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
  • Albania

    What it Takes to Survive the Balkan Wilderness

    October 10, 2021 /

    We always knew this would be the toughest challenge we’d ever faced. But nothing could have prepared us for this trek into the Western Balkans. 

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    Albania is Europe’s Last Hidden Gem — For Now

    November 30, 2021

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022

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

    March 6, 2022
  • Real Costs,  Serbia

    Novi Sad Offered the Authentic Serbia That We’ve Been Dreaming of

    September 26, 2021 /

    We came to Novi Sad to get an authentic taste of life outside the big city; we wanted to spend our summer the same way that Serbians do.

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

    October 31, 2021

    Why Mexico’s Top Foodie Destination is Worth the Trip

    September 11, 2022

    Can You Afford Europe’s Best Winter Sun Destination?

    March 14, 2021
  • Real Costs,  Serbia

    Living Large in Affordable Belgrade

    September 5, 2021 /

    Was Belgrade really the low-cost version of Europe that we were hoping for? Or did dining out every day cost more than expected? 

    read more
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    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

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

    October 31, 2021

    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021
  • Retire Early

    Working Overseas Could be Your Ticket to Early Retirement

    August 29, 2021 /

    Today we have a life that we could have only dreamed of. But just a decade ago, we were a regular couple living in the same city where we were born.

    read more
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    How We Can Afford to Travel Full Time (and It’s Not By Being Digital Nomads)

    July 11, 2021

    What We Got Right to Retire Early

    August 27, 2020

    Is This the Year You Can Finally Quit?

    April 25, 2021
  • Real Costs,  Serbia,  Slow Travel

    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021 /

    We want to feel at home no matter where we are. Just because we’re traveling doesn’t mean that we want our lives to be in constant upheaval.

    read more
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    Why Brasov is the Ultimate Base for Exploring Transylvania

    September 17, 2023

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022

    Novi Sad Offered the Authentic Serbia That We’ve Been Dreaming of

    September 26, 2021
  • Plan for Travel,  Travel Gear

    The Ultimate Packing Guide for a Trip Around the World

    July 25, 2021 /

    We’ve been slow traveling the world for almost two years. Through all the highs and lows of travel, we’ve managed to have the right stuff in our luggage.

    read more
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    Money, Travel, Relationship + More

    October 8, 2020

    Our Bucket List for Slow Travel

    May 28, 2020

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 2021
  • Retire Early

    How We Can Afford to Travel Full Time (and It’s Not By Being Digital Nomads)

    July 11, 2021 /

    A few years ago we felt stuck. We were burnt out from our corporate jobs but didn’t know how to leave them.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Biggest Financial Mistakes When Trying to Retire Early

    September 3, 2020

    What We Got Right to Retire Early

    August 27, 2020

    How Much Do I Need To Retire Early And Travel?

    March 6, 2020
  • Canada,  Retire Early

    Could Country Living be the Perfect Lifestyle For Us?

    July 4, 2021 /

    We’ve always had a very romantic idea of what it would be like to live in the country. Well, for the past couple weeks, we finally had a chance to give it a try.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How Much is the Cost Of Living In Toronto?

    July 2, 2020
    Climbing a mountain in Albania

    It’s Official: We’ve Given Up On Travel — For Now

    February 4, 2024

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

    February 27, 2022
  • Canada

    Why We Can’t Wait To Get Back To Europe

    June 27, 2021 /

    We love traveling and we love getting great value for our dollar. Of course, we haven’t done much of either over the past few months.

    read more
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    You May Also Like

    Climbing a mountain in Albania

    It’s Official: We’ve Given Up On Travel — For Now

    February 4, 2024

    Could Country Living be the Perfect Lifestyle For Us?

    July 4, 2021

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

    February 27, 2022
  • Plan for Travel

    The Truth About Life On The Road

    June 20, 2021 /

    When we originally imagined taking up travel as a full-time lifestyle, we thought it was going to be just like all the travel vlogs.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Medical Coverage Abroad

    July 30, 2020

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 2021

    Our Bucket List for Slow Travel

    May 28, 2020
 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

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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