Carefree travel has long been the province of backpackers, 20-somethings and other free spirits without mortgages, jobs and other worldly concerns.

But if retired couple Lynne and Tim Martin have their way, there will be a new model for the wave of aging baby boomers nearing retirement: Hit the road, travel around the world, and live like locals in cities and villages for extended periods of time, with no permanent home.

Lynne, 73, and Tim, 68, began their adventure in 2010, when they realized they shared a deep desire to travel and yearned for something a bit different for retirement. So soon after they sold their California home and set out to live abroad, one country at a time.

Lynne calls it the home free movement, a term she lays claim to coining when she named the blog she created, Home Free Adventures, to keep family and friends in the loop.

Lynnes new memoir "Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw The World," released Tuesday, recounts the couples journey from details of how they downsized most of their belongings and pared down expenses to vivid encounters of living in diverse regions of the world. The book, organized chronologically, is sprinkled with stories, tips and advice, aimed to inspire.

"Home Sweet Anywhere" book

Over the past four years, the Martins have lived in nine countries. Its a dream they feel that is within reach for others with proper planning.

The Martins, who like to call themselves nomadic retirees or senior gypsies, currently are based in a colorful neighborhood on Staten Island, which is much cheaper than Manhattan, while they promote the book. Its like its own little country, she said, with many people from Haiti and other Caribbean islands. We discovered a beautiful promenade along the river. Its gorgeous, with trees and flowers about to bloom. It looks like Paris.

"Travel is good medicine. Because it challenges the brain with new and different experiences and environments, it is an important behavior that promotes brain health and builds brain resilience across the lifespan."

The couple said their experiences resonate, and not just with older adults. A lot of mail comes from people in their 30s, even in their 40s, who traveled as students, said Lynne, in response to her blog posts and a Wall Street Journal article she wrote in 2012. They will tell us they thought their traveling years were all over, so they are thrilled.

Read more here:

'Nomadic retirees' travel world