Travel & Lifestyle Writer Early Retirement, Slow Travel, Reinvention

When I was in my 40s, if you had told me I'd be writing this from Mauritius after months of traveling across Europe, I would have laughed.

Back then, I had a more traditional view of retirement: I would work until 65, leave a nest egg for my kids, and settle into a quieter life.

But when I was 53, my husband, Nigel, and I quit our jobs in oil and gas, traded comfort for adventure, and hit the road.

To retire early and travel, we spent seven years restructuring our finances and mapping out a p...

I was born on the East Coast, and my family moved around a lot. By the time I graduated from high school in Texas, I was the new girl again, surrounded by people who'd known each other since childhood. Everyone seemed to "belong" somewhere, but I was still trying to figure out who "everyone" was.

I went to Texas A&M University. It's a big school in a small-town bubble, where friendliness and tradition rule. I built a good life in Texas. I married a local boy, raised kids, built a career, and di...

For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like to explore the world through their unique perspectives. Burnt out from corporate America, Kelly Benthall got her finances in order and gave up her Texas lifestyle to retire at 53 and live around the world in Airbnbs with her husband, Nigel. Here’s her story… 

I was living in Texas and working in oil and gas. As time went on, and the kids left, my job became extraordinarily stressful—to the point that I...

Last year, at 53, my husband and I quit our jobs in oil and gas and retired early to travel the world. Many friends assumed we were fearless — that anyone who leaves behind home, routines, and everything familiar must be chasing adventure

The truth? I'm not fearless. I'm a total scaredy-cat.

I didn't grow up traveling. We didn't hop on planes or dream about faraway places. Our family vacations were road trips to Ohio to visit relatives — reliable, predictable, safe. Most of my family still doe...

My plan had always been to retire at 65 — grind it out, climb the ladder, and finally enjoy the freedom. But plans change, especially when your body starts flashing warnings you can't ignore.

Last year, at 53, I retired early with my husband — not because we had meticulously planned every detail, but because the cost of staying in the rat race — mentally, physically, and emotionally — had become too high. Work had always been a source of pride, but it was also a source of stress and, at times,...

For more than 30 years, I helped companies ranging from startups to giants such as Shell and Chevron navigate strategic change. As a consultant, I focused on guiding organizations through uncertainty — always with a servant leadership mindset.

Now, in retirement, I'm no longer the guide but the one experiencing transformation firsthand. In my field, which was mostly focused on change management, there's a saying: "Drink your own Champagne." It's about practicing what you preach—not just in busi...

Plain and simple — hold the tomatoes — fast travel is exhausting.

My husband Nigel and I retired early last year to slow travel the world. We've made it a habit to stay in one place for a month. It feels long enough to unpack, exhale, and feel like we live there.

But this summer, we broke our own rules.

We planned a five-week sprint through the UK and Ireland — seven stops in quick succession, most just five days long. We started in Dorset with a brief, emotionally heavy family visit, then ma...