Chuck and Lori Ros, prime-of-life empty-nest nomads, are on a quest to explore the world.
We’ve been full-time travelers since June, 2014. Since then we’ve visited nearly 40 countries, about as many US States, crossed the Atlantic by ship 4 times (a few more times than that by air), circumnavigated the globe in 2017, and have loved every minute of it.
We’ve always had a passion for travel. Friends have joked that we would go on vacation to plan our next vacation. That was mostly true. In fact, we often planned 2 and 3 vacations out.
Life changed radically for us in 2011. Both the kids had recently moved out. Chuck sold his company. Both of Chuck’s parents passed away (we had been their caretakers for a little over a year prior to then). Mountains of responsibility evaporated within a few months. And to top it all off, Chuck lost 80 pounds. Life was completely different.
It took a couple of years of consulting and dabbling before we realized that we could pursue a life of full time travel. It was a matter of downsizing not only the home but also our careers. We always talk about finding the ideal work-life balance, and planning a life on the road forced us to put some serious thought into that balance. Our 6 month visit to Europe in 2014 was something of a trial run, but only 1 month into it we were hooked.
Our philosophy of travel is found throughout our blog. It’s slow travel, becoming a “temporary regular”, and spending enough time to get a little deeper into the local culture. We do all the touristy stuff and hit all the main attractions, of course, but we also seek out the smaller museums, we take dance lessons, we visit favorite bars and bodegas several times–and become friends with the proprietors.
We love all means and types of travel. We’ve camped in our tent and we’ve stayed in 5-star hotels. We’ve cruised both on 12-passenger barefoot cruises and the Queen Mary 2. We’ve driven 10,000+ mile road trips, and we’ve flown around the world. Along the way we’ve figured out how to find the best deals, and perhaps more importantly we’ve learned when the best deals aren’t really worth it.
But most importantly, we’ve figured out that travel isn’t about destinations or bucket lists or the best travel card program. Travel is about the people. Ask us about our travels, and we’ll inevitably wind up telling you about the people we’ve met and the friends we’ve made. And this is why we will just keep on traveling. You’re welcome to come along for the journey.
Chuck & Lori Ros
Our Café Friend in Valencia, Spain