In Larnaca, Cyprus, Theo sat back to watch *The Shawshank Redemption* on local cable TV, English with Greek subtitles flickering across the screen. The line about getting busy with life hit him differently this year. After all, it marked his tenth anniversary since clocking out of the news business for good—a full decade since that December morning in 2015 when he left Cleveland, flew south to Mexico, and jumped into a new chapter of endless travel with wife Ellie Mae.
Now, surrounded by olive trees and souvlaki stands, he’s savoring month 120 of what he once called a 300‑month master plan: twenty‑five years of slow travel. Ten years in, the journey has stretched from pyramids to orangutans, from Berlin to Boracay. It’s been museums, trains, beaches, and the occasional root canal in Malaysia.
Cyprus feels calm, mid‑60s and sunny, ancient ruins underfoot, Christmas lights overhead. Theo knows the aches and missed family holidays come with the lifestyle, but gratitude wins. The next stops? Maybe UAE, India, and Sri Lanka. America can wait.
Theo smiles, raising a beer to the next 180 months. Life, he says, is happening right now, best to stay busy living it.
My Take…
Now this is living!
Ten years after ditching deadlines and newsroom coffee, Theo’s in Larnaca, Cyprus!
Since 2015, he and Ellie Mae have slow‑traveled across the world, pyramids, penguins, and the odd dentist in Malaysia. Month 120 of a 300‑month plan. I love it!!!
Click on the link below for the full article:
https://www.earthvagabonds.com/10-years-of-budget-slow-travel-in-early-retirement/
