By Akaisha Kaderli

It wasn’t a decision we took lightly.

In fact, Billy and I discussed the idea of becoming car free for several years. There were solid pros for this decision: no more maintenance and repair costs, no more fees for insurance, license plate renewal or registration, no more fuel expense, and no more worry about storing the vehicle here in the States when we are traveling overseas for months or years at a time.

There were also hearty cons for choosing to no longer own a vehicle: we wouldn’t have the freedom to come and go at a whim, and we live in the American Southwest where temperatures reach triple digits in the summer. How would we manage to get around during the sun season?

Most people we know couldn’t fathom the idea of giving up their vehicle and saw this new lifestyle choice as a hardship. Americans love their automobiles, and owning one is packaged as part of the American Dream. A look at the automobile and truck commercials today describe how we will be sexier, more popular, physically stronger, and obviously smarter if we purchase their brand of car.

After almost two decades of world travel, the only place where we drive is in the States. Elsewhere we take public transportation or we hire a private driver. For the amount of time we live in the States, and for the amount of money that owning our own transport required - after much deliberation -  we finally chose to sell our vehicle.

Billy and I live in an Active Adult Community where we are within walking distance to stores, restaurants and entertainment options. We have known our neighbors for years so before our final decision, we approached a dozen of them, asking if we could employ their driving services for either cash or trade on the occasions we would need them. All agreed heartily. Our new plan is far cheaper than a taxi, and more convenient.

Years ago we owned a restaurant, and have cooked for others in trade for lodging many times throughout our retirement.  Single people in our resort are weary of cooking for themselves and don’t bother with making a roast, preparing medallions of pork with caper butter sauce, or making barbecue ribs with all the trimmings. At this point, our private drivers are drooling to take us anywhere we need to go and for us, it is an easy exchange.

If you have never considered becoming free of the financial burdens of owning your own transport, you might take a look at the following sites for information:

CarFree.com:  http://www.carfree.com/ . Find cities in the States and around the world that make living car free easy.

Pace Bus:  http://www.pacebus.com/sub/vanpool/cost_of_driving.asp  A  chart based on average costs per mile for five top-selling models selected by AAA and information on the annual costs of driving - fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, license, registration, taxes and finance costs.


Akaisha and Billy Kaderli retired almost 2 decades ago at the age of 38 and began traveling the world. They wrote the popular book, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement http://retireearlylifestyle.com/orderpage.htm  which has sold in 39 countries. Read more of the wisdom, creative lifestyle options and information they share on their website http://RetireEarlyLifestyle.com