I have not taken leave, sabatical, or holiday from my employment--I have no job to return to. This lack of a paycheque does not worry me.

I am not a bum, a lazy good-for-nothing, or a whining gen-Xer. I am not avoiding "real-life". This is real life. I still must manage my money, find shelter, prepare food, and navigate my way around the world. In fact, sometimes I must do these daily tasks in foreign environments and unknown languages. Sounds like a challenging life to me.

And for those of you who think "It is good to do it while you're young", that isn't the case here. I plan to spend my entire life seeing the world. Ralph is nearly 50.

We are often asked how we can afford to spend months travelling. I don't know why people find this so difficult to comprehend, because it is so very simple. We worked hard to earn money and save it to create a nest egg. We are without debts and obligations. We have no children, no mortgage, no car, and no desire to accumulate a houseful of consumer goods.

(We do have a storage locker that contains our few indulgences. It is half full of books; the other half is filled with winter clothing and music.)

Now that we're clear that this is a lifestyle choice, I'd like to add that I am tired of being looked at as though I am threatening the foundations of Modern Western Life. I am not hostile towards people who live in houses, raise families, and go to work. I have simply made an alternate choice.

More stuff that makes us mad!