"I went to Texas A&M University. It's a big school in a small-town bubble, where friendliness and tradition rule. I built a good life in Texas. I married a local boy, raised kids, built a career, and did everything the cultural syllabus told me to do. But deep down, I always felt a little out of place, like the transfer student who arrived halfway through the semester."
"At 53, I gave myself a do-over. My gap year abroad came 35 years later. My husband, Nigel, and I had just retired early after long careers in oil and gas. We realized we didn't need a big house or a permanent address - just a plan that let us follow the sun and our curiosity. So we began traveling full-time, living one month at a time in long-stay Airbnbs, shoulder season to shoulder season."
Kelly moved frequently as a child and often felt like an outsider despite building a conventional life in Texas. She attended Texas A&M, worked multiple jobs to pay for college, married, raised children, and pursued a long career. At 53 she retired early with her husband, Nigel, from careers in oil and gas and treated retirement as a do-over gap year abroad. They traveled full-time in month-long stays in long-stay Airbnbs, following shoulder seasons. They lived in places such as Dubrovnik and Lecce, learned to be alone together, and discovered a stronger sense of home while living abroad.
Read at Business Insider
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