The roots of our desire for location independence are much older and a story for another day. But the story for today is our journey to taking a leap and trying to find location independence. This story started during 2020 about two to three months into the nightmare that was 2020.
Our apartment was amazing for us. It had beautiful floor to ceiling windows, fixtures that we would have chosen ourselves, and the right amount of amenities without an excess that would drive up price. However, the best feature was the walk-ability of the apartment. After all, this is what we love about the city–everything is right outside your door. Never a boring moment. Until 2020…
I will start with the blessing of being in the city. At the beginning of 2020, when we weren’t sure if this was the zombie apocalypses or a simple flu or somewhere in between, we did not want to leave the apartment. In the city, we had no need to leave. We were able to have our groceries, dining, and about anything we needed delivered. But, a few months in, we quickly became bored at the loss of all the city had to offer. We yearned to get out of the city and stay in a place with more space–or any place that was not within the four walls of our apartment.
So, while most people found the importance of home during the pandemic, we encounter the opposite. Even while I was laid off, paying for our apartment did not burden us. But paying for the apartment did keep us from leaving the city and renting an Airbnb for a month or two. After more information and safe ways of visiting family surfaced, we were able to go stay at my parents’ house in their garage apartment. These trips helped us escape, but left a sense of unsatisfied adventure.
Where we are in our journey to location independence…
So here we are….we’ve taken the leap. We let our apartment lease go, downsized immensely, and got a car. This is happening. Come along with us as we share a realistic view of what it is like to find location independence. We aren’t minimalists, but we are learning to live more mobile. While we don’t camp in our car and aren’t in the #vanlife movement, we are finding ways to move our belongings into a car more long term. While we are seeking a more flexible and free lifestyle, we still have traditional jobs that are now remote. We like to learn and explore as many possibilities as we are able. Our income allows us to enjoy luxury but even more, we LOVE a good deal. So, we are often somewhere between budget and luxury.
Along the way to location independence, we will share tips, tricks, what works and what doesn’t work, reviews, guides, and plenty of stories.