Our Freedom Years

Financial independence, early retirement & slow travel

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    • Europe
      • Albania
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      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • South America
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
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    • 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
  • Kitchen Essentials

    Kitchen Essentials for Full-Time Travellers

    November 15, 2020 /

    Before we started traveling full time, our experience of staying in Airbnbs was limited.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments
  • Slow Travel

    Summer Travel During COVID-19

    August 13, 2020 /

    The decision has been made. After almost four months of sheltering in place, we're about to resume our life of travel in a world that is still in the grip of a pandemic.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021

    Is It Safe to Travel During COVID-19?

    August 6, 2020

    Why You Shouldn’t Travel Full Time

    December 13, 2020
  • Slow Travel

    Is It Safe to Travel During COVID-19?

    August 6, 2020 /

    It's time for us to make a tough decision. International borders are starting to open again...but is it safe to travel?

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How To Keep Fit While Traveling Long Term

    How To Keep Fit While Traveling Long Term

    April 14, 2020

    Making Belgrade Our Home for the Month

    August 15, 2021

    Why You Shouldn’t Travel Full Time

    December 13, 2020
  • Plan for Travel

    Medical Coverage Abroad

    July 30, 2020 /

    It’s everyone’s least favourite part of planning for travel. And yet it could turn out to be the most important.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Truth About Full-Time Travel (After Three Years on the Road)

    October 16, 2022
    Lessons From Long-Term Travel

    Lessons From Long-Term Travel

    April 2, 2020

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

    February 14, 2021
  • Italy

    Nomad Life Turned Upside Down When COVID-19 Hit

    June 29, 2020 /

    We were in the midst of enjoying February in beautiful Florence when we first heard rumblings of a virus that was spreading quickly in northern Italy.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 8 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How To Budget For A Month In Florence

    How To Budget For A Month In Florence

    May 7, 2020

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

    April 18, 2021

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

    February 27, 2022
  • 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
    Our Freedom Years 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    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

    7 European Destinations that Won’t Break the Bank

    January 2, 2022
  • 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

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 2021

    Money, Travel, Relationship + More

    October 8, 2020

    The Truth About Life On The Road

    June 20, 2021
  • How To Keep Fit While Traveling Long Term
    Slow Travel

    How To Keep Fit While Traveling Long Term

    April 14, 2020 /

    One of the downsides of being a full-time traveller is that it's very easy to fall out of a healthy routine.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 8 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Summer Travel During COVID-19

    August 13, 2020

    Why You Shouldn’t Travel Full Time

    December 13, 2020

    Is It Safe to Travel During COVID-19?

    August 6, 2020
  • Long Term Travel with a Dog
    How-Tos,  Travel with Dogs

    Long-Term Travel With A Dog

    April 9, 2020 /

    It’s been six months since we first bundled our dogs into their carriers, hopped on a one-way flight from Singapore to Poland and began our life of full-time travel.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 8 Comments
  • Lessons From Long-Term Travel
    Plan for Travel

    Lessons From Long-Term Travel

    April 2, 2020 /

    It’s been six months since we sold almost all our possessions, packed our bags and headed off with our two dogs for a life of adventure and full-time travel.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 5 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How Much Do I Need To Retire Early And Travel?

    March 6, 2020

    The Ultimate Packing Guide for a Trip Around the World

    July 25, 2021

    What Not to Pack for a Year of Travel

    May 23, 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

After a month in Gran Canaria, a week hiking the w After a month in Gran Canaria, a week hiking the wild landscapes of La Gomera, and another sun-filled month in Tenerife, we’re soaking in our final days in the Canary Islands. 

In just a few days, we’ll be making the long journey back to snowy Ontario.  Which is why we’re savoring every last moment of the incredible ocean view from our Airbnb in Puerto de la Cruz, where we fall asleep to the sound of waves every night.

Curious about what the Canary Islands are like as a winter destination? Our latest YouTube video is live — just tap the link in our profile. And more island adventures are coming your way soon!
What makes a great winter base? For us: beautifu What makes a great winter base? 

For us: beautiful neighborhoods, easy hiking, warm days… and space to settle into a routine.

Did the Canary Islands just become our go-to winter destination?

Watch the full video — just click on the link in our profile.
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.
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