sadu
12-17-2009, 01:32 AM
So, I have just finished a 9 month mini-retirement across Europe.
Damn straight, the best time of my life. I thought I'd make a few notes here for others.
Firstly, a little about me - which should help give a bit of perspective (ie what works for me might not work for you).
I'm from New Zealand, 31, married with 2 kids (2 and 4). So our big European trip was with 2 kids in tow, which makes it way harder. I'm a web developer by trade, so it's perfectly suited for working remotely. While overseas, I was working at about half strength, and travelling / drinking beer the rest of the time. I'm a long way from the 4 hour work week, but I'm doing ok.
We loved Germany. 2 months in Berlin and 4 months in a small winemaking town in the South West. Berlin was a lot safer than I expected, and a really really well thought out city. It was surprisingly kid-friendly. We had a furnished apartment (105 sqm) including power and gas in East Berlin for 750 euro a month. Looking back now, this seems like a really good deal. It's especially good that we didn't have to open a power or gas account, which can be a hassle (esp with the language barrier).
We spent a month in London. London is a bit shit unless you have loads of cash or a job in London. Everything, and I do mean everything, was hugely expensive. I spent most of the month huddled at a tiny desk trying to earn enough money to go and see some stuff. Don't let anyone tell you that the beer is "cellar temperature". It's warm.
Paris is cool to visit. Don't take a car, there is no parking and the subway is great so you don't need one. Paris isn't particularly kid-friendly, we got pretty tired of folding and unfolding prams to make it onto the subway. Don't go in the middle of summer, you won't get in to see anything. Go at either end of the peak season.
Ireland is a great place to visit, hopeless place to live (at least it was for us). We lived there for 2 months and the red tape / beaurocracy in getting ourselves setup was crazy. Everyday stuff like registering your car becomes a day-long exercise as the public servants send you off on wild goose chases across the country to the wrong place. Next time, we will rent a car and go for a couple of weeks and have a great time. Ireland is very beautiful - get out of the cities and go see the country.
We found that the best experiences of the trip were the ones where we stayed with the locals. By far. Touristy stuff - way distant second.
Make sure you contact every person you ever met in the country you are going and say you want to come visit. You will be amazed at how generous people are, and how much better your trip becomes as a result. Use Facebook to strengthen these relationships.
If you don't know anyone, consider using couchsurfing.com as a way of avoiding the hotels / tourist stuff and getting a proper experience.
We are now back in New Zealand and have effectively carried on the trip by moving to a new town. Instead of being in the big city, we are now in a lovely small town in the south island which has a lot to offer (including decent broadband). I'm still working remotely on web development work, and everything is business as usual but from yet another remote location.
The only real negative of this experience was that our storage locker leaked over winter, and the insurance company wouldn't pay out because it was "gradual damage". Lost some nice furniture, and was a real hassle unpacking and cleaning everything else that wasn't ruined.
If you are single, no kids, no commitments - then this trip should be a piece of cake. We have basically uprooted our entire lifestyle to get this experience and it's been totally worth it.
Damn straight, the best time of my life. I thought I'd make a few notes here for others.
Firstly, a little about me - which should help give a bit of perspective (ie what works for me might not work for you).
I'm from New Zealand, 31, married with 2 kids (2 and 4). So our big European trip was with 2 kids in tow, which makes it way harder. I'm a web developer by trade, so it's perfectly suited for working remotely. While overseas, I was working at about half strength, and travelling / drinking beer the rest of the time. I'm a long way from the 4 hour work week, but I'm doing ok.
We loved Germany. 2 months in Berlin and 4 months in a small winemaking town in the South West. Berlin was a lot safer than I expected, and a really really well thought out city. It was surprisingly kid-friendly. We had a furnished apartment (105 sqm) including power and gas in East Berlin for 750 euro a month. Looking back now, this seems like a really good deal. It's especially good that we didn't have to open a power or gas account, which can be a hassle (esp with the language barrier).
We spent a month in London. London is a bit shit unless you have loads of cash or a job in London. Everything, and I do mean everything, was hugely expensive. I spent most of the month huddled at a tiny desk trying to earn enough money to go and see some stuff. Don't let anyone tell you that the beer is "cellar temperature". It's warm.
Paris is cool to visit. Don't take a car, there is no parking and the subway is great so you don't need one. Paris isn't particularly kid-friendly, we got pretty tired of folding and unfolding prams to make it onto the subway. Don't go in the middle of summer, you won't get in to see anything. Go at either end of the peak season.
Ireland is a great place to visit, hopeless place to live (at least it was for us). We lived there for 2 months and the red tape / beaurocracy in getting ourselves setup was crazy. Everyday stuff like registering your car becomes a day-long exercise as the public servants send you off on wild goose chases across the country to the wrong place. Next time, we will rent a car and go for a couple of weeks and have a great time. Ireland is very beautiful - get out of the cities and go see the country.
We found that the best experiences of the trip were the ones where we stayed with the locals. By far. Touristy stuff - way distant second.
Make sure you contact every person you ever met in the country you are going and say you want to come visit. You will be amazed at how generous people are, and how much better your trip becomes as a result. Use Facebook to strengthen these relationships.
If you don't know anyone, consider using couchsurfing.com as a way of avoiding the hotels / tourist stuff and getting a proper experience.
We are now back in New Zealand and have effectively carried on the trip by moving to a new town. Instead of being in the big city, we are now in a lovely small town in the south island which has a lot to offer (including decent broadband). I'm still working remotely on web development work, and everything is business as usual but from yet another remote location.
The only real negative of this experience was that our storage locker leaked over winter, and the insurance company wouldn't pay out because it was "gradual damage". Lost some nice furniture, and was a real hassle unpacking and cleaning everything else that wasn't ruined.
If you are single, no kids, no commitments - then this trip should be a piece of cake. We have basically uprooted our entire lifestyle to get this experience and it's been totally worth it.