The Moment of Return

After returning from my nomadic travels in July 2026, ​I was happy to be around what was familiar to me and immediately began rethinking my life— how aging would change it, where I wanted to live, and how I wanted to spend the last phase of my time on this planet.  An important goal will be how to achieve healthy longevity and a purposeful life — certainly a new experiment for me.

Returning home isn’t going backward; it’s starting a completely new journey.

It is fair to say that my three years on the road have been both a challenge and an enlightening experiment that yielded rewards beyond just the travel. I look forward to continuing to travel but only for one or two months at a time while broadening my work as a photo artist and global citizen—more on that later.

 The Body Keeps the Score on the Road:

 Upon returning to New Jersey, the first two items on my agenda were purchasing a car and getting all my medical appointments set up. I started both while living in Mexico. I actually purchased a car through Caravan (the same company that I sold my last car to) and picked it up on the third day of being back. Getting all my medical appointments set up was a bit more complicated before leaving for the US.

There is a physical toll from three years of constant movement (sleeping on varying mattresses, ​climate changes, erratic diets, transit stress).

The transition from “survival mode” travel to “restorative mode” nesting is something that I yearn for upon returning. Frankly, it is the main reason​ why three years was enough time.

As expected, health care in the US continues to be both expensive and transactional (sick care).  I suffer from several back issues and joint pain among other symptoms that were affecting my daily routine.  Sadly, I have already been to two spine doctors where the entire time between both of them was less than 30 minutes.  Neither one will I return to.   Not knowing where you are going to live also limit​s your ability to develop a relationship with your doctors and physical therapist, the more reason finding a place to live had to be a priority.  At the moment, I am only committed to my primary doctor regardless of where I choose to live.   Once settled, my focus will be my health and well-being, which will drive where I want to live and how I want to live.

The Logistical Rebuild (Choosing a Homebase, Finding My Sanctuary) 

As a strategic planner and compulsive list maker, I immediately started planning while connecting with friends and family while temporality staying in South Jersey with one of my sisters until I can find a furnished apartment near Central or North Jersey.  I settled for a one-bedroom apartment in the city of Bayonne that did not disappoint. I anticipated it might take me up to three months to find a permanent home.    Luckily, I found a place in two months, but at a higher cost.  My preference was to find a place before the year ended, as ​I yearned to be stable and comfortable. Putting ​it off until next year was not an option I wanted to consider.

It’s amazing how expensive real estate in this country is, especially in the northern states.   I have no interest in moving back to the Northern part of New Jersey because of its congestion, high property taxes, and high cost of living.  I was more interested in being closer to the Jersey shore and more centralized within the state but with certain conditions.  The town or city needed to have a rail line station to NYC and the Newark Airport with travel time to the station being less than 20 minutes.  It needed to be a condominium, preferably without a swimming pool, with three rooms to allow for an office studio, a guest room and a garage.   I had no interest in living in a 55+ residence or in a complex that is over 50 years old.  Also, I wasn’t looking to walk to the beach (a 15–to 30-minute ride would be​ sufficient). As I looked at properties, I ​became mindful of the minimum standard of living I ​was willing to accept.

As expected, the inventory was not very promising, forcing me to reconsider my price point. After talking to my financial planner and further analyzing my finances using AI (yup), I upped my price point and was able to find a townhouse in Matawan- Aberdeen that met most of my expectations.  My only concern, both a challenge and a blessing, is the stairs.  A challenge as I age, and yet a blessing, becoming part of my longevity wellness plan to build strength and stay fit. One thing I like about living in Monmouth County is not only its proximity to the shore but also its strong farming culture with plenty of farmers’ markets within a short distance.

Once I closed, I moved my few belongings from my storage unit, about 200 boxes and minimal furniture that I kept.  I now have a bit of shopping to do, but the best part is designing the home differently to reflect how I want to live, allow​ing me to be both creative and at peace.  It will most likely take me a year to furnish and design the space.

Feeding My Creative Side and My New Lifestyle

After traveling for 3 years and accumulating over 40,000 photos, I certainly have work to do to rethink and plan my next venture as a photo artist with the deliberate intent of incorporating a strong community development mindset. ​Since my return, I have been invited as a speaker by the Newark Library to share my nomadic experience and photos.  I also was given the opportunity to establish my first solo exhibition at the Hispanic Research and Information Center at the Newark Public Library consisting of 30 photos entitled “Keeping with Tradition…Culture, Celebration, and the Continuity of Latino Heritage”, becoming the center’s first permanent exhibition. This photo series represents the traditions of 10 Latin countries, inviting us to look beyond the celebration itself and consider what is being passed on​– stories, knowledge, skills, values, language, relationships, and a sense of belonging. I was more than pleased to donate the prints to this unique institution supporting the history and contributions of Latinos.

I continue to apply for open calls in photography and was pleased to have several of my photos accepted in two competitions, one international and the other national. For more information on both these exhibitions, check the links below.

North America Photography Association (NAPA) and the World Cultural Arts Organization (UNWCAO) 2026 World Awards for African Imagery (WAAI).    https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/IAmato9yMqBqEW1asEdCVA      

Martinez Gallery of Troy, New York, online exhibition in 2026 “Fatal Vision and Mirrors” https://www.martinezgallery.org/fatal-visions-and-mirrors

I also have taken on the leadership of a global project in Kenya, supporting a rural community through an NGO School in helping build a health care delivery system for twelve schools between the US and Kenya known as the GRACE Initiative, a five-year project.

Plans are to continue to find other exhibition opportunities along with my returning to Mexico during the months of January and February, staying at my adopted home away from the winter months.  There, I am hoping to focus on ​producing my first photo book. Most likely, I will not be traveling internationally to unknown places until 2028.

Designing for Independence and Comfort

At 73, I am quite aware of the process of aging, feeling it every day in my joints. During my three years of traveling, I kept getting colds, body pains, back problems, stomach issues, migraines, ear infections, hearing loss, sleepless nights and fatigue, especially from breathing in cities with high altitudes.  When in Bolivia, the sudden elevation made managing the altitude difficult, requiring me to shorten my time there.  During my stay in Florence, I contracted Covid-19, when my sister visited me, she also got infected. My back pain seems to come and go, finding myself, at times, a bit miserable.  Travel​ing from one country to another increases the level of stress in your body. Stress impacts your immune system especially as you age, which required me to slow down and make reasonable changes.

Returning to the US has forced me to think about how best to live independently healthy and purposeful allowing me to not fully depend on our profit-oriented health care system ​instead taking on a rigorous strategy to heal myself by building a strong body and mental clarity.  I am currently working on a plan to accomplish this goal for the remaining years of my life. I am presently reading and learning everything I can get my hands on about longevity and wellbeing. My blog will focus on some of these activities, hoping to inspire others to do the same.   My blog newsletter is now a quarterly edition, which gives me more time to focus on my other interests.

Stay tuned and continue to follow as I now pursue another experiment….

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