Have you done any planning for retirement? Most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their retirement. Tim and I have a solid plan developed for our retirement and we are working toward our goal. It includes, you guessed it…a Sprinter Van, our game, two cats and travel around the country! We are giving ourselves about 2 years to sell all our stuff, buy the van and build it out to our specs. We are going solar and will be able to be completely off grid, and yes, it will have a toilet and shower! (I did just sign up to win a Sprinter Van from INC & Mercedes Benz Vans, so fingers crossed, maybe we will be starting the build out sooner than we hoped!)
When I left my job at Sub-Zero and Wolf last fall I was not sure what would come next, but I knew it would not involve working full-time for someone else. My prior experience as an entrepreneur was calling me, but I did not know at the time what my future looked like. It took guts to jump off the cliff with no plan forward, but I’ve done that before and landed on my feet, so I was certain I could do so again. I took a few months off to explore options, and for some self care to rest, de-stress, and get healthy again.
During the winter months I started looking at options to work remotely doing work that I love and which would bring more joy into my life. And, as is usually the case during winter in Wisconsin, Tim and I played a lot of games when he was not working. We purchased some new games that two could play and found ourselves discussing how one particular game could be better.
Next thing we knew we had developed a game we love and play every chance we get! We decided to publish the game and get others in on the fun, so we are in the final development stages, working on graphics and website design and then we will do a soft launch locally with public events and tournaments combined with a Wisconsin tradition, Meat Raffles!
Our plan is to wrap the Sprinter van in the game graphics as a mobile advertisement and travel throughout the country to festivals and events promoting the game, holding tournaments and having fun meeting people of all ages along the way.
Munchkin and Magnus have begun their harness training and soon will start going for rides in the car to get over motion sickness. We hope they will love our retirement plan as much as we do!
I will still be selling CBD and promoting all the great ways CBD can help those with pain, anxiety, digestive issues, skin conditions, etc. I will also still be helping people plan their dream vacations through Expedia Cruiseship Centers as well since I can do both from any location.
And hopefully by the time we depart Madison in our van my book will be on its way to being published. Yes, I am writing a book too. It’s fiction based on reality…I guess a form of historical fiction, but it’s going to be lots of fun to read and I hope you will stay tuned when I finally complete the novel!
I guess I won’t really “retire” entirely with all that I have going on, but that’s fine with me…I like to stay busy, especially doing things I love.
I will miss my Wolf kitchen appliances in the van, but I will still make amazing food, just in a much smaller space!
Tim and I plan to Blog and Vlog about the van build out and our Dreamtirement experiences along the way, with lots of pics and videos to inspire you to plan your own Dreamtirement, whatever it looks like! It’s well worthwhile to give it some serious thought, and DREAM BIG! It’s your life, live it the way you please! And don’t be afraid to think outside the traditional box….you never know where your dreams may bring you!
Coming soon…stories from our first vanlife adventure on board The Doozey in Oregon!
