Kim and Mike in Ecuador

Written by JP Stonestreet

My husband Mike (age 73) and I (age 68) moved from Hudson, Ohio (in northeast Ohio) to Cuenca, Ecuador on May 15, 2024 and we have never regretted our decision.

Due to the nasty politics going on in the U.S., the rising cost of food and healthcare and the hot humid summers and icy cold winters in Ohio, we decided that our final years should be spent someplace more acceptable to us.

Around 2021, we began talking about which state to move to that would at least have better weather but the few states that we both liked weren’t really motivating us to undergo the stress of packing up and moving our lives.

Then I saw and article in a travel magazine talking about all the expats that had decided to leave the U.S. for foreign countries and after reading the article, it started sparking some interest with us.

However, after reading dozens of articles about these countries, someone posted an answer indicating that “Amelia & JP” had some videos on YouTube that might help. We found their videos online and watched everything we could.

We were absolutely fascinated by all the information they provided so I started writing everything down from their favorite restaurants or bakeries, to hotels they stayed in and local customs that they found interesting and different.

While deciding where to move, we also talked earnestly about any fears we had about such a lifestyle change. We had one big factor in our favor which was other than my husband’s sister, we really had no other immediate family.

However, there were many other factors we were concerned about, such as learning Spanish, would we find someplace to live that was affordable and safe, could we bring our pets, but mostly, HOW do we do this type of a move?

I had no idea what a Visa was but learned we needed to have one to stay in the country longer than our passport allowed!

We read as many books, articles and watched as many YouTube videos as we could find, and finally decided we needed to take an exploratory trip to Cuenca to ensure that we could tolerate the altitude. The city we lived in was only about 300 feet above sea level and Cuenca is around 8,400 feet above sea level!

At this point, I saw a post about an Ecuador Relocation eCourse offered by Amelia and JP and I bought it. After reading thru it the first time, I was a little confused by all the items on the move abroad checklist that comes with the course…I had moved many times over the years and never did half of these tasks!

However, I soon came to realize how invaluable this checklist was, and that I really did need to do all of these things! Amelia and JP had done all these things and were now living in Ecuador, so I figured I would just do what they did!

We started out by scheduling a 3 week exploratory trip to Cuenca and within a day or two of landing in Cuenca, we knew we were home…and which lead to us absolutely hating to leave when the 3 weeks were up!

During this trip, we made the decision what day to move to Cuenca and it gave us exactly 5 months from the date we returned to Ohio, to sell our house, sell our car, sell 90% of our belongings, and decide how to do everything needed in Ohio and everything needed to do in Ecuador. Once we had a “move to Cuenca date” (May 15th), the move began in earnest and that checklist was never far away from me for 5 months.

Because I had been reading the local expat newspapers and online articles for the past year, I was able to see names of people and companies who were “recommended” by other expats for the services they provided. Along with my notes and the local news sources in Cuenca, we decided that due to everything we needed to do at home to prepare, that we were going to “farm out” a lot of the tasks that, given enough time, you can also do yourself. But for us, we decided it was best to hire companies who would handle these tasks.

We reached out to Gringo Visas, Relocation Services of Ecuador and even a company to handle the moving of our 2 dogs and 1 cat.

These tasks can ALL be done on your own, however, I do suggest you realize that all the forms you need to complete will be in Spanish. Everything was handled perfectly, pets arrived when expected, our belongings arrived and were cleared through customs, and our lives just fell back into place.

We stayed at Apartamentos Otorongo for 3 weeks on our exploratory trip and loved the place. Since they allowed pets, we booked them for a month when we moved here with our pets. While there, we met a wonderful Canadian couple who moved here 2 years earlier and are still renters at the hotel. I have made several new friends and seem to meet new people every week.

We have spent a lot less money living here than in the US, we eat better and my husband lost over 50 lbs in 6 months because of all the walking that we do. We take taxis most everywhere, but most of our rides cost $3.00 which also includes a tip.

My husband had to have a pacemaker inserted last month and while we had to pay for the procedure in full since his prior heart condition made it a Pre-Existing issue, it was amazingly inexpensive and he received incredibly great care at the hospital.

We started working twice a week with a Spanish teacher and we are improving each month. We found a beautiful to rent within 2 weeks of moving here and I started selling my homemade greeting cards at the local Feria (fair) once a month, and even though there is no postal system in this country, people seem to want cards!

We eat out when we want, we attend various meetings to learn about new things available to do in the city, attend plays and in a few weeks, we are starting acting lessons at the local theater, something we never thought we would be doing in our lives!

If you have concerns about moving overseas, other than family issues, be sure and get a copy of the Amelia and JPs Checklist, it is invaluable. And just know that there are wonderful companies available to help you, by Ecuadorians who speak English and have done their jobs successfully for years.

Remember to do your own research rather than just reading what people post on Facebook, but for Mike and I, our move to Ecuador is a dream. It took me about 2 months living here and thinking I was just on a vacation, before I realized, I did not have to go home…I was home.

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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!