right now we're both a bit nervous
about our new lives (not to mention worried about where to put the 20 chairs we brought
with us)," Jim wrote.