Our journey has been so similar to yours. We started retirement wanting to move to Spain, but then 1) we became more informed on tax implications $$$, 2) we realized that we liked to travel more than settle in one place, and 3) we began to feel all the other points you made in your video. Now we are discussing downsizing our home in the US so we can travel more freely. We are still open-minded about moving in the future (given USA politics and all), but right now you're making a whole lot of sense to us. Thanks for sharing!
It sounds like we are on the same page on all points. We will eventually live back in the US full time but that will be several years down the road. Thank you for watching and commenting! 😊
What about doing Homeexchange??? It's allowed us to travel so much more. The one we use is flexible. You can exchange or you can give points making it easier to travel the world.
We were considering doing the full time travel but after watching several travel RUclipsr’s it seemed full time travel may not be for us. We ended up buying a townhome to have a home base. We were also concerned that if we waited to buy a place after traveling several year we might get priced out of the market. Now the plan is summer at home then head out after football seasons is over to travel to warmer climates. We always look forward to your videos as a resource to plan our adventures. Thanks for helping us realize that world travel can be affordable for the average couple.
I love the priority of football season, Bob!! 😊 If we could have afforded to keep a place and travel, we would have. Maybe someday we can rent a place to keep as our own as we travel. Thank you for watching and commenting!!
Our “home” consists of a storage shed, our doctors, a car in storage and 4 different temporary rentals plus regional pet-sitting locations! Eventually, when physical or psychological reasons mean we need to be “home,” more than not, we’ll rent a 2-bedroom apartment with a view of the water in the little town we call “home”.
TIP: You do NOT need to speak ANY local language. Voice into your phone in the Google Translate what you want to say, to the local language. Every taxi driver, Uber driver, market clerk, train station personnel etc. was soooo happy when I did that. Then, I had them voice back in my phone their response. (We learned this from a very old man while vacationing in Greece.). The locals were so thrilled and had long conversations with us that would had never happened. Brain and Carrie THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!!!!
I was able to reduce my rent so much that it makes sense to keep my place (which I don’t rent out) and travel half the year. I’ve been here since 2018, and they’ve never raised the rent. My only expenses are gas and electricity which are minimal, especially when I’m gone. I can use my US address, bank accounts, taxes, insurance, etc…and don’t need to worry about the cost or complexity of residency visas, foreign banking, taxes, insurance. I must be in the US part of the year to run my business and earn income to supplement my retirement fund. Since my business involves sourcing international goods, my travel expenses are also tax-deductible so that helps reduce the overall cost. It really is the best of both worlds!
Hi Linda, How are you able to get and rent an apartment long-term… For several years… Without any type of residency requirements? For some reason, I thought the fact of renting an apartment long term required that.
We’ve really debated the keep our home vs sell our home strategy. We were leaning heavily towards, at the very least, holding on for the first year and this video has pushed us firmly towards that decision. It means we are a year away from being able to get out there, but based on your experience believe it’s our best way forward. Thanks for sharing your journey. It is really inspiring and helpful. Hugs to you both.
I’m guessing you leave your furniture with the home? Or do you pack up everything? As in do you leave your family photos on the wall? We have several bookcases with our favorite books, Knick knacks, etc. I can’t imagine leaving that all as is… 🤔
@@dessireshallenberger2836 We got rid of a lot of furniture and belongings. What was left we were able to store in an enclosed area below our house. This allowed us to not need a storage unit. We tried to rent our house furnished at first but got no takers. Once we emptied it out it rented out quickly.
Really enjoy your vlogs. thank you. My husband and I have started our longer term travel and we do have our home base. We are fortunate that we can do both. Like you, we love where we live and we love our home. I agree with you whole heartedly that one of the key benefits in having a home base is the down time to relive our travels whether by pics, or time to reflect and talk about all we experienced. Thanks again for sharing your travels with us.
I am extremely lucky to have a very economical home base in a seasonal resort that allows me to close up in the fall, travel in the winter and return in the spring. All of the reasons you mentioned in this video are exactly why I chose to keep my home base.
You both make great points in this video! Thank you for sharing your perspectives! As a full-time travel couple ourselves, we understand that it can be tricky navigating the changes and uncertainty of traveling to different countries all of the time. We prefer slow traveling because it helps to give us the downtime needed to rest, recuperate, and reflect! 😊
Travelled for a few years without a home base, and loved the freedom and flexibility that entails. No responsibilities, worries or costs of maintaining a home. But we saw house prices continuing to grow, and we became increasingly concerned that we would be priced out of our home town (Gold Coast, Australia) when we eventually returned permanently. So we stretched ourselves to the max to buy a place, and are glad we did. It has increased in value by over 25% inside 2 years. We could never afford it now if we waited. We still travel, but less and more targeted. More like 4-6 months a year rather than 10-12 months. Like everything, there’s always a trade off. But we love having a home to return to after a long period of travel. As they say, there’s no place like home!
We have discovered 3-4 much loved “home bases” in the UK, Ireland and Europe where we spend a total of 10 months each year. We enjoy the accommodations and locations and have good relationships with the owners. We then spend a couple months each year discovering new locations or visiting the U.S. The model doesn’t require constant logistical planning or create much uncertainty about beds, kitchens, hosts, grocery stores, medical facilities, taking care other people’s pets, etc. We have time to meet new local friends and contribute to the communities. Relaxing and enriching way to travel in early retirement.
It sounds like you have figured out a great system for yourself!! 😊 We can see us doing something similar for a three month stretch before returning to our hometown for a visit.
@@BrianandCarrie Meant to say we stay a total of 10 months each year in our 3-4 familiar “home bases” in the U.K., Ireland, Croatia…then two months in new locations or back in the U.S. Easy living.
We’ve been thinking about this… have found a few “European towns” that we love so much, we’re considering ways to spend more time there. Like your thought of having “mini home bases”. 😍
Thankyou so much for this vid. We took this year off work to see if we could travel full time, before deciding to sell everything. We have had an incredible year. But, it made us realise that we aren’t ready to sell our home. We have loved coming home several times, just to regroup before heading off again. So we have made the decision to travel 6 months of the year and work the other 6 months (luckily our jobs allow us to do this). This is the only way we can do it without selling our home. Thanks again for your insights.
We have tried using a house sitter (a grandson we trust). He gets a rent free space and takes care of it. That let's us get away for 3-4months but still have a home base.
Thank you for this video, this was one I have planned to do for my Chanel. I always knew I would like to keep a home base. So I sold my family home with a mortgage and built in a cheaper neighbourhood in the same city. I designed the new house to be dual living so I rent out the front and the back of the home is mine. It gives me an income, freedom to travel and still have a home base.
I'm gonna start researching tiny homes (on Amazon) because after more than eight years of full time travel, I'm really wanting to find a home base too! The logistics part is of this type of travel is so exhausting.
I so appreciate your honesty!!! This video was very helpful as we are constantly going back and forth on whether we should have a home base or not. Thanks you so much!
After a trial run of 6 months on the road and renting our house, we came back from Europe 100% confident we would sell and live full time on the road. Then I broke my leg and was grateful we had a house to go home to and recuperate for a year. This totally changed my perspective and now we are planning on adding an ADU to have a home base and rent out the big house to fund some of our travels. There’s no such thing as one way or a “right way” to live out retirement, everyone’s circumstances and what’s important will change and as we get older, priorities shift as well. Just taking it as it comes!
We always find out there is no right way, we just have to do what is best for you. Sorry to hear about your leg but it did give you direction! 😊 Thank you for watching and commenting!
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned and your honest thoughts after three years. I echo the grocery store experience; even how to checkout, pay, and bag is a learning curve.
We have a rent stabilized apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. There is no way we were giving that up. So we have someone living there with a legal sublet for two years. So far it has worked out well. The sublet is up October 2025. We are considering not renewing the sublet and using the apartment as a home base. Truth is, when we return to visit friends and family in NYC, we hate the places we stay in. We don’t miss our home…until we are in our hometown. Friends of ours who do home swapping assure us that our apartment in Chelsea will be very attractive among the home swapping community. We are giving this serious thought. And…great video.
Thanks for this video. I love hearing about your travels, but the amount of effort involved is not lost on me. In retirement we have evolved to live a "home base" lifestyle, with places to call home in Vancouver BC (a house), Puerto Vallarta Mexico (a condo), and Washington state (a permanently situated trailer in a weekenders vacation community east of your home town, Bellingham). The house and condo we rent out when we aren't using them, so we have places to lock personal things up to create an uncluttered experience for renters). This lifestyle has it's own set of logistics attached: we always seem to be getting ready to arrive at or prepare for our departure from a location, editing belongings and managing food leftovers are constant chores, we sometimes have to hustle to get our places rented out, and it is challenging to get to all of the other travels that are of interest). All of this said, each of our "home base" locations becomes home as soon as we arrive. It would be hard for us not to have that. We have plenty of experience staying at vacation rentals, so we know firsthand that they don't always feel like home. No lifestyle is perfect, so it is good to think about what achieves that balance for you, and most importantly, what is feasible.
Great reply. I think the key message I read is "no lifestyle is perfect". So true. Each has its own challenges and elements to plan and overcome. But it is a balance of what gives you energy, and can you meet your long term life goals with your partner. Happy travels!
We have rented out both our house and granny flat in Aus. We’re thinking maybe we shall move into the granny flat and then rent it out fully furnished for either 3, or 6 months at a time. That way, we will still have a home base, but extra income when we are travelling. I can totally relate to the not being able to buy souvenirs. I left Morocco heartbroken that I hadn’t purchased a carpet!😂 Great video.
That sounds like a great plan. If we had options of renting a place out and a place to return to, we would do it in a heartbeat! We have seen so many things that we would love to purchase. 🤣
This is helpful. You have mentioned it before as an alternative. It is important to remember that there are tax implications that need to be explored in the event you rent your principal residence. It becomes income and taxable, and you lose the tax-free growth in value of your residence. Also there can be challenges, at least in Ontario, with removing a tenant once they are in your place. Careful due diligence on any renter is key. So a lot to consider, including getting out of a hot real estate market where prices seem to always go up and up, and then many years later trying to buy back in can be a challenge. Always great things to think about. Cheers!
More good perspective. This is how we plan to travel, at least initially. Our house is paid off and our daughter lives there and pays us a minimal amount of rent to help offset ongoing expenses. My wife is set on having that home base - I'm less so but I appreciate you laying out the advantages here. We'll let you know how it all works out in video form.
Great video guys. I kept my place but rented it. However that feeling of having no home is real. Appreciate your insight and hopefully our paths will cross someday. Will be in Southeast Asia for next few months. Safe travels.
Bummer! I have to tell my husband he was right again 😉! Kind of surprised you guys have come to that conclusion but that's what my husband has been saying. We also live in a nice location in coastal southern California and will probably start out by keeping the house if we can. Thanks so much for sharing. Love you guys.
I think it is refreshing to hear your rethinking of having your home base.m and all your reasons why. Many full time travellers on RUclips seem so against considering this.
I love how you both talk about the comfort of having a home to return to, but honestly, I think I’d get bored with a base and miss the excitement of new places. Anyone else feel the same?
We like the idea of having a place to come back to rest, repack, and see friends and family. When we get bored, we can start the adventure all over again.
Great video guys! Definitely a perspective that people maybe don't consider when first heading out on the great adventure of slow travels!! Have you ever considered an RV as your home base? We decided to buy an RV (much cheaper than a home) because it provides us that home space when we are home. A familiar bed, a place to keep our minimal things! We are only on our second year out and split our time half and half abroad and back in Canada in our RV, but so far, we find it a great balance. We have "our bed" to come back to etc. Just curious? Not sure if the weather in Washington would work for you since you come home multiple times a year. We would not be able to use our RV in Toronto area over Christmas! LOL. Cheers guys! Mexico looks amazing! 🍻
Only being back in Washington 3 times a year for a month at a time it wouldn't work for us. the cost, parking, maintenances, etc. of an RV isn't something that we would want to take on either. Not to mention the weather. 😁 Thanks guys for watching!! ❤️🍁
That is a big question/concern we have as we are planning to retire early at the age of 52 next year. We do own our apartment and having the rent income would be great but also having the peace of mind of having a place to go back to if needed would also be great. As of today, we are thinking of keeping our place for the first year to see how things go, this way something happens or we are not happy with what we are doing at that point, we can always come back. to accomplish this, we are trying to save as much as we can now to offset the lack of rental income that first year.
Im going to maintain a home base with my current home. I plan to travel 9 months a year. Of course my situation allows me to do so. I dont plan on becoming an Expat, slow travel works for me.
We currently don’t travel and live between our home in Alabama and apartment (near East SF Bay). When we move to travel more, we plan to keep the house because it was so inexpensive and get rid of the expensive CA apartment. We would probably only travel half the time. We’ve entertained the idea of moving to France or Italy (or possibly somewhere else) and buying an older house to fix up as we’ve done that often in the US and love it, but I think it’s just easier to keep our residence and home base in the US (at least for now).
I do appreciate your perspective and honesty. This is the area that i go back and forth on. The stuff can go, but the home base is nice. Don't know if i can afford it and travel, though. Rent out the extra bedrooms or get a tiny home... Food for thought. Thank you!
Oh yes ,the times I have yearned for my own bed or my own front door even . Due to the rising costs around travel I have given up travel for now ,I am about to move back into my home in the UK . It’s going to be tricky financially with only a small occupational pension , no rental income and no State Pension until 2026 but I see it as another adventure and am already making plans to sell up and move to Cornwall or Devon .. Once I get some extra money coming in I will be planning more trips of a few months at a time . Who knows what’s around the next corner , as all of us travellers well know ☺️.
I totally relate with wanting to buy things for the home, but having no home for them 🙂We've been trying to work this out for ourselves as well. We are half way through a year long career break with long term travel, but trying to figure out if we want a base. And if so... where and for how long?! So many questions, but the best way to find the answer for yourselves is to go out and try it. I'll be curious if at the end of the year we'll want a base or to keep going.
The great part about what we are doing is having the flexibility to change your mind as often as you want to. If we ever decide (or have the finances) to have a home base it will be a rental.
Im the American/italian dual citizen that posts occasionally. I just rent an apartment full-tianout 650 for everything...furnished, and utilities. while living in Sicily. I travel 3 to 4 whole months a year. Now, I also do house/apartment swaps. Sometimes, as short as a week, as long as in conjunction with another trade or two, to stretch for. a good month or more. Sticking to Europe. This way, the EU recognizes my Italuan healthcare. Do not need travel health care. La dolce vita, baby. 😊
We're thinking we'll travel annually between November and February to warmer places. I'm hoping we can find some house swaps so we're not paying too much rent and a mortgage too!
I think keeping our house as a base to come home to is the only way my wife would agree to traveling the world like you two do. 😂 But I get your point about being able to afford to do that. It would cost us significantly. I wonder if Airbnb or similar of the house would be a hassle if you weren't there to check in on it and paid someone else to manage it. 🤔
My daughter and best friend have vacation rentals. It can be a good way to make some extra income but not sure it's a way to get rich. Either way it's good that you can have a place and travels at the same time. Thank you for watching, Aaron!
The Home Base dilemma.... it stops so many people from traveling full-time. The best bet would be to have a duplex where you can rent out one unit long-term and the other unit short term until you need it for a brief stop over visit.
That would be ideal. We have been house sitting and staying with family when we return home, and it has worked out great so far. No rental income or place to call our own but no maintenance or hassle with renters either.
Good video. I have a home base in Cozumel, Mexico, which is a small island, so I like to travel twice a year for 2-3 months each time. I love coming home to recharge and plan my next trip, but after those 3-4 months, I'm ready to go again. I can't imagine traveling full-time.
The cons of owning a home are the upkeep, property tax, risk of sewer backups, etc. Most people don’t want to rent out their furnished home and then go back and live in it.
When I’ve rented in the past I would end up paying more each year. I bought my house in 2011 my mortgage payment was less than the house I rented but a lot nicer. Rent here has gone up so much I get notices to rent my house for $2,600 a month. No way, my mortgage is 1,100 a month. I’ve seen too many landlords whose houses got so much damage from renters I’d never be a landlord.
One of our best friends is a deputy sheriff who had difficulty getting squatters out of his rental. When he did the house was in disrepair. He sold it soon after. 😕
@ several coworkers got rid of their rentals because of this. I’ve watched RUclipsrs who show how they got rid of squatters. Just went in threw their stuff away, changed the locks brought in big scary dudes to help them. They got in illegally, it’s your place, you have the taxes, you have a right to be there. Just don’t call the cops, they don’t involve them and the squatters have no papers. They say they do but they know they are in the wrong.
I feel your pain grocery shopping. When we first began traveling, grocery stores in new countries were exciting, more of a novelty. After like the 10th country, the novelty wears off a bit, and reality sets in. You need google translate to decipher labels, which works better in some languages than others. The favorites you got used to in your previous stay frequently aren't available in the new location. You may need to buy seasonings/spices all over again. To make it worse, you remember what a joy shopping at Costco and Whole Foods used to be, especially around the holidays. We're now in Turkey, and can't even find a turkey. lol Criminal!
Home base yes and no you have good points and you should have a place to call home to get mail like tax documents court jury notices and all the junk mail that comes in the mail But you still have to pay taxes HOA fees and lawn maintenance even when you’re not there plus you have to worry about being broken into fire and all storms that can destroy your home Live free and don’t worry about all that have your kids collect your mail
We are 4-5 years away into slow travelling à la Brian&Carrie but we feel we need a home where we currently live. Don't think we will be able to afford it, so may have to rent it.
I want to keep the house but in another country. LOL, I no longer want to live in the US, but I would love to travel part-time and have a base to return to.
@@BrianandCarrie Pick a place where friends a family will love to visit, Mexico have some affordable towns and it is close to home, they will come to you. center and South America also have affordable and enjoyable towns. you can change it every year. is it all your family and friends in the same town when you go home?
Do you have the means to buy a bolt hole in a cheaper country? Something we're thinking about just to have some equity in a property. We live on two pensions, cash at 5% and long term investments. We might also be able to do house swaps if we bought on the Algarve or Spain. It's relatively cheap here in Portimao where we are for six weeks and for half of what we sold for in the U.K we could have a modern 2 bed 2 bath apartment with pool and underground garage. Although we're British and the schengen rules are a nuisance since the silly referendum which removed our right to roam freely.
We don't desire to own anything at the moment and doubt that we will have the means for some time. We do love the Algarve and see ourselves spending an extended period of time there.
We won’t be able to afford keeping our place, mainly because Canada 🇨🇦 has become impossibly expensive. Maybe we will settle down in a more affordable country, make that our home base, and travel the world from there. ✈️
Wr have the means and the cons not mentioned outweigh the pros. Just rent in your old neighborhood when you get back to solve more than half of these pros. The rest...meh not worth your time to maintain.
I hear you about having a HOME BASE but does it really have to be AT your old home base ? WHY can't it be overseas in a place you feel ''at home in '' ? Yes if being with your relatives is important, I get it. My parents are no longer around now so I don't have that pull to go ''home'' As for me I chose Brasil to buy an apartment as a BASE and travel out from there, I paid $22,000 usd for my 2br 65m2 apartment, try doing that anywhere in the US or even Mexico ! Can go anywhere in Brasil that I like for a few months or go to Europe For you Mexico would be a good home base because it's an easy flight back ''HOME''
@@BrianandCarrie Understand totally. Lot of us don't have any relatives back home, or at least any we want to visit. We thought we'd only be gone for 6 months so we put most of our furniture and tools in storage $75 a month. 5 years later we still have not gone back and our stuff is safe
@@jerrygarcia4390 AM SURE you can find that all over the country. I recently saw a nice lot fully walled in near a nice beach in JP called Lucena, $40k ! Here in the south lots run $140k
Having a home is def anti minimalist. I have always considered home either where you grew up or where your parents live. Having a house is def anti productive. It's just stuff. Get rid of stuff folks, you'll be happier. I've lived in 20 houses, never missed any of them. I do miss the neighborhood, but not the house.
Whether they are willing to live under Trump and later Vance (if Trump decides to leave office in 2028…don’t bet on it) and interact with their MAGA supporters is a key factor for most retired nomads we encounter.
Sam Weber : "Why is it what you just said strikes me as a massive rationalization?" Michael : "Don't knock rationalization; where would we be without it? I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex" Sam Weber : "Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex." Michael : "Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?" The Big Chill
I love and appreciate how Brian publicly compliments Carrie.
He's very sweet like that 🥰
Our journey has been so similar to yours. We started retirement wanting to move to Spain, but then 1) we became more informed on tax implications $$$, 2) we realized that we liked to travel more than settle in one place, and 3) we began to feel all the other points you made in your video. Now we are discussing downsizing our home in the US so we can travel more freely. We are still open-minded about moving in the future (given USA politics and all), but right now you're making a whole lot of sense to us. Thanks for sharing!
It sounds like we are on the same page on all points. We will eventually live back in the US full time but that will be several years down the road. Thank you for watching and commenting! 😊
What about doing Homeexchange??? It's allowed us to travel so much more. The one we use is flexible. You can exchange or you can give points making it easier to travel the world.
@@KeyHealthChannel We have close friends that have had great success with HomeExchange. Definitely a nice option, and worth looking further into.
We were considering doing the full time travel but after watching several travel RUclipsr’s it seemed full time travel may not be for us. We ended up buying a townhome to have a home base. We were also concerned that if we waited to buy a place after traveling several year we might get priced out of the market. Now the plan is summer at home then head out after football seasons is over to travel to warmer climates. We always look forward to your videos as a resource to plan our adventures. Thanks for helping us realize that world travel can be affordable for the average couple.
I love the priority of football season, Bob!! 😊 If we could have afforded to keep a place and travel, we would have. Maybe someday we can rent a place to keep as our own as we travel. Thank you for watching and commenting!!
Our “home” consists of a storage shed, our doctors, a car in storage and 4 different temporary rentals plus regional pet-sitting locations! Eventually, when physical or psychological reasons mean we need to be “home,” more than not, we’ll rent a 2-bedroom apartment with a view of the water in the little town we call “home”.
TIP: You do NOT need to speak ANY local language. Voice into your phone in the Google Translate what you want to say, to the local language. Every taxi driver, Uber driver, market clerk, train station personnel etc. was soooo happy when I did that. Then, I had them voice back in my phone their response. (We learned this from a very old man while vacationing in Greece.). The locals were so thrilled and had long conversations with us that would had never happened. Brain and Carrie THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!!!!
That’s a great tip, thank you for sharing! 😊
I was able to reduce my rent so much that it makes sense to keep my place (which I don’t rent out) and travel half the year. I’ve been here since 2018, and they’ve never raised the rent. My only expenses are gas and electricity which are minimal, especially when I’m gone. I can use my US address, bank accounts, taxes, insurance, etc…and don’t need to worry about the cost or complexity of residency visas, foreign banking, taxes, insurance. I must be in the US part of the year to run my business and earn income to supplement my retirement fund. Since my business involves sourcing international goods, my travel expenses are also tax-deductible so that helps reduce the overall cost. It really is the best of both worlds!
Hi Linda, How are you able to get and rent an apartment long-term… For several years… Without any type of residency requirements? For some reason, I thought the fact of renting an apartment long term required that.
We’ve really debated the keep our home vs sell our home strategy. We were leaning heavily towards, at the very least, holding on for the first year and this video has pushed us firmly towards that decision. It means we are a year away from being able to get out there, but based on your experience believe it’s our best way forward. Thanks for sharing your journey. It is really inspiring and helpful. Hugs to you both.
Thank you so much for the kind words. ❤️
helpful info... thanks!
Thank you for watching! 😁
We got a great property manager, rented out our home, and now our tenants pay for us to travel for the past 18 months and beyond. Works great for us.
I’m guessing you leave your furniture with the home? Or do you pack up everything? As in do you leave your family photos on the wall? We have several bookcases with our favorite books, Knick knacks, etc. I can’t imagine leaving that all as is… 🤔
@@dessireshallenberger2836 We got rid of a lot of furniture and belongings. What was left we were able to store in an enclosed area below our house. This allowed us to not need a storage unit. We tried to rent our house furnished at first but got no takers. Once we emptied it out it rented out quickly.
Really enjoy your vlogs. thank you. My husband and I have started our longer term travel and we do have our home base. We are fortunate that we can do both. Like you, we love where we live and we love our home. I agree with you whole heartedly that one of the key benefits in having a home base is the down time to relive our travels whether by pics, or time to reflect and talk about all we experienced. Thanks again for sharing your travels with us.
We're glad you enjoy our vlogs, Victoria! Thanks for watching and safe travels! 😊
I am extremely lucky to have a very economical home base in a seasonal resort that allows me to close up in the fall, travel in the winter and return in the spring. All of the reasons you mentioned in this video are exactly why I chose to keep my home base.
Same! We love the RV home base to return to in the summer months!
Curious re economical home base
I was thinking of this as an option....
@@ca4270 Van/RV is like a home and car in one!! 👍🏻
You both make great points in this video! Thank you for sharing your perspectives! As a full-time travel couple ourselves, we understand that it can be tricky navigating the changes and uncertainty of traveling to different countries all of the time. We prefer slow traveling because it helps to give us the downtime needed to rest, recuperate, and reflect! 😊
I’m just a part time traveler so keeping my home is a must. I’m going to work on paying it off.
Not a bad idea!
We are planning on ripping off the bandaid and go full in like you have. Thanks for sharing so much information. T-minus 18 months.
Thank you for watching, Christian!
Travelled for a few years without a home base, and loved the freedom and flexibility that entails. No responsibilities, worries or costs of maintaining a home. But we saw house prices continuing to grow, and we became increasingly concerned that we would be priced out of our home town (Gold Coast, Australia) when we eventually returned permanently. So we stretched ourselves to the max to buy a place, and are glad we did. It has increased in value by over 25% inside 2 years. We could never afford it now if we waited. We still travel, but less and more targeted. More like 4-6 months a year rather than 10-12 months. Like everything, there’s always a trade off. But we love having a home to return to after a long period of travel. As they say, there’s no place like home!
We have discovered 3-4 much loved “home bases” in the UK, Ireland and Europe where we spend a total of 10 months each year. We enjoy the accommodations and locations and have good relationships with the owners. We then spend a couple months each year discovering new locations or visiting the U.S. The model doesn’t require constant logistical planning or create much uncertainty about beds, kitchens, hosts, grocery stores, medical facilities, taking care other people’s pets, etc. We have time to meet new local friends and contribute to the communities. Relaxing and enriching way to travel in early retirement.
It sounds like you have figured out a great system for yourself!! 😊 We can see us doing something similar for a three month stretch before returning to our hometown for a visit.
@@BrianandCarrie Meant to say we stay a total of 10 months each year in our 3-4 familiar “home bases” in the U.K., Ireland, Croatia…then two months in new locations or back in the U.S. Easy living.
We’ve been thinking about this… have found a few “European towns” that we love so much, we’re considering ways to spend more time there. Like your thought of having “mini home bases”. 😍
Could you share locations. I’m curious re Croatia and England 🏴 thank you 🙏
Thankyou so much for this vid. We took this year off work to see if we could travel full time, before deciding to sell everything. We have had an incredible year. But, it made us realise that we aren’t ready to sell our home. We have loved coming home several times, just to regroup before heading off again. So we have made the decision to travel 6 months of the year and work the other 6 months (luckily our jobs allow us to do this). This is the only way we can do it without selling our home. Thanks again for your insights.
It is nice that you found a way to make it work!! Thank you for sharing and for watching the channel!! 😊
We have tried using a house sitter (a grandson we trust). He gets a rent free space and takes care of it. That let's us get away for 3-4months but still have a home base.
Thank you for this video, this was one I have planned to do for my Chanel. I always knew I would like to keep a home base. So I sold my family home with a mortgage and built in a cheaper neighbourhood in the same city. I designed the new house to be dual living so I rent out the front and the back of the home is mine. It gives me an income, freedom to travel and still have a home base.
That is an amazing plan! We didn't have an option but don't think that we would want to own another home again.
I'm gonna start researching tiny homes (on Amazon) because after more than eight years of full time travel, I'm really wanting to find a home base too! The logistics part is of this type of travel is so exhausting.
You've done it longer than most! 😊 I actually know someone that just bought one and she has a full-time job.
I so appreciate your honesty!!! This video was very helpful as we are constantly going back and forth on whether we should have a home base or not. Thanks you so much!
Glad it was helpful! It can be different for each individual. Figuring out what works best for you is important. Thank you for watching! 😊
After a trial run of 6 months on the road and renting our house, we came back from Europe 100% confident we would sell and live full time on the road. Then I broke my leg and was grateful we had a house to go home to and recuperate for a year. This totally changed my perspective and now we are planning on adding an ADU to have a home base and rent out the big house to fund some of our travels. There’s no such thing as one way or a “right way” to live out retirement, everyone’s circumstances and what’s important will change and as we get older, priorities shift as well. Just taking it as it comes!
We always find out there is no right way, we just have to do what is best for you. Sorry to hear about your leg but it did give you direction! 😊 Thank you for watching and commenting!
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned and your honest thoughts after three years. I echo the grocery store experience; even how to checkout, pay, and bag is a learning curve.
Thank you for watching, Jackie! 😊
We have a rent stabilized apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. There is no way we were giving that up. So we have someone living there with a legal sublet for two years. So far it has worked out well.
The sublet is up October 2025. We are considering not renewing the sublet and using the apartment as a home base. Truth is, when we return to visit friends and family in NYC, we hate the places we stay in. We don’t miss our home…until we are in our hometown.
Friends of ours who do home swapping assure us that our apartment in Chelsea will be very attractive among the home swapping community. We are giving this serious thought.
And…great video.
Home swapping is becoming popular. You absolutely should look into it! Thank you for watching, Jim!!
Thanks for this, we are about to retire and want to do this. Perhaps move to a bungalow but travel all winter but spend the summer at home in England.
I’m sure everyone misses you Brian! 😊
😁
Very cool to talk about this side too
Thank you! 😊
Thanks for this video. I love hearing about your travels, but the amount of effort involved is not lost on me. In retirement we have evolved to live a "home base" lifestyle, with places to call home in Vancouver BC (a house), Puerto Vallarta Mexico (a condo), and Washington state (a permanently situated trailer in a weekenders vacation community east of your home town, Bellingham). The house and condo we rent out when we aren't using them, so we have places to lock personal things up to create an uncluttered experience for renters). This lifestyle has it's own set of logistics attached: we always seem to be getting ready to arrive at or prepare for our departure from a location, editing belongings and managing food leftovers are constant chores, we sometimes have to hustle to get our places rented out, and it is challenging to get to all of the other travels that are of interest). All of this said, each of our "home base" locations becomes home as soon as we arrive. It would be hard for us not to have that. We have plenty of experience staying at vacation rentals, so we know firsthand that they don't always feel like home. No lifestyle is perfect, so it is good to think about what achieves that balance for you, and most importantly, what is feasible.
Great reply. I think the key message I read is "no lifestyle is perfect". So true. Each has its own challenges and elements to plan and overcome. But it is a balance of what gives you energy, and can you meet your long term life goals with your partner. Happy travels!
That’s a great setup you have, and it sounds like you’ve figured out how to make it work for you! We may be in Puerto Vallarta next spring!
We have rented out both our house and granny flat in Aus. We’re thinking maybe we shall move into the granny flat and then rent it out fully furnished for either 3, or 6 months at a time. That way, we will still have a home base, but extra income when we are travelling. I can totally relate to the not being able to buy souvenirs. I left Morocco heartbroken that I hadn’t purchased a carpet!😂 Great video.
That sounds like a great plan. If we had options of renting a place out and a place to return to, we would do it in a heartbeat! We have seen so many things that we would love to purchase. 🤣
This is helpful. You have mentioned it before as an alternative. It is important to remember that there are tax implications that need to be explored in the event you rent your principal residence. It becomes income and taxable, and you lose the tax-free growth in value of your residence. Also there can be challenges, at least in Ontario, with removing a tenant once they are in your place. Careful due diligence on any renter is key. So a lot to consider, including getting out of a hot real estate market where prices seem to always go up and up, and then many years later trying to buy back in can be a challenge. Always great things to think about. Cheers!
Very true Robert, I have a few friends that used to be landlords. Its great until it's not! 😁🍁
More good perspective. This is how we plan to travel, at least initially. Our house is paid off and our daughter lives there and pays us a minimal amount of rent to help offset ongoing expenses. My wife is set on having that home base - I'm less so but I appreciate you laying out the advantages here. We'll let you know how it all works out in video form.
It’s a great plan. We are finding that our current path is working for us but always wonder what it would be like to have a place to call home.
Thanks for your well earned insights. It actually helps a lot.
We appreciate that, thank you for watching! 😊
Great video guys. I kept my place but rented it. However that feeling of having no home is real. Appreciate your insight and hopefully our paths will cross someday. Will be in Southeast Asia for next few months. Safe travels.
Bummer! I have to tell my husband he was right again 😉! Kind of surprised you guys have come to that conclusion but that's what my husband has been saying. We also live in a nice location in coastal southern California and will probably start out by keeping the house if we can. Thanks so much for sharing. Love you guys.
We've learned a lot in the last few years of travel, and we're still adjusting our plans! 😊 You never know what works best for you until you do it.
I think it is refreshing to hear your rethinking of having your home base.m and all your reasons why. Many full time travellers on RUclips seem so against considering this.
It seems that everyone has a different perspective on full-time travel. 😊 We don't want to sugarcoat what we do, we love it but there is a downside.
I love how you both talk about the comfort of having a home to return to, but honestly, I think I’d get bored with a base and miss the excitement of new places. Anyone else feel the same?
We like the idea of having a place to come back to rest, repack, and see friends and family. When we get bored, we can start the adventure all over again.
Great video guys! Definitely a perspective that people maybe don't consider when first heading out on the great adventure of slow travels!! Have you ever considered an RV as your home base? We decided to buy an RV (much cheaper than a home) because it provides us that home space when we are home. A familiar bed, a place to keep our minimal things! We are only on our second year out and split our time half and half abroad and back in Canada in our RV, but so far, we find it a great balance. We have "our bed" to come back to etc. Just curious? Not sure if the weather in Washington would work for you since you come home multiple times a year. We would not be able to use our RV in Toronto area over Christmas! LOL. Cheers guys! Mexico looks amazing! 🍻
Only being back in Washington 3 times a year for a month at a time it wouldn't work for us. the cost, parking, maintenances, etc. of an RV isn't something that we would want to take on either. Not to mention the weather. 😁 Thanks guys for watching!! ❤️🍁
@@BrianandCarrie totally makes sense. We are limited by the weather as well, which limits our time in our "home" to summer months.
Most nomads choose a journey back to staying in their home country within about five years. Looks like you are on that same path. Continued good luck.
You have mentioned this before. We are now on year 4 and have no plans to stop our current path of travel. 😁
That is a big question/concern we have as we are planning to retire early at the age of 52 next year. We do own our apartment and having the rent income would be great but also having the peace of mind of having a place to go back to if needed would also be great. As of today, we are thinking of keeping our place for the first year to see how things go, this way something happens or we are not happy with what we are doing at that point, we can always come back. to accomplish this, we are trying to save as much as we can now to offset the lack of rental income that first year.
We understand the desire for peace of mind and agree that keeping your place for the first year is a great option!
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you too! ❤️
Im going to maintain a home base with my current home. I plan to travel 9 months a year. Of course my situation allows me to do so. I dont plan on becoming an Expat, slow travel works for me.
Slow travel works for many, including us. We are glad you found your way! Thank you for watching and safe travels!! 😊
We currently don’t travel and live between our home in Alabama and apartment (near East SF Bay). When we move to travel more, we plan to keep the house because it was so inexpensive and get rid of the expensive CA apartment. We would probably only travel half the time. We’ve entertained the idea of moving to France or Italy (or possibly somewhere else) and buying an older house to fix up as we’ve done that often in the US and love it, but I think it’s just easier to keep our residence and home base in the US (at least for now).
It would have been nice, but we are happy with the decision that we made.
I do appreciate your perspective and honesty. This is the area that i go back and forth on. The stuff can go, but the home base is nice. Don't know if i can afford it and travel, though. Rent out the extra bedrooms or get a tiny home... Food for thought. Thank you!
You’re welcome, enjoy your travels and thank you for watching! 😊
Dorothy said it all: "There's no place like home!"
Oh yes ,the times I have yearned for my own bed or my own front door even . Due to the rising costs around travel I have given up travel for now ,I am about to move back into my home in the UK . It’s going to be tricky financially with only a small occupational pension , no rental income and no State Pension until 2026 but I see it as another adventure and am already making plans to sell up and move to Cornwall or Devon .. Once I get some extra money coming in I will be planning more trips of a few months at a time . Who knows what’s around the next corner , as all of us travellers well know ☺️.
Part of the excitement of what we do is not knowing what is around the corner. 😁
Great information! Thank you! 😊
Thank you for watching!! 😊
I totally relate with wanting to buy things for the home, but having no home for them 🙂We've been trying to work this out for ourselves as well. We are half way through a year long career break with long term travel, but trying to figure out if we want a base. And if so... where and for how long?! So many questions, but the best way to find the answer for yourselves is to go out and try it. I'll be curious if at the end of the year we'll want a base or to keep going.
The great part about what we are doing is having the flexibility to change your mind as often as you want to. If we ever decide (or have the finances) to have a home base it will be a rental.
Walmarts in Mexico are an interesting cultural experience. Very different from back home
Im the American/italian dual citizen that posts occasionally. I just rent an apartment full-tianout 650 for everything...furnished, and utilities. while living in Sicily. I travel 3 to 4 whole months a year. Now, I also do house/apartment swaps. Sometimes, as short as a week, as long as in conjunction with another trade or two, to stretch for. a good month or more. Sticking to Europe. This way, the EU recognizes my Italuan healthcare. Do not need travel health care. La dolce vita, baby. 😊
The best of both! Healthcare is always something that we need to be a where of. Thank you for posting!!
We're thinking we'll travel annually between November and February to warmer places. I'm hoping we can find some house swaps so we're not paying too much rent and a mortgage too!
That's a great idea and would save you so much in accommodations. Perfect time to escape the PNW as well.
This is our plan. Fortunately we are older parents, which gives us free house sitters and rent free place for our children to live in.
1:34 or a pineapple shirt.😉 I can see it framed on one of your children's walls.😉👍
🤣
I think keeping our house as a base to come home to is the only way my wife would agree to traveling the world like you two do. 😂 But I get your point about being able to afford to do that. It would cost us significantly. I wonder if Airbnb or similar of the house would be a hassle if you weren't there to check in on it and paid someone else to manage it. 🤔
My daughter and best friend have vacation rentals. It can be a good way to make some extra income but not sure it's a way to get rich. Either way it's good that you can have a place and travels at the same time. Thank you for watching, Aaron!
Good idea. My issue is affording even a small Home in the USA. So it may be a home base in another more affordable country!
We definitely could not afford a place in the USA and travel, so we are making it work!
Nicely said
The Home Base dilemma.... it stops so many people from traveling full-time. The best bet would be to have a duplex where you can rent out one unit long-term and the other unit short term until you need it for a brief stop over visit.
That would be ideal. We have been house sitting and staying with family when we return home, and it has worked out great so far. No rental income or place to call our own but no maintenance or hassle with renters either.
At least you have a dentist in Turkey!! :) I recommend the smiles dental clinic in Bangkok!
We have had a lot of great dental care on the road so far! 😊
@@BrianandCarrie probably better than the dentsta in the US
And a lot less expensive!
Good video. I have a home base in Cozumel, Mexico, which is a small island, so I like to travel twice a year for 2-3 months each time.
I love coming home to recharge and plan my next trip, but after those 3-4 months, I'm ready to go again. I can't imagine traveling full-time.
We just spent over two months in Mexico and had an amazing time! We are looking forward to going back next spring! 😊
The cons of owning a home are the upkeep, property tax, risk of sewer backups, etc. Most people don’t want to rent out their furnished home and then go back and live in it.
When I’ve rented in the past I would end up paying more each year. I bought my house in 2011 my mortgage payment was less than the house I rented but a lot nicer. Rent here has gone up so much I get notices to rent my house for $2,600 a month. No way, my mortgage is 1,100 a month. I’ve seen too many landlords whose houses got so much damage from renters I’d never be a landlord.
One of our best friends is a deputy sheriff who had difficulty getting squatters out of his rental. When he did the house was in disrepair. He sold it soon after. 😕
@ several coworkers got rid of their rentals because of this. I’ve watched RUclipsrs who show how they got rid of squatters. Just went in threw their stuff away, changed the locks brought in big scary dudes to help them. They got in illegally, it’s your place, you have the taxes, you have a right to be there. Just don’t call the cops, they don’t involve them and the squatters have no papers. They say they do but they know they are in the wrong.
I feel your pain grocery shopping. When we first began traveling, grocery stores in new countries were exciting, more of a novelty. After like the 10th country, the novelty wears off a bit, and reality sets in. You need google translate to decipher labels, which works better in some languages than others. The favorites you got used to in your previous stay frequently aren't available in the new location. You may need to buy seasonings/spices all over again. To make it worse, you remember what a joy shopping at Costco and Whole Foods used to be, especially around the holidays. We're now in Turkey, and can't even find a turkey. lol Criminal!
You're absolutely right, the novelty wears off. Especially when you can't find a turkey in Turkey!! 🤣
Home base yes and no you have good points and you should have a place to call home to get mail like tax documents court jury notices and all the junk mail that comes in the mail But you still have to pay taxes HOA fees and lawn maintenance even when you’re not there plus you have to worry about being broken into fire and all storms that can destroy your home Live free and don’t worry about all that have your kids collect your mail
All great points. We have our mail sent to our parents' house for all the important docs. Everything else we don't need to deal with! 😁
We are 4-5 years away into slow travelling à la Brian&Carrie but we feel we need a home where we currently live. Don't think we will be able to afford it, so may have to rent it.
We wouldn't be able to afford a home and travel the way we do. We could do one or the other.
I want to keep the house but in another country. LOL, I no longer want to live in the US, but I would love to travel part-time and have a base to return to.
It can be anywhere that you feel comfortable calling home! 😊
You can always keep a home base in a less expensive country
But then we aren't home with friends and family. 😊
@@BrianandCarrie Pick a place where friends a family will love to visit, Mexico have some affordable towns and it is close to home, they will come to you. center and South America also have affordable and enjoyable towns. you can change it every year. is it all your family and friends in the same town when you go home?
Yes, most of our family and friends live in our hometown. Our parents can't travel easily...
Uhhmmm yum, how about that taco soup recipe?!
I don't really have a specific recipe, it varies by what sounds good and what we have to add 😊
Would you consider buying property outside the US that is cheaper? Or do you have a long term plan? Or is it just to continue to be a nomad? :)
Here is a video that will answer that question. 😁
ruclips.net/video/9w7iHTBXUiQ/видео.html
hahahaha I WANT TACO SOUP with love hahaha hilarious
jeff south cali guy enjoy
🤣
If you have no US home base, how do you file your taxes, or does that go away?
That does not go away! You always have to file your taxes. 😊
Do you have the means to buy a bolt hole in a cheaper country? Something we're thinking about just to have some equity in a property. We live on two pensions, cash at 5% and long term investments. We might also be able to do house swaps if we bought on the Algarve or Spain. It's relatively cheap here in Portimao where we are for six weeks and for half of what we sold for in the U.K we could have a modern 2 bed 2 bath apartment with pool and underground garage. Although we're British and the schengen rules are a nuisance since the silly referendum which removed our right to roam freely.
We don't desire to own anything at the moment and doubt that we will have the means for some time. We do love the Algarve and see ourselves spending an extended period of time there.
We won’t be able to afford keeping our place, mainly because Canada 🇨🇦 has become impossibly expensive. Maybe we will settle down in a more affordable country, make that our home base, and travel the world from there. ✈️
That was our thinking as well! We will see what life brings! Thank you for watching!! 😊🍁
@ We are big fans. We Love you guys! 👍
Thank you!! ❤️😊
3 years already?!?!?
I know!! Crazy how fast time go's by!!
Also to hedge inflation.
Wr have the means and the cons not mentioned outweigh the pros. Just rent in your old neighborhood when you get back to solve more than half of these pros. The rest...meh not worth your time to maintain.
Or house sit and stay with family as we do.
@@BrianandCarrie best of all worlds. nailed it.
I hear you about having a HOME BASE but does it really have to be AT your old home base ?
WHY can't it be overseas in a place you feel ''at home in '' ? Yes if being with your relatives is important, I get it. My parents are no longer around now so I don't have that pull to go ''home''
As for me I chose Brasil to buy an apartment as a BASE and travel out from there, I paid $22,000 usd for my 2br 65m2 apartment, try doing that anywhere in the US or even Mexico !
Can go anywhere in Brasil that I like for a few months or go to Europe
For you Mexico would be a good home base because it's an easy flight back ''HOME''
It can be anywhere that you feel comfortable calling home. We have family and friends to return to and enjoy the familiarity of where we are from.
@@BrianandCarrie Understand totally. Lot of us don't have any relatives back home, or at least any we want to visit.
We thought we'd only be gone for 6 months so we put most of our furniture and tools in storage $75 a month. 5 years later we still have not gone back and our stuff is safe
Wow, congrats! Which city did you settle in Brazil? The cheapest land I saw (with no structure) was $40,000.
@@jerrygarcia4390 AM SURE you can find that all over the country. I recently saw a nice lot fully walled in near a nice beach in JP called Lucena, $40k ! Here in the south lots run $140k
Having a home is def anti minimalist. I have always considered home either where you grew up or where your parents live. Having a house is def anti productive. It's just stuff. Get rid of stuff folks, you'll be happier. I've lived in 20 houses, never missed any of them. I do miss the neighborhood, but not the house.
I agree, it’s definitely about the experience and not the things!
Whether they are willing to live under Trump and later Vance (if Trump decides to leave office in 2028…don’t bet on it) and interact with their MAGA supporters is a key factor for most retired nomads we encounter.
Sam Weber : "Why is it what you just said strikes me as a massive rationalization?"
Michael : "Don't knock rationalization; where would we be without it? I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex"
Sam Weber : "Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex."
Michael : "Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?"
The Big Chill
Love it!!! 😁