Your Escape Blueprint

After deciding to get out of the rat race and out of the daily grind in late 2011 and go in search of our ‘perfect abode’. We looked for ways to make our funds stretch further.

When we first plunked our money down and joined a housesitting ‘matchmaking’ service, we had no idea how wildly successful it would be.

We have spent 50 weeks in Tuscan farmhouses, French vineyards, the shores and jungles of Belize, Caribbean villas and stunning Volcano view homes, all because of housesitting.

Because we have spent 42% of the last two years housesitting and had months of rent-free accommodation, we have saved an estimated $40,000 in travel costs. Plus, saved several more thousands by being able to cook for ourselves, instead of eating an expensive and unhealthy restaurant diet.

Of our 13 completed house sits, 12 of them have involved taking care of dogs and cats. One of them also had a live in maid and another had elderly parents to keep an eye on, along with our regular house caring duties. They have also included stunning views, beautiful gardens, pools, warm sunny climates and welcoming people.

Because of housesitting, we have been able to experience different lifestyles, immerse ourselves in a variety of cultures and make new friends in all corners of the globe. These new friends are from a wide array of countries, backgrounds and lifestyles. Yet they are all amazing, wonderful people and we enjoy keeping in touch and sharing their news. This is the biggest reason we love housesitting so much.

Our passion must have shown through when we met with the editor of International Living while in Panama, as he asked Yvonne to write an article for the magazine–this came out in the April 2014 edition and has been very popular.

Our housesitting adventures continue and we are spending the summer on the tiny island of Bequia next to St. Vincent in the Grenadines.

Within days of arrival, we volunteered for the Easter Sailing Regatta. It was a long hectic weekend and a absolute delight. Michael got a chance to crew and experience sailing in a completely new light (especially as they de-masted mid race). Meeting Sir James Mitchell the former President of St. Vincent over coffee on our second day on the island was a highlight, as was the chance to earn a coveted Mount Gay Red Regatta hat (in fact, we have two).

Housesitting, especially long-term sits has to be the best way to slow travel. It is also the best way to try a lifestyle on for size. If like us you are looking for your ‘perfect abode’ it is the easiest way to try out a new lifestyle before pulling up your roots and plonking down your life savings.

Memberships of the two sites we use Trusted Housesitters and www.HouseCarers.com.cost only $110 annually.

With a small outlay and a little work to build a profile you too, can test drive a retirement destination or have a dream vacation. Some of our friends have already given it a test drive and have completed house sits in France, Australia and Grenada.

Are you a homeowner with concerns about using a house sitter?

Have you done housesitting and have funny stories or horror stories to share?

We want to hear from you, who knows maybe one day it will make you famous…………

You too could become authors, check out our comprehensive report here

The Most Powerful Money-Saving Travel Secret of All Time.

 

 

 

One year into our adventures and far from being ready to return and go back to the grind, we settled into our longest, housesit to date in popular Boquete Panama (a well-known retirement destination).  Being in one spot for so long was a welcome break and a much needed one–carting heavy dive gear around had taken its toll—apart from visiting the local chiropractor we enjoyed tai chi, yoga and Feldenkrais classes, theatre productions and the local market.  This welcome break also made us realize that slow travel is the only way to really understand a new place especially if you are contemplating living there.

Volcán Barú the active stratovolcano and  tallest mountain in Panama as seen from our Housesit in Boquete

Volcán Barú in a Moody Moment

It was also here that I decided to take a step down a path, that my English teacher had foreseen years ago, I purchased an online travel writers course. Within days of starting the course, I had negotiated my first discount or ‘comp trip’ and I was ecstatic. The exclusive, luxurious Isla Palenque was everything we had imagined it would be and so much more. It appeared that we could easily develop a champagne lifestyle, even on a beer budget.

Experiencing Panama in Style in Isla Palenque

From Panama it was back to Belize to complete more housesits, one in our favorite beachside place, Placencia. We then spent a few weeks in the depths of the Belize jungle, with howler monkeys, giant iguanas and giant cockroaches and scorpions for company. Loved it!

Belize River Howlers at our Housesit near Belmopan Belize

Lobsterfest in Placencia Belize

We finished our Central America adventure with another ‘comp’ trip to St. Georges Caye a perfect place to sample true Belizean hospitality and try our hand at hunting the invasive Lion Fish! From there we headed off to Ambergris Caye and then took an inventive route back home for our second pit stop. Travelling by sea and overland to Cancun, Mexico then flying back to Vancouver, we saved enough for our next flights.

After 18 months on the road, we had no intentions of stopping; instead, we were plotting ways to make our travels sustainable. Which is why we decided to cull our ‘stuff’ once more, including our vehicle that had suffered from sitting unused, the squirrel nest under the hood was the least of the problems.

A wet and cold November in BC was incentive enough to get us packing once again, this time without dive gear. The plan was to head to South America and a relocation cruise to Panama was the perfect opportunity. From there we would make our way south, destiny had other ideas!

Back in Panama –  This time in Portobelo

In a dugout canoe with the Embera Tribe in Panama

I have long had a love affair with the Caribbean and an opportunity to spend months housesitting in the Grenadines was too good to miss. Rather than trying to travel over the crazy months of December and January, we did some more exploring in Panama and settled in the coastal resort of Playa Blanca. A experience that proved condo living is not for us.

Sunset in Playa Blanca Panama

Two years of travel and a budget has made us very inventive with travel options, which is why we caught yet another cruise. This traveled from Panama to Cartagena, Columbia, Boniare, Aruba & Curacao. We jumped ship in Curacao and flew to Grenada, for a couple of idyllic weeks and then onto St. Lucia (where had arranged another housesit) three weeks in a villa overlooking Marigot Bay was tough to handle! From there it was a short flight and a longer ferry ride to our current home in Bequia in the Grenadines.

Our first stop ever in South America – Cartagena Columbia

Bonaire – A Divers Paradise

The most photographed tree in Aruba

The Queen Emma pontoon bridge in Willemstad Harbor Curacao

In our two years of travel, we have spent 40 weeks housesitting ( rent-free accommodation) visited 34 countries, learnt new skills (travel writing, photography and Spanish) and earned extra income through them.

Where the next two years will take us, we do not know. We do know we are going to enjoy it to the full and hope you will join us on our travels.

As always we look forward to hearing from you too.

 The view from our St Lucia Housesit

Sunset in Marigot Bay, St Lucia

Today is our ‘Escape” anniversary!

On the 26th April 2012, we handed over the keys to our home and flew away from Vancouver BC, Leaving behind family, friends, our home, our few remaining belongings and a lifestyle that had kept us chained to a treadmill for years. The fears and anxiety that had plagued us for the last year—ever since we had made the decision to quit the rat race—were still there, although buried under exhaustion and excitement!

Although we were only 44 and 53 at the time “far too young to retire” according to some, we had reached a major turning point in our lives after the death of a dear friend and the culmination of a series of self-development courses.

Are you teetering on a turning point, are you realizing that there is a better life to be had elsewhere? If so, we understand what is going through your mind and the conflicting emotions, panic, fear, uncertainty, excitement and determination.

After two years of full time travel, while ‘we explore the globe in search of our perfect abode’ we find ourselves experiencing a completely different set of emotions. The panic and fear were found less, we have not been robbed, harassed or mugged. Although we have not worked at a job for two years, we have a regular monthly income from our properties (in fact our net worth is actually a little higher, than it was when we left). Excitement, determination and engagement are our new norms. Each new destination is exciting, we are engaged with learning new skills–Michael is now a professional photographer and I a travel writer—and we are determined to continue our vagabond lifestyle.

We invite you to join us as we take a trip down memory lane, our first year on the road took us to 14 European countries, too many to cover here apart from a few highlights.

Italy, our first taste of housesitting and our first cooking class

 Lake Como Italy

 

Then onto France for a two-week sojourn at a vineyard, the best mussels and canal jousting.

 

“Our Castle” in France

France!

A Spanish casita was next, followed by a mammoth road trip through this huge country. We did side trips to Gibraltar, Morocco and then onto Portugal.

Rhonda Spain

 The Algarve in Portugal

 Jamming in Tangiers Morocco

 One of our reasons for escaping the 9 to 5 was to spend more time with friends and family and we did that in spades, spending time with friends in London (during the Olympics) family in my home town, a week in scenic Cornwall, sometime in Wales and a wonderful week in Scotland.

 Buckingham Palace during the 2012 London Summer Olympics

 Saint Michael’s Mount in Cornwall

Breath-taking scenery in Scotland

We headed back to Vancouver in September 2012 for a pit stop, and to assure ourselves that all was fine back home, it was! We spent a month scanning important paperwork, culling files and clothes and set off to spend Christmas and New Year in warm sunny Belize.

After almost a year on the ‘road’ we were happy, tanned, fit and healthy, with memories of work, stress, anxiety and indecision slowly fading.

We had met many expats along the way, who all had similar stories, the work, effort and disruption is worth everything. Eugene and Lynn of Placencia, Belize have certainly found a new lease on life.

 Granada Nicaragua

Diving in Honduras

Our first return to check up on the ‘stuff’ back home was all we needed to allay any fears we had had. Our tenants were taking excellent care of our property, our online banking was running smoothly and we had found storage for our vehicle. All was well so full steam ahead.

We spent the winter months in Belize exploring Central America, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua , the Bay islands of Honduras and then onto Panama. We know that we will want to settle down somewhere, sometime, so we were starting to get a feel for what our perfect abode would look like. Costa Rica had been high on our list of potentials as we had visited a few years before, sadly even though we were housesitting there we found that it was no longer as affordable as it used to be. (Not in the suburbs of San Jose anyway), grocery and restaurant prices were comparable or even more expensive than back home in Canada.

We loved the laidback lifestyle of the Bay islands and made some very good friends there; the excellent diving was a bonus.

Stay tuned for part II of our journey from frustrated to free.

Our first housesit in the Caribbean was in St Lucia – an island on Yvonne’s bucket list, and one I was happy to hang out on for a month.

The house was a wonderful 3 story villa over looking Marigot Bay.

Oh did we mention that we had an infinity pool to cool down in?

While we were enjoying the view  and the pool these poor folks were limited to bobbing about the marina (they had to pay about $265 thousand a week for the privilege).

One of the main reasons for the house sitting assignment was to look after two very cool dogs,

First there was Obie the Dobie aka “Obi one the Dobie”

Then there was the little one with the big heart “Foxy” – when we were out for walks she was often heard saying “is that edible?”

When we were able to pry ourselves away from our hilltop retreat, we went into the capital of Castries (one of the top 10 markets in the world   –  according to National Geographic). Here is some of the booty we brought home, fresh fruit and vegetables, the most amazing fresh spices and fresh coconut water.

And did we mention the view?

Housesitting continues to be the best way to travel. (Maybe we will write a book about it?)

Heard the latest news? We did write that book in partnership with International Living we produced  The Most Powerful Money-Saving Travel Secret of All Time.

 

 

 

 

Snowbirds!

If you have ever dreamed of escaping the cold winters of North America and live the lifestyle of your dreams, even for only a few months, remember others have already! Allow us to introduce you to more of our fellow “Escapee’s”.

Their answers may inspire you too to follow your dream.

Why move overseas?

Elaine (53) and Daniel (57) Desalliers are one of the growing numbers of Snowbirds who escape the winter chill of North America. The winters in their hometown of Pembroke Ontario, are long and cold which is why they head off to warmer climes for six months of the year.

What were they looking for?

They were looking for not only a warmer climate but also a community that they could be part off and not just transient visitors. In their small village, tucked away on a narrow dirt road, only a few minutes from Rio Hato and Penonome in Panama’s Cocle district, they have found just that.

When and how did they move?

Elaine and Daniel had visited several different countries for various vacations. Their first visit was in 2005 and they have been coming back ever since. “In Panama they found the people to be extremely friendly and helpful. Unlike most other countries, they did not seem to only be after your money”. They met many wonderful people and remain friends with them to this day. Friendships so strong that they got up at 5am one morning to watch one of their lifeguard friends compete in a 6am beachside contest.

In 2010, they bought property and built their “dream home” complete with a pool, fruit trees and a vegetable plot, where with the helpful advice of neighbors and friends they grow tomatoes, chilies and watermelon.

The biggest challenges for them?

“The fear of wondering if we were making the right decision” was their biggest challenge. They invested a good chunk of their life savings to buy and build and not everything went smoothly during the construction phase of the house.

Many overseas homeowners have similar stories to tell—construction not completed on time, poor workmanship and cost overruns—are all typical tales. However, the work was completed to lock up stage in time and they were able to head home knowing that the house was secure and they had great neighbors keeping an eye out for them. As they still do!

How does their new life compare with what they left behind?

Elaine & Daniel still return to Canada for six months of every year, they find they are much more relaxed, and have less stress.  Maybe because of their lifestyle in Panama? Elaine explains that  “The people in Panama never seem to be in a hurry, they take one day at a time. They never complain and are much happier with their lives”.

We had the honor of enjoying their hospitality and meeting many of their wonderful friends and neighbors. Victor is the master chef when it comes to cooking over an open fire; patacones, fish fry and sancocho are just some of his specialties and they are all wonderfully tasty. No wonder Elaine and Daniels friends never refuse one of Victors fish fry’s.

See Victor in action below:

Elaine & Daniel’s advice to others is simple.

“Be cautious, try to learn the language, I feel it means a lot to them if you try. Be part of the community, accept their ways and try to learn their customs. Do not have the attitude that you are better than they are; treat them as equals because they are. You also must be patient as they do not hurry, always manana, always tomorrow”. Elaine and Daniel have built a second life here in Panama. Despite only speaking basic Spanish, they attend community meetings,d host neighborhood parties, cookouts and often have a gaggle of beaming kids cavorting in their pool.

A far cry from the Snowbirds enjoying Arizona’s winters and perhaps a more fulfilling one?

There are more Escapee profiles to come. We look forward to hearing your feedback, comments or ideas for further profiles.

Hasta leugo.

Two hours from Panama City and only 30 minutes from Playa Blanca, lays the vibrant scene of the increasingly popular Art in the Park Festival.

It was a surprisingly entertaining day.  Artists both old and new displayed work of all levels, sizes and subjects—some seemingly inspired by nightmares, others by Panama’s diverse countryside and ethnicity. A steady stream of visitors threaded through the park, admiring pieces in the time honored manner by pulling out their wallets and purchasing canvases to adorn their walls.

A gaggle of multi-lingual ladies oversaw the ticket sales for the striking “Senora de Noches” painting. Proceeds from the draw and the event fund the scholarship program, enabling more would be artists to develop their talents.

Penonome in the Cocle province of Panama hosts this colorful and popular event every year. Seasoned artists showcase and sell their work along with the efforts of students (some recipients of previous years scholarship programs)  from the Estelina Tejeira Bellas Artes School.

The highlight of the day was the performances by the Diablicos Sucios the Devil Dancers. Costumed in red and black stripes with huge devil masks they twirl and cavort accompanying themselves with castanets and large gourds.  The four whirling dervishes where a huge hit with the crowd as were the second act, satin and hoop clad ugly crones—smiling comically from blood red paper mache lips—they cavorted and wiggled provocatively. Good luck with that guys!

 

No festival is complete without its food vendors, so popular that the crowd was always three deep around one. Hidden in the corner were a few extra surprises from local artisans. A fragile silver butterfly with wings of sea glass called louder to me than any of the canvases lining the square.

No visit to Penonome is complete without calling into the nearby restaurant Mezon de Santa Cruz. You may think you have wondered into a church or a refectory with crucifixes, carvings and paintings depicting saint and angels on its walls. However, it is a highly successful restaurant, serving the best steaks in Penonome and worth taking the time to explore its labyrinth of rooms and series of open courtyards beyond.