010. Slow Travel: one suitcase and one backpack

010.Slow Travel: one suitcase and one backpack

“As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.” 

When I read that Virginia Woolf quote back in high school, I had no idea that it would impact my life so much in 2016.

 Granted, she wrote that in 1938 as part of a protest against women being soldiers and going to war to defend their country. But in this day and age of globalization, information technology, and the digital revolution that quote changed my retirement landscape drastically. Vividly.

 For 16 years, I told everyone that I knew that I would retire to Barcelona Spain. Some people didn’t believe me, others were happy for me and couldn’t wait for me to get there, while others hoped it would never come to fruition. But from July 2001, after my European Whirlwind Tour, up until the day after I sold my house in February 2016, moving to Barcelona after retirement was the only absolute goal that I had.

 Let me pull back a little bit and give you some background… I was consulting in Scottsdale Arizona in 2015 and rather than fly back to Virginia every weekend, I normally resided in Scottsdale for 3 or 4 weeks at a time at an extended stay hotel. On Friday of that Memorial Day weekend in 2015, I arrived at my house near midnight. Parked in my garage, as usual, grabbed my luggage out of the trunk, and unlocked my basement door. My alarm began its 30-second countdown but when I flipped the light switch to punch in the code, no lights came on. I tried the light switch several times in rapid-fire then remembered that the garage light was still on and the illumination would allow me to punch in the code before the sirens went off and the police were notified. That done, my eyes had finally adjusted to the semi-darkness, and what I saw made me heartsick. In that moment, I realized that I was standing on a really soggy carpet, half the ceiling of the family room was on the floor, and in the distance, I could hear water running.

Needless to say, the damage was extensive. 

To get back to the point… My house was finished by the end of November 2015 and it was beautiful – a paint job and wood flooring throughout, stainless steel appliances, matching granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, new vanities and cabinets, doors, etc. I would never live in that newly-renovated house. It was put on the market and snatched up within a month. I signed on the dotted line on February 2, 2016.

That night as I lay in my neighbor’s basement bedroom, I had an epiphany. That Virginia Woolf quote popped into my head and a weight was suddenly lifted off my shoulders...


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Episode Transcript

Danielle (00:14):
Hey, this is Danny Lou coming at you with the slow
traveling solo sister party.
Travel nourishes the soul andbroadens the mind, but solo
travel, frees our imaginationand builds our confidence.
Hashtag go see do B.
And this episode, I discuss howI went from a 2,400 square foot.

(00:38):
Down to one suitcase and onebackpack to slowly travel.

(01:26):
As a woman, I have no country asa woman.
I want no county.
As a woman, my country is thewhole world.
When I read that Virginia Woolfquote, back in high school, I
had no idea that it would impactmy life so much in 2016.
Granted, she wrote that in 1938as a part of a protest against

(01:49):
women being soldiers and goingto war to defend their country.
But in this day and age ofglobalization and information
technology and the digitalrevolution that quote changed my
retirement landscape drasticallyvividly for 16 years, I told
everyone that I knew that Iwould retire to Barcelona,

(02:12):
Spain.
Some people didn't believe me,others were happy for me.
And couldn't wait for me to getthere while others have.
It would never come to fruition,but from July, 2001, after my
European whirlwind tour, upuntil the day after I sold my
house in February, 2016, movingto Barcelona after retirement

(02:36):
was the only absolute goal thatI had.
Let me pull back a little bitand give you some background.
I was consulting in Scottsdale,Arizona in 2015.
And rather than fly back toVirginia every weekend, I
normally resided in Scottsdalefor three or four weeks at a
time at an extended stay hotel.

(02:59):
On Friday of that Memorial day,weekend in 2015, I arrived at my
house near midnight.
As usual I parked in my garage,grabbed my luggage out of the
trunk and unlocked my basement.
My alarm began.
It's 32nd countdown.
But when I flipped the lights,which the punch in the code, no

(03:21):
lights came on.
I tried the light switch severaltimes in rapid fire.
Then remember that the garagelight was still on and the
illumination would allow me topunch in the code before the
sirens went off and the policewere notified that done my eyes
had finally adjusted to thesemi.
And what I saw made me heartsickin that moment, I realized that

(03:46):
I was standing on really soggycarpet.
Half the ceiling of the familyroom was on the floor and in the
distance I could hear waterrunning.
I jumped into action literallyand climbed over fallen plaster
in lamps, ran up the stairsuntil I came to the second
bathroom in the middle of thehouse on the top.

(04:09):
Where water was gushing from abusted pipe on the toilet, big
sign, big frustrated sigh.
I called my insurance companyand they called ServPro a water
and fire damage cleanup company.
Unfortunately, it was a holidayweekend and after midnight.

(04:30):
So I would have to wait untilmidday before local inspector
could come to the house toassess the damage.
Needless to say the damage wasextensive.
I don't know how long the pipewas gushing because I was gone
for three weeks.
I had come back to the house towork a little bit from home and
pack for a 12 day Alaskan cruiseand land tour that I was taking

(04:53):
the following Friday.
But as I talked to the cleanupsupervisor, while the crew tore
up my house even further, allFlorida.
On all three levels,floorboards, some walls, doors,
all of the basement ceilings, etcetera.
I made up my mind to makelemonade out of lemons using

(05:15):
whatever insurance money I wouldreceive.
Plus some of my 401k savings.
I would renovate my house andput it on the market two years
earlier than planned five dayslater, the cleanup crew packed
up their huge dryers.
The insurance Spector came.
And I left for my cruise.

(05:35):
When I returned, it was a oneday quick turnaround.
I washed my vacation clothes,packed, work clothes, and left
to stay in Scottsdale for fourweeks.
When I returned again in earlyJuly, I had hired a friend as my
real estate agent and met with acouple of contractors about
renovations.

(05:56):
I hired the contractor that.
And he told me that he couldeven work on it immediately.
He and his crew had justfinished a project or he could
start around Thanksgiving.
I chose immediately thinkingthat he could work in the rooms
that were already bare.
Nope.
He said I needed to pack up thehouse immediately.

(06:19):
Meaning I have one week to sell,donate and, or store everything
from a 2,400 square foot.
That I had lived in for morethan 22 years, who, while I work
during the day, I strategizecalled friends with trucks and
moved.
What was left into my neighbor'sbasement.
You see, I had built my house tomy specifications back in 1993.

(06:44):
So at 2100 square foot house,four bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, two
level structure turned into mythree bedroom.
One huge master suite three,full bathrooms, 2,400 square
foot split level house.

(07:04):
And after 22 years, my stuffoccupied, all the drawers and
closets spaces.
I even had to buy a few clothesracks.
And whenever I had guests stayover in the spare bedrooms, I
had to move my stuff somewhere.
Anyway.
I went from 312 pairs of shoes,designer suits, et cetera, to

(07:26):
some standard clothes and shoesfor work in play my computers,
my camera gear, one TV X-Boxpictures of and momentos from
family and friends, importantdocuments, CDs, books, et
cetera.
And I slept in the spare bedroomof my neighbor's house.
Whenever I came back fromScottsdale to get back to the

(07:48):
point.
My house was finished by the endof November, 2015, and it was
beautiful.
A paint job and wood flooringthroughout the house.
Stainless steel appliancesmatching granite countertops in
the kitchen and bathrooms, newvanities and cabinets, doors, et
cetera.