How It Began: Trading the Status Quo for the Open Road
Waiting for take off for the East Coast to visit family before continuing on to South Africa - our adventure begins!
Becoming the VagaBonneys - the journey of how it all started and the experiences along the way.
This is our origin story—how it all started and the experiences that set us on our path.
People often ask us what specific moment triggered our decision to sell our belongings, leave our home in San Diego, and embrace full-time nomadic living. Was it a sudden mid-life epiphany? A wild impulse decision?
Truthfully, it was a slow burn—a growing realization that we were spending more time managing "stuff" than making memories.
A Wake-Up Call & Early Dreams
After a health scare in 2019, thoughts of turning our retirement dreams into action became more imperative. Work had become increasingly stressful, and we faced a choice: stay in San Diego, downsize, and live meagerly (paying the famous "Sunshine Tax"), or take a chance and discover new places. We leaned toward being bold.
We started researching extended stays in Italy and Portugal, even finding an unbelievable coastal rental in Taranto, Italy, for $550 a month! It had sea views, colorful buildings, and local restaurants where we imagined enjoying aperitivos before cooking fresh market dinners.
Then Covid hit. During lockdowns, our IT consulting company (serving essential workers in rental housing) demanded longer hours, pulling us right back into the monotonous routine of wake, work, sleep, repeat.
Taking the First Big Steps
When restrictions eased, we knew we couldn't stay in that loop. The first big move was selling our downtown San Diego condo of 10 years. Selling relieved financial stress, gave our clients a year’s notice to transition smoothly, and allowed us to save for travel.
We relocated to a rental in Hillcrest, falling in love with its walkability. We embraced outdoor living—walking the historic Spruce Street suspension bridge, Maple Canyon, and First Avenue (all part of the Seven Bridges Walk) and wandering Balboa Park.
Local hangouts became our regular spots to talk, dream, and plan:
Sister’s Pizza on Wednesdays for East Coast-style slices (a special thank you to them for adding midweek vegan slices just for us!)
The Loft Bar for generous pours of wine and friendly conversation
Jimmy Carter’s for Mexican brunch
Mia Trattoria (and La Taverna before it closed) for authentic Italian
Over meals at these spots, we finally made the leap and bought one-way tickets. No excuses, no procrastinating—just a one-way flight to set everything in motion.
Practice Runs & Downsizing
Before our April 26th departure, we took an opportunity to test out our new carry on suitcases and compression hanging shelves during a January trip to my hometown: Three Forks, Montana (population ~2,000). It’s an amazing small town historically known for being near the source of the Missouri River—where the Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison rivers meet.
Despite the freezing snow and crunching ice under our feet, we took daily walks along the golf course and "The Pits" (ask locals if they used to swim there in their youth—you’ll hear fantastic stories!). We spent time with my mom, my grandma (who was turning 94 in a few weeks!), and my older sister's family. We also took a road trip to Pony (population 101) to see my dad. Pony is a quintessential old mining town where the historic schoolhouse we used for family reunions was featured in 1923.
Back in San Diego, crunch time hit. We spent 18 months transitioning our IT clients to new support platforms, coaching their staff, and clearing out our office of nearly 20 years. Goodbye office space!
Then came the massive purge: OfferUp, BuyNothing, Goodwill, AmVets, and carefully labeled boxes for a small storage unit. Jumping without a net complete with butterflies, we watched our life be packed out, knowing that once we were free from physical belongings, our adventure would begin. We even safely tucked away "Branson," our vintage Tesla, into long-term storage (a story for another post!).
Launch Day
Thanks to an overbooking voucher from Alaska Airlines ($1,500 travel vouchers EACH!), we kicked off our adventure in style with First-Class tickets to Boston.
Equipped with six suitcases and two carry-ons (we definitely needed work on our packing strategies!), we boarded to the Star Wars theme song, sipped champagne, and shed a few bittersweet tears as we took off. First stops—Boston, Maine, and Rhode Island. Here we go!
Our work here is done - good bye office space!
