One Suitcase, One Backpack

I’ve never been particularly good at deciding what I want to be when I grow up.

I was born in Japan, moved to England when I was three, then to Taiwan when I was six. I left Taiwan for college in the United States and, apparently, forgot to leave. Growing up across different countries, exposure to different languages and cultures gave me an early appreciation for how differently people live, and an appetite to keep exploring.

I’m so called “retired” but it’s more a work in progress. I picked up pickleball and worked part time as a lifeguard (free gym membership!) and found more time to swim and scuba dive, and I even became a divemaster in 2025.

For many different reasons, after almost 30 years in Minnesota, I sold my furniture and car in June of 2026, put 15 storage bins into storage and traded it in for a suitcase, a backpack and a one-way ticket and a desire to live life differently. <see link>

I’m not traveling to see the world as quickly as possible or to hit all the popular sights (although I’ll probably do that occasionally as well). I like staying somewhere long enough to develop a routine. Find the coffee shops and grocery stores and figure out how to get around. I’m looking less for “destinations” than places I can settle in and experience life.

People ask me when I’m coming back. I don’t have a good answer for that. I guess I’ll know when I know. Right now, my plan is to slow travel, mixing in long stays in different cities I’ve always wanted to experience with short trips to places I’ve wanted to visit.

And then there’s Jingles.

Jingles is my small traveling companion, a small Beanie Baby rabbit who has somehow managed to slip into my suitcase and backpack. Jingles used to belong to Kai, my son, and while Jingles contributes very little to the logistics, they are an excellent travel mascot and a surprisingly good witness to my adventures.