My mother was a singer, both professionally and personally.  She sang to me as a child always before bed, and one of my favorite songs – and hers – was “Far Away Places” by Bing Crosby.  I credited my mother for instilling in me a wanderlust that never waned.

When I was in high school in a small town in Florida, I dreamed of becoming and exchange student and spending my senior year in high school in Australia (didn’t happen).  I joined the Navy in my twenties to see the world (didn’t happen). I wanted to move to France to work in fashion (didn’t happen). I took ESL classes to teach English in Costa Rica or Cambodia or China (didn’t happen).  I got a job in the cruise industry to sail around the world (didn’t happen).

And just when I thought all of my chances had passed me by to stamp those pages in my passport before I die, the world changed dramatically almost overnight and those far away places became very reachable indeed.

I am talking about Slow Travel.  It’s the newest version of retiring overseas, and in my opinion, the best version yet. In simple terms, it means living in a country for as long as a tourist or temporary visa allows and then moving on to another country. You continue this nomad journey for as long as you like.

Slow Travel has always been around, but it used to be reserved for the very privileged.  Thankfully, we have reached a point where travel is more affordable, accommodation is more available, and people are healthier (if they choose to be) longer into their golden years than ever before.

I don’t have any plans to retire before at least age 70, but my work is fully portable and so I plan to be slow traveling the world by 65.  I have no less than two dozen countries and twice as many cities already mapped out where I can reside for 30 days or longer at a fraction of what I pay in the U.S.

My mother sadly did not live to see this new world of opportunity.  But I am sure she would be thrilled that I am living our childhood melody at last.