Expat or World Travelers?

For the last five years, Ben and I have been seriously considering moving to New Zealand to retire.  Back in 2008, we had the amazing opportunity to visit (we lived in Okinawa, Japan) and absolutely fell in love with the country.  I admit, it was all my doing--I'm a true nerd.  You see, since the 6th grade, when I read "The Hobbit" in school, Tolkien has been my favorite author, so naturally, when Peter Jackson directed "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy--it was inevitable that we were popping over to New Zealand for a look-see.

We had a go at Wellington, Christchurch, and Te Anau (via Dunedin).  From Te Anau, we drove the two hours to Milford Sound for a once-in-a-lifetime ferry ride!  Anyway, as I mentioned before, we absolutely fell in love with New Zealand (and took in a bunch of LOTR movie sites along the way)!!



As our research into moving to NZ has expanded, another thought came to mind...why not be nomads?  World travelers?  We're used to that lifestyle!  Ben's father was Air Force (he lived in Puerto Rico for about six years), my father was Army (we lived in Germany for about six years and took in a bunch of other countries while in Europe--to include, then Czechoslovakia and East Germany...sheesh...my sister was even born in Panama)!  We could really do this.  Our children could grow up as true world travelers...spending about two to three years in each country.  We could become minimalists during our travels, renting furnished apartments, living like the locals...this could be real!

Ben and I really love traveling, and fortunately for us, our lifestyle has allowed us to consider this second option as a true possibility.  We already homeschool our children, and I will tell you that I have a very long list of places I would love to visit and/or live.

I believe it is now time to start doing a different type of research, and we are really excited.  :)