Our Freedom Years

Financial independence, early retirement & slow travel

  • Welcome
  • Binge!
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    • What’s New
    • Plan for Travel
    • Airbnb Living
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  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Serbia
      • Slovakia
      • Spain
      • Ukraine
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • South America
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Thailand
  • About Us
  • Welcome
  • Binge!
  • Popular
    • What’s New
    • Plan for Travel
    • Airbnb Living
    • Real Costs
    • Travel with Dogs
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Serbia
      • Slovakia
      • Spain
      • Ukraine
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • South America
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Thailand
  • About Us
  • Toronto, Canada
    Romania,  What's New

    Travel is Suddenly a Lot More Expensive

    October 1, 2023 /

    As much as we were surprised by the inflation we saw in Europe - our expensive apartment in Budapest springs to mind - we’ve been floored by what we’re encountering here in Canada.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

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    Brasov, Romania

    This is the Romania that Most Tourists Never See

    September 3, 2023
    Funchal Madeira

    Lisbon in 2023 was Even More Crowded Than We Expected

    December 3, 2023

    The Very Last Chapter in our Four-Year, Around-the-World Adventure 

    October 6, 2024
  • Real Costs,  Romania

    Why Brasov is the Ultimate Base for Exploring Transylvania

    September 17, 2023 /

    Let's be honest: the city of Brasov in Romania is a little on the small side. And yet we stayed for an entire month. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

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    Machu Picchu

    We had a Once-in-a-Lifetime Visit to Machu Picchu (Now We Know What it’s Really Like )

    May 5, 2024

    How Much it Really Costs to Travel Full Time

    May 9, 2022
    How Much Does It Cost To Stay In Krakow For Two Weeks

    How Much Does It Cost To Stay In Krakow For Two Weeks

    April 4, 2020
  • Brasov, Romania
    Romania,  What's New

    This is the Romania that Most Tourists Never See

    September 3, 2023 /

    Plus all the essentials for life on the road

    read more
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    Toronto, Canada

    Travel is Suddenly a Lot More Expensive

    October 1, 2023
    Snowy Toronto in January

    We’re Saying Goodbye to a Very Adventurous 2023 – and Hello to a New Chapter

    January 7, 2024
    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

    5 Important Lessons that We’ve Learned About Full-Time Travel

    November 5, 2023
  • Plan for Travel,  Travel Logistics

    All the Practical Details that You Need to Know About Full-Time Travel

    August 27, 2023 /

    All those pesky administrative details that life demands can take a lot of research to figure out. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

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    Lessons From Long-Term Travel

    Lessons From Long-Term Travel

    April 2, 2020

    Is it Safe for Us to Travel the World as an LGBT Couple?

    June 13, 2021

    Medical Coverage Abroad

    July 30, 2020
  • Brasov, Romania
    Hungary,  Romania,  What's New

    Is Beautiful, Gritty Budapest Still a Low-Cost Destination in 2023?

    August 6, 2023 /

    We initially came to Budapest thinking it was a low-cost option. Well, that might have been true ten years ago but it’s not the case today.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 9 Comments

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    Boat cruise on the Danube in Budapest

    Most People Come to Bratislava for Just One Day; We Booked an Entire Month

    July 2, 2023

    The Very Last Chapter in our Four-Year, Around-the-World Adventure 

    October 6, 2024
    Snowy Toronto in January

    We’re Saying Goodbye to a Very Adventurous 2023 – and Hello to a New Chapter

    January 7, 2024
  • Hungary,  Real Costs

    We Came to Budapest to See if it’s Still a Low-Cost Destination

    July 30, 2023 /

    I honestly think that our impression of Budapest was maybe ten years out of date. We thought Budapest was supposed to be the less expensive alternative to Prague

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Boat cruise on the Danube in Budapest

    Most People Come to Bratislava for Just One Day; We Booked an Entire Month

    July 2, 2023
    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

    5 Important Lessons that We’ve Learned About Full-Time Travel

    November 5, 2023
    Brasov, Romania

    Is Beautiful, Gritty Budapest Still a Low-Cost Destination in 2023?

    August 6, 2023
  • Boat cruise on the Danube in Budapest
    Hungary,  Slovakia,  What's New

    Most People Come to Bratislava for Just One Day; We Booked an Entire Month

    July 2, 2023 /

    Bratislava is the type of city where tourists usually just stop by for a short visit. We were if we had made a huge mistake booking an entire month.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

    5 Important Lessons that We’ve Learned About Full-Time Travel

    November 5, 2023
    Brasov, Romania

    Is Beautiful, Gritty Budapest Still a Low-Cost Destination in 2023?

    August 6, 2023
    Snowy Toronto in January

    We’re Saying Goodbye to a Very Adventurous 2023 – and Hello to a New Chapter

    January 7, 2024
  • Vienna, Austria
    Austria,  Czech Republic,  Slovakia,  What's New

    We Found a Wonderful Hidden Gem in the Czech Republic (Only Locals Know About It)

    June 4, 2023 /

    We discovered a region of the Czech Republic that we’ve never seen on any top ten list or even heard of before. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Snowy Toronto in January

    We’re Saying Goodbye to a Very Adventurous 2023 – and Hello to a New Chapter

    January 7, 2024

    The Very Last Chapter in our Four-Year, Around-the-World Adventure 

    October 6, 2024
  • Austria,  Czech Republic,  Hungary,  Romania,  Slovakia,  What's New

    We’re Kicking off our Adventure in one of the Most Expensive Parts of Europe (but it’s Worth it)

    May 7, 2023 /

    Our latest journey through Europe is well underway. This month’s newsletter comes to you from a charming little pension in the countryside of the Czech Republic. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 9 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Very Last Chapter in our Four-Year, Around-the-World Adventure 

    October 6, 2024
    Vienna, Austria

    We Found a Wonderful Hidden Gem in the Czech Republic (Only Locals Know About It)

    June 4, 2023
    Snowy Toronto in January

    We’re Saying Goodbye to a Very Adventurous 2023 – and Hello to a New Chapter

    January 7, 2024
  • Travel with Dogs

    The Ultimate Guide to Traveling with a Dog

    May 7, 2023 /

    Wherever we travel with our two toy poodles, other tourists come up to us in amazement and ask if it’s really difficult to travel with our dogs. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 8 Comments

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    Long Term Travel with a Dog

    Long-Term Travel With A Dog

    April 9, 2020

    How to Take an International Flight with a Dog in Cabin

    February 27, 2020

    We Thought We’d Have to Leave Our Dogs Behind

    May 30, 2021
 Older Posts
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ourfreedomyears

Stephanie & Gillian
🌎 Traveled the world with our dogs
❤️ Now making a home in Ontario
⬇️ Watch our latest video

For years, the Canary Islands sat on our “maybe so For years, the Canary Islands sat on our “maybe someday” list. They never quite beat out places like Mexico or Portugal when winter planning season rolled around. Now we’re wondering why we waited so long.

After a month in Gran Canaria, we’ve had some surprising takeaways about what really makes a place work as a winter base.

Our full YouTube video drops this Sunday. Stay tuned.
When we look back on 2025, it’s hard to believe ho When we look back on 2025, it’s hard to believe how much we packed into one year. 

🇲🇽 slow travel in Mexico

🥾 100+ miles on the Cotswold Way,

🐕 time inside a 400-dog shelter

🇬🇪 an unexpected detour through Georgia

…and a few big reflections on life after financial independence.

It was a year of travel, volunteering, and learning (again) that freedom looks different in every season.

We’ve wrapped it all up — plus a new podcast conversation with @OurFamilyInvests about what comes after the career ladder — in our January newsletter.

📬 Read the full story — just click on the link in our profile.
Living in Ontario’s snow belt means one thing: we Living in Ontario’s snow belt means one thing: we must escape winter. We’ve been hit with multiple snowstorms since the beginning of November and there are still months of snow and ice ahead of us. 

As much as we love seeing our little village blanketed in white, a few weeks of winter is enough to satisfy for the year. 

After a few misfires during our years of full-time travel (rainstorms in Florence, a chilly apartment in Malta, an unseasonable cold front in Izmir), we finally know exactly what we’re looking for in a winter base.

For the winter of 2026, our wishlist got very specific:

☀️ warm weather
🥗 great food
🏋🏽‍♀️ a decent gym
🐶 stylish Airbnbs that also happen to be pet-friendly
🌳 easy access to nature
✨ enough variety to keep us entertained for three full months

We compared many wildly different options—Taiwan, Argentina, and Cyprus to name just a few—and yes, there was a spreadsheet and a scoring system involved.

So where did we finally choose for winter 2026? We’re sharing the full story (and the big reveal) in this month’s newsletter.

👉 Read now by clicking on the link in our profile.
A final glimpse of our time in Georgia — medieval A final glimpse of our time in Georgia — medieval villages in Svaneti, misty mountain views, and a whirlwind wander through Kutaisi. 

Don’t miss the full adventure on YouTube, including our unforgettable stay at @baias_wine — complete with warm Georgian hospitality, a feast of traditional dishes, and more wine than we could drink in a month. 

Just click on the link in our profile to watch now.
There were plenty of misadventures to go round, bu There were plenty of misadventures to go round, but we still managed to have an incredible time on our first trip to the country of Georgia. Watch the full-length video by clicking on the link in our profile.
It's part two of our trip to Georgia, and this is It's part two of our trip to Georgia, and this is where all our carefully-made plans started to fall apart. 

The misadventures began when our easy 45-minute flight to the mountains was replaced with a 10-hour odyssey by train and mini-van. However, despite all ups and downs of the trip, we still managed to enjoy the highlights of western Georgia, including the medieval villages of the Svaneti region and a ridiculously huge feast at a winery.  

You can catch the full adventure in a new video going live this Sunday. See you then!
The final round of shots from our time in Tbilisi. The final round of shots from our time in Tbilisi. We just couldn't get enough of all those atmospheric mansions and apartment buildings as we wandered the neighbourhoods. 

If you haven't seen our video yet, it's a whirlwind sampler of Tbilisi highlights from our first day on the ground. You can check it out by clicking on the link in our profile.
It's our first full day in Tbilisi, and we're brin It's our first full day in Tbilisi, and we're bringing you along for the ride. Check out the full video on YouTube -- just click on the link in our profile to watch now.
We're back from our trip to the country of Georgia We're back from our trip to the country of Georgia, and what an adventure it was. This trip was exciting and interesting but also demanding in all kinds of unexpected ways. 

We're excited to share the entire journey with you, starting with a new video this Sunday. We're bringing you along for our first day in Tbilisi, including powering through some of the major sights, tucking into classic Georgian dishes, and a look at a truly spectacular Airbnb. 

See you then!
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