A New Adventure For RetiredAndTravelling West In Canada
This year we embarked on a new adventure moving RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada. For many years we vacationed regularly on the west coast of Canada in British Columbia (BC). At one time, each of our 3 children lived there. So this was a natural choice for us to consider for relocation one day. We looked for the right place to buy in British Columbia and found the Sunshine Coast near Vancouver. And we put our Toronto condo up for sale. When the plans all aligned, we began the work to relocate across the country.
The RetiredAndTravelling travel blog site was a bit quiet this year. Many people wrote to make sure all was still well with us. But the relocation plans just consumed all our time. Even if we did travel during this period too! But we will resume our travel blogging soon!
Our Relocation Plan
The first part of our new adventures began when we found the perfect spot on the Sunshine Coast. And then decided to renovate a large part of the townhouse before we moved in. We got a great head start in the renovations with lots of pre-planning before the sale closed and a long 6 week stay on the Sunshine Coast.
The second part of any move was leaving the old place. We successfully purged some of our accumulated belongings. And we spent a few weeks packing the contents of the condo and two storage lockers. And of course we were surprised at how much we still had to move!
Since we started this year without a defined plan to buy or sell property, we had firm vacation plans scheduled for two different trips during the same time frame. And they could not be changed at the last minute. So while we cruised in Norway for the Northern Lights, we did major planning for our renovations. And in the middle of packing the condo, we headed off for a 12 day Caribbean cruise. It was good to take a break from a very busy time at home. But the vacations added more planning complexity.
Once the condo was packed, we headed off and drove from Toronto to move west. We did this drive between Toronto and Vancouver several times before so we knew how to plan this trip. But we were anxious to settle in, so this was less of a vacation than a transit. We looked forward to relaxing in our beautiful new home with a view of the ocean relocating RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada!
Relocation And Renovation
We explored the Sunshine Coast on many different trips to BC. This small set of communities provided great outdoor adventures and a relaxing pace. We knew this was a place we could live. It took us over 2 years but we finally found the perfect spot with a sea view.
When we bought our condo in Toronto, we did a major renovation before we settled in. For our new house, we looked at houses where we could live in without major renovation. But we found a place that needed some work and committed ourselves to another pretty major renovation. While we cruised in Norway for the Northern Lights, we worked with our great real estate agent and planned the major renovation work that needed to be done before we moved in. So that when we arrived on the Sunshine Coast for 6 weeks, we were ready to begin the work.
It was great being on the Sunshine Coast as Spring came early in BC. We had a great view and lovely weather for most of our stay. It sure reinforced our decision to move west.
After 6 weeks we were amazed at how much we accomplished. Finishing touches were done on the kitchen after we returned to Toronto. And additional projects for the bathrooms, window coverings and walk-in closet were planned but left for when we moved in. The first phase of our plan for moving RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada went well.
Leaving Toronto For RetiredAndTravelling West In Canada
We both lived in the Toronto area for most of our lives. So moving out of Ontario was a big decision. But it was the right move for us. Sadly the condo market in Toronto slowed when we put our condo up for sale. And it took over a year to finally get an acceptable sale.
When we first put up our condo for sale, we did a major purge of our possessions to stage the condo as the designer wanted. Furniture and possessions we wanted to keep but did not fit in the staged condo we put in storage. We thought we did a good job getting rid of things. But as we did the final packing we kept discarding more.
When we got our first moving company estimate we knew we needed to sell some bigger items. The cost to move glass and easily breakable furniture was more than some pieces were worth. So we dealt with all the challenges of selling used furniture.
We packed over a 2 week period. And slowly consumed every spare floor space in our condo. And each day, it got harder to live as we discovered we packed key things we needed.
We finally gave in and booked a local hotel for 2 nights before the moving company arrived. It let us pack up everything and be ready for the movers. This phase of our plan for moving RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada was as challenging as we expected.
Vacation Plans Added Planning Complexity
We travel a lot every year and this year we had lots of travel planned well in advance. We bought health, cancellation and trip interruption insurance that covered any emergencies. But we did not buy “Cancel for Any Reason” insurance which would let us cancel travel when our relocation plans developed. Once we firmed up our relocation timeline, we paid airline change fees for two trips and shortened the time we were away. But we still travelled 3 times in the midst of a crazy life schedule.
When we visited the Phoenix area in the winter, we were in the midst of purchasing our property on the Sunshine Coast. When we were not relaxing in the warm sunshine, we were in discussions with our excellent real estate agent and reviewing documents, digitally.
We had purchased our new property just before we left for our Norway cruise for Northern Lights with Viking Cruises. We enjoyed lots of outdoor adventures on our trip. But when we were not exploring, we planned our renovation with our real estate agent. It was great that we had good internet connectivity while we travelled.
Travelling Compounded The Complexity
We sold our Toronto condo one day before we headed to BC to close the new house and begin renovations. And when we arrived back in Toronto, we had to pack the condo. But in the middle of packing, we headed off for a 12 day Caribbean cruise with Oceania Cruises. We planned a mix of fun water adventures and some relaxing days on our floating luxury cruise. We knew this was our last break before we began the last leg our our relocation adventure.
We loved to head out and travel for new adventures. So we did not cancel any of the planned trips we booked when life plans changed. But we spent a lot of time on each of these trips planning and dealing with issues at home. The vacation plans sure added some complexity when moving RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada.
Travel From Toronto To British Columbia
Most of the time when we visited BC, we flew in and rented a car to explore. But several times we drove across the country and back. The first time we drove between Toronto and Vancouver, we travelled through the U.S. We considered several different routes and found lots of great stops along the way.
The second time we drove this route, we travelled through Canada. We moved at a slower pace and enjoyed many great Canadian stops along the way.
For our move to the west coast, we quickly discarded travelling through the U.S. The relationship between Canada and the U.S. had deteriorated to the point that we were worried about driving across the U.S. The Canadian dollar had dropped so much that the cost to travel in the U.S. was higher. And we did not want to deal with any customs issues for a car packed full of our Canadian goods.
So we re-planned another drive across Canada. We set a faster pace than our previous trips and did not plan adventure stops on our 4,500km (~3,000 mile) drive. We were anxious to soon be settling into a new spot for RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada.
Excited To Be Starting A New Adventure For RetiredAndTravelling West In Canada
We are so excited to be moving RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada. We had lots of exploring to do on the west coast in Canada. Even if we planned to delay the long list of travel we wanted to do on the west coast in the U.S. In the summer, we had a two week trip planned back to Toronto for a family wedding. And we still had our Fall cruise in the Mediterranean with Silversea Cruises to finish planning.
We look forward to sharing our new travels as we settle onto the Sunshine Coast. And we will keep planning a great mix of adventures and relaxing when we are at our new home!
What do you think about our relocating RetiredAndTravelling west in Canada?
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Congratulations on your new home! We are excited for you. Looking forward to your stories in the Sunshine Coast.
Thanks. We are happy to be on the west coast and spending more time along the Sunshine Coast.
Western Canada is such a gem! I was born and raised in Toronto, but out west is one of my favourite holiday spots and I try to go every single year (at least once)!
We have lived in Toronto for most of out life. But Western Canada has been on our relocation plan for some time. Every time we visited, we knew we needed to finally get the move done.
I can’t imagine all the packing and sorting from your old condo to the new place in BC. Glad to hear that the move went well. Now, it’s on for the adventures in and near where you live. I hope you enjoy your new place!
It was a challenge to plan and execute a big move while travelling the same time. But we are almost all done and once we are settled in we can enjoy our new spot in BC.
Congratulations on your new home! I’m really impressed that you managed to travel despite all the moving prep and organization. The place looks amazing—perfect for relaxing during a busy travel schedule!
Our new spot on the west coast will indeed be the perfect spot to relax and explore between travelling.
Congratulations on the move! I am bias to the east of Canada, but that’s because it’s the only part I visited. I am yet to go to Vancouver and BC. It’s amazing how much you’ve achieved in just six weeks, it seems like a massive organisatory job! And I know moving is not easy at all!
It was indeed a lot of work and planning needed to travel and both buy and sell a property. But we are almost settled into the west coast and it is worth it.
Well done Linda! Congratulations on your new house in the Sunshine Coast! I cannot believe you did all the planning for renovation of the new home while you cruised in Norway. I know moving itself is a such a stressful situation and you managed it well. Enjoy the new home!:-)
The best laid plans got all disrupted this year when we decided to move. But we were not passing up on some great travel too!
Wow! I’m jealous of your new sea view, it’s so gorgeous! Congrats on your big move and your big plans for continued travels. So sorry, you didn’t feel safe to travel through the US this year. We’re going through craziness down here! Hopefully, the situation will improve once the current administration is voted out. Fingers crossed! Best wishes!
We had a busy first half of the year traveling and moving. We too are very sad to miss some travel to the U.S. But right now, we are making other travel destinations a priority.
What a great place to retire to! I hope it all goes well
We are quite excited about this next step in our life.
Congratulations on your new home, it looks so nice. I especially love your balcony, so much of sunshine. Wishing you all the luck
Our new home on the Sunshine Coast in BC will be a great base.
What an exciting new chapter! Congratulations! I can imagine how big this move must’ve been. I’ve explored parts of Canada, including BC, and know how special the Sunshine Coast is — such a great choice for a new home. I admire how you managed a cross-country move, major renovations, and even cruises all in one year — can’t wait to follow your West Coast adventures!
we sure packed in a lot for the first half of our year. We are glad we finally got moved to the west coast and are happy to use this as our next base for adventures.
Moving is always tough, but moving a large distance like that and needing to do renovations definitely makes it more challenging! It’s pretty cool you were able to travel and get somewhat of a break even if you still needed to deal with some of the moving stuff while away. I’m sure it helped being in beautiful places while dealing with it!
We were indeed happy we got some travelling in at the same time we did a major move and renovations too. But it sure was challenging at times.
Big change — but it looks like the perfect place to start a new chapter. Congrats on the move and wishing you lots of joy in your new home!
The Sunshine Coast will be a great spot for us to live and explore. So glad to have all this behind us soon.
Congratulations on your new home on the Sunshine Coast! Great job balancing everything during the relocation. Cheers to new beginnings in new places!
It was indeed a great balancing act for over 4 months. Glad to soon be settled in and enjoying our new spot.
I have visited Canada once, back in 2001. But now I want to retire in Canada 😀
I hope you do get to visit Canada again. The west coast is lovely!
Congratulations on your new home! That is a big change. I wish you all the very best.
We are ready for this big change! So glad to finally be living on the west coast in Canada.
I’m so glad you wrote this! I’ve seen references to your big move on IG and I was wondering about all the details. What a fantastic move. And I think it was beneficial to have those vacations to get away from all the stress and packing. Welcome home!
We were happy to have some vacation time in the midst of our relocation even if it did add some stress and complications. So happy to finally have most of the work behind us.
Congrats on your move! As an Ontario girly, I’m so excited to explore the west coast soon!
You might be tempted to move too if you visit the west coast. We have been visiting regularly and it had a big draw for us.
Congratulations on the move! Sounds like an exciting new chapter. My sister lives in Toronto now, but she is considering moving to Vancouver – she loves Toronto for its city vibe but is excited to experience a different climate.
We have lived most of our life around Toronto. But are excited to now be on the west coast.
It’s incredible how you balanced so much at once – renovations in Sechelt, packing in Toronto, and cruising to Norway and the Caribbean all within a short span! Your detailed timeline from condo staging to settling in on the Sunshine Coast really shows the effort behind such a big move. Loved the part about how spring on the Sunshine Coast reassured your decision – must have been a beautiful welcome!
We often visited the Sunshine Coast and loved our visits so were happy when we finally could make the move west in Canada. But it sure was a busy 4 months selling and buying … all while travelling too!
Oh wow! Awesome. Best wishes & congratulations on the big move. Moving across the country or globe is not easy and can come with big emotions. I’m glad you’re now closer to your sons. Renovation can be tiring too but good that you managed it well with your real estate agent. Traveling in the midst of this can be quite a challenge and it’s awesome that you managed that too. Looking forward to your new adventures from here!
We too are looking forward to many new adventures from our home on the west coast. It has been a busy few months but we survived it. And travelled some too!
Congratulations Linda!! on your new home on the Sunshine Coast. I can imagine how stressful moving can be back and forth between and dealing with all the renovation and packing stuff taken care of at the same time. Your new new sea facing home looks beautiful and it’s commendable how you planned shifting and traveling to vacation in Norway, Caribbean islands and Phoenix and balancing everything so efficiently.
We sure did have a busy year with moving and travelling. But well worth the time and effort to get us settled into a new spot.
So glad you have achieved your goal – the move to the Sunshine Coast. So sorry about having to scuttle your U.S. plans. We hope you that the situation will change soon. We love Canada. Will have to check your IG account. Maybe it will mention your Norway trip and if you saw the Northern lights? Happy deck-sitting on the shores of the beautiful Pacific!
We are so happy to finally have worked through the plans to move to the west coast. And the trip through Canada went well. We did indeed post some pics on IG for our Norway trip. But the blog posts are still in draft. I am very behind in blogging but hopefully life will settle down a bit soon. Looking forward to lots of time just taking in the lovely Pacific views.