After days of driving through Spain, Andorra and France, we eventually arrived back in the Netherlands. The country where both of our lives started, but also a place that no longer fully feels like home in the same way it once did.

Before leaving for full-time world travel, we still had two weeks left in the Netherlands. On paper, that sounded like enough time. In reality, those weeks disappeared faster than we could have imagined.

Before arriving, we already knew these two weeks would mostly revolve around practical things. Vaccinations, passport appointments, meeting friends and family and taking care of all the final things that still needed to happen before leaving Europe for a longer period of time.

But once we arrived, we quickly realized how difficult it is to combine practical responsibilities with actually being present in the moment.

Our days filled up fast. One appointment blended into the next, and before we knew it, entire days had disappeared. It felt like we were constantly moving from one place to another.

At the same time, there was also something beautiful about it.

We were lucky enough to stay with friends and family during those weeks, which meant we never had to worry about accommodation costs. But more importantly, it reminded us how many people around us genuinely care. That gave us a very rich feeling. Not financially, but emotionally.

The difficult part was that we wanted to see everyone and give everyone the time and attention they deserved. In reality, that simply is not possible in such a short period.

That created mixed feelings. It was incredibly valuable to reconnect with people we care about, but at the same time, it sometimes felt like everything moved too quickly and we could not fully slow down long enough to really appreciate those moments.

Goodbye, But Not Really Goodbye

One thing we noticed during those weeks is that we never really felt like we were saying goodbye.

We saw many people we love again and hugged them before leaving, but it never felt final. To everyone, we said the same thing: see you later.

Because we are not disappearing forever.

The truth is that we genuinely do not know what the future will look like. We do not know where we will be living six months from now, or even how long we will continue traveling. Because of that, none of these moments felt like permanent goodbyes. They felt more like temporary pauses.

Friends remain friends. Family remains family.

We just do not know exactly when we will see each other again.

That realization is definitely there, but without making it unnecessarily heavy.

Preparing for Full-Time World Travel: What Did Not Go as Planned

As always, things also turned out differently than expected.

Applying for new passports became one of those moments where we realized how unusual our situation had become. Months earlier, we had already booked a special appointment for Dutch citizens living abroad. At the time, that already felt slightly unusual after moving to Spain.

But once we arrived at the appointment, things became even more complicated.

It turned out we could not provide the correct documents because we no longer had proof of registration in another country or municipality that was less than three months old. Something we had honestly never even considered beforehand.

That was also the moment we started realizing how complicated life becomes once you no longer officially belong anywhere.

Most systems are designed around the idea that people have a fixed home, a fixed address and a country they officially belong to. The moment you step outside of that structure, things suddenly become far less straightforward.

When we asked how we would need to prove our situation in the future, we received an answer we genuinely could not believe. Apparently, we would need to keep paper invoices from every place we stay and travel to in order to prove where we have been since no longer being residents anywhere.

Can you imagine traveling around the world while carrying folders full of paper invoices everywhere?

And what happens if you lose them? Or get robbed?

Digital copies apparently are not enough.

Sometimes we seriously wonder what era we are living in, but eventually we will find a solution for that as well. Fortunately, our passports are still valid for another 2.5 years, so for now it feels more like a future problem.

These moments mostly confirmed something we already knew: this lifestyle comes with freedom, but also with systems that are simply not built for people living this way.

Returning to Spain Through San Sebastián

After two intense weeks in the Netherlands, it was time to drive back to Spain one final time before flying out to Asia.

This return trip felt very different from the first drive north.

This time, we planned longer driving days combined with slightly longer stops in between. The first stop was one night in Pelves, a small village in France. Perfectly fine for sleeping, but beyond that there was not much happening there.

After that, we drove to San Sebastián, where we planned to stay for a full day. A place we had heard a lot about beforehand. Many people had described it as one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, which naturally creates expectations.

And to be fair, San Sebastián is absolutely beautiful.

The location by the sea, the architecture, the atmosphere in the streets, the greenery surrounding the city, everything fits together incredibly well. At the same time, we did not fully experience the city the way we expected to after hearing so many enthusiastic stories about it.

That was not disappointment, but more an interesting realization.

Expectations, especially expectations created by other people or social media, heavily influence how you experience a place. Sometimes it is actually better to arrive somewhere without too many expectations and simply allow yourself to experience it for what it is.

Something that is becoming increasingly difficult nowadays because social media constantly shapes expectations before you even arrive somewhere.

At the same time, we also noticed how much difference it makes to stay somewhere slightly longer. Longer stops completely change the way you experience both a destination and the driving days in between.

Mijas, Selling the Car and the Final Step Before Departure

After San Sebastián, we drove to Mijas, a village we already knew and the place where we would sell our car.

The accommodation we stayed in there honestly turned out to be disappointing. It was dirty, poorly maintained and many things simply did not work properly. Sometimes photos and reviews online do not reflect reality.

Still, the rooftop terrace overlooking the sea made up for a lot.

Selling the car felt like one of the final major steps in preparing for full-time world travel. It was probably our last major possession. The Spanish car that safely brought us everywhere during the past two years.

Kevin honestly doubted whether selling it in time would actually work out, while Nancy mostly remained positive. In the end, the car was sold for exactly the amount we hoped for.

The moment it was officially sold, another layer of pressure disappeared from our shoulders. It truly had to happen that Friday because we simply did not have enough time left to postpone it.

And suddenly, after months of preparing, organizing and constantly crossing things off lists, it finally felt like there was almost nothing left to arrange.

The Phase Where There Is Nothing Left to Do

That feeling is strange in a way.

For months, our lives revolved around preparing for this moment. Selling the house, changing our lives completely, figuring out finances, planning routes, organizing documents, creating content and making thousands of small decisions in between.

And now, while writing this blog, there is barely anything left to do.

The only thing left is waiting for the train to Madrid and boarding our flight to Lombok.

For the first time in a long while, we are in a phase where there are no long to-do lists anymore. No major appointments. No huge practical decisions left to make.

Just waiting.

And continuing to create content while everything slowly starts to feel more real.

They showed us that chasing dreams is not only about making one big decision. It is about everything that comes afterward. The adapting, the organizing, the uncertainty, the unexpected situations and continuing forward even when you do not fully know what comes next.

Looking Back on the Past Weeks

If we had to summarize these past weeks, we would describe them as chaotic, intense and incredibly valuable.

Preparing for full-time world travel turned out to be far more complex than we expected. Not only practically, but also emotionally.

At the same time, these months taught us a lot about ourselves.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how easily we were able to let go of certain major things, while small things suddenly became unexpectedly difficult to leave behind. Selling our house felt emotionally easier than getting rid of certain clothes or small personal belongings.

Apparently, people are strange like that.

At the same time, we also realize that in the end, they are all just possessions. Replaceable things.

What Comes Next

At this point, everything that could be arranged has been arranged. Everything we could finish seems completed.

From here, the life we have been working towards for the past ten months finally begins.

The next blog will be written from a completely different part of the world.

Two Wild Nomads. Stories about freedom, growth and choosing the life that feels right.