Planning-the steps I took to sell everything and leave

I threw the estate sale story in, but I'm trying to keep this in chronological order.

1. Became inspired by another woman solo traveler.

2. Started researching, which included internet research as well as YouTube and actual virtual consultation with a woman actively traveling solo.

3. Decided to sell everything instead of putting it in storage (that's money I can't get back if I decide I don't want it after all a year or so later).

4. I did decide to keep my house. The thought process was, I live in Southern California—the property value won't go down. Plus, if after a year or 18 months full-time travel wasn't for me, I would at least still have my house. I would just need to furnish it again. And while I didn't want to be a landlord again, I felt the pros outweighed the cons. I found a great tenant that my neighbor co-signed for. I decided to take the risk.

5. I started planning. I researched every country (there were more than I realized) and made my list of where I wanted to go, and where I didn't. Turns out I want to get to 100 countries, I'll probably spend more time in some than others, but it's my choice.

6. Then the process of what order am I going to travel in. Should I start close by-Mexico, and then go through Central and South America? Should I go far and work my way back? Should I start with where I want to go the most first? Here's what I decided.

   
   

I decided to start with places that I thought were good possibilities for retirement. This was based on my research, but also from what I had heard from other people I know. The first stop was to be Puerto Rico. It's part of the US, so we didn't need a passport, as I waited until the last minute to look at my passport and it had EXPIRED!!! So I had to renew it, but I didn't want to delay my plans and Puerto Rico was a good first stop—it's the Caribbean after all. I found a 3-month house sit, and I was excited. I would really be able to explore the island in 3 months, plus I had use of their car! While PR is beautiful, it's not for me long term. So I returned to the US for Christmas, then left for Bali on January 3rd for a month! This was my first stop of my 11-month exploration. Check the next post for Bali and the subsequent countries.