The Short Trip That Changed Everything

The decision to travel a lot starting in 2029 was made on a short trip to Slovenia.

Not right away.

First, we drove from Switzerland through Germany and Austria to Slovenia, all the way to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.

I love road trips where you can simply watch the scenery pass by.

Mountains ahead.

Past castles.

And of course, there have to be coffee stops.

And even more mountains.

Until we finally arrived at our hotel near Ljubljana.

A charming little hotel that, many, many, very many years ago, supposedly hosted Napoleon and his generals – at least according to a sign in the hotel room. The hotel decor was somewhat inspired by that period.

The bathroom, on the other hand, was very modern.

Unfortunately, the concept of an “elevator” apparently didn’t make it into the renovation.

So once again, I was glad that I’m still able to climb stairs. Even though it can sometimes take a lot of effort.

But things like that are part of traveling, especially when, out of habit, you haven’t checked whether the rooms are accessible. Because not every hotel is accessible. Not everywhere has an elevator. And sometimes you only realize once you’re there that something is going to take more energy than you expected.

Ljubljana itself is a great city.

The city center is fairly compact. It’s bustling and lively. It feels as though the locals spend more time outside than inside during the summer months.

Restaurants with packed outdoor terraces. Super friendly staff. They’re used to tourists, and speaking English is no problem at all.

It was wonderful.

The actual decision was made on the way back.

We were driving from Slovenia toward Italy, watching the scenery pass by, overtaking motorhomes and talking about our future.

What are we actually going to do when Kurt retires?

The big question.

Today, I can’t remember which one of us asked it first. I also don’t know whether one of the motorhomes in front of us sparked the idea or whether it simply appeared out of nowhere.

But at some point, the question was there:

What if we bought a motorhome and traveled?

Not just a three-week vacation.

Not just going away every now and then.

But really spending a lot of time on the road. Always following the warm weather. Maybe even spending several weeks at the same RV site, enjoying the nature and the peace and quiet.

And the reaction was pretty much immediate:

Yes. Let’s do it. Exactly like that.

It had never even been up for discussion before.

And suddenly, we had a pretty concrete plan for our life starting in 2029.

Of course, the questions followed immediately.

How long can we actually be away at a time?

What about my medication?

How do we make sure it stays reliably refrigerated while we’re traveling?

And can we even afford it?

There were probably another hundred questions and thoughts as well.

But the basic decision had been made.

We wanted to travel – travel a lot – and see a lot of the world.

We would figure out exactly how to make it work.

That was the starting point for a whole lot of thinking, research and planning – and the foundation for a new chapter in our lives.

As we left Slovenia behind, we made one more detour to the sea near Trieste.

Then we continued into Switzerland and crossed the Gotthard Pass on our way home.

So we had only spent a few days in Slovenia – and came home with a plan for our life after Kurt’s retirement.

A really good plan, if you ask me.