I would say we're "very slow travellers" ! Definitely weather is the deciding factor for us, and for the most part, we've done well with that. We also always try to stay long enough to get the monthly discounts on Airbnb, plus we ask the host for further discounts...and that often works. Working around the country's visa's is another deciding factor for us on where to travel to. Finding friends can be difficult in places, but this year we have stayed for 6 months in Vancouver, and have been lucky enough to find many friends. It does make a long stay very enjoyable. On our way to Cartagena very soon!
Sounds like you've doing really well with your planning...always the most important part of travel! We'll be interested to hear how you enjoyed Cartagena. We found it to be a beautiful, exciting city but a short visit was definitely enough for us.
Hey G & S, I commented a while ago in one of your videos about my desire to travel, but statewide as I have restrictions. Finally did it! Sold/giveaway everything and Nov 1st ended my lease. I'm at my first airbnb this month. I still work a 9-5 and looking forward to navigating the time differences, lol, not. I'm excited and scared, but more excited. You guys are awesome! An inspiration! Stay safe and looking forward to more content from you guys!😁❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Amazing and congratulations! It's the beginning of a whole new chapter, which is always exciting. Good luck with your new adventure and keep us posted on how it goes. 😊
I can’t believe it’s been four years! I’ve watched you both from the early days, and you host our favorite nomad vlog, we also found your written materials really worthwhile even though we still haven’t launched (and it will be different as we’ll have a home base). Thanks for all the experiences and wisdom you have shared!
Wow thanks for following our journey all this time! So glad you enjoy our content. We can definitely see how having a home base could be nice... many ways to travel and no one-size-fits-all. 😊
Slow travel really is the big tip. My husband and I have been travelling for 7 years now(mostly on our sailboat but often on land too). Slow travel is our motto, then we really get to enjoy each spot we visit. And if we go some place and want to stay longer we do! Definitely keeps the budget down. Keep up the excellent videos ladies!! You are inspiring us to go to Europe again soon! We though it was out of our budget but we some research we have found it's not at all.
Slow travel really is the secret to long-term travel...and how wonderful that you've been doing it by boat! Hopefully you give Europe another try. As we've found, there are still hidden gems there to enjoy.
Thanks for the tips! I'm curious if you would share approximately what your current average monthly cost is now as your video on Cost was 8 months ago and as you said cost of living and inflation has sky rocketed.
Good question! I think that cost video is still fairly relevant. The biggest cost is always our monthly Airbnb and we saw the full range of amounts this past year with Budapest being the highest and Brasov the lowest. I think we're averaging $1,700 to $1,900 USD a month on accommodations but it's very important to note that our stays in Toronto tend to drive up the average as it's an extremely expensive rental market.
Always good to see your faces again! Boy have we learned those SAME things y’all! The budget now is a constant focal point and struggle more so than when we started a year ago. Safe travels!! We need to zoom ❤❤❤
I hope that you are both in good health, and enjoying your travels. Suggestions and concerns while abroad: In order to help travelers in general, and Canadians in particular while traveling abroad, and since you are both such good communicators I would like to suggest the following topics for you to address if possible please: The importance of having a will and power of attorney for both property and personal care. What if we get demented while living or traveling abroad without family or friends...who is going to decide for you during that critical moment? What to do if one has no family, wife or kids and start losing our memory while living abroad...should one see a lawyer regarding our assets, and other issues? How does one solve the issue of (yahoo, face book etc.) accounts passwords as well as credit cards PIN in case of sudden death abroad...should we contact a lawyer about the same? The importance of having a laminated card in your luggage with all the necessary, and very important contact information regarding the executor of your will and power of attorney, or any other major issue in case of sudden death abroad. The importance of having funeral arrangements made in case of sudden death while traveling abroad. What to do after having returned to Canada from a very long trip abroad concerning getting the OHIP benefits back again. What are the options for doing and paying the yearly income tax return in Canada while traveling abroad? How to get your mail from back home while living and traveling abroad? The importance of having good antitheft luggage while abroad. The importance of having more than one way of getting to your money while abroad. The importance of having travel medical insurance while traveling abroad and your (insurance company suggestions). Thank you.
Wow - thank you for sharing so many great suggestions! We won't be able to tackle all of these questions but I can share that we've created an online document with details about what to do in an emergency which we've shared with our closest family. We've found this is a good way to make our wishes known and ensure that our family has all the important information at hand.
Thank you as always for so much information! We miss seeing you each week, but it's understandable that you can't keep up that kind of pace with all you have on your plate. My girlfriend and I have learned sooo much from you two, and are excited to begin our travels in 2025, post retirement!!
Wonderful video! Thanks for sharing your lessons learned. Weather is actually one of my first considerations when deciding where to go. Thank you for sharing those two weather websites. I usually use Wikipedia and go to the climate section for a particular city. Then I look for the months that are the least rainy and that have the most pleasant temperatures. Having projects for those non-tourist days is essential. When you're traveling full-time it's not a vacation, it's your normal life. So there naturally should be lots of days where you do the things you would normally be doing if you were still living in your hometown. To keep from getting travel burnout, I do similar to you, going back to visit family and friends twice a year. I guess it works because I've never really felt burnout so far. Happy travels!
Well done on avoiding travel burnout! We've had a few rounds of it ourselves and the stress really takes away from experiencing a beautiful destination. Definitely those trips back home really help us recharge and get ready for the next adventure.
I know what you mean about the heating! I've stayed in multiple rentals that claimed to have centralized heating and did not. I don't even think the hosts knew what it meant.😆
I agree with all these points! Not sure if you've been here but we're currently in Cafalu, Sicily for the month of November. The weather is still warm, there are lots of reasonable Airbnb's to choose from and costs are relatively low. We are heading to mainland Italy next (splurgy-even in December)and then to our X-Mas house-sit in London:)We are heading back to Toronto for NYE with the fam and then to our condo in Bucerias, Mx for the winter. It's been over two years and we've had misses (Albufeira in December-brrrr)but we're having the time of our livesCiao Bellas
We have dreamed of going to Sicily many times but unfortunately haven't made it there yet. Sounds like you have a wonderful itinerary ahead. Certainly mainland Italy will be on the chilly side in December but such a great experience during the holiday season. Enjoy! 😊
Will be in Cotacachi house sitting😮 2:43 late Nov - 6 weeks in Ecuador planned with 3 weeks in Cuenca. Not the best time to be there weatherwise, but mostly free. Have not been there before. Gated community. Any tips welcome. Burnout is a thing so have student stay in my home stateside. Thanks for all video tips women. Hope you go again. Happy travels.
What an interesting spot to be house sitting! I'm sure you'll get a lot out of the experience. We really enjoyed making our way through Ecuador and seeing what village life is like.
Amazing advice on us future financial retirees One more question, do you ever reminisce the time where you had a career ? Do you wish you had worked a little longer?
To be honest, at least a few times a week, we share with each other how grateful we are to not be working anymore. We're finding that life in retirement is as full and exciting as we want it to be. Certainly there's no lost love for sitting at a desk staring at a powerpoint slide! 😂
My partner and I would love to meet with you if the stars and destinations align for us at the same time. I promise: only once a week ;). We're in Cadiz this month. It's a little cool, but warmer than virtually all other points north.
If you're in a country where you speak the language, you can find a group of locals - hiking, church, knitting, LGBT, etc. - and make friends. In a country where you don't speak the language, if you're in the capital city your country's consulate probably organizes meet-ups - meals, receptions, films and so on. I think you should try some anglophone countries - Ireland, the UK, maybe South Africa or Bermuda.
Absolutely - these are all great suggestions. I feel that they work best if you're staying for at least a few months and are able to tap into the local expat community.
I would say we're "very slow travellers" ! Definitely weather is the deciding factor for us, and for the most part, we've done well with that. We also always try to stay long enough to get the monthly discounts on Airbnb, plus we ask the host for further discounts...and that often works. Working around the country's visa's is another deciding factor for us on where to travel to. Finding friends can be difficult in places, but this year we have stayed for 6 months in Vancouver, and have been lucky enough to find many friends. It does make a long stay very enjoyable. On our way to Cartagena very soon!
Sounds like you've doing really well with your planning...always the most important part of travel! We'll be interested to hear how you enjoyed Cartagena. We found it to be a beautiful, exciting city but a short visit was definitely enough for us.
Hey G & S, I commented a while ago in one of your videos about my desire to travel, but statewide as I have restrictions. Finally did it! Sold/giveaway everything and Nov 1st ended my lease. I'm at my first airbnb this month. I still work a 9-5 and looking forward to navigating the time differences, lol, not. I'm excited and scared, but more excited. You guys are awesome! An inspiration! Stay safe and looking forward to more content from you guys!😁❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Amazing and congratulations! It's the beginning of a whole new chapter, which is always exciting. Good luck with your new adventure and keep us posted on how it goes. 😊
I can’t believe it’s been four years! I’ve watched you both from the early days, and you host our favorite nomad vlog, we also found your written materials really worthwhile even though we still haven’t launched (and it will be different as we’ll have a home base). Thanks for all the experiences and wisdom you have shared!
Wow thanks for following our journey all this time! So glad you enjoy our content. We can definitely see how having a home base could be nice... many ways to travel and no one-size-fits-all. 😊
Introvert is a nomad superpower!
It really is! Although eventually we do like to have conversations with people other than each other 😂
Slow travel really is the big tip. My husband and I have been travelling for 7 years now(mostly on our sailboat but often on land too). Slow travel is our motto, then we really get to enjoy each spot we visit. And if we go some place and want to stay longer we do! Definitely keeps the budget down. Keep up the excellent videos ladies!! You are inspiring us to go to Europe again soon! We though it was out of our budget but we some research we have found it's not at all.
Slow travel really is the secret to long-term travel...and how wonderful that you've been doing it by boat! Hopefully you give Europe another try. As we've found, there are still hidden gems there to enjoy.
I just compared your very 1st video, and now and you two look younger and happier
So hilarious! I'm not sure about the younger part 😂 but certainly we do feel much happier and less stressed with our post-work lifestyle.
Thanks for the tips! I'm curious if you would share approximately what your current average monthly cost is now as your video on Cost was 8 months ago and as you said cost of living and inflation has sky rocketed.
Good question! I think that cost video is still fairly relevant. The biggest cost is always our monthly Airbnb and we saw the full range of amounts this past year with Budapest being the highest and Brasov the lowest. I think we're averaging $1,700 to $1,900 USD a month on accommodations but it's very important to note that our stays in Toronto tend to drive up the average as it's an extremely expensive rental market.
Always good to see your faces again! Boy have we learned those SAME things y’all! The budget now is a constant focal point and struggle more so than when we started a year ago. Safe travels!! We need to zoom ❤❤❤
Yes, let's get a zoom in the itinerary! Looking forward to hearing how Vienna is treating you.
Great video - solid points and tips - you two are the best! I really enjoy your videos - they are very entertaining 🤗🥰
Thanks so much! We always try to have fun with our video creation.
I hope that you are both in good health, and enjoying your travels.
Suggestions and concerns while abroad:
In order to help travelers in general, and Canadians in particular while traveling abroad, and since you are both such good communicators I would like to suggest the following topics for you to address if possible please:
The importance of having a will and power of attorney for both property and personal care.
What if we get demented while living or traveling abroad without family or friends...who is going to decide for you during that critical moment?
What to do if one has no family, wife or kids and start losing our memory while living abroad...should one see a lawyer regarding our assets, and other issues?
How does one solve the issue of (yahoo, face book etc.) accounts passwords as well as credit cards PIN in case of sudden death abroad...should we contact a lawyer about the same?
The importance of having a laminated card in your luggage with all the necessary, and very important contact information regarding the executor of your will and power of attorney, or any other major issue in case of sudden death abroad.
The importance of having funeral arrangements made in case of sudden death while traveling abroad.
What to do after having returned to Canada from a very long trip abroad concerning getting the OHIP benefits back again.
What are the options for doing and paying the yearly income tax return in Canada while traveling abroad?
How to get your mail from back home while living and traveling abroad?
The importance of having good antitheft luggage while abroad.
The importance of having more than one way of getting to your money while abroad.
The importance of having travel medical insurance while traveling abroad and your (insurance company suggestions).
Thank you.
Wow - thank you for sharing so many great suggestions! We won't be able to tackle all of these questions but I can share that we've created an online document with details about what to do in an emergency which we've shared with our closest family. We've found this is a good way to make our wishes known and ensure that our family has all the important information at hand.
Thank you as always for so much information! We miss seeing you each week, but it's understandable that you can't keep up that kind of pace with all you have on your plate. My girlfriend and I have learned sooo much from you two, and are excited to begin our travels in 2025, post retirement!!
Very happy to share what we've learned along the way! 😊
Enjoy Portugal!
Thank you! We're really loving it so far. 😊
A very good overview and honest perspective --- you guys speak from real life experience.
Thanks! We always want to share the reality of full-time travel and not just the Instagram moments. 😊
Fun video! Good to catch up with you!
Thanks! We had a lot of fun reminiscing about everything we did wrong 😂
Wonderful video! Thanks for sharing your lessons learned. Weather is actually one of my first considerations when deciding where to go. Thank you for sharing those two weather websites. I usually use Wikipedia and go to the climate section for a particular city. Then I look for the months that are the least rainy and that have the most pleasant temperatures. Having projects for those non-tourist days is essential. When you're traveling full-time it's not a vacation, it's your normal life. So there naturally should be lots of days where you do the things you would normally be doing if you were still living in your hometown. To keep from getting travel burnout, I do similar to you, going back to visit family and friends twice a year. I guess it works because I've never really felt burnout so far. Happy travels!
Well done on avoiding travel burnout! We've had a few rounds of it ourselves and the stress really takes away from experiencing a beautiful destination. Definitely those trips back home really help us recharge and get ready for the next adventure.
I know what you mean about the heating! I've stayed in multiple rentals that claimed to have centralized heating and did not. I don't even think the hosts knew what it meant.😆
Maybe they mean that the heating is "centralized" in one spot in the apartment 😂
Hahahaha yes@@OurFreedomYears
My bad, I just realized it's "central," not "centralized" heating. You can tell I'm from southern California. 😆 @@OurFreedomYears
Interesting video and lovely to see both your personalities and how you each manage the various challenges you encounter.😊
Thank you! 😊 Glad you enjoyed it!
I agree with all these points! Not sure if you've been here but we're currently in Cafalu, Sicily for the month of November. The weather is still warm, there are lots of reasonable Airbnb's to choose from and costs are relatively low. We are heading to mainland Italy next (splurgy-even in December)and then to our X-Mas house-sit in London:)We are heading back to Toronto for NYE with the fam and then to our condo in Bucerias, Mx for the winter. It's been over two years and we've had misses (Albufeira in December-brrrr)but we're having the time of our livesCiao Bellas
We have dreamed of going to Sicily many times but unfortunately haven't made it there yet. Sounds like you have a wonderful itinerary ahead. Certainly mainland Italy will be on the chilly side in December but such a great experience during the holiday season. Enjoy! 😊
Excellent video! 💛💚💙
Thank you 🤗
Will be in Cotacachi house sitting😮 2:43 late Nov - 6 weeks in Ecuador planned with 3 weeks in Cuenca. Not the best time to be there weatherwise, but mostly free. Have not been there before. Gated community. Any tips welcome. Burnout is a thing so have student stay in my home stateside. Thanks for all video tips women. Hope you go again. Happy travels.
What an interesting spot to be house sitting! I'm sure you'll get a lot out of the experience. We really enjoyed making our way through Ecuador and seeing what village life is like.
thank you!
You're welcome!
Great video. I'd love to see a crossover with you and 2GoRoam and GoWithLess.
We just had our first in-person meet up with Tim and Amy here in Lisbon and it was so much fun!
Amazing advice on us future financial retirees
One more question, do you ever reminisce the time where you had a career ? Do you wish you had worked a little longer?
To be honest, at least a few times a week, we share with each other how grateful we are to not be working anymore. We're finding that life in retirement is as full and exciting as we want it to be. Certainly there's no lost love for sitting at a desk staring at a powerpoint slide! 😂
My partner and I would love to meet with you if the stars and destinations align for us at the same time. I promise: only once a week ;). We're in Cadiz this month. It's a little cool, but warmer than virtually all other points north.
I actually had to look up Cadiz to see where it is -- looks like a beautiful spot! Yes, of course, we're always up for meeting fellow nomads.
If you're in a country where you speak the language, you can find a group of locals - hiking, church, knitting, LGBT, etc. - and make friends. In a country where you don't speak the language, if you're in the capital city your country's consulate probably organizes meet-ups - meals, receptions, films and so on. I think you should try some anglophone countries - Ireland, the UK, maybe South Africa or Bermuda.
Absolutely - these are all great suggestions. I feel that they work best if you're staying for at least a few months and are able to tap into the local expat community.