September 11, 2020
Amelia and JP are living the unconventional life in a small beach town in Ecuador. They are also this week’s podcast interview. We dive into what brought them to this part of South America. It is certainly a familiar theme with most travelers and ex-pats. I absolutely enjoyed this interview and they are just as pleasant as they seem to be. Listen to their fascinating story, and how they are adjusting to life in Olon, along with the cost of living and how they are helping others achieve the dream.
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Living The Beach Life In Ecuador With Amelia & JP
It’s always nice to meet kindred spirits, even if only virtually. I had been following Amelia and JP through their very popular YouTube channel and it was nice to finally be able to chat with them. The conversation flowed nicely since we had so much in common. Leaving America for greener pastures. A new place that offers a more relaxed way of life, and at a more reasonable cost. What’s not to love?
Their research led them to Ecuador, so they went for a visit, and quickly realized it would be their new home. Back to America to sell up it was!. First stop was in the big bustling city of Cuenca, and now in the small beach town of Olon where they are enjoying getting to know the locals, and loving the company of their two dogs. The fact that they are able to work online from anywhere with a good wifi connection is perfect for their lifestyle.
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Highlights of loving beach life in Ecuador include:
- Why they chose Ecuador for their ex-pat life.
- Their jobs and Amelia being able to transition to working at home for the same company.
- What made them decide to leave the U.S. and JP’s health problems.
- The healthcare in Ecuador, and comparing it to America.
- What they miss most about the U.S.
- Landing in Cuenca and loving it.
- Why they left Cuenca for Olon.
- Adjusting to small-town living in the beach town.
- Transportation in a small town.
- How the coronavirus affected their lives upon arrival.
- Safety in Ecuador, as a whole, and in Olon.
- Finding restaurants that cater to their vegetarian lifestyle.
- What amenities they miss most.
- Getting to know the neighbors.
- How their Spanish is progressing, and what JP would like to do to the person who decided it was a good idea to assign gender to Spanish objects! 🙂 . I agree totally. I would love to do the same …. haha!
- Advice for anyone thinking of making the move to Ecuador, and what they must bring.
Listen to the show here, on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other listening apps. Don’t forget to subscribe.
You can get in touch with Amelia and JP via:
Their live abroad website and
On their YouTube channel where you can follow their unconventional lives.
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Other podcasts of interest:
Rolling with life punches in Portugal
I love the fact that Amelia and JP decided to make a break for it so to speak. In their words “if we can do it, you can too”. I think the older l get, the more I realize that life is not guaranteed to anyone and it’s better to try things while you can. Oh, and guess what? good health is not guaranteed either.
I also love the fact that they have not only embraced their new lifestyle, but they also have become part of the community. Realizing how a lot of their neighbors were hurting thanks to the pandemic, they spearheaded a drive to collect donations such as food and money for those in need through their YouTube channel. That is very commendable. You can see some of the activities on videos on the channel, and make sure to subscribe.
How about you dear readers? Any plans for travel, either vacation or your very own carefully orchestrated jailbreak from wherever you are?
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Great podcast! It was informative and sounded like you had fun doing it. Thanks!
Thanks Ed! So glad you liked it. It was a whole lot of fun talking with them. Like l had known them for the longest time which makes it all the more enjoyable. Thanks for listening.
Kemkem, I really enjoyed this podcast. Sounds like they are able to have a much better quality of life in Ecuador. It is great that they are both able to work location independent, earning a good salary from the US and living somewhere with a lower cost of living. Health care would always be a priority for me when choosing a place to live, but sounds like that they have it covered in Ecuador. It is certainly a beautiful country to live. Wise words at end for others who want to follow on their footsteps.
Thanks Gilda. I had so much fun with JP and Amelia and enjoyed listening to their story. I think having work from anywhere job is ideal for expats. Mix that with your money going further, and it’s a winning combination. I’ve never been to Ecuador but it is definitely a place l would like to visit. A friend of mine is from there, and she speaks lovingly of home… and we have actually eaten some Ecuadorian dishes at restaurants here in Valencia that she considers good.
Exactly!!! I found myself nodding at many points in the interview and could actually say my experiences living in different countries is similar to Amelia’s and JP’s. In fact, if I had any regrets about making the jump abroad, it would be that we didn’t do it a lot sooner. How awesome that they took the leap earlier as they’ll have many more years to enjoy a life that’s slower paced and has an increased quality of living instead of running along a hamster wheel just trying to keep up. Their enthusiasm was infectious and I enjoyed sharing your conversation!
It’s hard not to nod when you hear others who have or are experiencing the same things. I love their story. I find that a lot of people just blow the smoke, but when it comes time to actually pulling the trigger, the fear takes over and paralyzes them. It’s really too bad. One can always go back, but not to try? Regrets all the way. I’m glad you enjoyed the podcast. It was fun for me too, and l think it’s great that they are boosting peoples confidence and helping them take the leap.
That’s a good podcast. There’s another beach town in Ecuador named Manta that holds some allure. A larger place and popular with ex-pats. The big problem with places like Ecuador and Panama is they use US currency. Even though the cost of living is lower, by the time you take currency exchange into affect that’s another 25% or more. Even Belize with their currency fixed 2:1 with the US dollar Of course that is less of a problem for US citizens who are paid or pensions in US currency, but it’s a disadvantage to the rest of the world. I also heard Ecuador has excellent care homes for much lower than the same service in the United States. Another ex-pat had written about getting their disabled relative into one of those places after they relocated and everyone is happy with the lower cost of living and better quality of life.
Thanks Cheryl. I’ve heard of Manta as well as a destination for ex-pats. I remember when we were considering Panama as a possible future home. With all things considered, it was too expensive, and at that time it was being pushed by the big magazines and the prices kept rising. We wanted to be in Panama City, and when you looked at the rents, it was out of our reach of comfort and we didn’t want to be in rural places that would have been cheaper, but would have been so far from anything we wanted to do and see.
Yeah, it is a disadvantage to people to the rest of the world, but you gotta do what’s best for yourself. Ecuador and Mexico seem to be stepping up as far as care for older people, which is fantastic. It was an oversight that needed to be corrected and someone/company is making bank. Awesome! Better than being gouged in the states.
The Hamster Wheel! Now this is something I’m going to start using instead of the Rat Race as indeed it makes more sense!
Ecuador was actually one of the first countries I was dreaming about moving to back in 2008-2009 when I first heard about the digital nomad movement. Back then, I was reading that in Ecuador you can live like a king for $500 per month and I was, of course, like… I want to live like a king! Hahaha. Even though this never happened in the end, Ecuador does sound like an idyllic place to be in and I think that the move to closer to the beach is always a good idea.
I’ve always used the hamster wheel when l talk about the endless rat race. It does indeed make more sense.
Thanks for the laugh, picturing you imagining life as a king.. haha! I remember those days before it shifted to Thailand for 500 dollars, and so on. The desire for a better living has always been there, and it’s so nice that people are starting to realize that there is more to life than just work and debt. Ecuador definitely is a place l want to visit as l hear so much good about it. I have a dear friend here who hails from Ecuador and she speaks so lovingly of her home. I keep threatening to go with her on her next visit there :-). Can’t quite agree with you on living by the beach though … haha… that l can do without! Unfortunately for Fede who would like to live beachfront if he could. Yuck!!!! 🙂