5 Minutes With The Gypsynesters

For McCool Travel’s 58th travel profile, I am honored and pleased to present Dave and Veronica James, commonly known as The Gypsynesters. My most astute readers will recall that my prior profile subject was also named Veronica. Two Veronicas in a row. That’s brilliant.
The Gypsynesters bio:
“David & Veronica are experiencing the collision of Baby Boomer and Empty Nester. Upon sending their youngest out into the big, wide world, they set out to break the empty nest rules by selling everything and hitting the road. To become more than empty nesters, to be gypsies, GypsyNesters! Along the way they began writing posts for their popular website, GypsyNester.com, and rediscovered the couple who fell in love years ago. They’ve been full-time travelers since 2008. Watch for their debut memoir Going Gypsy: One Couple’s Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing.”

The Gypsynesters
The Gypsynesters: Dave and Veronica James

The Gypsynesters

Hometown…
Veronica was born and raised in Southern California; David hails from Kansas and grew up in the mountains of Colorado. As a couple we lived in Nashville and the Virgin Islands. We’ve been full-time travelers since 2008—we sold our house and hit the road when our youngest kid headed off to college.
Always in my luggage…
We always carry our tech stuff—laptop, camera with wireless capability, iPad, and iPhone—but for those long travel days, an inflatable neck pillow is a must on planes, trains, and busses.
3 favorite home-away-from-home places…

  1. New York City, our two girls live on Manhattan.
  2. The Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia along the Atlantic coast is our favorite winter writing hideaway, packed with history, nice weather, and amazing shrimp!
  3. Anywhere in Italy—the people of Italy are so hospitable, we always feel right at home.

A favorite travel memory is…
It’s hard to pick just one, but the two that stand out—as sort of opposites—are watching the sunrise at Machu Picchu in Peru and the northern lights above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Oh, just thought of another one, running up and down the Great Wall in China. Better stop before we think of several dozen more.
3 favorite travel brands…

  1. We love Viking River Cruises, a great way to stay in the heart of destinations without packing and unpacking every day
  2. Road Scholar does a fantastic job putting together educational and enjoyable tours of incredible destinations
  3. Viator has amazing local guides for almost anywhere in the world.

3 money-saving travel tactics I use are…

  1. Traveling in the off-season is the best way to save
  2. We are also big on collecting airline miles
  3. Finding local, off-the-beaten-path hotels and restaurants is not only more affordable, but an excellent way to soak in local culture.

3 ways that I have fun while traveling are…

  1. Eating, eating, and eating. OK, that’s really only one, so we need two more.
  2. We love trying new things that neither of us has ever done, and finding quirky attractions like odd roadside museums or the world’s largest something or other…
  3. Oh, and did we mention eating?

8 word (or less) travel mantra…
The plan is no plans.” Or Veronica’s favorite fear-conquering mantra, “people do this every day and do not die.
My favorite non-travel website…
GoodReads – we’re always on the lookout for our new favorite book!
most memorable souvenir…
A charcoal sketch of a woman by Chuck Jones—the Loony Tunes illustrator who invented the Road Runner—that we bought in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
favorite cheap eat…
Street food almost anywhere, but especially in Mexico.
recent discovery…
There is so much more to writing a book than we ever imagined. Writing it is only the beginning. We started working on Going Gypsy over four years ago and it is finally coming out in February!
I am fortunate to have met…
Jay Leno, Linda Ronstandt, and Whoopi Goldberg at last year’s AARP Life@50+.
I would like to meet…
Bill Bryson, our travel hero!

Going Gypsy by The Gypsynesters
Going Gypsy by The Gypsynesters

Thank you very much, Dave and Veronica.
Follow The Gypsynesters on FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagram, and GypsyNester.com.


Check out McCool Travel’s previous profilesMcCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Previous 5 Minutes post: Veronica Stoddart.


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13 thoughts on “5 Minutes With The Gypsynesters”

  1. I always look forward to David and Veronica’s blog and it was fun to read more about them and their travels. As long-term travelers ourselves we know the lifestyle isn’t for everyone but it’s an amazing way to see the world and it’s great to read about other boomers who are on the road too. Anita

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