After listing their Evansville home and selling most of their possessions in order to begin living abroad in October 2024, Darrell and Penelope Pennington visited 44 cities in 14 countries across Europe before returning home for a visit in December 2025. They embarked on Year Two of their global adventure in January, a trek that started in Mexico and now has taken them into South America. Penelope — who quips she’s “a broad abroad” — shares missives from the road. Read the inaugural column.
Darrell and I have spent hours discussing what type of life we want when we return to the States and how best to arrange that life so it serves our needs as well as those of our family. We have the luxury of truly exploring options and doing so without the stress of a traditional work life and the distractions of daily routine. “Adult College” is what I call it, and it truly has been one of the most educational endeavors I’ve encountered.
One of the big changes resulting from Adult College is the decision Darrell has made to focus on writing and creating projects for the entertainment industry. This has been a lifelong interest, but our lives never took him down that route before now. We formed a production company called DD Enterprises before we left the States, and from Day 1, our intent was to use this experience to inspire projects. Social media accounts across multiple platforms, coffee table books, podcasts, and even this article itself were all items we identified as natural and entertaining projects to arise from our travels. What I had not anticipated was the immersion Darrell experienced in script writing and how that has impacted our thinking about the future.
Before we even left Evansville, Darrell presented an idea of a TV series based on a character we had created together and how traveling the world would impact that character. I’ll admit, initially, I was skeptical. “That’s cute,” I thought, and encouraged him to run with it, but I didn’t really expect it to develop into anything serious. Boy, was I wrong!
Not even a year after the idea, having never written a script or knowing anything about how to break into the industry, he had written the first season of the TV show, submitted the pilot to multiple producers, and received near universal commendations for the idea, the writing, and the potential of the show. He’s currently working with two producers on it.
After the initial reaction from professionals reading that first script, I really encouraged Darrell to develop his other ideas. As Co-Creative Directors of DD Enterprises, we have spent hours creating concepts, discussing characters, and devising the most outrageous plots and stories you can imagine. Nearly all of them (“One Night in Neuquén” being a prime example to ask me about) are inspired by things that have happened to us, people we have met, and places we have visited during our travels. Who knows what will happen with these ideas, but it’s just one example of changes we have undergone and how these are building the foundation for the new life that awaits us soon.
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