We strongly believe that when plans aren’t working out, and life isn’t flowing smoothly, it’s time to take a step back and follow the path of least resistance. Our path this last year was a bit of a roller coaster, and although it was full of exciting and adventurous times, there were quite a few uncertainties and it just felt like something was missing.
Thankfully, we’ve found that something.
Where must We Go?!
While we were in Manzanillo, Mexico and not too pleased by the city, we were debating where to go next.
Not knowing which direction to take felt unsettling, and was a pattern throughout the past year. While checking out with family in Mexico, doubts about our next movements were regularly in the back of our minds. trying to decide where to travel is simple, but finding somewhere that checks all of the boxes when it pertains to living for longer periods of time, that’s much easier said than done.
Eating, drinking, checking out and beaching in Manzanillo – but, where must we go next?
We were back and forth in our minds between Asia and Europe and at one point, we even thought about staying in Mexico due to the fact that we couldn’t come up with anywhere else that felt right.
Why were we trying to force living in Europe when it wasn’t working out? (We nearly got scammed over $3,000 when trying to book a place in Lisbon!)
Why were we considering flying from Mexico all the way back to Southeast Asia?
Why stay in Mexico when we felt like it was time to step on?
Eventually, we made a decision it was best to return to Grenada, a destination that we know and love. We booked a flight from Manzanillo and after a couple of days, we touched down on the Isle of Spice! As soon as we landed and were greeted by our pals and dog, we knew we’d made the ideal decision. This little Caribbean country was the answer all along, and was the missing something.
Grenada…we reach!
Why Did We choose The Island of Grenada?
If you’ve been following our journey, you’ll know that we fell in love with this West Indies island back in 2014 when we came for our first pet sitting job. With its rocky coastline, hidden beaches, lush jungle and colourful towns, Grenada is a gem.
Since we’ve spent a lot more than 1.5 years in Grenada in total, we feel a lot more like residents than tourists, and always take pleasure in finding local things to do. A good pal of ours recently said “In Grenada, you need to make your own fun”. This is true in that there aren’t lots of “typical” things to see and do – historical sites, large shopping malls, squares, plazas, museums, cafes and pedestrian streets are lacking on the island (although, as of recently there’s a bowling alley and a microbrewery!).
This is fine with us though, as there are many adventures to be had if you’re ready to find them, which we are. We love liming with pals at a secluded beach, going for a picnic at one of our much-loved spots, or searching for new jungle hikes. To us, Grenada is all about the nature and this time around, we’re looking forward to revisiting our secret hangouts, and discovering new ones with our friends.
Not only are there a lot of outdoorsy things to do in Grenada, but the island is rustic and unpretentious, and has an authentic Caribbean vibe, which is what we love a lot of about it.
The huge majority of the population here are descendents from Africa, with a small amount of indigenous Arawak and Carib people. The rest of the population is mostly comprised of Indians, French and English. Unlike lots of islands in the region, Grenada still retains its Caribbean charm – complete with standard food, architecture, music, dance and festivals. We love the spicy meals, national dishes and fresh produce, and of course, the soca & steelpan tunes and the crazy carnival season!
While there is a terrific local and expat community, there’s also a really eclectic mix of people who temporarily live and check out this island. There are thousands of students (predominently American) who are attending the SGU medical University, “yachties” and sailors who dock here during hurricane season, all-inclusive tourists who check out the resorts, Grenadians from abroad who are checking out their native country, and finally, cruise ship travellers who call to port here for a day.
It’s absolutely an interesting mix!
Grenada will always feel like our second home and we thank the locals for accepting us and welcoming us as “Canadian Grenadians” whenever we return.
More Grenada Articles
The utmost guide to travelling in Grenada
A travel guide to the best beaches in Grenada
Travel to Grenada: The utmost budget Guide
Aboard The Savvy: A Sunset Sail in Grenada
61 amazing things To do in Grenada
House & Pet sitting in Grenada
Last year, we made a decision to take some time off from housesitting to appreciate spontaneous travel and to be available for tourism marketing campaigns (which we are hired for because of this travel blog) if they came up. While we did take pleasure in a commitment-free year, and were able to take part in some extraordinary press trips, we were longing for “our” pet dog and the island life.
Trekking through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan on a press trip was incredible, but we missed “our” dog
Unfortunately, we missed out on our two regular pet and house sitting assignments here in Grenada due to our inability to commit in time. and sadly, other pet sitters have been hired for the job. But, as things seem to opt for us, everything is falling into place.
Just the other day, we’ve been hired for a month-long house and pet sitting job, which is just down the road from where we currently are! It’s a stunning home with wonderful ocean views. We’ll be taking care of two rambunctious, charming 3 year old dogs, while receiving complimentary accommodation and a automobile for our use. We’re looking forward to a lot more downtime on our much-loved island…but it may be hard to leave the house with a view like this:
Views from the house we will be moving into in just a few days
Although our next home is luxurious, where we’re staying now is a dream and it’s exactly what we needed after overeating, overdrinking and overdoing it in Mexico.
The home is serene and idyllic. We’re literally surrounded by jungle on one side and the ocean on the other. We’ve been enjoying the silence and reconnecting with one another. Our bodies are rejuvenating and cleansing from the months of neglect, and we’ve been eating wholesome foods, drinking much less alcohol and taking care of ourselves. This place has been a little retreat, and is somewhere we’re going to miss when we step on to our next locale in Grenada.
Our front yard – not a bad view!
By the time we step on to our pet sitting job, we will have stayed at this “wellness spa” for a little over a month. It’ll be really sad to say goodbye to our pals who own this place (and our dog!) who have so graciously hosted us. We’ve been invited to stay here longer, but we don’t want to overstay our welcome and want to give them back their privacy. Although an exceptionally generous offer, it’s time for us to go.
The rocky coastline of Grenada
Our Remote work Lifestyle
As you can imagine, moving around the world and taking a 2 month hiatus from online work in Mexico indicated that our web site was somewhat set aside. rather than writing, marketing and optimizing our blog, we were busy eating tacos and drinking margaritas on the beach.
Thankfully, considering that we’ve created a passive income model for our business, we didn’t suffer too much financially, but we haven’t progressed as much as we would’ve liked. many projects were put on the backburner and emails weren’t replied to on a timely basis, often costing us thousands of dollars.
The work was “piling” up, which was a big aspect in us wanting to stay put for a while here in Grenada.
When we sat down and thought about where we actually lived this past year (as opposed to travelled), the list of destinations was pretty short, and the duration even shorter. In 2017 we spent 2 weeks in Valparaiso, Chile, 10 days in Brighton, England, 1.5 months in Koh Samui, Thailand, 2 months in Canggu Bali, Indonesia and 1.5 months in Manzanillo, Mexico. The remaining 6.5 months were spent travelling from place to place.
Working in Canggu – that was way back in September!
Our time in Bali was broken up by a 2 week scuba diving press trip, a week of visitors and my unexpected return to Canada for 2 weeks. In Manzanillo, we were there strictly to spend time with our 15 family members who pertained to check out us during our stay.
We are a lot more than ready for some laptop time!
We love our job and the fact that we can’t wait to get back to work is something we’re very grateful for. being able to live where we want, while setting our own work hours is an extraordinary feeling, but experiencing this journey together is the icing on the cake.
We’re a lot more than delighted to be back at workOur to-do list of things we want to achieve on the blog while we’re here in Grenada is fairly long, but we are looking forward to all of it. We have no plans to leave the island anytime soon. The only plan is to take pleasure in the company of our pals and each other, explore the island, write some killer articles about our recent travels and about the digital nomad lifestyle and let our minds and bodies invigorate for a while. We’re going to just “be” and see what happens. We’re feeling healthy, delighted and alive. We’re thrilled to be back “home” and know that it’s where we need to be ideal now.
Have you ever felt a little burned out from too much travel or from checking out pals and family for a long time? how did you get rid of it? comment below!
Become a Pet Sitter / house Sitter!
As with any new business, our funds were a bit low when we first started blogging. While we were sitting in a cafe in Uzbekistan in 2013, we made a decision to join trusted Housesitters – which is the largest online platform for house sitters and homeowners. considering that 2014 we’ve been enjoying the company of furry pals and the perk of complimentary accommodation.
Click here to join trusted Housesitters and receive complimentary accommodation around the world. We’ve house and pet sat in Grenada, Barbados and Costa Rica and get many uses each day for sits in Europe, Australia and beyond. enter GOAT10 to receive 10% off the yearly membership fee.
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