On Becoming a Snowbird
As we were coming up to our retirement years, we spent a fair bit of time talking about what we wanted our retirement to look like. We are proud Canadians, having no desire to live anywhere else, but John, in particular, was eager to escape the harsh Canadian winters and spend two or three months out of the cold.
Our original plan, one that we may circle back to in a few years, was to enjoy each winter in a different location, taking that three months to explore and get to know each place. The one thing we knew for sure was that we had no interest in going to Florida. Most of our thoughts were on the Caribbean and Mexico. If it had great weather and a beach it would meet the criteria.
As stated in one of our first blog posts, shortly after retiring we were thrown into the world wide pandemic. Just prior, we were fortunate enough to celebrate our retirement with an amazing 2-month trip that consisted of two separate cruises. After arriving back home we, along with the rest of the world, were sent into lockdown for what would be a year and a half of no travel.
As we were coming up to our second winter of lockdown, we made the decision to rent a condo in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, that belongs to friends of ours. It would be easy, we felt, to stay there, be able to enjoy outdoors, and still be safe.
Here we are, 4 years later, still wintering in Punta Cana, in the same complex. It's safe to say that upon our arrival four years ago that we fell in love with Punta Cana and over the next several blog posts I'll be sharing our experiences here, and why it's a great place for snowbirds.
Smart choice skipping Florida — Punta Cana sounds like an amazing winter escape! Looking forward to reading more about your experiences there Thank you for visiting my blog!
ReplyDeleteFlorida is where my parents generation all went during the winter months. It has become way too expensive there now. We were looking to do something different
DeletePunta Cana looks beautiful. There are a few people at work who have vacationed there, and they quite enjoyed it. Some of the activities look very affordable. I am excited to read your upcoming posts!
ReplyDeleteIt's a very affordable place to vacation, or stay longer term.
DeleteIt looks like a beautiful place and I would love being there with a cool beverage and a bag full of books. I can't wait to hear more.
ReplyDeletesounds like you would fit in perfectly in Punta Cana
DeleteHow neat that you found a winter home and fell in love with it! I'll look forward to hearing more about it. Glad your retirement is going well.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Sadly, our time here is wrapping up until next winter.
DeleteHappy to hear you have found a winter home. I live in Arizona and we’re known for snowbirds here. Our 55+ community consists of 60% Canadians. Sure hope that the way our country is going, you’ll still be heading south for the winter.
ReplyDeleteSadly, all our Stateside trips have been put on hold - except for the trips down to visit our son and daughter-in-law who are in Virginia. I hope things change in the future because there's a few places we wanted to visit in the US.
DeleteWhat a beautiful story and such a smart way to ease into retirement life! I love that you were intentional about how you wanted to spend those winter months and stayed open to what life threw your way. Punta Cana sounds like it ended up being the perfect fit—sometimes the best adventures are the ones that happen a little off-plan. My wife and I ended up in Florida...
ReplyDeleteCan’t wait to read more about your experiences in PC!
Be Well.
Paul
you're right - the best adventures happen when our plans fall through and we have to pivot.
DeleteThat is such a wonderful thing to hear. As we start thinking about what next (though we have a few years to go still to retire), i love to read such stories and store up on ideas. Punta Cana sounds amazing
ReplyDeleteWe started planning years ahead. Part of the fun is in the research and planning.
DeleteNice to meet you, Barbara. I'm a fellow Canadian, in Saskatchewan. Usually our winters are colder but nowadays, it's not at all predictable. I'm happy you didn't choose Florida. Nothing against Florida but Elbows Up, Canada!
ReplyDeleteElbows up!! Over the boards! All this blew up since we arrived here in January. We're going home to a united country. It's been amazing to see the country come together.
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