Your post deeply resonates with me and i’ve been dreaming of living in Europe since covid started. Still working out the logistics but now i’m closer to making that dream come true when I join my partner in Belgium. Best of luck on your journey, Anne.
Dear Anne, the only reason I was able to see this post is because someone subscribed to my account and I saw her profile and then I saw her restacked your post. I must thank her. And I want to thank you for writing your heart in this journey. I am micro-retired and I liked it I really do. This lifestyle made me realize how much I'm missing out, how much I'm taking for granted by exchanging my time, my life, my youth, to a job that will probably be replaced by AI (the more AI progresses, I notice the decline or total dismissal of some jobs). Aside from that, financially I have already exhausted what my 10 years of work have allowed me to set aside. It was truly a wonderful experience. Both humbling and teaching and I don't regret ever taking this time off. But I know I have to go back soon. Reading your experience, you at 52 in this journey, with all those wonderful plans set in motion - you inspire me. So thank you Anne, thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad my words spoke to you, Ingrid. I wrote that over a year ago now. A lot has changed since then. But like you I know it’s time to start earning again on a regular basis. It’s all still a work in progress. Such is life!
I enjoyed reading your post. I’ve always wanted to live in Europe for an extended period of time too. I plan to give myself six weeks next year to walk in Spain on one of the Camino routes. I’ll be celebrating 65 years! I hope you can get into the PhD program that you want. Best of everything to you!
There’s something about a sentence like that - so stark, so weightless, and yet it carries the gravity of an entire internal earthquake.
“I quit my life.” Not a job, not a city, but the whole choreography - the rituals, the masks, the meaning structures. Few people realise that quitting your life is rarely about escape. It’s an act of reclamation.
What comes next, though - that’s where most people get lost. Because no one tells you that quitting is only the first clarity. The harder part is reassembling - not the old pieces, but something entirely new. Something that can hold truth without breaking, and freedom without floating away.
I’ve worked with people who’ve done this - some gradually, some in a single breath. And I’ve found one common thread: those who rebuild with intention find a kind of internal architecture far stronger than what they left behind.
If you’re writing from that after-place, I hope you keep going. There’s more on this side than most people dare imagine.
Thank you for this! Everything you say is so true. I just scheduled a post that will appear tomorrow that describes where I am now—finally, reassembling, as you say.
Thanks Anne for sharing your experience, I can totally relate to it. I love how you talk about being in limbo and how challenging it is. Glad to see that we are not alone ;) If you find yourself in West Yorkshire, give me a shout! I'd love to meet you.
Hey there. I have just joined Substack and discovered this piece in my feed. As someone who has just got back from two years of travel I really related to a lot of what you talk about. I also remember the limbo phase and initially being scared but then just embracing it because this is probably the most freedom I will ever have in my life. Hope you are doing well, wherever in the world you are. If you’d like to know more about my travels you can read my blog
Thanks for the post! I am not happy but trying to be no matter the situation... I'm looking for work and considering moving to South Korea, but there are many challenges so I've been feeling pretty stagnant. I'm mid-level in my career but considering switching but the job market seems dead everywhere so also trying not to have a meltdown 😃 but this was really nice to read, to show that even with movement, things can feel stagnant and uncertain. It's just all about keeping on moving and learning and finding a place or situation that will eventually feel like home, even if it's for a short while!
My Husband and I want to relocate from our home in Australia to Germany so I can study a masters and we can learn to speak German better. We own our house here and it scares me to try and tackle all of the stuff we have accumulated and also making the house renter standard (we have holes in the walls and an unfinished backyard). I don’t want to let the fear and worry stop me from doing this though. This post really inspired me so thank you.
I never realized how far behind the curve I was until joining Substack - but in the best way. Reading voices like yours has cracked something open in me. Your journey is so inspiring.
I left corporate life for early retirement and slow travel, and I’m still learning how to live rooted and untethered at the same time. I wrote about the start of that shift here:
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I‘m only just at the beginning of moving abroad (Deborah Levy was a huge inspiration to me!). I decided to do 6-10 months as a start, to feel out what it could be like longterm. I think I don‘t want to travel around, but rather stay in one selected area, but it is as you say – finding the right place is not a thing you can do on Google Maps. I recently wrote a piece about how I fell in love with the city I decided to go to, and now I‘m curious to see if my gut feeling was right. 🙂 All the best for your travels!
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
An awesome but scary adventure maybe ;). My new salad discovery for the summer is lentils, beetroot, tomatoes (I live in Italy so we have some really delicious beef tomatoes at the moment) and feta (I use vegan feta). Does need a drizzle of good olive oil but you could buy a little bottle ...
Hi Anne, Love how candid you have been and yes I can’t decide whether you’re brave or wild but totally understand your opting out. This life is too short to hamper it with all the capitalist conditions … yet here I am tied to it. Marriage - tick, house-tick. Job … semi tick.
I had cancer last year which was grueling on so many levels. Its appearance forced me to consider the existential questions. I cut back my working hours to two days … by the end of the year I’ll probably have jettisoned that too.
I’m on a different track now - signed up to painting classes … makes my heart soar; I’m giving more time for me - more time for friends. I’m traveling (in Portugal so write) - okay, just wee hops here and there but this feels more authentic, more grounded.
I hope you do come back to the UK - I’m in Scotland, come visit.
I think Leyla Kazim’s description of the capitalist lifestyle is spot on right, that it is designed to stop you ever stepping off the merry go round because there is always something else you should aspire to achieve before you leave. The way I did it, for better or worse, was to stay until the mortgage was paid off and then instantly to leave work and start writing like crazy. My second book comes out this autumn. Would I do it again like that? I don’t know.
There are many aspects of your story I relate with, so thank you for sharing it. Perhaps it will help me discover the path I know is there, but hidden at this point, for myself.
Your post deeply resonates with me and i’ve been dreaming of living in Europe since covid started. Still working out the logistics but now i’m closer to making that dream come true when I join my partner in Belgium. Best of luck on your journey, Anne.
Thank you, Lina! And best of luck to you as well!
Dear Anne, the only reason I was able to see this post is because someone subscribed to my account and I saw her profile and then I saw her restacked your post. I must thank her. And I want to thank you for writing your heart in this journey. I am micro-retired and I liked it I really do. This lifestyle made me realize how much I'm missing out, how much I'm taking for granted by exchanging my time, my life, my youth, to a job that will probably be replaced by AI (the more AI progresses, I notice the decline or total dismissal of some jobs). Aside from that, financially I have already exhausted what my 10 years of work have allowed me to set aside. It was truly a wonderful experience. Both humbling and teaching and I don't regret ever taking this time off. But I know I have to go back soon. Reading your experience, you at 52 in this journey, with all those wonderful plans set in motion - you inspire me. So thank you Anne, thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad my words spoke to you, Ingrid. I wrote that over a year ago now. A lot has changed since then. But like you I know it’s time to start earning again on a regular basis. It’s all still a work in progress. Such is life!
We can do this! I look forward to reading more of your adventures Anne. :)
I enjoyed reading your post. I’ve always wanted to live in Europe for an extended period of time too. I plan to give myself six weeks next year to walk in Spain on one of the Camino routes. I’ll be celebrating 65 years! I hope you can get into the PhD program that you want. Best of everything to you!
There’s something about a sentence like that - so stark, so weightless, and yet it carries the gravity of an entire internal earthquake.
“I quit my life.” Not a job, not a city, but the whole choreography - the rituals, the masks, the meaning structures. Few people realise that quitting your life is rarely about escape. It’s an act of reclamation.
What comes next, though - that’s where most people get lost. Because no one tells you that quitting is only the first clarity. The harder part is reassembling - not the old pieces, but something entirely new. Something that can hold truth without breaking, and freedom without floating away.
I’ve worked with people who’ve done this - some gradually, some in a single breath. And I’ve found one common thread: those who rebuild with intention find a kind of internal architecture far stronger than what they left behind.
If you’re writing from that after-place, I hope you keep going. There’s more on this side than most people dare imagine.
Thank you for this! Everything you say is so true. I just scheduled a post that will appear tomorrow that describes where I am now—finally, reassembling, as you say.
Thanks Anne for sharing your experience, I can totally relate to it. I love how you talk about being in limbo and how challenging it is. Glad to see that we are not alone ;) If you find yourself in West Yorkshire, give me a shout! I'd love to meet you.
Hey there. I have just joined Substack and discovered this piece in my feed. As someone who has just got back from two years of travel I really related to a lot of what you talk about. I also remember the limbo phase and initially being scared but then just embracing it because this is probably the most freedom I will ever have in my life. Hope you are doing well, wherever in the world you are. If you’d like to know more about my travels you can read my blog
https://opennetworkemilio.substack.com/p/why-did-i-go-travelling-for-two-years
Thanks for the post! I am not happy but trying to be no matter the situation... I'm looking for work and considering moving to South Korea, but there are many challenges so I've been feeling pretty stagnant. I'm mid-level in my career but considering switching but the job market seems dead everywhere so also trying not to have a meltdown 😃 but this was really nice to read, to show that even with movement, things can feel stagnant and uncertain. It's just all about keeping on moving and learning and finding a place or situation that will eventually feel like home, even if it's for a short while!
My Husband and I want to relocate from our home in Australia to Germany so I can study a masters and we can learn to speak German better. We own our house here and it scares me to try and tackle all of the stuff we have accumulated and also making the house renter standard (we have holes in the walls and an unfinished backyard). I don’t want to let the fear and worry stop me from doing this though. This post really inspired me so thank you.
I never realized how far behind the curve I was until joining Substack - but in the best way. Reading voices like yours has cracked something open in me. Your journey is so inspiring.
I left corporate life for early retirement and slow travel, and I’m still learning how to live rooted and untethered at the same time. I wrote about the start of that shift here:
https://thebenthalls.substack.com/p/retired-roaming-and-rooted-welcome?r=5ci1ff
Thank you for sharing so honestly. It gives the rest of us permission to change too.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I‘m only just at the beginning of moving abroad (Deborah Levy was a huge inspiration to me!). I decided to do 6-10 months as a start, to feel out what it could be like longterm. I think I don‘t want to travel around, but rather stay in one selected area, but it is as you say – finding the right place is not a thing you can do on Google Maps. I recently wrote a piece about how I fell in love with the city I decided to go to, and now I‘m curious to see if my gut feeling was right. 🙂 All the best for your travels!
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com
An awesome but scary adventure maybe ;). My new salad discovery for the summer is lentils, beetroot, tomatoes (I live in Italy so we have some really delicious beef tomatoes at the moment) and feta (I use vegan feta). Does need a drizzle of good olive oil but you could buy a little bottle ...
Hi Anne, Love how candid you have been and yes I can’t decide whether you’re brave or wild but totally understand your opting out. This life is too short to hamper it with all the capitalist conditions … yet here I am tied to it. Marriage - tick, house-tick. Job … semi tick.
I had cancer last year which was grueling on so many levels. Its appearance forced me to consider the existential questions. I cut back my working hours to two days … by the end of the year I’ll probably have jettisoned that too.
I’m on a different track now - signed up to painting classes … makes my heart soar; I’m giving more time for me - more time for friends. I’m traveling (in Portugal so write) - okay, just wee hops here and there but this feels more authentic, more grounded.
I hope you do come back to the UK - I’m in Scotland, come visit.
Lovely to meet you here x
I think Leyla Kazim’s description of the capitalist lifestyle is spot on right, that it is designed to stop you ever stepping off the merry go round because there is always something else you should aspire to achieve before you leave. The way I did it, for better or worse, was to stay until the mortgage was paid off and then instantly to leave work and start writing like crazy. My second book comes out this autumn. Would I do it again like that? I don’t know.
There are many aspects of your story I relate with, so thank you for sharing it. Perhaps it will help me discover the path I know is there, but hidden at this point, for myself.
Very interesting honest piece. Able to just tell the story without making it a story!! Haha! If you’re ever in Brighton UK, give me a shout. Xxx 😘