It’s hard to believe six months have passed since our last update because time has just flown by. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and getting older, so both seem true for us!
We’ve been back in Grenada since February. Besides a quick trip to Chicago and a month-long visit to Canada to see friends and family, we’ve been here on this beautiful Caribbean island, and loving every minute of it.
Grenada isn’t known for being a digital nomad hotspot. It lacks co-working spaces, true cafes, and the affordability of some islands in Indonesia or Thailand. However, for us, it has everything we need right now.
We’ve been in Grenada for eight months, which is the longest we’ve stayed in one place since our teaching days in China back in 2012. This extended stay has given us time to reflect on what we want from life and business. Staying put helped us process and plan better.
Since our business is online, remaining in one place (or traveling more slowly) is crucial for building our website and growing. However, it’s challenging for us because we love to travel. In 2017, we visited 13 countries, had amazing experiences, but our website stagnated, which was frustrating.
As 2018 began, we decided we needed to rent a place for a few months to improve our website. The site was profitable but hadn’t grown in a year, which was troubling. Since January 1, 2018, our monthly income has doubled, and our website traffic has grown by 185%. We’ve partnered with new collaborators we’re excited to work with.
Our focus has been on enhancing content quality and starting new ventures. Nick started a VIP Facebook Group for his blogging course students, and I’ve been growing our Lifestyle Facebook Group. We love engaging with our online communities. This progress happened while living a relaxed life in the tropics with ocean views, which we’re absolutely thrilled about.
What we’re most proud of is the increase in traffic, which means we’re reaching and hopefully inspiring more people to turn travel into a lifestyle. While we’ve always had an online community, we wanted to be part of a real-life community of like-minded friends. People had often commented on our lack of a home base, but we always cherished each other’s company and our global explorations.
Last year in Bali, we experienced being part of a group of digital nomads and loved the inspiration and camaraderie. Since then, having that sense of community has been on our minds.
After three months in Grenada, I posted a photo on Facebook from our pool, and a new follower shared a photo of his coffee with a view that looked familiar. We found out he and his wife lived just four houses up the road! This marked the start of a community of travel-loving friends our age, which continued to grow.
We used to house-sit in Grenada, taking care of a dog named Spare Dog. Now renting, Spare Dog has new caretakers we approve of. They are our age, world travelers, remote workers, and started their blog through us. Naturally, we’ve become close friends.
With this fantastic community, we’ve enjoyed rainforest hikes, pool parties, sailing, dining out, local parties, and relaxed days with sunset and wine. We believe that when life aligns smoothly, it means we’re on the path to happiness.
Having a community is something we missed but are now very grateful for. When traveling, our days are filled with exploration. But while stationary, we’ve found new ways to fill our days.
We work on Goats On The Road about 3-4 hours daily. After working, we engage in various activities to avoid the North American rush mentality and embrace the Caribbean lifestyle. Nick took up fly fishing, we bought a kayak, and we attend more events and take more walks. Some days Nick goes scuba diving while I relax on the beach. We also sail, golf, and enjoy the endless activities in Grenada.
Our latest hobby is simply living. We enjoy normal activities like grocery shopping, gardening, picking fruit, going to appointments, meeting friends, walking dogs, watching sunsets, having BBQs, and reading books by the pool or beach.
In August, we visited Canada to see friends and family, which made us realize it was the first time in a long while that we went on a trip and returned home. The feeling was new but wonderful. Upon returning to Grenada, we were thrilled to be back in our Caribbean home.
We chose to rent a house instead of house-sitting for the freedom it provides. This flexibility allowed us to take a press trip to Chicago, experience city life, and plan a quick holiday to Barbados soon. These wouldn’t have been possible if we were house-sitting.
We’ve balanced traveling with a more stable lifestyle in Grenada after 10 years of constant movement. Travel remains our passion, but we’re enjoying more stability.
This February marks a year in Grenada, and we’re planning a three-month backpacking trip with trekking, nature, and history. We look forward to sharing our adventures!
On Goats On The Road, we continue posting articles and advice on living and working abroad. Our goal is to inspire more people to travel, make money on the road, and embrace a lifestyle free of end dates.
Nick has created a Beginner Blogging Course and is working on an SEO course for bloggers. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated and join our Facebook group, Turn Travel Into a Lifestyle. We appreciate your support and are always here to answer questions about remote work, digital nomad life, blogging, or travel in general.
Many people ask about the cost of living here. While Grenada isn’t cheap, here are some of our monthly costs in US Dollars:
– House Rental: $1,300
– Electricity: $150
– WiFi: $66
– Data Plan: $30
– Vehicle Rental: $400 – $1,200
– Petrol: $1.46 per liter
– Local Driver’s Licence: $37 for 3 months
– Bottle of Wine: $15
– Local Beer: $1.25
– Dozen eggs: $3.70
– Fresh fish: $3 per pound
– Fresh chicken breast: $5.45 per pound
– Meal at an inexpensive restaurant: $9.25
– Meal at an expensive restaurant: $22+
– Cocktail at an inexpensive restaurant: $5.50
– Cocktail at an expensive restaurant: $15
– Beer at a restaurant: $2.25 – $3
– Local BBQ chicken stand: $3