Hi and Welcome to our Expat Sunseekers Community!
We are Tom and Liz and not only are we seeking the sun, but we want to be under the sun permanently. Here on our blog you can follow and discover with us our journey to seek for a new home in a completely new country in the tropics.
OUR STORY
The Liz & Tom story started in August 2009 in Dubai, when Tom started as an airline pilot with local airline there and Liz just finished her job in Kabul, Afghanistan.
After years of flying for a major airline in Germany, Tom decided to take a job opportunity in the middle east and left Germany end of July 2009 and started his new endeavor in Dubai in the beginning of August 2009, as an expat for the first time.
Liz was a banker for 25 years working for one of the “big five” in Australia. After leaving the bank she went for an accounting job offer for a private company in Kabul Afghanistan in 2009. That’s her being an expat for the first time too. After three months and finishing her job in Kabul, she headed back home to Australia. On her stopover in Dubai, she decided to take some weeks off and stay a bit longer to enjoy the change in culture. Here she met Tom and the rest – as they say – is history. 😀
WE LEFT DUBAI AFTER 5 YEARS
After 5 years of enjoying the expat life in the middle east, the couple left Dubai. Due to a health condition Tom wasn’t able to fly as a pilot anymore. This was a big hit for both of them and a new plan was needed for the new chapter in their lives. So, in March 2014 the first port of call was Australia and buying a property in Spain in the same year.
From this point on they enjoyed the Australian summer 6 months of the year and the other half of the year, the summer in Spain.
THE NEW CHAPTER
Late 2018 we made plans for a completely new chapter and a decision was made to make a total new start, somewhere totally different, where both, Tom and Liz have never been. The blank spot on their world map was Central & South America. The plan now was to leave Australia, take Germany/Spain as a base to explore some countries in Central America and selling the property in Spain as soon as a decision for a new country was made.
2020 DISRUPTED OUR PLANS AND CHANGED THE WORLD
As we all know the year 2020 changed the whole world and nothing worked out as planned anymore. Plans had to be revised and changed big time. It was impossible to sell any property in Europe, because of lock downs and travel restrictions, not to mention traveling to explore new countries.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG
Now, in 2022, we want to follow through with our ideas and move overseas. NOW is the window of opportunity to execute these plans and move.
The reason to make this public was initially, that we should document our journey for ourselves to create and to have some memories, but soon we had the idea to also share our new journey and discovery with friends and family and also to share it with like-minded people who are thinking of doing the same thing.
We are hoping that we can pass on our experience(s) to those who want to expat as well and maybe we are even able to give some ideas and helpful advice so that you can learn through our experiences and our mistakes.
So, with this we hope you will enjoy this blog and join us on our discovery of new places and the new chapter in life.
If you ever have any any questions, or need advice, feel free to leave them below and we will be more than happy to help you out.
All the best,
Tom & Liz
hi liz, nice time looking at your video on facebook and happy to hear you have decided for a better future. We are looking on the videos of a Dutch woman Noraly Schoenmaker. Her name on Youtube is Itchy boots. She share small videos three times a week. She travels alone with her bike. We love the films and never miss one. For this moment she is in Central America. Her goal is to go from Ushuaia to Alaska. Perhaps we will follow you as well if you decide to share your videos. I hope so. Always glad hearing good news from you.
Hi Suzanne! Thank you for your message! How funny is that, as my cousin in Australia, first told us about “Itchy Boots” the blonde girl, Noraly, as we are interested in the places, where she is right now currently travelling! We have not missed an episode from her. We started watching her about 5 weeks ago now. Yes she is amazing, and it was her channel that inspired us to do this. We have a go-pro 9 and we will use this to help record our journey, right from the very start of preparation etc. Anyway, love for you to follow us, like and share. Hugs to you Suzanne! Staying happy and positive…keep in touch. Liz