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
  • Austria,  Colombia,  Czech Republic,  Hungary,  Portugal,  Romania,  Slovakia,  What's New

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

    October 6, 2024 /

    The final year of our adventure kicked off in Medellin, a city that turned out to be one of our least favourite destinations.

    read more
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    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
  • Ecuador,  Mexico,  Spain,  Turkey,  What's New

    It’s Been Three Years of Full-Time Travel and Still Nothing Ever Goes to Plan

    September 1, 2024 /

    By the third year, you'd think that we would have gotten the hang of expecting the unexpected.

    read more
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    Is Cuenca Really as Affordable as its Reputation?

    December 25, 2022
  • Malta
    Albania,  Malta,  Serbia,  Spain,  What's New

    We Were Chasing the Adventure of a Lifetime – then Family Tragedy Hit

    August 4, 2024 /

    We started the year in Malta, which was a breath of fresh air after our somewhat grim month of COVID lockdown in Istanbul.

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

    December 12, 2021

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

    October 31, 2021

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022
  • Croatia,  Greece,  Italy,  Poland,  Turkey,  Ukraine,  What's New

    Adventure of a Lifetime Quickly Goes Off the Rails

    July 7, 2024 /

    Our adventure began with a less-than-graceful exit from Singapore, our home for over six years. We had sold or donated most of what we owned yet still had far too much to bring with us.

    read more
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    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022

    How Affordable is a Week in Zagreb, Croatia?

    December 27, 2020

    A Month in Dubrovnik

    November 1, 2020
  • 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.

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    Do You Have to be a Minimalist to Travel Full Time?

    February 14, 2021

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 2021

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

    June 13, 2021
  • Plan for Travel

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 2021 /

    We headed off for a trip around the world and our suitcases were just jam-packed full with a ton of stuff that we didn’t need.

    read more
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    5 Crucial Lessons About Full-Time Travel That You Need to Know

    November 5, 2023

    Money, Travel, Relationship + More

    October 8, 2020

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

    August 27, 2023
  • Plan for Travel

    Do You Have to be a Minimalist to Travel Full Time?

    February 14, 2021 /

    Today our lives are pretty simple. We’re full-time travelers who spend a month or two in each country and then move onto the next.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 1 Comment

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    The Ultimate Packing Guide for a Trip Around the World

    July 25, 2021

    5 Crucial Lessons About Full-Time Travel That You Need to Know

    November 5, 2023

    Medical Coverage Abroad

    July 30, 2020
  • Real Costs

    How To Budget For Year Of Slow Travel

    June 11, 2020 /

    It's the number one question we receive from our audience: How much does our life of full-time travel cost?

    read more
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    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021

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

    September 26, 2021

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

    April 18, 2021
  • Plan for Travel

    Our Bucket List for Slow Travel

    May 28, 2020 /

    With planes grounded worldwide and borders closed, what better time to share our bucket list for our future travels?

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Do You Have to be a Minimalist to Travel Full Time?

    February 14, 2021

    Money, Travel, Relationship + More

    October 8, 2020

    How To Get Rid Of Everything You Own To Travel

    March 20, 2020
  • Retire Early

    Staying Motivated To Retire Early

    May 21, 2020 /

    It’s one thing to decide on the goal of becoming financially independent . It’s quite another to get through the long years of earning, saving and investing to achieve your goal.

    read more
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    How Much Do I Need To Retire Early And Travel?

    March 6, 2020

    Biggest Financial Mistakes When Trying to Retire Early

    September 3, 2020
    How To Manage Risk In Early Retirement

    How To Manage Risk In Early Retirement

    May 14, 2020
 Older Posts

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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