Key Facts
- ✓ The couple lived in a 3,000-square-foot home outside Boston with two greyhounds before making their life-changing decision.
- ✓ Their year-long journey included extended stays in ten European countries, from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- ✓ They began their travels on a farm approximately one hour south of Dublin, where they first experienced a dramatically slower pace of life.
- ✓ After returning to the United States, they purchased an 800-square-foot home on a lake in central Massachusetts.
- ✓ The husband transitioned from the tech industry to work at a small, local company, while his wife retired from law practice to focus on writing.
- ✓ Their financial planning included remote work income, severance pay, and proceeds from their home sale to fund the year abroad without financial strain.
A Life Reimagined
By their early 40s, they had checked every box on the traditional success list. A spacious 3,000-square-foot home outside Boston, two beloved greyhounds, and demanding careers that kept them climbing the corporate ladder—he in tech, she in law. It was the life they thought they'd always wanted.
Then, everything shifted. In 2022, her husband Dave was laid off from his tech position. Around the same time, they lost both of their dogs to cancer. The combination of these losses triggered a profound realization: the life they had meticulously built no longer fit who they were becoming. Their oversized home felt hollow, and they were overcome with a sense of restlessness.
Instead of rushing to rebuild what they'd lost, they made a radical choice. They sold their house and prepared for a year-long journey abroad, using the proceeds, Dave's severance, and her ability to work remotely to fund their escape. They didn't know what came next, but they knew they needed to step away from the hustle to figure it out.
Finding Stillness in Dublin
Their journey began not in a bustling city, but on a quiet farm about an hour south of Dublin. This initial destination set the tone for the entire year. Surrounded by animals and open space, they began to decompress from years of professional pressure. The pace was deliberate, the days unhurried.
One morning stands out as a defining memory. She woke to find a note from Dave explaining he had joined the local husband-and-wife farming team to scan the bellies of pregnant sheep. As she watched him work, coffee in hand, she saw a smile on his face she hadn't seen in years. It was a simple moment, yet it spoke volumes about what they had been missing.
Spending time around animals forces us to slow down. It's a lesson we'd learned after adopting our dogs, who always seemed happy just to be, sans any hustle.
Over the next nine months, they traveled slowly through 10 European countries, including:
- Croatia
- Portugal
- Iceland
- Northern Ireland
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Austria
- Slovenia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
By establishing home bases in each location rather than rushing from place to place, they allowed themselves to truly inhabit their surroundings and reflect on their future.
"Spending time around animals forces us to slow down. It's a lesson we'd learned after adopting our dogs, who always seemed happy just to be, sans any hustle."
— Jason Prokowiew
The Education of Slow Travel
Their travel philosophy was intentionally simple. They wanted to see many places, spend time with animals, and contemplate their next chapter. What they discovered was that slowing down wasn't just a vacation strategy—it was a fundamental shift in how they wanted to experience life.
Two experiences crystallized this transformation. First, the farm work in Dublin connected them to a rhythm dictated by nature rather than deadlines. Second, sinking into Iceland's geothermal hot springs offered a moment of pure presence, where the only goal was to soak in the warmth and the moment.
These weren't just vacation highlights; they were windows into a different way of being. The couple realized that their previous life—defined by constant striving, accumulating possessions, and chasing the next promotion—had been built on a foundation that left them feeling empty.
The contrast was stark. In Europe, they found joy in simple pleasures: walking through new neighborhoods, cooking meals in temporary kitchens, and watching their greyhound explore unfamiliar scents. Back home, their happiness had been tied to achievements and acquisitions. The year away taught them that joy was more accessible when they stopped chasing it.
The Return: Downsizing Everything
After nine months, their wanderlust had been satisfied. They returned to the United States with a crystal-clear vision of what they did—and didn't—want from life. The corporate ladder held no appeal. The oversized home felt like a burden. They were ready to build something different.
Their first decision was practical: they downsized dramatically. Instead of the sprawling suburban house, they purchased an 800-square-foot home on a lake in central Massachusetts. The space is less than a third of what they had before, but it offers something their previous home couldn't: a direct connection to the natural world.
They also welcomed a new greyhound into their lives, one who shares their appreciation for the quiet moments. The dog sits lakeside with his dads, watching birds glide across the water. It's a daily ritual that embodies their new philosophy.
Career changes followed. She retired from her law practice to focus on writing. Dave left the tech industry entirely, taking a position at a small, local company. The phrase mom-and-pop captures the essence of his new workplace—it's the antithesis of the high-pressure tech world he left behind.
Living With Less, Gaining More
More than a year after their return, the couple has fully embraced their reimagined life. The lessons from their year of travel continue to shape their daily choices and long-term goals. They've learned that intentional living requires not just adding new experiences, but actively removing what no longer serves them.
Their story challenges conventional notions of success. In a culture that often equates more with better—more square footage, more income, more status—they've chosen a different metric: alignment with their values. Their smaller home requires less maintenance, less money, and less mental energy, freeing up resources for what actually matters to them.
Perhaps most importantly, they discovered that the life they thought they wanted was actually a life they had been conditioned to want. The real dream wasn't the corner office or the spacious suburban home—it was the freedom to wake up without an agenda, to help scan sheep bellies on a whim, or to sit lakeside watching birds with a loyal dog at their side.
Their journey proves that sometimes you have to leave your life behind to discover what your life is actually for. For this couple, the answer was waiting in the quiet moments between destinations, in the spaces they created by letting go.
Key Takeaways
The couple's transformation offers a powerful blueprint for anyone feeling trapped by the life they've built. Their experience demonstrates that radical change is possible at any stage, even when the path forward seems unclear.
Most significantly, their story shows that happiness isn't found in accumulation, but in alignment. By stripping away the excess—both physical and professional—they created space for the life they actually wanted to emerge. The year of travel wasn't an escape; it was an excavation of their authentic selves.
For those considering a similar path, their journey suggests that the scariest decisions often lead to the most profound rewards. Sometimes, the only way to find what you're looking for is to let go of everything you think you need.
