Our Freedom Years

Financial independence, early retirement & slow travel

  • 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
  • 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
  • Real Costs,  Turkey

    Wowed by the Low-Cost Lifestyle in Izmir, Turkey

    April 11, 2022 /

    Izmir is a huge city; it’s Turkey’s third-largest and it seems like there’s something exciting going on around every corner.  

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Look What $2,500/Month Gets You in Europe

    April 18, 2021

    What You’ll Find in Puerto Escondido, Mexico’s Most Underrated Beach Town 

    June 19, 2022

    How Much for a Month in Albania’s Biggest City?

    October 31, 2021
  • Real Costs,  Turkey

    This is Why We Keep Coming Back to Turkey

    March 13, 2022 /

    It’s our third visit to Turkey and so far this one is our very best. And a lot of that has to do with being here in Antalya.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How to Travel the World Without Blowing Your Budget

    January 17, 2021

    Wowed by the Low-Cost Lifestyle in Izmir, Turkey

    April 11, 2022

    Why Brasov is the Ultimate Base for Exploring Transylvania

    September 17, 2023
  • Airbnb Living,  Albania,  Greece,  Malta,  Spain,  Turkey

    Our Top 5 Favourite Airbnbs (and Why They Weren’t Perfect)

    March 6, 2022 /

    Sometimes the quality of a travel experience just comes down to whether or not we’re staying in a good Airbnb.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    What the Full-Time Airbnb Lifestyle Really Costs 

    February 26, 2023

    How to Score the Airbnb of Your Dreams Every Time

    February 28, 2021

    Living in Airbnbs Full Time isn’t Easy

    June 6, 2021
  • Airbnb Living,  Canada,  Italy,  Turkey,  Ukraine

    The 5 Worst Airbnbs We’ve Ever Stayed in (and How to Avoid Them) 

    February 27, 2022 /

    We’ve been fortunate to stay in some very attractive Airbnbs. But for every gorgeous Airbnb, we’ve also stayed in some total nightmares.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Our Top 5 Favourite Airbnbs (and Why They Weren’t Perfect)

    March 6, 2022

    How to Score the Airbnb of Your Dreams Every Time

    February 28, 2021

    What the Full-Time Airbnb Lifestyle Really Costs 

    February 26, 2023
  • Real Costs,  Spain

    Is a Month in Seville Worth the Splurge?

    February 13, 2022 /

    As soon as we arrived in Seville, we knew that we’d be going over budget. This is an exciting city with so much on offer.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    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 for a Month in Albania’s Biggest City?

    October 31, 2021

    The Picture-Perfect Town of San Miguel de Allende Doesn’t Come Cheap

    July 17, 2022
  • Real Costs,  Spain

    A Month of Spanish Food, History and Culture at a Surprising Price

    January 23, 2022 /

    Spain is a country that we’ve been dreaming about forever. Finally we had our first taste: a whole month here in the city of Valencia.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How To Budget For Year Of Slow Travel

    June 11, 2020

    How Much for a Month of Luxury on the Albanian Riviera?

    December 12, 2021
    How Much To Budget For Two-Week Trip To Lviv, Ukraine

    How Much To Budget For Two-Week Trip To Lviv, Ukraine

    April 4, 2020
  • Albania,  Croatia,  Greece,  Italy,  Malta,  Real Costs,  Serbia,  Spain,  Turkey

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022 /

    Since we’re traveling full time, we love it when our money goes a long way. We’re always looking for places where we can get the most value.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

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

    November 5, 2023

    How Much for a Month of Luxury on the Albanian Riviera?

    December 12, 2021

    What it Takes to Survive the Balkan Wilderness

    October 10, 2021
  • Albania,  Real Costs

    How Much for a Month of Luxury on the Albanian Riviera?

    December 12, 2021 /

    We came to the Albanian Riviera to chase the sun. But when we arrived, we realized that this part of Albania has so much more to offer. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

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

    November 5, 2023

    What it Takes to Survive the Balkan Wilderness

    October 10, 2021

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022
  • Albania

    Albania is Europe’s Last Hidden Gem — For Now

    November 30, 2021 /

    The only reason we came to Albania was to do a hike in the mountains. But what we found was so incredible that stayed for three months. 

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    What it Takes to Survive the Balkan Wilderness

    October 10, 2021

    How Much for a Month of Luxury on the Albanian Riviera?

    December 12, 2021
    Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

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

    November 5, 2023
  • Albania,  Real Costs

    How Much for a Month in Albania’s Biggest City?

    October 31, 2021 /

    As full-time travelers, we’re always looking to get great value from each destination.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Albania is Europe’s Last Hidden Gem — For Now

    November 30, 2021

    How Much for a Month of Luxury on the Albanian Riviera?

    December 12, 2021

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022
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ourfreedomyears

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

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!
The final batch of photos from our beautiful 10-da The final batch of photos from our beautiful 10-day hike along the Cotswolds Way. This is a hike we'd recommend for anyone who wants to start off with a hearty English breakfast and then spend the day passing through some truly lovely countryside. The adorable lambs and spring blossoms are just a bonus. 

#cotswoldway #cotswolds
We spent 10 glorious days hiking along the Cotswol We spent 10 glorious days hiking along the Cotswolds Way in England.  To watch the full video, click on the link in our profile. 

#cotswoldway  #cotswolds
We’re back from our 10-day springtime hike in Engl We’re back from our 10-day springtime hike in England, and here’s the good news: Contrary to expectations, it did not rain every single day of the hike. 

Here’s the even better news: the Cotswolds is an absolutely beautiful corner of England, filled with quaint villages, rolling hills, and frolicking lambs (honestly, they really do frolic). It truly is a storybook landscape.

And the best news of all: You can see it all for yourself in our latest YouTube video. That’s right, after a very lengthy hiatus from YouTube, we finally have a new video to share with you. 

We knew going into the Cotswold Way that it would be particularly scenic and made sure to bring along our video equipment. The end product is a fun round up of the highs and lows of the Cotswold Way (including the costs, of course). And it’s coming your way this Sunday.
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