Two lovers off to see the world – There’s such a lot of world to see!
Welcome to our site.
Our Story
We’re Geoff & Leanne your average Australian couple that have made what many consider to be an extraordinary decision. At the beginning of 2017, we took the decision to retire early, pack up, leave the security of normalcy and routine, and depart our homeland with only a suitcase each and most importantly a positive, adventurous attitude.
We purchased a 12-metre motorboat in England, renamed her Sunshine Coast in honour of our former home and now spend about five months each year cruising the rivers, canals and coastlines of Europe. In September each year, when it gets too cold in Europe for boating, we put our boat into “hibernation” and continue our travels via providing lectures aboard luxury cruise ships and by pet-sitting.
Enrichment
Since our decision to retire so many people have said to us “You’re brave” or followed our experiences and wishfully stated that we’re “living the dream” but virtually anyone can do this. As for living the dream, we never dreamt that we would be able to achieve the things that we have, or enjoy the lifestyle so much.
Our goal is to educate, encourage and enrich people with the knowledge that a great lifestyle is out there once you’re able to break through the pre-conceived notions of what life is supposed to be like. One thing that Covid has taught everyone, is that we don’t know what’s around the corner, maximise the life that you have while you can.
Adventure
For over 20 years home was the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia a one-hour drive north of the state capital Brisbane. The “Sunny Coast” is a truly beautiful place and many people would say that we were blessed to be able to live, work and play in this wonderful region and be content with what we have. But it’s a big, beautiful, interesting world out there folks and opportunities abound if you’re open to them, and willing to accept a challenge. Remember you’re a long time dead!
Plans A through Z
We knew before we retired that we didn’t have the financial capacity to retire and continue to maintain a home in Australia while we spent time on the boat in Europe, so our original plan was to spend six months cruising aboard MV Sunshine Coast and the balance of the year living somewhere cheaper. We chose the Malaysian island of Penang to be that home away from home. This decision was based on the fact that Penang has a large expat community, is relatively inexpensive to live and has a laid-back atmosphere. Just what we were looking for.
But as you will see plans constantly change. You need to be flexible.
Just by sheer fluke and by being open to opportunity, Geoff was given the chance to provide a series of lectures relating to Maritime Adventurers and Explorers aboard a luxury cruise ship for a four-week cruise through the Orient. As part of the deal, Leanne was able to accompany Geoff throughout the cruise. Close to the end of the cruise, Geoff was summoned to the Cruise Directors office and was advised that his passenger feedback score was “off the charts” so we were offered more and more speaking opportunities aboard cruise ships. Prior to Covid, we were spending about four and a half months traveling the world aboard luxury ships. This was an amazing help to our budget, because for all that time we didn’t have to pay for accommodation, meals, drinks, entertainment, or transfers. Geoff is now considered one of the pre-eminent cruise ship lecturers, and Viking Ocean Cruises have appointed him as one of their Resident Historians.
We fill in any gaps in our schedule by providing house and pet-sitting services. We love doing this. Due to our nomad lifestyle, we’re not able to have pets of our own which is something that we really miss, so pet-sitting, where we go into someone’s home to care for their “fur family” while they take a holiday is perfect for us. It means that the pets maintain their usual routines, diets and exercise programs, as well as getting one on one attention, care and love from us. In return we have accommodation in some wonderful locations and get our “fix” of the unconditional love that only pets can provide.
In 2012 we had the opportunity to self-drive a 10-metre fibreglass boat through the rivers and canals of the Burgundy region of France for two weeks. It was, at that time, we both agreed, the best holiday of our lives. While we were there, we met lots of Brits, Kiwi’s and Aussies who spend six months cruising through France on their own vessels, and the other six months back home. We had found our dream retirement lifestyle, and thought why not us?
But retiring in Australia anytime soon was way outside of our financial means, so these dreams were put on hold. That was until one day a friend said, “Why come back to Australia, there are cheaper places around the world to live.”
Once again that got us thinking and planning. Geoff spent hours looking at “boat porn” on the internet and researching the best vessel for what we were looking to do, the lifestyle we wanted and what came within our budget.
We didn’t expect we would have the opportunity to retire until we were both well into our 60’s but things took an unexpected turn.
Lea’s position was made redundant in July 2016 and the prospects of a 55-year-old finding another job on the Sunshine Coast were slim. Geoff checked into our superannuation retirement benefits, and suggested to a very sceptical Leanne, “Why not just retire now, buy the boat in England and cruise the canals while we’re still fit and healthy enough to do so”? We sought some professional financial advice to confirm our figures, double checked with a second opinion and then triple checked (did I mention that Lea is cautious). The consensus was that if we gained some income from leasing out the house, that had been our home for the past 20 years and were able to manage a budget, it was going to be possible.
On the 6th of February 2017, we bid farewell to family and friends, boarded a plane with only one suitcase each and started the adventure – Destination Penang, Malaysia.