Welcome to Still En Route

ByMary Emmer

If you’re new here, welcome. If you’re returning after a long pause – welcome back.

Still En Route is about designing life intentionally after 50, with more freedom, flexibility, curiosity, and possibility in the years ahead.

Travel is part of the story here, yes – but it’s not the whole story.

This site is for people who have quietly realized that the old retirement script may no longer fit the life they actually want… financially, mentally, or emotionally. People who still want to stay curious, keep learning, continue growing, and maybe even redesign life a little instead of simply winding it down.

That realization is what eventually brought me back here.

Why I Pressed Pause – and Why I Came Back

I started this site years ago… then pressed pause. (Pandemic, anyone?)

Like many things during that time, it wasn’t abandoned – just interrupted. And now, with a little distance and a lot more clarity, it felt like the right moment to pick it back up again.

But somewhere in the years since, the message behind this site became much clearer to me.

This isn’t really just a travel blog.

It’s about creating a thoughtful second act – one with more freedom, flexibility, and intention built into it. And I’ve been unconsciously doing just that for well over a decade now.

For me, that meant making some real-life changes. Selling the house, moving into a condo for a more simplified property situation, and creating a lifestyle that allows me to spend 3 months in Europe each year while continuing to work, learn, explore, and stay engaged with the world around me.

Not retired from life. Just redesigning it a little differently.

What Still En Route Is (and Isn’t)

This isn’t a “retire at 35” hustle-culture website, and it’s not a traditional travel blog packed with frantic bucket lists and 17-city itineraries designed to require immediate hospitalization afterward.

It’s also not about pretending life magically becomes perfect once you “follow your passion.”

Still En Route is about real-life reinvention after 50:

  • Thoughtful travel
  • Flexible living
  • Second-act income ideas
  • Staying mentally engaged
  • Long-stay travel
  • Modern tools and technology
  • Curiosity
  • Freedom
  • Intentional choices
  • And occasionally asking yourself, “What exactly was I thinking?” in a foreign train station.

Because honestly, that’s part of the adventure too.

A Little About Me

I’ve spent decades in the travel industry helping people create custom trips and experiences that felt more meaningful than cookie-cutter vacations.

I’m also a lifelong reader, an online business experimenter, a seasonal long-stay traveler, and someone who discovered – somewhat unexpectedly – that building new projects later in life can be energizing instead of intimidating.

(Well…sometimes intimidating. But still energizing.)

Still En Route is where all those pieces finally come together:
travel, reinvention, flexible income, curiosity, learning, freedom, and a realistic sense of humor about all of it.

Still En Route is where all of that comes together: travel, reinvention, learning, flexible income, and a sense of humor about what works, what doesn’t, and what becomes a good story later. Speaking of stories, here’s mine.

What You’ll Find Here

Here you’ll find things like:

  • Real-world travel experiences and long-stay travel insights
  • Reflections on reinvention and designing life differently after 50
  • Flexible income ideas and online projects that support greater freedom
  • Thoughts on staying mentally engaged and curious
  • Honest conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s probably not worth the hassle
  • The occasional book, observation, or life lesson that made me stop and think

Mostly, though, you’ll find some thoughtful perspective from someone who is still figuring it out, too.

Because this chapter isn’t about having everything perfectly mapped out.

It’s about continuing to build a life that still feels expansive and fully your own.

Why This Exists Now

If there’s one thing the last few years have made clear, it’s that waiting for “someday” is a risky strategy.

Are you going to choose nap time, early dinner, or adventure?  There’s no wrong answer.  The truth is, you can choose all three if you wish.

A lot of us are realizing that traditional retirement may no longer fit the reality – or the lifestyle – we actually want. But maybe that’s not entirely bad news.

Maybe it simply means we get to build something different instead: a second act with more flexibility, more freedom, and more intention behind how we spend our time.

Preferably while remaining deeply committed to comfortable shoes, realistic expectations, and snacks.

If that sounds like your kind of journey, you’re in the right place.

Pull up a chair, pour a beverage of your choice, and stay awhile.

Until the next stop (preferably with snacks),
~Mary

 

 

With a travel career spanning four decades, Mary Emmer has seen enough of the world to know what’s worth the effort - and what probably requires a nap afterward. Through Still En Route, she shares thoughtful perspectives on travel, reinvention after 50, intentional living, and building a more flexible second act - all with curiosity, realistic expectations, and a sense of humor about the process.