Preparation…

The first step was figuring out how to take a year off from “normal” life. Some people do the loop in sections, going back home between them. The back and forth process was not appealing to us, though we are prepared to return home for emergencies. We are by no means filthy rich, but we have been living below our means for years, paid off all our debts, invested in some real estate, and managed a side hustle. With enough saved and one of us now in full retirement, the other one of us took the leap and changed to a non-benefitted position at work that would allow time away with the likely possibility of return. We found a nice couple to rent our house and packed away our belongings. Relatives and friends agreed to look out for our rentals, help manage our mail, and generally be available to trouble-shoot locally. And fortunately most other things can be managed from afar via the internet.

We knew the boat was in good condition, but tweaked some designs inside. The trailer brakes were updated. We narrowed down our list of necessities plus a few luxury items and figured out how to store them. There were some apps to download. Certain safety back-ups were purchased. I considered providing a formal breakdown of all of this, but decided it was just too much to “unpack” right now and we’ll have a much better sense of what worked, what didn’t, and what additions were most helpful along the way when we have completed our journey. Stay tuned for those details then.

A note of caution – just be careful not to pack too much or you might have this: