Kerry on Leaving the US & Moving to Ecuador

My main motivation for moving abroad was that I didn’t want to work until I died.

During COVID we lost a lot of friends and I was afraid I would die in my job, or have to become a Walmart greeter for the rest of my life and I could not see a way to make ends meet retiring in the US. So, money was a motivating factor.

I looked at many videos about cheap living in the US and they all said, “It’s cheap here, but there’s nothing to do and healthcare is awful.” Then I started thinking about overseas and eventually found Amelia And JP’s YouTube Channel and their videos were quite inspiring.

Initially, I was afraid to move because I worried that I wouldn’t be able to acclimate to the elevation in Cuenca, Ecuador. BUT! I figured if I didn’t, we would move to another country.

After watching Amelia and JP, I realized it was ok to travel places until you found a new home.

Our biggest obstacles were selling all of our possessions and learning Spanish. It’s really hard getting rid of things you love. We did use an incredible Estate agent; however, we still had items left. We couldn’t even give some of it away (even to the church!) and made daily trips to the dump with things like china or crystal.

We were unable to sell the house so we still have it, but with have amazing tenants.

I am taking Spanish, and probably will for the rest of my life.

I could never live this amazing life in the States. I am so busy with friends and going out, listening to music, dancing, cooking classes, restaurants, and art. It would be unaffordable to do in the States and is very inexpensive here.

The food is incredible, fresh and not processed, and affordable. 5 avocados for $1.00. 30 eggs for under $4.00.

I’ve made so many great friends in Ecuador. I do have some very good Ecuadorian friends. There is a built in comradery with people who have left their homes and moved abroad and meeting them and becoming friends can become unmanageable with the sheer number of people I meet who I really like.

People who up and move are inherently very interesting. You don’t really talk about your past here, you just are accepted for who you are now. If someone talks about how important they were in their jobs, I generally move onto someone else. I want to hear about the art show you attended, the symphony, a new restaurant – what you are doing now.

I’ve gone on a lot of day trips, to the hot springs, the coast, the Amazon, and also saw whales for the first time.

Healthcare is great. I had a swollen hand today and walked to a pharmacy. They diagnosed it (bugbite) and gave me medicine for under $10.00. Turns out my doctor is between offices, was working in their clinic, took a quick peek and recommended the exact same thing the pharmacist did.

I can get same day Dr visits for $40, and x-rays for under $100 without insurance. The healthcare is similar to what I got in the States, but I can afford it and don’t have to wait. If the doctor or dentist says 10:00 you may wait three minutes. Given the money I save on living here in terms of rent and healthcare, I am able to look forward to an adventuresome future.

Amelia and JP inspired me to make the move, and showed how easy it could be. It was easy. The Move Abroad eCourse showed how to navigate the details and costs. Because of that, I contacted a guy who helps with money management and asked him if I could afford it. I could and I do.

As a bonus, I was completely able to navigate Cuenca when I moved here because of them. I knew where Parque Calderon was and how to branch out from there. I knew which way to get on the Tranvia to get to where I needed to go.

My advice? Move now. I think the younger you are, the more you can enjoy it. I wasn’t interested in doing an exploratory trip after Amelia & JP’s videos and Move Abroad eCourse, but my husband was more hesitant so we did an exploratory trip.

It would be great to have moved at age 50 like some of our friends. Even without much in the way of money.

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JP Stonestreet

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Hola todos! Welcome to my author bio page! Let's see. Where to begin... I grew up in the country on a lake outside a small Kansas farm town. As soon as I could, I got the hell outta there! Since then, I've lived and/or worked in Kansas City, Washington D.C., Denver, San Francisco, and Ecuador. I started and sold a dotcom, wrote a book about it, started a YouTube channel, and now I write a lot. Amelia and I have embraced the Unconventional Life and we want to help you do it, too!