Our Freedom Years

Financial independence, early retirement & slow travel

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  • 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

    How Much it Really Costs to Travel Full Time

    May 9, 2022 /

    We haven’t been honest about how much travel costs. If you’re serious about travelling, there are a slew of other costs you need to know about.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Is a Month in Seville Worth the Splurge?

    February 13, 2022

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

    July 17, 2022

    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021
  • 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

    Honest Thoughts After a Month in Medellin (and What it Costs)

    January 29, 2023

    Is a Month in Seville Worth the Splurge?

    February 13, 2022

    What We Spent Living in Athens For One Month

    September 24, 2020
  • 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

    Why Mexico City Blew Our Minds (and Our Budget)

    August 15, 2022

    Is a Month in Seville Worth the Splurge?

    February 13, 2022

    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

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022

    Why Mexico City Blew Our Minds (and Our Budget)

    August 15, 2022

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

    October 31, 2021
  • 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

    Is Cuenca Really as Affordable as its Reputation?

    December 25, 2022

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

    October 31, 2021

    Wowed by the Low-Cost Lifestyle in Izmir, Turkey

    April 11, 2022
  • 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

    Albania is Europe’s Last Hidden Gem — For Now

    November 30, 2021

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

    March 6, 2022
  • 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

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

    October 31, 2021

    Albania is Europe’s Last Hidden Gem — For Now

    November 30, 2021

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022
  • 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

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

    March 6, 2022
    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
  • 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
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Why Mexico City Blew Our Minds (and Our Budget)

    August 15, 2022

    Why Mexico’s Top Foodie Destination is Worth the Trip

    September 11, 2022

    What the Full-Time Airbnb Lifestyle Really Costs 

    February 26, 2023
  • 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
    Our Freedom Years 2 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

    Why Brasov is the Ultimate Base for Exploring Transylvania

    September 17, 2023

    How To Budget For Year Of Slow Travel

    June 11, 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

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!
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
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