I retired early and have been slow traveling for 2 years. I realized I'd been doing it wrong.

Kelly Benthall retired early and has been slow traveling; she realized she'd been doing it wrong.

Provided by Kelly Benthall

I retired at 53 and have been slow traveling around the world with my husband for almost 2 years.Last month, while we'd been renting a villa in Bali, everything next door would usually grow quiet by sunset. That's when we got a knock on the door."There will be a party tomorrow night," Kadek told us with his usual easy smile. "It might go a little late."Kadek, our Balinese neighbor, wanted to make sure we knew his family's celebration might continue past 10 p.m. "Don't worry about us," my husband, Nigel, said.In the days leading up to it, we'd watched preparations unfold over the wall: women carrying offerings, relatives arriving, and a miniature boat being built for the ceremony. Kadek couldn't stop smiling whenever he talked about his son's coming-of-age milestone. His excitement was contagious.The following afternoon, he returned carrying a plate of roast pork."We're celebrating," he said. "Please come."

I thanked him, accepted the food, and thought we'd fulfilled our neighborly obligations. Nigel had other ideas."We should at least stop by," he said. "Just to show our faces."