Today is Father’s Day. Our daughter has been a high school graduate for almost five weeks now, and we’re deep into preparing for our Ireland trip. It feels like the right day to start this.

This will be the first time any of us has been overseas — truly overseas. We’ve traveled internationally before in smaller ways. Erica and I went to Mexico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands on our honeymoon almost 19 years ago. We took our daughter on a cruise that stopped in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos. I’ve crossed into Canada a couple of times. Technically, we’ve left the country before — but nothing like this. Ireland is a different kind of trip, and we’re excited in a way that feels new.

On the bigger picture

This trip has me reflecting on more than just packing lists. I’ve changed careers multiple times over the years, and I have a lot of interests outside of any one job title. Lately I’ve been thinking seriously about what it would take to step away from corporate life and build something of my own.

Here’s the honest truth though — I don’t think I actually want to retire. I like staying busy. I like building things. What I actually want is “location independence” — the freedom for Erica and me to travel without a job tying us to one zip code. I genuinely enjoy my work and the people I work with, so this isn’t about escaping something bad. It’s about gaining something better: the ability to choose where we are, instead of where we have to be.

That’s what this next phase of life is about for us. Ireland is just the first stamp in the passport.