Author Topic: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?  (Read 2242 times)

holly78

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Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« on: August 12, 2019, 01:42:08 PM »
Hi everyone -- I'm in my early thirties, single, and FIRE'd with a few pups. Last winter up in the northern midwest was especially difficult for me after a few months of bleakness. This January or February I'm hoping to take a road trip with my dogs to somewhere warm/beachy, reasonably priced, and with a nice enough pet-friendly AirBnB/FRBO where I could stay for a month-ish. I think that being a in a new locale for a little while might help me kick-start some of my passion projects (writing, entrepreneurial, etc.) as well. Any suggestions? Thanks!

H

stoaX

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2019, 02:36:34 PM »
  Given the dogs, is it safe to assume you are driving? While I have no specific place to recommend, I do suggest you consider what the closest warm/beachy places are. Saving some gas, wear and tear on the car, and perhaps even avoiding a night in hotel on the way there and back can help reduce the expense.

Eurotexan

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2019, 04:30:05 PM »
Sounds amazing so posting to follow. This is one of my FIRE goals, slow travel with the pups!

I don’t really have any recommendations except you will have to go pretty far south for good winter weather unless you can go last minute based on the weather forecast. I am in a Texas and some winter days are in the 70s and beautiful, other days it’s in the 30s and crappy.

xbdb

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2019, 07:08:39 PM »
Key West?  As far as writing goes, it worked out well for Hemingway. :-)

Rdy2Fire

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2019, 08:05:32 PM »
Welcome!!

Key west is nice but a little pricey and FAR from you.. If distance and $$ doesn't matter then Key West or the Key's in general are nice. If doing FLA and in your 30's I'd give some consideration to Tampa/Clearwater or West Palm as it's a bit younger demographic and less $$. Of course FLA in winter will be pricey since everyone goes to escape so maybe going to the pan handle will save you some more $$ and if you don't care about a place that has action you can look at coastal Mississippi, Mobile Alabama or even the Carolina's but they won't be as warm etc. 

Much Fishing to Do

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2019, 09:01:43 AM »
Sounds amazing.  Warm, Beachy, and with pups narrows it some, but I think the other critical question is how populated/happening/quiet do you want it to be?

Most places from the northern midwest you can drive south for a (full) day and hit the gulf at multiple places, so I think you've got a lot of options that wouldn't include hotel expenses.  If you head east you really have to get down to Georgia or below to be relatively warm that time of year (I love the carolinas in October, but after that its a bit cool with the breeze to walk the beach and call it warm)
« Last Edit: August 13, 2019, 09:03:28 AM by Much Fishing to Do »

holly78

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2019, 12:06:12 PM »
Yes, I'll be driving (one of my dogs definitely wouldn't fit under the airplane seat in front of me). As amazing as Key West sounds, I think it's a little too far! There's nothing particularly 'close' unless you consider Lake Michigan beachy in January (ha), but I'll pull up Google Maps and try to look up some routes. Realistically I'm okay with spending a little extra money on this -- I haven't taken any kind of trip for a year so that's not a huge consideration for me. I do love to travel, but I'm tired of traveling alone, so that's been holding me back lately.

I'm not much for night life, but I do appreciate great food and it would be nice to have some people around -- I'm not looking for total isolation! Haha.

Thanks to everybody for your suggestions!

(Also, it's really, REALLY frustrating to answer these prompts for verification every time I post. Quick way to alienate people who just want to participate.)

Rdy2Fire

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2019, 02:34:30 PM »
Yes, I'll be driving (one of my dogs definitely wouldn't fit under the airplane seat in front of me). As amazing as Key West sounds, I think it's a little too far! There's nothing particularly 'close' unless you consider Lake Michigan beachy in January (ha), but I'll pull up Google Maps and try to look up some routes. Realistically I'm okay with spending a little extra money on this -- I haven't taken any kind of trip for a year so that's not a huge consideration for me. I do love to travel, but I'm tired of traveling alone, so that's been holding me back lately.

I'm not much for night life, but I do appreciate great food and it would be nice to have some people around -- I'm not looking for total isolation! Haha.

Thanks to everybody for your suggestions!

(Also, it's really, REALLY frustrating to answer these prompts for verification every time I post. Quick way to alienate people who just want to participate.)

I get the traveling alone.. It's a love hate as I am soon to embark on like 10-12 weeks international and solo. I'd go back to my suggestion of panhandle of FLA but you mentioned great food so maybe break up the trip with a couple of weeks in multiple places, which may allow you to go further and include someplace like New Orleans for a week or two for some great food :)

holly78

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2019, 02:21:54 PM »
Thanks! Never been to New Orleans, that's a great idea. Maybe I'll split it up after all...

MasterStache

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2019, 05:31:18 AM »
I am friends with a guy who retired a couple years before me (conventional retirement age). Every year him and his wife rent a Condo down in Siesta Key Florida for an entire month, usually in January. He said it's really cheap being off peak that time of year. That's probably what we will do once the kids are gone. 

Cannot Wait!

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2019, 09:56:14 PM »
Check out Bob Wells' Cheap RV Living blog if you like to camp...I spent 5 months camping for free on BLM lands in Arizona last winter.  Awesome for doggos and easy to meet people.

MetalCap

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2019, 07:11:19 AM »
Charleston, SC is awesome, fairly warm but not as far as "only 4-forever more hours" city, Florida
Folly Beach is especially awesome.  Dog friendly and the food in Charleston is awesome.  Highly recommend it.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Post-FIRE Winter Trip?
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2019, 04:21:31 AM »
You dont have to go that far to get away from the Brutal North weather. I like you live in the upper north and it was a brutal winter. I dont know much about air bnb's but I would look into places in Tennessee and Kentucky as well as other central states and perhaps be near a larger University to take advantage of all the stuff they have going on. For example Knoxville is a great inexpensive City and you can be in NC in an hour. Take trips to Nashville etc.. Guess it depends on what you want to do. Otherwise I would look into Alabama the Gulf Shores area. I know several people that go there that love it and its alot less $ than say like florida. Good luck wish I could do that but while fire'd not there yet .

 

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