A retired Florida couple said “arrivederci” to their everyday lives to travel the globe.
John and Bev Martin sold their home — and all their belongings — to spend their retirement trekking across the world, according to SWNS.
The pair, who are the parents of five and grandparents of eight, began their worldwide trek in 2020, the outlet said, when they bought a camper and traveled across the nation.
“We realized that we didn’t need our big house, and that started this whole journey of what we wanted to do in our retirement,” said John, 60. “We thought, ‘Why not go see the world?’ [So] we sold our home and downsized to a couple of backpacks and have been traveling ever since.”
“We sat down one day, and we knew we had money to travel in our retirement. When we realized that we were retiring at a younger age, we looked at our budget and realized we could afford to travel two months a year,” added Bev, 61. “But if we sold our home and our things, we could afford to go on a big adventure.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
John Martin / SWNS
By November 2021, SWNS said that John and Bev sold their home in their retirement community in Florida and donated their furniture and belongings to charities.
They have since visited a total of 92 countries so far, including the Bahamas, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Romania, Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala, Greece and New Zealand.
John Martin / SWNS
When John and Bev told their children that they would be traveling, during what they call their “trip of a lifetime,” per SWNS, the couple said their kids were thrilled for them.
“We have five children and eight grandchildren, and all of our children are very excited about it. I think our children are excited for us to live out our best lives,” Bev said.
She added, “I hope we are setting a good example for them that things don’t matter, items don’t matter. It is about connections and experiences.”
John Martin / SWNS
Looking ahead, Bev said she and John hope to one day travel with their grandkids when they are all old enough to do so.
“We want to give them the gift of travel to the world, to our grandchildren, we want to change their lives and hope to take them on trips around the globe,” she explained.
