So what’s the current status?
The posts have been few and far between. We recognize that. That is a direct reflection of our current situation in this process. While we’re already in our third year of exploring the world, circumstances have directed us into a slower evaluation and progression. Honestly, we’re still trying to determine what the best course of action is: Americans, expats, wanderers, or some combination of those…
Dog and Dragon have been on a multi-year journey of exploring the world that began with the ultimate goal of leaving the United States. Various factors have contributed to our current status. So what is that current status at the time of this post? Dragon is working full time as a cruise ship nurse. She technically works specific shifts on the ship, but in a practical sense she actually works 24/7 while on contract. That isn’t anecdotal. The medical team works 7 days/week and is always either on call or in some state of representing the company. Dog is working 7 days/week building a business in the USA. His efforts and time spent are wildly different in that they are 100% commission based, but are geared towards offering the flexibility to travel when the opportunity arrises.
Our jobs, opportunities, requirements, responsibilities require us to be apart for months at a time. Sure, that isn’t ideal, but it is a means to an end with a somewhat nebulous goal in mind.
In the first few iterations of this experiment, there were more instances of Dog & Dragon travelling together and thus more frequent posts together. At the current time, Dragon’s contract rotations have resulted in her being on Seabourn for four consecutive assignments. When Dragon is posted on Seabourn, Dog is only permitted to join her for one month in the calendar year. As a direct result, Dog has been in Colorado for months, separated from Dragon out of necessity. This forced separation has admittedly given Dog more opportunity to build his business. It is a blessing in disguise.
So what does that mean for Dog & Dragon Adventures?
Whenever opportunity arises we will continue to travel together and report on the amazing destinations we visit. We hope you understand and bear with us as our opportunities shift and change. In the meantime, we will continue to bring you timely updates on Instagram and intermittent updates here on the blog.
Short Term / Long Term
Is it ok to say we’re not sure what the long term looks like yet? It is truly still an ongoing process and work in progress. Dragon loves being a nurse and helping people. She loves the connections she makes with all the myriad people she encounters and with all the places she gets to discover. Dog appreciates being able to help people with Medicare during the most vulnerable time of their lives. Our healthcare system does not make it easy for people to understand and adapt as they age into a complex system. We both continue to help people in our own way.
Ultimately we are still on the same trajectory. We want to continue to explore the world and are open to potentially finding a new base of operations. We’ve started identify places we could see ourselves long term. Those locations include much of the Mediterranean, which appears to be our favorite part of the world so far. Mediterranean possibilities include Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia. We don’t see ourselves settling on an island. However, we’ve been fortunate to visit so many of the islands of the Med such as Rhodes, Crete, Cyprus, Corfu and Malta. There is a magic and allure to them all. We also see a lot of potential in other parts of the world as well, like Uruguay and South Africa.
For now, Dragon continues exploring the world from Australia and the South Pacific to the Caribbean and Europe. Dog is living and working in Colorado, spending as much time as possible with family and friends, overpaying for everything, and cringing at the chaos of an ever changing and massively unstable USA.
So yes, err, no, err… We’re not sure…
While we are in agreement that we don’t want to stay in America, we are undecided on where to go from here.
While we would like to relocate elsewhere, we are fairly certain we currently cannot afford to make a permanent more and don’t know where that location is.
We’ve visited SOOOO many places. Check the map! It has been an amazing adventure so far for sure.
There are family considerations as well. Obviously all of our family is in the US, primarily in Colorado. We also have an absolutely adorable granddaughter that we want to be close to.
Is it reasonable to just pack up and say peace out?
These are difficult, confusing, frustrating, and occasionally scary times for Americans at home. Our American democracy is unusually unstable and unpredictable at the moment. I’ve tried to keep this blog about our travels, but sometimes it seems important to acknowledge there are current events that impact our decision making.
As nurses we’ve practiced compassion and care for our fellow humans. In modern parlance that probably means we are “woke”. In this case that is a ridiculous moniker as we’ve both been awake to the radical notions of diversity and compassion for decades. What we want to do with our lives going forward is continue to help people. Dragon through direct nursing care and Dog via guidance in a confusing healthcare landscape.
I guess what I’m saying with this post is that if you want to follow us for our travel experiences, great! Sometimes they come at a slower pace. Bear with us and we’ll catch up on the posts.
An Ongoing Process
Ultimately we think we’d still love to find a place to purchase overseas. Even prior to the craziness of 2026 America, the country is just wildly too expensive for our liking. Simply put, life in the United States just costs a LOT!!! Without getting into the weeds, it costs so much less to live almost anywhere else in the world, often with a higher level of safety and freedom.
Beyond the cost of living, we simply love to travel and explore the world! It is just awesome and makes us feel alive in a way we can’t get staying at home. Some of our readers know we used to explore the US by camper. While we look back on those times with fondness, that type of travel just doesn’t compare to some of the astonishing experiences we’ve had over the last couple of years. Americans, expats, wanderers… While Dog and Dragon may really want to just immediately bolt and explore the world with what we have that isn’t really feasible at the moment. In truth some caution and planning are both advisable and prudent. We are choosing stability for now, deferring a permanent decision to down the road when we’ve gathered more information and solidity.
We’re happy to have updated you all on our ongoing indecision, err, data gathering. Americans, expats, wanderers… The ongoing Dog and Dragon Adventures are fluid and continue to change regularly. Please follow our Instagram and Facebook. Dragon continues to post her current travels through the blue waters and sunny warmth of the Caribbean. She also keeps us laughing with periodic updates from Bob Talks in His Sleep. More adventures are on the horizon and we’ll continue to update you as we go.
Hey, this may seem like a shameless plug, but well, it is! If you need guidance through the complexities of Medicare, Dog is here to help you with it. If you need travel insurance for your own worldly adventures, Dog is here to help you with that too. Give him a shout and discuss.
