19 Countries, Amazing Memories, Countless Mistakes: Our Nomad Life Recap
Plus our long-anticipated return to Southeast Asia
When we moved into our new home in February, we got our first taste of a proper Canadian winter after being overseas for a decade. As much as I love the look of freshly fallen snow and curling up by a fire on a cold night, I knew immediately that I wanted to be somewhere much warmer for next year.
We polled a few ideas on Instagram; had lengthy debates about the merits of various sunny destinations (Argentina, Costa Rica, Canary Islands and Brazil were all up for discussion); and then finally landed on our choice.
We’ve decided on a return visit to Mexico, a country that is only a short hop away and where we can easily spend all four months of winter.
To be honest, we were hesitant to choose Mexico because we weren’t sure how we could possibly top our 2022 itinerary, which covered a good number of the country’s unmissable highlights.
In Puerto Escondido, Gillian learned to surf and I released a tiny baby turtle into the Pacific. In expat-friendly San Miguel de Allende, we enjoyed beautiful colonial architecture and elevated local cuisine. Mexico City was a blur of excitement with street food, partying on the Xochimilco canal, museum visits, and cheering at a Lucha Libre wrestling show. Finally, Oaxaca City gave us a taste of authentic local markets and traditional foods.
This time we’re starting in Mexico City, hopping over to Merida, and then making our way along the Yucatan peninsula, likely with a stop in Tulum to see what all the fuss is about.
Our itinerary is very much a work in progress; if you’ve got recommendations, please do send them our way.
A return to Southeast Asia
Of course, there’s a lot of time between now and winter so we couldn’t resist fitting in one more big trip. We’re making a much-anticipated return to Thailand in the autumn to revisit some of our favourite spots and explore new ones.
We haven’t been back to Southeast Asia since leaving Singapore four years ago, mainly because it’s difficult to fly into the region with a dog and even more challenging to travel around. But now that we have a home, we can leave the dogs behind and enjoy a human-only adventure.
Taking a look back
In the meantime, being settled in a home base is giving us the opportunity to take stock of an action-packed chapter of our lives. We ticked through a shocking number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences over the past four years and now we finally have time to think about what we’ve seen, done, and learned along the way.
Over the next month or two, we’ll be doing a fast-paced recap of our adventures on Instagram. We’re covering four years of nomad life including 19 countries, 43 flights and 64 Airbnbs — and if you think that sounds exhausting, imagine bringing two dogs along for the ride. 😅
This will include the highlights, of course, but also the difficulties that we had behind the scenes. When we first set out in 2019, we were green travellers. We bumbled our way around the world making rookie mistakes while also juggling real-life issues, most of which never made it into our vlogs and blogs.
You can start at the beginning with our somewhat clumsy exit from Singapore. And for those who aren’t fans of Instagram, we’ll be wrapping it up with a comprehensive blog post, coming your way soon.
See you on the road,
Stephanie & Gillian
10 Comments
Lori Delmas
We spent a few days this spring in Bacalar, Mexico. It’s a beautiful spot on an inland lagoon. Definitely work checking out.
Our Freedom Years
I checked it out and what a gorgeous spot! It’s amazing that there are still hidden gems to be found in Mexico. Or, if not exactly hidden, then at least somewhat off the main tourist trail.
Rebecca Wisent
I’ve watched (and been inspired by) your YouTube videos for years … so glad to have found your substack as well! Looking forward to reading more. 🙂
Our Freedom Years
So great that you found us here! And wonderful to know that you’ve been enjoying our videos — glad they’ve been helpful. 😊
Denise Stevens
I’m excited for your return to Mexico. As a Southern Californian close to retirement, I’ve been eyeballing Mexico for a place to hang out for long stays. I use your info to help inform my decisions.
Have a wonderful trip to Thailand, too! And I’m super impressed with Gillian’s perfect handstand on the beach!
Our Freedom Years
Don’t be too impressed…I remember it being a pretty fast descent 😂 We’ve also been thinking about Mexico as a potential base during the winter so we’re interested to see how we feel about this repeat visit.
Michael Jensen
I hope Mexico City’s water shortage problems are resolved before you get there. Where in Thailand are you headed?
Our Freedom Years
Hmmm – I hope so too! I hadn’t heard of the water issue but will look into it.
We’ll sneak in a visit to Ko Pha Ngan before monsoon season descends and then head up to Chiang Mai and do some northern Thailand exploration. And of course we’ll spend a few days in Bangkok at the end. We’ve been to Thailand so many times but usually just for a long weekend; I’m really looking forward to spending a full month this time.
Caren S. Cunningham
You had us laughing out loud in the first paragraph! Safari Mzuri on your upcoming adventures!
Our Freedom Years
Glad we could entertain! 😊