Live in the South of France for cheap

I like seeing people's reactions when I tell them we are going to live in the South of France.

People get the impression that we're super-rich.

I've got news for you. We aren't. Not in the slightest.

So how are we doing it?

Well, for one, we've done something this year that few Canadians or Americans do anymore -- we've put money into a savings account.

That's right -- we resisted the incredible consumer spending urge and actually put away a few bucks for a rainy day.

And how'd we manage that?

The biggest savings, by far, came from neither of us owning a car for 14 months. This Globe & Mail article pegs the annual cost of car ownership between $8,500-$14,000.

Even subtracting TTC passes, tokens, car rentals and ZipCar, we each saved approximately a crapload of money by not driving.

This had its drawbacks and inconveniences, of course. But in hindsight, it's a tradeoff I would make again.

Meanwhile, our flights to Paris booked with TravelCuts cost less than $500 each.

What about our accommodations in Nice?

We used a site called HomeAway to find a long-term furnished rental.  The rent is about the same as our downtown Toronto condo. Except that all utilities and Internet are included. So really, it's even cheaper.

That means that 3 months of living in beautiful southern France, by the ocean, will be far cheaper than weathering another Toronto winter.

Of course, it does mean we have to sell all our furniture -- which is a giant pain in the butt, no doubt. (Email me if you know someone who needs a bed, couch, tv, desk, shelves or coffee table :)

Isn't that all a lot of work?

In a word, yes. There's a ton of work and planning to make something like this happen.

It's not a lifestyle for the lazy or complacent.  Like anything in life -- you get out what you put in.

We decided travel was a priority, so we made it happen.

There are lots of other things we have to scale back on or defer, but it's a conscious decision we're both very happy with.

What will you do when you get back?

Good question! Our plan so far is mapped out to the end of April 2012.

We have some ideas, but we'll have to see where the wind takes us... :)

Please keep in touch with your favorite method -- Email, Facebook, Phone (I have a local Kitchener number that forwards to my computer), etc.

We'll do our best to do the same, and keep you all updated on our adventures!

T minus 2 months to France!

As some of you may already know, Melissa and I were recently accepted for a one-year working holiday to France!

We had our interview (which we conducted mostly in French) on November 18th, and received our visa in the mail the following week.

I've been taking French classes at Alliance Francaise 3 days a week, and Mel has been practicing her French writing her resume and calling up places in France.

I will continue to grow my startup, PMRobot, as well as managing consulting projects for Syllogistic Software, working remotely and following 4HWW principles.

We're leaving Toronto for Paris on January 8th. After a few days in Paris, we're kicking off the trip with a cross-country of Italy, flying south to Naples on the 13th, then slowing heading north via Rome, Tuscany, Vienna, and Milan.

From there we'll go west to Nice, where we'll be planting roots for a whole 3 months. It's been a lifelong dream of mine to live in the south of France, so here comes another check on the ol' bucket list :)

After that? We'll likely travel further west to check out Spain's spring festivals, then north as we head into summer.

As much as we'll miss all of our friends and family here in Canada, we're both very excited about experiencing European life and culture for a whole year.

As usual, you'll be able to follow our progress in pictures on Picasa Web, and via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

We look forward to keeping in touch and hearing from you during our travels!

How to: Plan a trip overseas in 5 steps

With all of the travelling we've done recently, we have the planning down to a science.

Step 1: TripAdvisor

First we hit up TripAdvisor and check out their "Things to Do" section.

Step 2: Google Maps

Then we map out everything we want to see and do on a shared Google Map, so we can start grouping things that are close together.

Step 3: Google Docs

Next, we create a shared Google Doc, start listing the attractions, and figuring out which day to do what. Once we start booking flights, trains, hostels, etc., all the times and confirmations numbers go here.

Step 4: Mobile phone/apps

For this trip, I've used the Labs feature in Android Google Maps to download all of London for offline use, in case I don't have a mobile signal. I've also installed two different apps that give live train and tube schedules.

Step 5: Paper

As great as technology is, it's not quite perfect. Laptops and phones can break or run out of battery power. Before we leave, we always print out a few copies of our most important information, just in case we can't access it electronically.

That's it!

Just remember that steps 1-3 do take a while, and you'll often come back and update them as you get advice from people on what to see, or realize that you've scheduled way too many things for one day :)

Hope this helps. Happy travels!