Absolutely no shame in your choice! Don’t listen to them, we totally understand! Finding some like minded people might help?

Well done for making it work btw!

So sick of questions from people I meet overseas and from friends and family. I think you have the answers in your comment already but I find it is really about owning it when you talk to others. For me, it’s confidently giving them a quick laundry list: I live cheaply, in cheap countries, we sacrifice by not having kids, by not owning a car, I gave up a +10yr good corporate job and all the nice lunches and craft beers to do what I do. We do without a nice permanent house, we avoid being materialistic.

And then I state that I know I am lucky to be able to do what I do; that it’s a mix of choice, hard work and luck