ITP - 121: Retire Early, Travel the World (The 6 Month Exit Plan)

Greg: All right, well, just, you can hear me okay, right?

Eric: Yes, the speakers are coming but that’s about it. So both of us are—what’s your plan?

Greg: Okay. Nothing. I was just going to introduce the episode and get us talking. Hi, you’re both there. I love that.

Eric: You’ll be charged double.

Greg: Awesome. I’ll be charged. Okay. Well, I’ll give out double too. How about that? You okay? Put the picture behind you? Awesome.

All right, so listen. This is Greg reporting from the International Teacher Podcast and I am alone without my co-host today. This is just a spur of the moment. I’m with Eric and Tamara and they are both teaching at the school I’m presently at. I wanted to welcome you to the show. Eric and Tamara, how are you?

Eric: Well, thank you. Thank you.

Greg: Good. Can you give us a little bit of a nutshell about what you each do at our school?

Eric: I’ve been a second grade teacher the majority of my 13 years here, a little bit of time at fourth and also some time substituting, we call it attrition. I started out as a kindergarten teacher, then did K-4, the four-year-old program, then third grade for a couple years, and a substitute role for a couple years, which was awesome to be in all the different classrooms. Then back to kindergarten, and this year back to K4 for our final year.

Greg: It’s so funny because I get to see this much of your camera. You guys are barely in the frame. You’re going to have to get closer together. You’re married now.

Eric: We’re closer together right there. That’s fine.

Greg: Got it. The original reason I had you on, Eric—do you remember being on the International Teacher Podcast a while ago?

Eric: A while ago, yeah.

Greg: Yeah, a long time ago. We talked about finances, so our listeners can go back to that. Today, though, I was hoping you’d share your destination story. You’ve been teaching overseas a long time and you’ve got a trip planned that I want our listeners to hear about. What are you looking forward to?

Eric: We are retiring one week from today after long careers abroad and in the States—one year in the States for Tamara, 17 for me. We decided we wanted some adventure before going home.

Friends who retired before us shared that it’s good to have a gap experience between your last post and going home, so you’re not constantly comparing the two. So we started putting together ideas, one led to another, and now we have a five-and-a-half-month plan we’ll start next week.

Greg: So you’ve been saving for quite a while and planning a six-month trip before heading home. I can’t wait to hear this. Tell us the plan.

Eric: We’ll start by flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, and spend a week in the Limpopo region doing a safari. Then we’ll head to Cape Town for a night—we won’t see much, so we’ll have to go back someday.

Then we’re taking a cruise up the west coast of Africa from Cape Town to Lisbon over 18 days, stopping in places like Namibia, Angola, the Canary Islands, and Senegal.

After Lisbon, we’ll go to Porto and walk the Camino along the coast into Spain.

Greg: What’s a Camino?

Eric: It’s often a religious pilgrimage, but we’re doing it for fun. You walk 10 to 14 miles a day, stopping in small hotels. We’ll have our bags carried and just take day packs.

We’re packing four duffel bags for five months, but we expect to pare that down as we go.

Greg: What’s next after that?

Eric: Then we go to England for nine weeks at a school of ministry in the Lake District. It’s essentially a castle on 130 acres. We’ll take off our teacher hats and be students for a while.

After that, we fly to the Republic of Georgia for hiking, then Bavaria for more hiking and a bike-and-barge trip. Then we’ll take another cruise back to the U.S., arriving in Boston after going around Iceland and stopping in Canada.

Greg: That’s a six-month journey. How do you even plan something like that?

Eric: Bit by bit. We built everything around the ministry program. We also realized cruise ships could be used as transportation. For just a few hundred dollars more than a flight, we get multi-day travel and multiple destinations.

It sounds extravagant, but it’s actually budget-friendly. Day-to-day, it’s no more than other trips we’ve taken.

Greg: In all fairness, you’ve been planning financially for a long time. You’re a fan of Andrew Hallam and Mark Zoril. What’s your message to listeners?

Eric: Tamara deserves most of the credit. She’s the stronger saver and investor. I’ve learned a lot from her. And yes, Andrew Hallam and Mark Zoril are great resources.

Greg: Tamara, did you follow Andrew Hallam’s work too?

Tamara: Yes. Before that, I was already saving because my mom encouraged me to save as much as I could when I was young. I saved a large percentage, but I also made sure I had accessible cash.

Reading The Millionaire Teacher helped, and I eventually found Mark Zoril through Andrew Hallam. He’s been a great advisor for guidance without managing your money.

Greg: I just go to Eric’s classroom for advice.

Eric: When Tamara says Mark is more expensive, it’s basically the cost of a coffee each month for excellent advice.

Greg: He’s got a waiting list though. I’ve been on it forever.

Greg: This is a great example for listeners—especially those starting out. You’re retiring before 60 and doing this incredible trip without breaking the bank.

Eric: It comes down to simple choices. If you save 20 to 50 percent and avoid lifestyle creep, you can do very well. Keep life simple and repeatable anywhere.

Tamara: I’ve never bought a business class ticket. I’ve been upgraded before, but I usually fly economy. When you compare the cost difference—sometimes $5,000—it really adds up.

If you travel twice a year, that’s $10,000 annually. Over five years, that’s $50,000 versus a few luxury flights. That perspective really changed things for me.

It’s easy to fall into the mindset of constant travel and upgrades because you have more disposable income overseas. But it’s better to think about how much you can save while still enjoying life.

Eric: Pay yourself first. Even if you start at 20 percent, build from there. Adjust your lifestyle to your salary and keep it sustainable.

We enjoy local food and simple experiences. Often those are far better than expensive restaurants.

Greg: I’ll admit, I get tempted by first class sometimes. Sitting in crowded boarding areas, I think about the champagne and early boarding. But I still end up in the back of the plane—and I’m okay with that because of the savings.

Eric: That’s exactly it. What we were really buying all those years was time. By not overspending, we’ve created freedom now.

Tamara: And we both came from families that valued saving, which helped. It’s also something you can model for your kids.

Greg: Starting early makes a big difference.

Eric: But even if you start later, it’s possible. At 50, I went through a divorce and had to rebuild financially. Eight years later, I’m in a better position than I ever expected.

Greg: That’s huge. And now you’ve got Tamara sitting next to you. Tell us how that happened.

Tamara: I found an old journal where I wrote in my 30s wondering if I’d ever get married. I ended up getting married at 46. It was surreal reading that later.

We met through the teaching community. People introduced us, and over time a friendship developed into something more.

Eric: I took time after my life changes to focus on myself, then gradually built friendships. Eventually, that led to something deeper.

Greg: Where did you get married?

Tamara: In the States, in my sister’s backyard during COVID. It was simple but perfect. We even had an ice cream truck for the kids. It was meaningful because we brought parts of our overseas life into it.

Eric: We came back and continued life here, but we always felt there was more to do. We’re leaving on a high note—not burned out, just ready for something new.

Greg: What’s next after the trip?

Eric: We’ll live with my mom in Southern California and help her out. It’s also about reconnecting with family after years abroad.

Tamara: We also have small personal goals. I want to learn piano and crochet. Eric wants to work with plants and fruit trees.

Greg: That’s inspiring—just embracing life beyond teaching.

Let’s switch gears. Tell us about your trip to Nepal.

Eric: We did mission trips in Zambia and Nepal, working with small groups in communities. It was incredibly meaningful, even if the conditions were sometimes challenging.

Greg: Service matters.

Eric: Absolutely. Life isn’t just about yourself. Even in retirement, we want to find ways to contribute.

Greg: Any police or customs stories?

Eric: Yes. We were camping near the Yemeni border and got surrounded by border patrol firing machine guns into the sand to wake us up.

Tamara: We didn’t realize how close we were to the border. They questioned us, then escorted us out. Later, they treated us with hospitality—coffee, dates, and conversation.

Greg: That’s intense.

Tamara: Another time, we met a man with a falcon who invited us to his camp. We experienced falconry up close, riding through the desert chasing birds. It was wild and unforgettable.

Greg: Incredible.

Tamara: The hospitality we’ve experienced has been amazing. People go out of their way to help.

Greg: That’s the side people don’t always hear about.

All right, we have to wrap up. Final thoughts?

Tamara: Don’t forget to live life while you’re teaching, and think about your future along the way.

Eric: Teaching abroad gave me the experience I always hoped for. My mindset changed from how long do I have to do this to how long do I get to do this.

Greg: That’s perfect. Thank you both. This has been incredible. We’ll definitely want to hear from you after your trip.

All right, I’ll stop the recording.

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