A few questions have been coming up from some of you about the logistics of how I'm doing this trip... my work, lodging, all of that. So I thought I'd dedicate a post to sharing about how I'm making this all happen (so far!) and what I have planned.

Work
I've been working solely online since Covid started. This was only semi-intentional. At first it was meant to be a temporary break from my financial planning work, but as the Covid lockdowns dragged on, I started meeting more digital nomads online and I started getting ides in my head. If I was going to be holed up in my apartment all alone, why couldn't I do that from somewhere else? I was talking to nomads from places like Mexico, Thailand, South Africa... why did I have to sit in one place? Why not travel? I mean, aside from my 15 year old dog and Covid lockdowns, that is. I knew that neither of those things would last forever (sorry, Sammy...) so I started hatching a plan, and once I was ready, I made it happen.

So, what am I doing online? Roughly 1/3 of my income comes from teaching ESL. Some of that is with adults, through one company, and some with children, through another company. Those students are located in various countries around the world. The other 2/3 is tutoring kids (and even a few adults) in Canada on a variety of subjects ranging from reading and primary math to business and even finance. While I like the Canadian company the best, the hours are a bit rough now that I've come to Europe because I have to work quite late, to 2 or 3am. My body isn't a fan of that. But it's funding the dream so I can't complain, and I take many afternoon naps. :)

And yes, I am maintaining my Financial Planning designation via Continuing Education so that when I do decide it's time to return home, I will be able to continue my "real" career... either by getting a job or starting my own practice again. So that door is not closed to me.

The Lodging
I'm staying in AirBnbs. It turns out that if you stay for a month or more, you get a significant discount, as opposed to staying days or weeks at a time. The monthly discounts can be in the 20-30% range, depending on the listing. So it's worthwhile to stay in one place for a month at a time. That also contributes to the "slow travel" practice, which I like. Rather than running around from place to place, trying to see and do everything at once, I get a "home" for a month. It has been a good experience so far. It is also considerably cheaper than a month's rent in Vancouver... I'm paying roughly 2/3 of what my rent was in North Van. So even after accounting for things like sightseeing and fun incidentals, my cost of living is actually lower now than it was before! An added bonus is that I am meeting other people from a variety of countries, and that's pretty fun.

Getting Around
I flew Westjet from Canada to London for a mere $50, since I had Westjet dollars saved up (plus a bit extra for checked bags). Once on this side of the pond, I switched to cheap European airlines. So far I've used two: Vueling and Wizz. I prefer Wizz. Pro tip: If you go with the Wizz Priority you not only get one free checked bag but you also get seat selection and priority check-in, etc. (Score!) I haven't tried out the ground transports like FlixBus, etc, yet but I likely will.

The Plan
I can only stay in the Schengen Zone for 90 days at a time without a visa (for those who aren't aware, the Schengen zone is *most* of the EU countries, with a few exceptions). So this is why I'm staying in Italy for the first 3 months (Sicily, Rome, Siena) and then I will move out of the EU and into Turkey. I can then stay in Turkey for 90 days without a visa. I chose Turkey as the second destination for several reasons: I know people there, it's dirt cheap, and it has a lot of cool cultural and archaeological history. I'll stay in Istanbul for a week or two, then Ankara for a week or two, then to the coast for the remainder of my time. Depending on how I feel, I may not spend the full 90 days in Turkey... I may go somewhere else for the last 30 before moving back into the EU. Then I plan to do Greece, Spain, and maybe Portugal or France. I'm playing it by ear. Other places on my list include Egypt, Scotland, and Cyprus. To be honest I have no idea how long this experiment will go. It's only month two, after all. :)

Any questions?