Thirteen years ago, our daughter Mary was visiting from France, where she lives with her young family. One evening, she asked about our retirement plans. We didn’t have a clear answer, but I said, “I know we have one more adventure in us.” At the time, I was 58, and Michael was 68. Life was good—we had work we loved, close friends, volunteer commitments, and a thriving family. Retirement was on the horizon, but not urgent.
Then Mary discovered a list of countries we’d like to visit under a fridge magnet and said, “You could retire now and travel full-time, living in Airbnbs!” We asked, “What’s an Airbnb?” She opened my laptop and introduced us to a world we didn’t know existed.
Six months later, in July 2013, we’d sold nearly everything—cars, a sailboat, and eventually our house—and set off to live in other people’s homes around the world.
Since then, we’ve visited 95 countries on six continents and stayed in 330 Airbnbs (yes, we travel with our own pillows). And Mary got her wish—we’ve visited France more than any other country.
In 2015, we reached out to Airbnb, and our story caught their attention. That’s when we met Chip Conley, who was Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy at the time. Our journey was featured in the New York Times. Chip became our champion and invited us to speak to hosts from around the world—and installed us as “Senior Interns” at Airbnb in 2017. The next year, Chip inspired us to write a book about our Airbnb experiences called Your Keys, Our Home.
Later, we visited the Modern Elder Academy in Baja, where we discovered the deeper meaning of wisdom and the joy of sharing it. Our Senior Nomads Facebook group now connects 18,500 like-minded travelers from around the world. Many don’t know us, but they call themselves Senior Nomads—which we take as a compliment.
We love sharing our travel stories – and what we’ve learned along the way. Below are a dozen lessons we wrote for ourselves as we transitioned to a more traditional retirement. We hope they inspire your journey, wherever that takes you.
1. Treasure Experiences over Possessions
We chose to divest ourselves of almost everything we owned, including our house, so that we could become Senior Nomads. It wasn’t easy to adjust to living out of our suitcases, but we soon realized just how little we needed to get by. We often said, “If you can’t eat it, drink it, experience it, or get somewhere on it, don’t buy it.”
2. Curiosity is the ticket!
If Michael hadn’t been curious about the 15 former Soviet Republics, we might not have visited some fascinating countries, including Moldova and Turkmenistan. And I’ve led us to some amazing settings from my favorite novels. Follow your instincts, and you will be rewarded. And always allow for serendipity!
3. We are the Foreigners
Everywhere we’ve traveled, people want to be safe, to love freely, to be happy, and feel seen. And yet the way they seek those things is gloriously diverse. And while that may be very different from our way of life, we’ve observed firsthand that contentment can exist in conditions we might consider unacceptable. Recognizing the sameness, while celebrating the differences, is the heart of travel and humanity.
4. Learn the language of Courtesy
Even when words fail, kindness translates. A smile, a respectful gesture, and even the most awkward attempt at a few phrases can open doors—literal and metaphorical. It’s not about fluency in French or Japanese; it’s about fluency in respect and courtesy. And who knows – that person who insisted they didn’t speak your language…just might after all!
5. We are Braver than We Thought
After twelve years of travel, we have much more self-confidence than we had at the beginning. We learned to meet unexpected challenges with grace through trial and error. And humor. Now, we doubt there is a country we wouldn’t visit (unless it was dangerous), a food we wouldn’t at least try, a bus we wouldn’t take, a metro system we couldn’t decipher, or, most of all, a building we wouldn’t enter. That comes from finding some excellent Airbnbs hidden behind some pretty unwelcoming exteriors.
6. It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond
Cancelled flights, disappointing Airbnbs, boarding the wrong train, lost phones, tummy trouble, and even being pick-pocketed are just a few of the curveballs we’ve been thrown. But drama is optional. We’ve learned to pause, breathe, and look for the silver lining. It’s almost always there. Somewhere!
7. Forgive and Forget!
Living in close quarters, in unfamiliar places, with jet lag and lost luggage? Forgiveness is key. Laugh often, let the little things go, and remember you’re on the same team—even if you swear the other person had the train tickets!
8. We Are Closer than Ever
I am a Doodling Daydreamer, and Michael is a Rows-and-Columns Guy. After some initial adjustments and 47 years of marriage behind us, we acknowledge our strengths and respect each other’s unique contributions to our adventures. Or, as Michael likes to say, “we are rowing our boat in the same direction.”
9. Numbers Are Your Friends
It is essential to create a budget and stick to it. Because we tracked our spending meticulously, we knew when we could occasionally splurge by saving somewhere else. We could not have sustained twelve years of full-time travel without financial discipline. And it’s more fun than you think!
10. We Need the Grid!
Since we weren’t on vacation, we didn’t have the desire to drop off the grid. In fact, we couldn’t do what we did without the World Wide Web – and now AI! We needed the internet to communicate with family and friends, plan our travels, write our blogs, do our banking, and navigate each new city. We prioritize fast Wi-Fi in our Airbnbs, use Google for everything, and rely on a few favorite travel apps. And WhatsApp, Facetime and T-Mobile keep us connected wherever we are.
11. Keep a Journal
Not every day is spectacular, but every day is worth remembering. It has been very satisfying to write notes on where we were, what we experienced, and even what we spent at the end of each day. We have filled 27 journals with musings, ticket stubs, receipts, and doodles – and they are more precious than any souvenir.
12. Home is Where We Put our Pillows
We travel with our bed pillows. We may have decided to do that on a whim the day we left Seattle in 2013, but we are so glad we did. Now, wherever we lay our pillows, we are home.
-Debbie and Michael
Debbie and Michael Campbell may be the world’s most famous Airbnb guests having used the platform for the past dozen years staying in more than 330 homes in 92 countries.