Retired Couple Sells Their Home and Belongings to Travel the World — and Has Visited 92 Countries So Far

A retired couple from Florida said goodbye to their daily lives to travel the world.

John and Bev Martin sold their home — and all their possessions — to spend their retirement traveling the world, according to SWNS.

The couple, who are parents of five and grandparents of eight, began their world trip in 2020, they said in the release, when they bought a camper and traveled across the country.

“We realized we didn’t need our big house and that started this whole journey of what we wanted to do in our retirement,” said John, 60. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we go see the world?’ [So] we sold our home and downsized to a few backpacks and have been traveling ever since.”

“One day we sat down and knew we had the money to travel in retirement. When we realized we were retiring at a younger age, we looked at our budget and realized we could afford to travel two months a year,” added Bev, 61. ” But if we sold our home and our belongings, we could afford to go on a great adventure.”

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John and Bev Martin during a trip to Norway.

John Martin / SWNS

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By November 2021, SWNS said John and Bev had sold their home in their Florida retirement community and donated their furniture and belongings to charities.

Since then, they have visited a total of 92 countries, including the Bahamas, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Romania, Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala, Greece and New Zealand.

John and Bev Martin while traveling in Indonesia.

John Martin / SWNS

When John and Bev told their children they would be traveling, on what they called their “trip of a lifetime,” according to SWNS, the couple said their children were thrilled for them.

“We have five kids and eight grandkids and all of our kids are really excited about it. I think our kids are excited for us to live our best lives,” Bev said.

She added: “I hope we’re setting a good example for them that things don’t matter, subjects don’t matter. It’s about relationships and experiences.”

John and Bev Martin in Sri Lanka.

John Martin / SWNS

Looking ahead, Bev said she and John hope to travel with their grandchildren one day when they are all old enough to do so.

“We want to give them the gift of traveling the world, our grandchildren, we want to change their lives and we hope to take them on trips around the world,” she explained.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education