A Life Portrayed as Prosperous, but We Pared Down Possessions to Wander the Globe Unboundedly

A Life Portrayed as Prosperous, but We Pared Down Possessions to Wander the Globe Unboundedly

Traveling Empty Nesters Embrace a Life of Adventure and Self-Discovery

Shelly Peterson, a travel writer, blogger, and grandmother of nine, along with her partner, have embarked on an extraordinary journey that has taken them to 15 countries and spanned over 120,000 miles in just two years. This intrepid couple, who are in their 50s, sold everything they owned to live a life of full-time travel, sharing their honest travel stories and tips through their blog, JetsetPetersons.com, and their Instagram.

This transformational phase has been a mix of freedom, personal growth, and relational shifts. Shelly and her partner have learned to navigate financial planning, loneliness, and adjusting to life without their children. They've discovered that travel is as much about problem-solving as it is about passports, having encountered visa mix-ups, broken washing machines, language barriers, food poisoning, lost luggage, and a phone theft.

Living in 15 countries and traveling more than 120,000 miles in two years has taught them that the more they've embraced uncertainty, the more certain they feel. They've learned to trust themselves again, make decisions based on intuition, and be OK with not knowing what comes next. This experience made them question their lives and led them to this adventure.

Before their journey, they had a house they loved, a business they'd built, and a life that looked good on the surface. They were 50-something empty nesters with 35 years of marriage and four grown daughters. But the allure of a life that felt like their own was too strong to resist.

They started their journey without a fixed itinerary or any idea of what they were doing. Now, they live on approximately $3,000 a month and rent long-term Airbnbs in walkable neighborhoods. When they're not traveling, they continue to explore new destinations, play the harp, try new recipes, and soak up the sun by the ocean.

One of the hardest parts of their journey is being away from their kids and grandkids. To stay connected, they send voice memos, pictures, read bedtime stories over Zoom, and send postcards from every city they visit. They've discovered that presence isn't just physical and that they can show up as their fullest selves even when they're far away from their loved ones.

This lifestyle can deepen self-awareness and inspire personal reinvention, but also requires managing evolving family dynamics, especially with adult children. Despite the distance, their family relationships have evolved with opportunities for deeper connection through shared stories and visits. This transformational phase requires intentional financial planning and openness to changing social dynamics.

In summary, empty nesters in their 50s who sell possessions to travel full-time face logistical and emotional challenges but often gain profound freedom and personal growth. Their family relationships may evolve with more physical distance but also with opportunities for deeper connection through shared stories and visits. This transformational phase requires intentional financial planning and openness to changing social dynamics.

1. The transformational journey of Shelly Peterson and her partner, empty nesters in their 50s, has led them from a lifestyle centered around their business and home to one focused on travel, personal growth, and self-discovery.
2. Despite the challenges of managing finances, overcoming loneliness, and navigating family dynamics, this lifestyle shift has fostered their ability to make decisions based on intuition, trust themselves, and embrace uncertainty.
3. As they continue to explore the world, this lifestyle not only deepens their self-awareness and inspires personal reinvention but also necessitates intentional financial planning and openness to evolving social dynamics, particularly with their adult children.

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