We’re both teachers, and for the last 10 years we have taught abroad - Thailand, Switzerland and now Egypt. On the whole, we enjoy our jobs. But several things have happened over the past few years to whet our appetite for a ‘work optional’ lifestyle.

Firstly, in Switzerland, we worked for an owner who came into work when he felt like it, went on holiday when he felt like it, and did everything on his terms. It looked like a nice life. That episode of our working lives ended rather abruptly and set us on a mission to ensure that we would not be beholden to the whims of a capricious boss again. Secondly, the luck of both our fathers ran out: in one case, passing away suddenly and in the other case, being struck down by Alzheimer’s. We began to realise that our own time was limited and the prospect of spending another 10 years or so looking after other people’s children - whilst lining the pockets of people who seem to do less work than us - was unattractive.

We also started reading up about people who’d managed to carve out a niche for themselves as early retirees, and realised that we too might be able to do it. We have a long bucket list of things we want to do, and the school holidays, great though they are, simply don’t cut in any more!

So, the plan is to throw in the towel in a year’s time - July 2027 - and begin the next phase of our lives where adventure and recreation will take precedence over paid employment. We are leaving the door open to part-time work at this stage, but we will see how things pan out.

We’re using this blog to document our plans as they begin to come together.