Hi everyone 👋 thank you so much for listening to our experience moving to Florida. If there are any Florida related topics you would like to see us cover on our channel...or if you have questions about our experience moving to and living in Florida, please leave them in the comments. We always appreciate viewer feedback! If you enjoyed this video be sure to give it a like, any engagement helps our channel to be shown to more people and grow 💕🙏
I did the same sold the house and almost everything in it and moved here in 2005. Found the love of my life here and got married on the beach. I wouldn't live anywhere else. The sun, the sand, the wildlife, the parks, the people. It's paradise! Now my brother, his wife and my cousins are moving here as well.
We've been hearing from so many people that have similar stories to ours, which is awesome. Like you, we've had some family follow us down... And hopefully more to come!
Your move proves that in life you'll regret more the things you didn't do than the things you did. Congratulations for having the courage to follow your dreams. Truly amazing how little we need to be happy.
So true, Carl. Sometimes we almost feel like the less we have, the happier we are. Or the less we own, anyway. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Wow! You guys were living dangerously! Love how you stepped out on faith sold the house and figured out everything else as you went. Proof that you don't need to overplan. I also love how you guys pack light and live with so much freedom. Very inspiring!
I can understand how you can really feel about your move. I also felt the same way in 1993 when I moved to the St. Pete (Largo) area. However, after living there over 26 years, the regrets caught up and all of the things except for the weather that i relished, went away. Cost of living, traffic, attitudes etc. prevailed and we moved to S.C. where all of the old positives still exist. Compassion, caring, politeness, cost of living etc, etc. are here. Oh, yeah we will still get some cold weather, but it kills the bugs and keeps the people that clutter the roads away.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Peter. We find the traffic in St. Pete to actually be pretty good compared to most other Florida cities, but I'm sure it's still bad compared to any city in South Carolina. We've always found the people to generally be quite nice, and we both grew up in the midwest where people are known for being nice. That being said, maybe South Carolina people are on a whole other level of niceness. One thing we definitely can agree with is that the cost of living in St. Pete is getting high. Someday we may have to find a less expensive place to live as well. What part of South Carolina did you move to? We've only spent a little time in South Carolina (a day in Greenville)... but we did really enjoy the little time there that we had.
It’s doubtful you’ll get a response from “Peter.” Peter is a real estate agent from South Carolina who’s been talking all kinds of trash about the state of Florida to drum up business in his state. Rs
@@Falla76 You are incorrect in every way. Real estate agent, nope just a retiree who decided not to deal with the rising costs the increasing traffic congestion and the attitudes of some of the latest new residents. The decision to locate.was our decision alone without any outside influence. Bless those that want/have to stay in Florida and deal with all of the changes. The price of the average 3 bedroom house surrounded by a 6 foot fence in a decent neighborhood $500.00 REALLY and taxes and insurance that are ridiculous. If that suits you l am happy for you but dont assume that what you know about us is correct. It's best if you don't open your mouth only to have to put your foot in it
I’ve been here 50 years and there’s a lot of ins and outs that you don’t think about I don’t think about. I went up north once I was in a culture shock. Don’t make a big deal out of the heat it happens MoveOn don’t make a big deal of the rain it happens move on if you need trauma help get it then move on
Heather and I have pretty much the same stories! We lived in Terre Haute Indiana. I am a industrial electrician. Heather works for a hospital corporation that owns over fifty hospitals in Florida. It took me several years to talk her into moving to Florida. She had been working in a hospital position that she was not using her bachelor's degree! Heather accepted a joc in St Petersburg Florida using her degree. That meant that should would be making what had been making in Indiana. I had to take a twenty percent pay cut. After fours years we are doing well down here! Our homes value in northwest St Petersburg has risen over two hundred percent!!! We live in the Jungle Terrace neighborhood!!! We Love It!!!!!!
Just curious how much do you make as an electrician? I live in Indiana and I wanna work in the electrical field but I’m not sure I can live comfortably or even more than that in Florida with the wages
Thank you both so much for making your videos~ this one specifically. My husband and I relate a TON on what you’re sharing in this video. We haven’t made the leap yet, and it’s been stressful to think about pulling the trigger. But you guys make me feel like we can do it and have fun at the same time! We already have the house in Port Charlotte. It’s just taking the leap! We watch your videos over coffee on Sundays and talk about our dreams and goals ❤️
Our pleasure. We're so glad that you found this video to be helpful and relatable! We hope you decide it's time to pull the trigger sooner than later, but you'll know when the time is right! It sure can be stressful, but big live events like this are supposed to be!
We just moved from Blue Springs to the Tampa area and we are loving it. We are renting in Riverview for the moment until we find the right forever location!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ryan! We're glad that you you've been happy with your decision to move to Florida. Take your time exploring the area and finding the perfect city for you. There are a lot of great options to choose from!
My husband and I live in the st pete area. We are Florida natives. And yes I agree with allll of the negatives of Florida lol. Plus don't forget hurricane season. But we live 10 mins away from the beaches. And forget how beautiful it is when we go visit.
Yeah hurricanes are definitely a big negative, although not as much so here as other parts of FL (knock on wood). We didn't mention them in this video because we had made another video solely devoted to hurricanes. We're glad you found our channel and appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Hey we just watched your video this video. We moved from a small boring town in North Carolina born and raised all our life to Venice Florida just south of y’all of course . We love it we praise God every day we moved . We have a similar story we sold everything from a 3/2 1500 square foot home to a 550 square foot apartment. Maybe we’ll run into y’all sometime
My partner and I did the same thing except we moved to New Mexico five years ago. Moving to a place you've never actually been is such a thrill and one of the best experiences of my life. Hoping to make the move to Florida this year!
We couldn't agree more. Lots of people thought we were crazy, but we haven't regretted it for a minute. We hope you are able to make the move to Florida and that you love it every bit as much as we do!
We have a similar story….soon after our wedding in the frozen NE we moved to FL with only what fit into our little MGB sports car and lived in a hotel on St Pete beach. Will soon be 70 yr old and have not regretted moving to the Tampa Bay Area. Well maybe regret telling everyone how fabulous it’s been now that they are all doing same thus all the traffic 😮
We've heard from so many people out there who have similar stories to ours. It definitely makes us feel not quite as crazy 😂 We're so glad to hear that you have not had any regrets about the move, but we definitely hear what you're saying about the traffic!
I been here in Sarasota for 35 years but not happy with living here anymore to many people now kids are grown and just don’t know what I want to do still to be determined
We can understand how you would be feeling a little too crowded in Sarasota. It's grown so fast and just doesn't seem to have the infrastructure to support it unfortunately.
I’m from Florida Polk,County I really enjoy going everytime I go visit where I’m from.because it’s a Island living in Florida mangoes on the trees and avocados on the trees ect island 🏝️ life
Fun video! I'm palnning the big move to Florida next March. I'm so over the brutal winters in Chicago (negative 0) and the extremely high winds. Chicago is called (The Windy City) along with senseless violence. I'm originally from Belize, I grew up with cockroaches and being on hurricane alerts from June 1st - November 30th. I'm ready to reconnect with nature and living a more active life. Keep the videos coming!
That's so exciting to hear about your upcoming move, Carla. We're sure next March will be here before you know it! We certainly don't blame you for wanting to escape the cold weather, winds, and crime in Chicago. Our favorite thing about living in Florida is still being able to be active year round... we will never miss the long cold winters in the midwest!
Thank you for such great videos & information. I moved to St Pete from Tennessee a year & a half ago. I’m living in St Pete now but lived in Gulfport my first year. Was so sad to leave that small town in a big city but moved due to rent increase. Living close to downtown has plenty of benefits too & it’s a quick drive to Gulfport. Just one more thing - my dear friend in Tennessee discovered your videos & knew way more about Gulfport than I before I even moved! I’m now a regular here too & enjoy you two so much & it’s a great resource in planning her first visit here! One thing I hope you do is cover the music scene here. The Elixer is one of my new favorites but just so many great local musicians mostly free. Also one of favorite bands is Hot Tonic. Hope you keep doing these videos for a long, long time!❤
Thank you and your friend so much for watching 💗and for your comment. We very much enjoy the Gulfport area and do understand having to move due to increasing rent 🙁 I am sure you both won't have any trouble finding things to do when she visits. We really would like to cover the music scene more. We absolutely love live music and there are many talented musicians in the area, however that becomes a little tricky on YT with copyright. We will keep trying to find ways to include those venues when we can :). You can also follow us on IG as we do post a lot of😊 stories that include live music venues and try to highlight local musicians 🎵
I also moved here from MI about 10 yr ago . Yes its very hot here in the summer, esp this last summer!! I do get really tired of it. And the traffic , OMG awful, and yes people drive super fast. Accidents daily . I live not far from Sarasota , in a little (kinda) town called Englewood, we also have a beach , Englewood beach , Manasota , blind pass , and stumps pass , Have you guys ever been here ??? Good places to eat on the beach , and a great resturant , Farlows. Expensive , but high quality food , But not alot to do here . Then there is Dearborn st , downtown, small, but has some shops. My sister will be here in about a week , and we are going to St Pete for a couple nights . I love your vids , you guys cover it all !!!!!!!!
Yes we love Englewood Beach (and all of Manasota). We made a video on it, but that's probably been around a couple of years back now. We even named at as our #3 beach destination in SW Florida in one of our more recent videos. We never have been to Farlow's though, so that will give us something new to experience next time we visit. Thank you so much for supporting our channel and taking the time to comment. We really do appreciate it!
I'm a Florida native. Born in st pete. Still live in st pete. I love your channel. I'd love to run into you downtown sometime. Thanks for all your videos about the places downtown. I love your real and honest reviews.
Thank you so much for you support and for taking the time to write this kind comment, Katie. It's always nice to hear from long time St. Pete locals, as the majority of our viewers seem to be vacationers or newer residents to St. Pete.
We haven't met too many Cali transplants here, Long. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. We're gland you are enjoying living here in Florida!
I live up in Northwest Indiana by the beach (Lake Michigan) near Chicago Illinois. I go down to Southwest Florida often. My grandparents live there. Love it there. I wanna move down there so bad but with how expensive it is currently for even apartments is crazy. 3 times more to rent than here. Yet the average job seems to pay the same as here.
Yeah, we're hopeful that eventually the average salary around here will catch up to the housing costs, but it might take a while. We hope you can find a way to move down here sooner or later, Alexa!
We did the same thing over 3 years ago in moving from Upstate NY to Florida -- sold the house, got rid of everything in it, and transitioned to an apartment before moving to our home on the gulf coast. The summer heat, snowbirds, and bugs big enough to carry your kids away are the three biggest nuisances, but you adjust to them pretty quickly. People are generally very friendly and we were lucky we moved when we did before real estate and interest rates got out of control. If you're considering moving here, Jamie & Skylar's advice is spot on. There's a lot here to explore and the lifestyle is fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the kind comments. Glad you bought before interest rates got out of control. With our nomadic aspirations, we don't have too much desire to buy, but when when we do, we sure hope the interest rates are far lower than they are now!
Thank you for this!! I’m so done with Michigan winters I despise my life here. I know my new life is in FL. I just need to get a plan to get down there
We feel your pain, Kourttney! We still head up to the midwest once (sometimes more) every winter to get a taste of the frigid cold and snow. It's fun for a couple of days, but it always feels so good to land back in Florida. We hope you are able to put a plan together and get down here soon. Thanks for watching!
We left most of our furniture behind in California & moved to St Petersburg July 2004. We LOVE it! We live by Crescent Lake & The Edge District. NO regrets. Friends from up north live here from winter to summer. We saw alligators at Saw Grass Park from the lookout tower. Traffic is more calm than I-5 in CA. But the Howard Franklin Bridge makes me nervous, cuz they speed past at 85. We Love your videos! Glad you are here! God AWESOMELY BLESS you. 🌴
Wow that was a huge cross country move! We love the Crescent Lake area and Edge District here in St Pete 💗 Oh you are right about traffic, nothing compared to CA. We also experience the extremely fast drivers on the Howard Franklin! Thank you so much for watching and for your support 😊
@@Explorcation You're Welcome. Enjoy your life in Florida & Thank you for all the Great videos! (& Militaries are doing Controlled demolitions all over the world)
Sarasota was. great choice...a city, that has everything a city has to offer..without being a huge city; close to the beach and close to major airports !! great choice
Thanks so much. Even though we eventually left Sarasota, we are so happy that we chose to live there. It really does have so many big city amenities while still being a relaxing, laid back place. We could definitely see ourselves moving back to Sarasota some day.
@@Explorcation This is home until I go to my Heavenly home. My husband is also from Kansas (Barnes to be exact), I am from New Hampshire. It is nice to go visit, but Florida is our home.
@@Cindyvktravel ah so your husband is really familiar with small town living! We would like to visit New Hampshire in the future so if you have any recommendations let us know!
@Explorcation NH is stunning in the Fall. Stay in Lincoln or North Conway. Drive the Kancamagus Highway and stop and do the hikes. Sabbaday Falls is one of my favorites. There is the Flume to hike. The whole area has so much to see and do. Down near Lake Winnipesaukee is the Castle in the Clouds. NH has only about an 18 mile coastline, but the drive along the coast up into Maine is very pretty and takes you to Acadia National Park.
@@Cindyvktravel thank you so much for the recommendations 🙂I think we could stay busy in this area for quite some time. all of the hiking sounds wonderful!
Such a coincidence I found this video after watching the drive through St. Pete during the hurricane. I'm from Alabama but I've been in Overland Park Kansas for the last 6 years and the cold weather has grown off of me too. I love the St. Pete area and was initially thinking that would be my destination (not 100% sure yet, but I do know somewhere in FL will be it). Something about the south draws me back, plus being closer to my family. Since I work virtually now, really opens up the options :)
Ahh Overland Park, brings back memories! How nice that you work virtually and have the option to relocate 💗 good luck on your move. Let us know if we can answer any questions as you are making plans/decisions on where to move. Thanks so much for watching!
Sold and gave away everything that wouldn't fit in the car and moved from San Diego to Florida less than 2 years ago. Still renting because of housing market and inflation. I miss the mountains and good food. I don't like summer here. It's way too hot/humid.
We can definitely see how you would miss the mountains and beautiful summers in SoCal. If we were to live anywhere simply based on weather and landscape, the San Diego area would probably be our spot!
So I have moved twice both to different states i planes for 3 to 4 years and had it as easy the second time to sell a house and buy a new one on the same day so I just drove a uhaul from one state to another plan and prep save a extra 20% over what you think you need and it should go smoothly
Living in a Holiday in for two weeks before moving into your apartment sounds like a really exciting time, love the free McDonald’s too! 😂 Can completely see the appeal of Florida, sunshine and beaches we love it! Never thought about the flatness aspect before but I think we’d miss the elevated green hills too. We have been caught in some crazy rain in Florida a few times, had to walk barefoot through the streets in Key West as they flooded while we were out. We’re glad to hear you have no regrets of moving, you both look so happy exploring 😊
Yeah, we really do actually look back on those first weeks in Florida as great memories... Even though we were living in a hotel with almost no possessions. It really helped us to start realizing how little stuff we actually needed to be happy. Sunshine and beaches never really loses its appeal... And we can always hop on a short flight to see some hills!
Ive lived here in Pinellas since 1980, but its really cool to learn about the area through your guys experiences here. St. Pete is my favorite city locally and it has sprug up so much with new ventures it's hard to know what's in my own backyard. Thanks Jamie and Skyler for all you share!! You've made a really awesome channel, very enjoyable to watch.
Thanks so much, Beth. St Pete really is growing so fast and it's even hard for us to keep track of everything that's new in town. It seems like every time we go for a walk down Central we come across a business that hadn't been there a week earlier!
Awesome! We've factually had 400k plus move into the state since '18, so this has definitely added to the traffic & congestion! I4 just went through a 7 year improvement and they only have 3 through lanes going through downtown Orlando which is a disgusting oversight as it hasn't improved traffic one iota especially with the influx of millions!
Thanks. Always enjoy your videos. I'm flying to Tampa tomorrow from New England. I've visited Miami Beach for 15 yrs and spent a few days in Sarasota, which I loved, and visited St Pete for a day trip, but am looking forward to 3-4 days in Gulfport to explore the area. Would love to get away from the winters as I absolutely hate that time of year up here, but haven't yet been brave enough to make the move.
That's great to hear that you are going to be checking out Gulfport for a few days. It's such a fun and unique place! Perhaps this trip will be the one that finally convinces you to move down to Florida!
So I'm kind of a native Floridian I moved there when I was 4 years old with my family and lived there for about 20 years then decided I wanted to move somewhere more affordable but have found myself moving from state to state cus even when things are more affordable it's just not home. I have landed myself in the SLC area of Utah and I gotta say it's beautiful here and everything is really nice but it is SO EXPENSIVE. A 2-3 bedroom house in a nice area that is actually populated is absolutely ridiculous! From what ive seen its a minimum of 400k and tbh it's really nothing spectacular. I paid 1600 just in rent for a one bedroom and have found houses for rent for 1800 in the Tampa bay area. Me and my fiancé are now looking at moving to Florida once again because we also want to escape the snow but at the same time we want to get the most out of our money housing wise. Now i know that sounds crazy but Florida isn't really as expensive in the housing market as people say it is IF it's offering a lot of what you want out of life. Just be patient, I have seen beautiful remodeled homes with a pool and decent front & back yard with 3-4 bedrooms from anywhere of 275k to 400k. Once again that may sound ridiculous to most people in the Midwest or less populated areas but living somewhere as jam packed as NE Utah it's actually a dream come true. Depending on your salaries and credit Florida can be a more than affordable place to live. No state is as populated as people say it is. It's all about where you live and how you commute. Everybody's experience is different. But for us, we could never be happy in UT, no matter where you look it's so expensive even in the BFE. Whenever I tell my friends from Florida that I think it's cheap there they are in a loss for words but to me it is. I've showed my fiancé tons and tons of houses and she couldn't be more excited just as myself!
Yes Florida definitely still has inexpensive areas. I can tell you that downtown St. Pete (where we live) is definitely not cheap, but you don't have to go too far to find some fairly reasonably priced homes. And if you get into rural Florida further from the beaches, things get considerably more reasonable. In my opinion Florida was under-priced for years. As much as we wish it was less expensive, we're still more than willing to pay what it costs to live here. It just has so much to offer!
Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging comment, Amy. We're really happy to hear that our channel has been helpful in your future home search. Best of luck to you in finding the place that is perfect for you!
My wife and I were in Florida 9 months a year for 16 years. Health and age have us closer to family now in Iowa. How we miss the sunshine and warmth. Summer in Florida is better than in Iowa. Mornings and evenings are beautiful. During the day stay in the air conditioning. End of story! 😎
Skylar was just up in Iowa visiting family a few weeks ago! We love summers up in the midwest, but we love summers down here in Florida as well. Without a pool or close proximity to the beach the heat would get old, but we love being in the water and look forward to the long hot summers here!
My husband and I were in Brevard for over 10 years-very near big nature preserve that the Patrick Air Force Base is located on. That’s a place where you can see alligators regularly. Easy day trip for y’all now. Nice area.
Thank you for sharing your story! My husband and I really enjoyed hearing your experiences. We are up in Canada but would LOVE to make the move some day to beautiful Florida...even if it's just for part of the year. For now, we love to dream and visit when we can. Keep the Florida content comin'! We enjoy it and find it so helpful when we do visit :)
Aww I remember when we were Florida dreaming, it can be so much fun thinking about making a huge change like that...but also a bit scary 😬 if you do get to the point where you are considering a move and have any questions don't hesitate to let us know. We are always willing to share our good (and even not so good) experiences if they can potentially help others! Thanks so much for your ongoing support 💗
LOL. I was walking by a beautiful beachside park north of Fort Lauderdale and was suprised pleasantly to hear a lot of French being spoken. Also noticed a bunch of Canadian car plates. Then realized that a lot of Canadians were living in two massive upscale beachside buildings. They were all having a wonderful time, families, kids, pets, barbeque etc. Was such a picture perfect scene, warm waters of the beach, people all enjoying life, utter bliss. Paradise. We Floridians really love having Canadian snowbirds. We love it more when they decided to make Florida their permanent home.
Stumbled accross you channel by accident. My wife and I are headed to Clearwater in a couple of weeks. We have watched many videos on the subject but found yours to be very informative and actually got me real excited for this trip. Great informative flow and very easy to watch. Thanks for doing these videos and keep up the great work. A new subscriber, cheers!!
Greetings from Brandon Fl . I totalny agree with you guys ,that Florida is a great płace to leave .I moved to Tampa Bay Area from New Jersey in 2015 and no regrets. I enjoy your videos .Don’t stop making more .By the way,you are very nice young couple .
Thank you so much for watching and for your support and encouragement, it really helps keep us motivated to keep creating content. we are so glad to hear you have no regrets as well 😊
Loved hearing this about you guys! It's amazing to see how you guys moved and relocated to Florida. The Stock Photo of the "old place" HAHA. Wow, that's so lucky that you moved and still got to keep the job! Worked out really well! Working remote is a dream for sure. Ugliest house in the best neighborhoods are the best! Yay you moved to St. Pete! So great to hear about everything that you love in Florida. One thing not to love is the hurricane season! Stay safe y'all! This is definitely super helpful for people who are considering moving there. It's been really nice to catch up with you and hearing your story.
We're glad you guys enjoyed this one. It's a bit nerve wracking for us making these types of videos where we put so much about us and our story out there... you just never know how it's going to be received. Thankfully a lot of people seem to be interested in our story and for that we are very thankful! And we are also thankful that we fared extremely well during Hurricane Ian. We never even lost power where we live, which we never would have imagined we could say.
We will be sure to bring you some BBQ from Missouri the next time we head down your way. That is certainly something that we would miss if we ever move away from our area.
I am so glad I found your channel. I have been binge watching it for a few days. I found it because I decided to move down there and looked up st Pete on CZcams and here you are! I'm in the process of selling everything, I'm going to have to live in my van for a little while so I can save up money to buy an RV. 🤘🏻🖖🏻
We're so glad you found our channel too and really appreciate that you've been binging our content! Congrats on your decision to move to Florida. It's still probably the best decision that we've ever made. In a way selling all your possessions will set you free. We used to have a 3 BR home and two car garage full of stuff. Now we have about 1/10th of what we used to and we definitely prefer it that way.
Great video. Looking forward to following you for many years. My father in law has a place in treasure island, so initially I was looking for information on the area, but I have come to really enjoy your adventures and perspective. So, in getting to know you a bit, I really enjoy the personal anecdotes. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much, Jim. We sure hope to be making videos for many more years to come. It wasn't too long ago when we thought there was no way that anyone would want to watch a video of us just talking about our lives and experiences, but we've been pleasantly surprised at all of the positive feedback we've received on this video. It will certainly encourage us to share more about ourselves and our personal experiences in future videos!
We are in WA and want to go to Florida so bad. We surf and scuba but there are no waves here and the water is cold 🥶. . We have lots of issues we need to fix credit home repair etc but I say we aren’t promised tomorrow so we are selling almost everything and moving across the country to start living the life we’ve been dreaming of
You are absolutely right that tomorrow is never promised. That's exactly what we said almost 10 years ago and haven't regretted the move once. You still won't find great surf here on the Gulf Coast... but definitely better waves on the Atlantic. And Puerto Rico is a quick and easy flight and gets some really great waves from what I've heard.
My wife and I are in our late 20s from New Jersey and we want to take the leap and move to Florida. But the high car/home insurance, hurricanes, cost of living is making us think twice about making the move
That's understandable, Robbie. Every place has it's pros and cons. The insurance is definitely one of the cons of Florida. Overall this is still the place we want to be, but it's certainly not for everyone. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
I didn’t see any mention of hurricanes in your video. I’m sure there will be an update next week. I came down in 1978 from Philly and didn’t experience a big one till Andrew. Be careful filming this week.
haha yea! We filmed this before the threat of Ian. We actually thought about making a separate video about living in FL during hurricane season, but haven't yet. Ultimately we have been ok with the trade off of having to worry about hurricanes and NOT having to worry about snow, ice and major tornadoes. But we sure understand why some don't want to have to mess with hurricanes at all. Thankfully we have only experienced one (Irma) since we have lived in FL, Ian might end up being our second! We hope you are safe over the coming week too. We are scheduled to fly out Friday of next week, sooooo, we are really hoping we are able to get out after the storm.
We doin this soon but I’m bringing my roll off dumpster truck box truck pick up truck two trailers and two suvs. All kinds of tools and equipment and I don’t know where I’m guna put it all lol Coming from 7 acres. Can’t wait to start a new journey!
What a great video! Always love hearing the "back story" of CZcams video hosts. It helps followers connect with the channel, I think. I agree with other commenters...it took courage for the two of you to follow your dreams and there you are, living the Good Life! 🙂 For the next "back story" I think it would be interesting to hear your hopes and dreams for your future. Do you think you'll live out your lives in Florida? Do you have hope of owning another home there since renting is so expensive? Would you stay in St. Pete or move to another city in Florida? Thanks for sharing your lives with us; it's fun to get a peek at your "personal" side. And, of course, I look forward to new adventures coming up. 🙂
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions Rhonda 😊it sure was an exciting and scary time in our lives. We are so thankful our experiences led us to where we are today. You've identified some great questions too. Some of them align with a future video topic we are planning :) I am going to make note of the others you've noted as well! It has taken us awhile to feel comfortable sharing a little more on our channel. We've received a lot of very nice comments and encouragement from this one so I think that will help make it get easier and easier.
I have been watching your videos for a few months, love them, and I just came across this one. My wife and I are looking at moving to the Tampa area and we are taking a trip next month, September, to look at different neighborhoods that might be comparable to south Overland Park/Olathe. If you have any suggestions or we could chat, that would be great. Also, we need to find a place in Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater to watch Chiefs games. We have been to Glory Days. Thank you so much.
We've always heard that Glory Days Grill in St Pete is a great spot to catch a Chiefs game. We haven't caught on there yet, but probably will sometime this fall! There's a lot of really new, nicer construction areas in the Palmetto area (where we currently live) that do somewhat remind us of Overland Park / Olathe. Might be worth looking into. Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel!
Really enjoyed hearing about your experience. My husband and I are "snowbirds" in St. Pete. We will be back in November. We love St. Pete for all the same reasons. A big draw for us, besides the beaches, of course, was the Pinellas Trail. Love the ability to get around on a bike. Would be interested to see your experiences finding great eats, drinks and sights along the trail.
We really appreciate your comment Tammy, we have actually been working on a Pinellas Trail video! We are still very much in the planning phase. We wanted to wait until after the peak of hurricane season...and also when it started to get a bit cooler. If you have any suggestions for us let us know. We have really only been on the trail around the downtown area in St. Pete, but are very excited to take it beyond downtown.
I’m from upstate NY and moved to Sarasota after retiring. I have friends and family all over the state so I’m no stranger to Florida. I’ve found that I can’t swim in the ocean because the sharks will eat me, I can’t swim in the lakes her because the gators will eat me, I can’t let my kids run around the woods here because of the poisonous snakes and the nasty wild pigs, I can’t walk around my back yard bare foot because of the fire ants, I have to worry about the mosquitoes giving me malaria and the armadillos giving me leprosy. I didn’t need to worry about any of that up north. Yes, we had snow storms but they didn’t destroy my house and I didn’t need to get snow insurance. So why again is Florida paradise? 😂😂😂. Please don’t take this comment seriously, I’m just being funny. (Although it’s all true)
LOL yes mostly true indeed. You just have to replace the "Sharks/Gators WILL eat me" with "Sharks/Gators WILL PROBABLY eat me". There's always a chance you won't get eaten, however small of a chance it may be 😂
I left FL in 2000 for a very good job in KC. MO. I lived in a very nice apartment at Crown Plaza. I missed the year-round warm weather and moved back to FL in 2002; but had to take a 37% pay cut!
Nice video! Florida does have it's good and bad points when my father was retired he lived in KC in the summer and the rest of the year in Florida and rented his place to KC football players in the fall Rich Gannon lived there during the seasons he played at KC and later Joe horn. Nowadays with all the remote jobs people could probably do that without waiting to be retired I wish I could do that now that I'm older the summers are getting too hot for me here in Florida
Thank you so much for watching our video and for sharing your story! We would love to eventually have a place up in the midwest where we could spend summers! We don't mind the summers here in Florida, but mainly because of our close proximity to the beach. If we lived further inland, I have a feeling that we would enjoy the summers a lot less!
Love the videos, can't believe I hadn't seen this one yet. I wish the Mrs was as agreeable to moving as you were! In the meantime we get two weeks down there in the January/February that we enjoy!
Well two weeks here is better than most people get! Hopefully you'll continue to find ways to spend more and more time down here! We're glad you enjoyed this one, Gene.
I've lived in St. Pete for the past 40 years from Chicago and still love it here. Check out a Bay Area Info Tour to get a great overview of the Bay area.
I have enjoyed watching your channel! You really help me figure out where we need to go and how to avoid busier beaches. We are excited to try some of the restaurants you recommended when we visit Treasure Island later this month!
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment! It's always encouraging to receive comments like these, and we hope you have an awesome time in Treasure island next month!
Happy new year to a wonderful couple 🎉! Thanks for the video so open and honest to share your journey ! It is so helpful! We plan to move to Fl soon 😊very grateful to catch your video 👍I wished both of you have a prospective new year 🎉all the best that life has offers ❣️more video to share 🏆
Thank you so much! It was a challenging but also fun and rewarding year. We wish you and your family a healthy and prosperous new year and hope you are able to get down here to Florida sooner than later!
Vacationed in Sarasota for years with my parents as a child and later myself as an adult. So when the house prices dropped in 2008 to 2014 I bought a place in 2013 after looking a lot in 2011 and 2012 to get an idea of where and what I wanted and how much I could afford.
Very smart move. We bought our home in Sarasota in August of 2013 and sold it right as the COVID pandemic was ramping up and many were predicting a housing crash. We bought low in 2013 and still turned a great profit on it... but boy do we wish we would have held on to that house for a couple more years!
Great video! My husband and I have been wanting to move there for many years now but pay and rent have been our biggest fears. We were also wondering how to make the move cheaper and we did not know the U-Haul had U-Boxes! So, thank you for mentioning that! Going to check out some more of your videos!
Hi Carolyn, thanks so much for watching, we really appreciate it. It has been awhile since we have looked into U-box pricing, but hopefully it is still affordable, we had a really good experience using the U-box.
Welcome to California home to legal marijuana HOLLYWOOD and its world famous movie studio and home to the beautiful city of San Francisco and its most photograph bridge in the world the Golden Gate Bridge 😃
in Florida if u get caught growing marijuana plant at your house u will go straight to jail not here in California u wont go straight to jail if u got marijuana plant at your house because marijuana is 100% legal here in California not Florida 😃
The carolinas have beaches and hills with a lot less over crowding. Seems like it's either snow or no snow ever again decision for most people but there's lots of states like Georgia, SC, Alabama, and NC that have beaches, shorter summers and no snow.
Thanks to you both for this one !! I was supposed to be there this week and next week but I decided to hold off due to the questionable weather situation. I have been downsizing and it seems like I could go thru again ! You don't realize how much you accumulate over time. I have been thinking moving back to close to Madeira beach having lived there and still know people in that area. But I think that has been a big part of what is taking me so long to make the move. Finding a place ....the prices have gone thru the roof ! Thanks again for all the ideas and info !!!
Ahh, it seems like you made a good decision to hold off on visiting. Right now it seems pretty probable that our area will be impacted, even if we don't have a direct hit, but only time will tell! It really is crazy how easy it is to accumulate stuff, good luck on the downsizing and finding a reasonable priced housing situation. We can't believe how much prices have increased, especially over the last year 🙁 Thanks so much for your ongoing support, if there are ever any questions we can help answer please let us know!
@@jadeheart911 we are actually heading back to Puerto Rico today. We had much different plans before the hurricanes hit PR and Florida but we have to be flexible when planning trips during hurricane season.
I've been in Florida all my life. Just you wait. One day you're gonna get sick of this heat and the people here. When I move to Washington state I'm never looking back.
Everyone's different. I've met plenty of people that have lived in Florida there whole lives and have no plans to ever leave. If we didn't travel, I think we might eventually get sick of the heat. But we go back to the midwest at least once every winter, and after a week of snow and cold, we're always ready to be back in the Florida heat! We hope you love it up in Washington state!
Biggest downer for this Midwesterner moving to Florida is I can no longer save big money at Menards.... Traffic does suck and many don't seem to know how to drive around here, however we find traffic moves too slow lol. Never thought we'd live right off an 8 lane road (the BBD) and struggle to maneuver around often times below the posted limit. Great video as always!! Also, the Hillsborough river has a lot of gators, I think we've seen them everytime we've gone on a float trip. The van fleet trail has a few bridges we've gotten pics of baby gators (park off green pond Rd and ride north) we also had our first venomous snake spotting there, a dusky pygmy rattlesnake right on the pavement.
😂 That Menard's "theme song" immediately popped into my head when I read the first sentence of your comment! But we do agree 100% that Menards is amazing and Lowes/Home Depot do not compare. There's no doubt that Florida has more than its fare share of slow driver's as well. And they can be just as dangerous as the crazy fast ones! It sounds like we're gonna have to check out the Van Fleet Trail. We love visiting places where we can spot gators, although I'm not sure that Jamie would be too excited about a potential rattlesnake sighting. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind comments, Anthony!
Checkout Frostproof Florida in Polk County,a little off the beaten path with a charming downtown surrounded with 2 large beautiful lakes, very affordable.Would make a cool video for those desiring a slower pass,less traffic.
If you want to see alligators all day and everyday.. I have the place for you ... I grew up in the southside of St.Petersburg and we actually would swim in Lake Maggorie where a large population of gators lived..now mind you this was well over 45 + years ago but nonetheless they're still there in the Lake and in a lot of ditches and storm drains thru out the neighborhood....The Gators are in more places in the city than one may think...especially on the golf courses..
I live in upstate New York and have a job lined up in Panama City Florida. Right now just waiting on the phone call. I have times when it is snowing and blistering cold here in New York I wish I was somewhere warm and enjoying the outdoor activities Florida has to offer. My cousin moved to Florida 16 years ago and it would be nice to have one of my cousins nearby. My uncle lives in Alabama which is a 2 hour drive from Panama City which would be another positive thing. I think the only regret I will have when I move to Florida is the mountains and rolling hills as well.
We hope you are able to make the move down to Florida soon. And yes, you may end up missing the hills, but fortunately it is a bit hillier up in northern Florida than it is down here further south!
You did not mention hurricanes during your nine years. I lived through two on the east coast. Hurricane Wilma in 2006 destroyed my condo. Something to consider.
Yeah, we intentionally omitted hurricanes because we had planned a separate video specifically dedicated to hurricanes a couple weeks later. In retrospect, we probably should have at least mentioned that in this video! Thanks for watching.
Fellow KC guy here (Olathe) been dreaming about doing this for awhile myself. I own a home and a business so it feels a little daunting. Coming to Panama City Beach in a couple weeks so I'm hoping I can convince my wife this is a good idea lol. Good luck guys!
We owned a house in Olathe (around 124th and Black Bob) for a couple of years before moving Florida! Being a business owner would definitely add to the fear level of moving across state, but that doesn't mean the move wouldn't be a good thing for you. We hope you have a great time in PCB, and best of luck to you convincing your wife on the big move!
I moved to Tampa a year ago. One of the things that I have found to be a negative is most things close pretty early, including parks and some beaches. It is not very night owl friendly. It is also a very spread out metro area so most things are a 10-30+ minute drive away. It may be different if you live walking distance from a beach, which is a tourist area, but home prices are higher there. The weather is nicer and the rainy season is not as bad as the mid-west. It rains 30-60 minutes each day then is sunny again. People are friendly or at the least will leave you alone.
Very informative!!! Sunshine and heat? I go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned job then reverse! Central air is prominent! I have alligators in our yard that live in our ponds and nearby golf courses.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. You are right, you sure can stay cool in the air conditioning if you want to. Alligators in your yard?!?! I hope they don't get too close 😬
Wow, just found you guys. We're in Largo and have lived here... Forever lol. Didn't realize there were so many great places to eat and drink and explore around us, especially after the pandemic and being couped up. Your said you're doing meetups? Would love to take you up on that. We're getting to have someone convince us not to move to Washington lol. You sound like the right people given the Kansas snow.
We're so happy you discovered our channel, Michael! There really are a ridiculous amount of places to eat/drink/explore around here. Yes, we plan to do a meet-up within the next few weeks. If you send us an email to explorcationblog@gmail.com, we'll put you on our meet-up email list and will let you know as soon as we have a time and place identified.
So I'm a Florida native and I live inland in Polk county. As for alligator sightings you will see more if you're inland versus on the coast. It's not uncommon here that we actually do see them crossing a road, I think one time I did see them trying to cross an intersection going to an interstate road, my son one time stopped at a convenience store and there was one in the parking lot. So I do think it's probably because you're closer to the coast is why you don't see them. Also just a tip on traffic, stay away from the interstate and learn the back roads even going from Tampa to Orlando there are back roads to get there
You are probably right about us seeing less gators here because of our proximity to the coast. From what we've heard, gators definitely prefer fresh water over salt water, and much of the water around here is saltwater (or a mixture of the two). We honestly really enjoy seeing alligators but might be freaked out a bit if we looked over and saw one in a gas station parking lot😂 And thanks so much on the tip about the back roads!
We moved here 2 years ago and concur with much that you shared. We would add that we would never use U-Haul boxes again. They were a nightmare to deal with.
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. We're sorry to hear about your bad experience with U-Boxes. Ours went pretty smoothly, but we were also in no hurry to get our stuff given we were living out of a hotel room when we first got to Florida.
@Explorcation our biggest issue was they refused to deliver to our home. We were never told this when we signed up with them. Between is and our son, there were 7 boxes.
@@koritsi4 that would be very frustrating, we are sorry to hear that. I do remember having to go pick our box up from a Uhaul center, but we also didn't have an address to ship to when we left, so it worked out for us to have a place for the box to stay until we secured long term housing.
I half expected them to say, "We sold everything we had and moved to Florida. After three months we ran out of money, and had to move back to our old home town. Florida is expensive!"
We did the same!! Moved from Washington State. Sold everything & ended up in a vrbo in Naples for 2 months. Lol... the big Mac 🤣 Yep... the traffic is Sssoooooo bad in Orlando and that stretch. We literally won't leave tge house to certain destinations at specific times lol. Ya... it's rare to find Native Floridians! We escaped WA because of the constant rain. Lol... ya the storms were intense the first time we moved down. We see gators alot at home, but we have a pond behind our house too. Great video guys! See you again soon 👋 - Ashley from Adventure Encounters
Thanks so much for watching and commenting, sounds like you had a pretty similar moving experience! When we were deciding which city to move to we narrowed it down to Naples or Sarasota...but ended up going with Sarasota. What led you guys to choosing the area you live in currently?
Hi everyone 👋 thank you so much for listening to our experience moving to Florida. If there are any Florida related topics you would like to see us cover on our channel...or if you have questions about our experience moving to and living in Florida, please leave them in the comments. We always appreciate viewer feedback!
If you enjoyed this video be sure to give it a like, any engagement helps our channel to be shown to more people and grow 💕🙏
I believe I saw your video on Crystal River; we love it here! I bet you are glad to be in Florida these days,...
Hurricane prep video?
How is the weather?
@@elizabeth.annrose so glad you enjoy it, we always have such a great time when visiting Crystal River! Thanks for watching 😊
@@adamd5530 that is a great suggestion. We did a quick one for Ian but may do a more in-depth one in the future.
I did the same sold the house and almost everything in it and moved here in 2005.
Found the love of my life here and got married on the beach.
I wouldn't live anywhere else. The sun, the sand, the wildlife, the parks, the people. It's paradise!
Now my brother, his wife and my cousins are moving here as well.
We've been hearing from so many people that have similar stories to ours, which is awesome. Like you, we've had some family follow us down... And hopefully more to come!
which area ?
People talk about not having to drive in the snow, but driving in Florida’s torrential downpours can be just as dangerous and stressful.
We agree 100%.Those downpours are no joke!
Or worse…literally can’t see shit and hydroplaning
Hurricanes are dangerous than blizzards. Let them all keep
It up.
Your move proves that in life you'll regret more the things you didn't do than the things you did. Congratulations for having the courage to follow your dreams. Truly amazing how little we need to be happy.
So true, Carl. Sometimes we almost feel like the less we have, the happier we are. Or the less we own, anyway. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Well said! ☮️✌️☮️
Yep, did the same thing 27 years ago ! From upstate NY ! Been here ever since !
We hope we're still here in 27 years Greg... if not full time, at least as snow birds!
Wow! You guys were living dangerously! Love how you stepped out on faith sold the house and figured out everything else as you went. Proof that you don't need to overplan. I also love how you guys pack light and live with so much freedom. Very inspiring!
Yes, it was definitely a bit of a leap of faith, but looking back 9 years later everything sure did work out well!
I can understand how you can really feel about your move. I also felt the same way in 1993 when I moved to the St. Pete (Largo) area. However, after living there over 26 years, the regrets caught up and all of the things except for the weather that i relished, went away. Cost of living, traffic, attitudes etc. prevailed and we moved to S.C. where all of the old positives still exist. Compassion, caring, politeness, cost of living etc, etc. are here. Oh, yeah we will still get some cold weather, but it kills the bugs and keeps the people that clutter the roads away.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Peter. We find the traffic in St. Pete to actually be pretty good compared to most other Florida cities, but I'm sure it's still bad compared to any city in South Carolina. We've always found the people to generally be quite nice, and we both grew up in the midwest where people are known for being nice. That being said, maybe South Carolina people are on a whole other level of niceness.
One thing we definitely can agree with is that the cost of living in St. Pete is getting high. Someday we may have to find a less expensive place to live as well. What part of South Carolina did you move to? We've only spent a little time in South Carolina (a day in Greenville)... but we did really enjoy the little time there that we had.
It’s doubtful you’ll get a response from “Peter.” Peter is a real estate agent from South Carolina who’s been talking all kinds of trash about the state of Florida to drum up business in his state. Rs
@@Falla76 You are incorrect in every way. Real estate agent, nope just a retiree who decided not to deal with the rising costs the increasing traffic congestion and the attitudes of some of the latest new residents. The decision to locate.was our decision alone without any outside influence. Bless those that want/have to stay in Florida and deal with all of the changes. The price of the average 3 bedroom house surrounded by a 6 foot fence in a decent neighborhood $500.00 REALLY and taxes and insurance that are ridiculous. If that suits you l am happy for you but dont assume that what you know about us is correct. It's best if you don't open your mouth only to have to put your foot in it
How nice to see the view of the Giralda at "The Plaza" and J C Nichols Memorial Fountain.
It's definitely a great view! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment, Gladys!
I’m one of those rare Florida natives and love my state and welcome everyone
We wish there were more like you, James! Thanks so much for watching.
I’ve been here 50 years and there’s a lot of ins and outs that you don’t think about I don’t think about. I went up north once I was in a culture shock. Don’t make a big deal out of the heat it happens MoveOn don’t make a big deal of the rain it happens move on if you need trauma help get it then move on
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Jeanne.
Heather and I have pretty much the same stories! We lived in Terre Haute Indiana. I am a industrial electrician. Heather works for a hospital corporation that owns over fifty hospitals in Florida. It took me several years to talk her into moving to Florida. She had been working in a hospital position that she was not using her bachelor's degree! Heather accepted a joc in St Petersburg Florida using her degree. That meant that should would be making what had been making in Indiana. I had to take a twenty percent pay cut. After fours years we are doing well down here! Our homes value in northwest St Petersburg has risen over two hundred percent!!! We live in the Jungle Terrace neighborhood!!! We Love It!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing your story, Brad. We are happy to hear that things have worked out so well for you down here in Florida.
You guys are so lucky !! I want to move from Chicago but I guess I’m stuck because my wife don’t want to move!!
Just curious how much do you make as an electrician? I live in Indiana and I wanna work in the electrical field but I’m not sure I can live comfortably or even more than that in Florida with the wages
Thank you both so much for making your videos~ this one specifically. My husband and I relate a TON on what you’re sharing in this video. We haven’t made the leap yet, and it’s been stressful to think about pulling the trigger. But you guys make me feel like we can do it and have fun at the same time! We already have the house in Port Charlotte. It’s just taking the leap! We watch your videos over coffee on Sundays and talk about our dreams and goals ❤️
Our pleasure. We're so glad that you found this video to be helpful and relatable! We hope you decide it's time to pull the trigger sooner than later, but you'll know when the time is right! It sure can be stressful, but big live events like this are supposed to be!
My niece lived in the Kansas City area then a few years ago she and her husband moved to Sarasota. They love it there. She’s a massage therapist.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share, Laura. We're glad to hear that your nice is enjoying Sarasota. It really is a beautiful city.
We just moved from Blue Springs to the Tampa area and we are loving it. We are renting in Riverview for the moment until we find the right forever location!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ryan! We're glad that you you've been happy with your decision to move to Florida. Take your time exploring the area and finding the perfect city for you. There are a lot of great options to choose from!
My husband and I live in the st pete area. We are Florida natives. And yes I agree with allll of the negatives of Florida lol. Plus don't forget hurricane season. But we live 10 mins away from the beaches. And forget how beautiful it is when we go visit.
Yeah hurricanes are definitely a big negative, although not as much so here as other parts of FL (knock on wood). We didn't mention them in this video because we had made another video solely devoted to hurricanes. We're glad you found our channel and appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Hey we just watched your video this video. We moved from a small boring town in North Carolina born and raised all our life to Venice Florida just south of y’all of course . We love it we praise God every day we moved . We have a similar story we sold everything from a 3/2 1500 square foot home to a 550 square foot apartment. Maybe we’ll run into y’all sometime
We're so glad to hear that you are as happy with your decision to move to Florida as we are! If you ever do see us out and about, be sure to say hi!
My partner and I did the same thing except we moved to New Mexico five years ago. Moving to a place you've never actually been is such a thrill and one of the best experiences of my life. Hoping to make the move to Florida this year!
We couldn't agree more. Lots of people thought we were crazy, but we haven't regretted it for a minute. We hope you are able to make the move to Florida and that you love it every bit as much as we do!
We have a similar story….soon after our wedding in the frozen NE we moved to FL with only what fit into our little MGB sports car and lived in a hotel on St Pete beach. Will soon be 70 yr old and have not regretted moving to the Tampa Bay Area. Well maybe regret telling everyone how fabulous it’s been now that they are all doing same thus all the traffic 😮
We've heard from so many people out there who have similar stories to ours. It definitely makes us feel not quite as crazy 😂 We're so glad to hear that you have not had any regrets about the move, but we definitely hear what you're saying about the traffic!
I been here in Sarasota for 35 years but not happy with living here anymore to many people now kids are grown and just don’t know what I want to do still to be determined
We can understand how you would be feeling a little too crowded in Sarasota. It's grown so fast and just doesn't seem to have the infrastructure to support it unfortunately.
Sold most of our large heavy stuff last month, moving there in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait.
Woohooo! Congrats on taking the leap, Michael! I hope you are as happy with your decision in 9 years as we were!
I’m from Florida Polk,County I really enjoy going everytime I go visit where I’m from.because it’s a Island living in Florida mangoes on the trees and avocados on the trees ect island 🏝️ life
We love all the tropical fruits that grow hear in Florida as well!
Fun video! I'm palnning the big move to Florida next March. I'm so over the brutal winters in Chicago (negative 0) and the extremely high winds. Chicago is called (The Windy City) along with senseless violence. I'm originally from Belize, I grew up with cockroaches and being on hurricane alerts from June 1st - November 30th. I'm ready to reconnect with nature and living a more active life. Keep the videos coming!
That's so exciting to hear about your upcoming move, Carla. We're sure next March will be here before you know it! We certainly don't blame you for wanting to escape the cold weather, winds, and crime in Chicago. Our favorite thing about living in Florida is still being able to be active year round... we will never miss the long cold winters in the midwest!
was just talking about your video to my coworker! Thank u!@@Explorcation
Nothing compares to the beauty in Florida
Diversity helps people grow
It's a good thing
We agree 100% Thanks for watching, Hunter.
Thank you for such great videos & information. I moved to St Pete from Tennessee a year & a half ago. I’m living in St Pete now but lived in Gulfport my first year. Was so sad to leave that small town in a big city but moved due to rent increase. Living close to downtown has plenty of benefits too & it’s a quick drive to Gulfport. Just one more thing - my dear friend in Tennessee discovered your videos & knew way more about Gulfport than I before I even moved! I’m now a regular here too & enjoy you two so much & it’s a great resource in planning her first visit here! One thing I hope you do is cover the music scene here. The Elixer is one of my new favorites but just so many great local musicians mostly free. Also one of favorite bands is Hot Tonic. Hope you keep doing these videos for a long, long time!❤
Thank you and your friend so much for watching 💗and for your comment. We very much enjoy the Gulfport area and do understand having to move due to increasing rent 🙁 I am sure you both won't have any trouble finding things to do when she visits.
We really would like to cover the music scene more. We absolutely love live music and there are many talented musicians in the area, however that becomes a little tricky on YT with copyright. We will keep trying to find ways to include those venues when we can :). You can also follow us on IG as we do post a lot of😊 stories that include live music venues and try to highlight local musicians 🎵
I also moved here from MI about 10 yr ago . Yes its very hot here in the summer, esp this last summer!! I do get really tired of it. And the traffic , OMG awful, and yes people drive super fast. Accidents daily . I live not far from Sarasota , in a little (kinda) town called Englewood, we also have a beach , Englewood beach , Manasota , blind pass , and stumps pass , Have you guys ever been here ??? Good places to eat on the beach , and a great resturant , Farlows. Expensive , but high quality food , But not alot to do here . Then there is Dearborn st , downtown, small, but has some shops. My sister will be here in about a week , and we are going to St Pete for a couple nights . I love your vids , you guys cover it all !!!!!!!!
Yes we love Englewood Beach (and all of Manasota). We made a video on it, but that's probably been around a couple of years back now. We even named at as our #3 beach destination in SW Florida in one of our more recent videos. We never have been to Farlow's though, so that will give us something new to experience next time we visit. Thank you so much for supporting our channel and taking the time to comment. We really do appreciate it!
Best thing Ive ever heard, " You don't have to shovel Sunshine!"
That is 100% accurate 😂
I'm a Florida native. Born in st pete. Still live in st pete. I love your channel. I'd love to run into you downtown sometime. Thanks for all your videos about the places downtown. I love your real and honest reviews.
Thank you so much for you support and for taking the time to write this kind comment, Katie. It's always nice to hear from long time St. Pete locals, as the majority of our viewers seem to be vacationers or newer residents to St. Pete.
We moved to FL from CA in 2021. We love FL and reside in Tampa area.
We haven't met too many Cali transplants here, Long. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. We're gland you are enjoying living here in Florida!
awesome video, great info. I am moving down to tampa area from New York shortly and im really excited! cant wait
Thanks so much! We are excited for your upcoming move, and we hope that you enjoy living down here just as much as we do!
Love Ft. Desota Park and especially the beaches....
We do to! It really is an amazing park.
I live up in Northwest Indiana by the beach (Lake Michigan) near Chicago Illinois. I go down to Southwest Florida often. My grandparents live there. Love it there. I wanna move down there so bad but with how expensive it is currently for even apartments is crazy. 3 times more to rent than here. Yet the average job seems to pay the same as here.
Yeah, we're hopeful that eventually the average salary around here will catch up to the housing costs, but it might take a while. We hope you can find a way to move down here sooner or later, Alexa!
Thank You to both of you for sharing your experience by moving to Florida. This is the video that I was waiting for from this Awesome CZcams channel.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting Wayne, we really appreciate your support!
We did the same thing over 3 years ago in moving from Upstate NY to Florida -- sold the house, got rid of everything in it, and transitioned to an apartment before moving to our home on the gulf coast. The summer heat, snowbirds, and bugs big enough to carry your kids away are the three biggest nuisances, but you adjust to them pretty quickly. People are generally very friendly and we were lucky we moved when we did before real estate and interest rates got out of control. If you're considering moving here, Jamie & Skylar's advice is spot on. There's a lot here to explore and the lifestyle is fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the kind comments. Glad you bought before interest rates got out of control. With our nomadic aspirations, we don't have too much desire to buy, but when when we do, we sure hope the interest rates are far lower than they are now!
Thank you for this!!
I’m so done with Michigan winters I despise my life here. I know my new life is in FL. I just need to get a plan to get down there
We feel your pain, Kourttney! We still head up to the midwest once (sometimes more) every winter to get a taste of the frigid cold and snow. It's fun for a couple of days, but it always feels so good to land back in Florida. We hope you are able to put a plan together and get down here soon. Thanks for watching!
We left most of our furniture behind in California & moved to St Petersburg July 2004. We LOVE it! We live by Crescent Lake & The Edge District. NO regrets. Friends from up north live here from winter to summer. We saw alligators at Saw Grass Park from the lookout tower. Traffic is more calm than I-5 in CA. But the Howard Franklin Bridge makes me nervous, cuz they speed past at 85. We Love your videos! Glad you are here! God AWESOMELY BLESS you. 🌴
Wow that was a huge cross country move! We love the Crescent Lake area and Edge District here in St Pete 💗
Oh you are right about traffic, nothing compared to CA. We also experience the extremely fast drivers on the Howard Franklin! Thank you so much for watching and for your support 😊
@@Explorcation You're Welcome. Enjoy your life in Florida & Thank you for all the Great videos! (& Militaries are doing Controlled demolitions all over the world)
Sarasota was. great choice...a city, that has everything a city has to offer..without being a huge city; close to the beach and close to major airports !! great choice
Thanks so much. Even though we eventually left Sarasota, we are so happy that we chose to live there. It really does have so many big city amenities while still being a relaxing, laid back place. We could definitely see ourselves moving back to Sarasota some day.
I moved to Bradenton in 1992. I have never regretted it. So love it here.
We're so happy to hear that, Cindy! This area has so much to offer, it's hard to ever imagine leaving.
@@Explorcation This is home until I go to my Heavenly home. My husband is also from Kansas (Barnes to be exact), I am from New Hampshire. It is nice to go visit, but Florida is our home.
@@Cindyvktravel ah so your husband is really familiar with small town living! We would like to visit New Hampshire in the future so if you have any recommendations let us know!
@Explorcation NH is stunning in the Fall. Stay in Lincoln or North Conway. Drive the Kancamagus Highway and stop and do the hikes. Sabbaday Falls is one of my favorites. There is the Flume to hike. The whole area has so much to see and do. Down near Lake Winnipesaukee is the Castle in the Clouds. NH has only about an 18 mile coastline, but the drive along the coast up into Maine is very pretty and takes you to Acadia National Park.
@@Cindyvktravel thank you so much for the recommendations 🙂I think we could stay busy in this area for quite some time. all of the hiking sounds wonderful!
Such a coincidence I found this video after watching the drive through St. Pete during the hurricane. I'm from Alabama but I've been in Overland Park Kansas for the last 6 years and the cold weather has grown off of me too. I love the St. Pete area and was initially thinking that would be my destination (not 100% sure yet, but I do know somewhere in FL will be it). Something about the south draws me back, plus being closer to my family. Since I work virtually now, really opens up the options :)
Ahh Overland Park, brings back memories! How nice that you work virtually and have the option to relocate 💗 good luck on your move. Let us know if we can answer any questions as you are making plans/decisions on where to move. Thanks so much for watching!
Sold and gave away everything that wouldn't fit in the car and moved from San Diego to Florida less than 2 years ago. Still renting because of housing market and inflation. I miss the mountains and good food. I don't like summer here. It's way too hot/humid.
We can definitely see how you would miss the mountains and beautiful summers in SoCal. If we were to live anywhere simply based on weather and landscape, the San Diego area would probably be our spot!
So I have moved twice both to different states i planes for 3 to 4 years and had it as easy the second time to sell a house and buy a new one on the same day so I just drove a uhaul from one state to another plan and prep save a extra 20% over what you think you need and it should go smoothly
Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience and tips, William!
Living in a Holiday in for two weeks before moving into your apartment sounds like a really exciting time, love the free McDonald’s too! 😂
Can completely see the appeal of Florida, sunshine and beaches we love it! Never thought about the flatness aspect before but I think we’d miss the elevated green hills too.
We have been caught in some crazy rain in Florida a few times, had to walk barefoot through the streets in Key West as they flooded while we were out.
We’re glad to hear you have no regrets of moving, you both look so happy exploring 😊
Yeah, we really do actually look back on those first weeks in Florida as great memories... Even though we were living in a hotel with almost no possessions. It really helped us to start realizing how little stuff we actually needed to be happy. Sunshine and beaches never really loses its appeal... And we can always hop on a short flight to see some hills!
Ive lived here in Pinellas since 1980, but its really cool to learn about the area through your guys experiences here. St. Pete is my favorite city locally and it has sprug up so much with new ventures it's hard to know what's in my own backyard. Thanks Jamie and Skyler for all you share!! You've made a really awesome channel, very enjoyable to watch.
Thanks so much, Beth. St Pete really is growing so fast and it's even hard for us to keep track of everything that's new in town. It seems like every time we go for a walk down Central we come across a business that hadn't been there a week earlier!
St. Petersburg,Florida is not beautiful as San Francisco….thats why Tony Bennett made a song about San Francisco……I Left My Heart In San Francisco 😃
OMG We live in KC too ! Now more reasons than ever to support you !!!
That's awesome!! We make it back to visit once or twice a year and always miss it (just not the winters).
I snagged a limited edition of that set when i was over there at wh world and its glorious.
10/10 would buy his mini of you made one my guy
Awesome. Thanks for watching!
People watch videos on Florida such as myself it’s with the aspiration of moving down there , it’s videos like this that people want to see
Thank you so much for this encouraging feedback. We really appreciate the support!
Awesome! We've factually had 400k plus move into the state since '18, so this has definitely added to the traffic & congestion! I4 just went through a 7 year improvement and they only have 3 through lanes going through downtown Orlando which is a disgusting oversight as it hasn't improved traffic one iota especially with the influx of millions!
Yeah, I4 really is a disaster sadly. We're just thankful we only have to drive on it a few times a year.
Thanks. Always enjoy your videos. I'm flying to Tampa tomorrow from New England. I've visited Miami Beach for 15 yrs and spent a few days in Sarasota, which I loved, and visited St Pete for a day trip, but am looking forward to 3-4 days in Gulfport to explore the area. Would love to get away from the winters as I absolutely hate that time of year up here, but haven't yet been brave enough to make the move.
That's great to hear that you are going to be checking out Gulfport for a few days. It's such a fun and unique place! Perhaps this trip will be the one that finally convinces you to move down to Florida!
So I'm kind of a native Floridian I moved there when I was 4 years old with my family and lived there for about 20 years then decided I wanted to move somewhere more affordable but have found myself moving from state to state cus even when things are more affordable it's just not home. I have landed myself in the SLC area of Utah and I gotta say it's beautiful here and everything is really nice but it is SO EXPENSIVE. A 2-3 bedroom house in a nice area that is actually populated is absolutely ridiculous! From what ive seen its a minimum of 400k and tbh it's really nothing spectacular. I paid 1600 just in rent for a one bedroom and have found houses for rent for 1800 in the Tampa bay area. Me and my fiancé are now looking at moving to Florida once again because we also want to escape the snow but at the same time we want to get the most out of our money housing wise. Now i know that sounds crazy but Florida isn't really as expensive in the housing market as people say it is IF it's offering a lot of what you want out of life. Just be patient, I have seen beautiful remodeled homes with a pool and decent front & back yard with 3-4 bedrooms from anywhere of 275k to 400k. Once again that may sound ridiculous to most people in the Midwest or less populated areas but living somewhere as jam packed as NE Utah it's actually a dream come true. Depending on your salaries and credit Florida can be a more than affordable place to live. No state is as populated as people say it is. It's all about where you live and how you commute. Everybody's experience is different. But for us, we could never be happy in UT, no matter where you look it's so expensive even in the BFE. Whenever I tell my friends from Florida that I think it's cheap there they are in a loss for words but to me it is. I've showed my fiancé tons and tons of houses and she couldn't be more excited just as myself!
Yes Florida definitely still has inexpensive areas. I can tell you that downtown St. Pete (where we live) is definitely not cheap, but you don't have to go too far to find some fairly reasonably priced homes. And if you get into rural Florida further from the beaches, things get considerably more reasonable. In my opinion Florida was under-priced for years. As much as we wish it was less expensive, we're still more than willing to pay what it costs to live here. It just has so much to offer!
I love watching your video's! You have really great info and it has been so helpful in my search for my future home.
Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging comment, Amy. We're really happy to hear that our channel has been helpful in your future home search. Best of luck to you in finding the place that is perfect for you!
My wife and I were in Florida 9 months a year for 16 years. Health and age have us closer to family now in Iowa. How we miss the sunshine and warmth. Summer in Florida is better than in Iowa. Mornings and evenings are beautiful. During the day stay in the air conditioning. End of story! 😎
Skylar was just up in Iowa visiting family a few weeks ago! We love summers up in the midwest, but we love summers down here in Florida as well. Without a pool or close proximity to the beach the heat would get old, but we love being in the water and look forward to the long hot summers here!
their aint no city in the state of Florida is as beautiful as San Francisco 😃
My husband and I were in Brevard for over 10 years-very near big nature preserve that the Patrick Air Force Base is located on. That’s a place where you can see alligators regularly. Easy day trip for y’all now. Nice area.
Thanks so much for the tip. We'll try to stop through and say hi to the gators next time we make it down to that area!
Thank you for sharing your story! My husband and I really enjoyed hearing your experiences. We are up in Canada but would LOVE to make the move some day to beautiful Florida...even if it's just for part of the year. For now, we love to dream and visit when we can. Keep the Florida content comin'! We enjoy it and find it so helpful when we do visit :)
Aww I remember when we were Florida dreaming, it can be so much fun thinking about making a huge change like that...but also a bit scary 😬 if you do get to the point where you are considering a move and have any questions don't hesitate to let us know. We are always willing to share our good (and even not so good) experiences if they can potentially help others! Thanks so much for your ongoing support 💗
@@Explorcation , thank you! 👍
LOL. I was walking by a beautiful beachside park north of Fort Lauderdale and was suprised pleasantly to hear a lot of French being spoken. Also noticed a bunch of Canadian car plates. Then realized that a lot of Canadians were living in two massive upscale beachside buildings. They were all having a wonderful time, families, kids, pets, barbeque etc. Was such a picture perfect scene, warm waters of the beach, people all enjoying life, utter bliss. Paradise. We Floridians really love having Canadian snowbirds. We love it more when they decided to make Florida their permanent home.
@@samanthamccormick1505 thanks for sharing your experiences and being so welcoming of newcomers to Florida ♥
I’m not surprised that you moved from Sarasota to St-Pete! I never spend more than 4 hours when I visit Sarasota…😎
We still love certain things about Sarasota, mainly its beaches, but yeah we definitely prefer the pace of St. Pete.
Stumbled accross you channel by accident. My wife and I are headed to Clearwater in a couple of weeks. We have watched many videos on the subject but found yours to be very informative and actually got me real excited for this trip. Great informative flow and very easy to watch. Thanks for doing these videos and keep up the great work. A new subscriber, cheers!!
Thanks so much for the kind comment and the sub! We're so happy to hear you are enjoying the channel.
I also regret nothing, having moved here 3 years ago. Great video!
We're so glad to hear you have no regrets either! Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment!
Greetings from Brandon Fl .
I totalny agree with you guys ,that Florida is a great płace to leave .I moved to Tampa Bay Area from New Jersey in 2015 and no regrets. I enjoy your videos .Don’t stop making more .By the way,you are very nice young couple .
Thank you so much for watching and for your support and encouragement, it really helps keep us motivated to keep creating content. we are so glad to hear you have no regrets as well 😊
Brandon Florida isnot as beautiful as San Francisco it is one of the most beautiful city in America 😃
Florida and their fake ass hollywood gotta copy California 😄
Loved hearing this about you guys! It's amazing to see how you guys moved and relocated to Florida. The Stock Photo of the "old place" HAHA. Wow, that's so lucky that you moved and still got to keep the job! Worked out really well! Working remote is a dream for sure. Ugliest house in the best neighborhoods are the best! Yay you moved to St. Pete! So great to hear about everything that you love in Florida. One thing not to love is the hurricane season! Stay safe y'all! This is definitely super helpful for people who are considering moving there. It's been really nice to catch up with you and hearing your story.
We're glad you guys enjoyed this one. It's a bit nerve wracking for us making these types of videos where we put so much about us and our story out there... you just never know how it's going to be received. Thankfully a lot of people seem to be interested in our story and for that we are very thankful! And we are also thankful that we fared extremely well during Hurricane Ian. We never even lost power where we live, which we never would have imagined we could say.
We will be sure to bring you some BBQ from Missouri the next time we head down your way. That is certainly something that we would miss if we ever move away from our area.
Yes please 😀😆 we sure do miss Joe's KC and Jack Stack!
Thank you guys for watching, we hope you all have a great weekend 😊
I am so glad I found your channel. I have been binge watching it for a few days. I found it because I decided to move down there and looked up st Pete on CZcams and here you are!
I'm in the process of selling everything, I'm going to have to live in my van for a little while so I can save up money to buy an RV. 🤘🏻🖖🏻
We're so glad you found our channel too and really appreciate that you've been binging our content! Congrats on your decision to move to Florida. It's still probably the best decision that we've ever made. In a way selling all your possessions will set you free. We used to have a 3 BR home and two car garage full of stuff. Now we have about 1/10th of what we used to and we definitely prefer it that way.
Great video. Looking forward to following you for many years. My father in law has a place in treasure island, so initially I was looking for information on the area, but I have come to really enjoy your adventures and perspective. So, in getting to know you a bit, I really enjoy the personal anecdotes. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much, Jim. We sure hope to be making videos for many more years to come. It wasn't too long ago when we thought there was no way that anyone would want to watch a video of us just talking about our lives and experiences, but we've been pleasantly surprised at all of the positive feedback we've received on this video. It will certainly encourage us to share more about ourselves and our personal experiences in future videos!
We are in WA and want to go to Florida so bad. We surf and scuba but there are no waves here and the water is cold 🥶. . We have lots of issues we need to fix credit home repair etc but I say we aren’t promised tomorrow so we are selling almost everything and moving across the country to start living the life we’ve been dreaming of
You are absolutely right that tomorrow is never promised. That's exactly what we said almost 10 years ago and haven't regretted the move once. You still won't find great surf here on the Gulf Coast... but definitely better waves on the Atlantic. And Puerto Rico is a quick and easy flight and gets some really great waves from what I've heard.
My wife and I are in our late 20s from New Jersey and we want to take the leap and move to Florida. But the high car/home insurance, hurricanes, cost of living is making us think twice about making the move
That's understandable, Robbie. Every place has it's pros and cons. The insurance is definitely one of the cons of Florida. Overall this is still the place we want to be, but it's certainly not for everyone. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
YOU ARE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE!!!
I didn’t see any mention of hurricanes in your video. I’m sure there will be an update next week. I came down in 1978 from Philly and didn’t experience a big one till Andrew. Be careful filming this week.
haha yea! We filmed this before the threat of Ian. We actually thought about making a separate video about living in FL during hurricane season, but haven't yet. Ultimately we have been ok with the trade off of having to worry about hurricanes and NOT having to worry about snow, ice and major tornadoes. But we sure understand why some don't want to have to mess with hurricanes at all. Thankfully we have only experienced one (Irma) since we have lived in FL, Ian might end up being our second! We hope you are safe over the coming week too. We are scheduled to fly out Friday of next week, sooooo, we are really hoping we are able to get out after the storm.
We doin this soon but I’m bringing my roll off dumpster truck box truck pick up truck two trailers and two suvs. All kinds of tools and equipment and I don’t know where I’m guna put it all lol Coming from 7 acres. Can’t wait to start a new journey!
Thanks for sharing about your experience in Florida, it really helped.
We're so happy that you enjoyed listening to our experience! Thanks for watching!
What a great video! Always love hearing the "back story" of CZcams video hosts. It helps followers connect with the channel, I think. I agree with other commenters...it took courage for the two of you to follow your dreams and there you are, living the Good Life! 🙂 For the next "back story" I think it would be interesting to hear your hopes and dreams for your future. Do you think you'll live out your lives in Florida? Do you have hope of owning another home there since renting is so expensive? Would you stay in St. Pete or move to another city in Florida? Thanks for sharing your lives with us; it's fun to get a peek at your "personal" side. And, of course, I look forward to new adventures coming up. 🙂
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions Rhonda 😊it sure was an exciting and scary time in our lives. We are so thankful our experiences led us to where we are today. You've identified some great questions too. Some of them align with a future video topic we are planning :) I am going to make note of the others you've noted as well! It has taken us awhile to feel comfortable sharing a little more on our channel. We've received a lot of very nice comments and encouragement from this one so I think that will help make it get easier and easier.
I have been watching your videos for a few months, love them, and I just came across this one. My wife and I are looking at moving to the Tampa area and we are taking a trip next month, September, to look at different neighborhoods that might be comparable to south Overland Park/Olathe. If you have any suggestions or we could chat, that would be great. Also, we need to find a place in Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater to watch Chiefs games. We have been to Glory Days. Thank you so much.
We've always heard that Glory Days Grill in St Pete is a great spot to catch a Chiefs game. We haven't caught on there yet, but probably will sometime this fall! There's a lot of really new, nicer construction areas in the Palmetto area (where we currently live) that do somewhat remind us of Overland Park / Olathe. Might be worth looking into. Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel!
Really enjoyed hearing about your experience. My husband and I are "snowbirds" in St. Pete. We will be back in November. We love St. Pete for all the same reasons. A big draw for us, besides the beaches, of course, was the Pinellas Trail. Love the ability to get around on a bike. Would be interested to see your experiences finding great eats, drinks and sights along the trail.
We really appreciate your comment Tammy, we have actually been working on a Pinellas Trail video! We are still very much in the planning phase. We wanted to wait until after the peak of hurricane season...and also when it started to get a bit cooler. If you have any suggestions for us let us know. We have really only been on the trail around the downtown area in St. Pete, but are very excited to take it beyond downtown.
I’m from upstate NY and moved to Sarasota after retiring. I have friends and family all over the state so I’m no stranger to Florida. I’ve found that I can’t swim in the ocean because the sharks will eat me, I can’t swim in the lakes her because the gators will eat me, I can’t let my kids run around the woods here because of the poisonous snakes and the nasty wild pigs, I can’t walk around my back yard bare foot because of the fire ants, I have to worry about the mosquitoes giving me malaria and the armadillos giving me leprosy. I didn’t need to worry about any of that up north. Yes, we had snow storms but they didn’t destroy my house and I didn’t need to get snow insurance. So why again is Florida paradise? 😂😂😂. Please don’t take this comment seriously, I’m just being funny. (Although it’s all true)
LOL yes mostly true indeed. You just have to replace the "Sharks/Gators WILL eat me" with "Sharks/Gators WILL PROBABLY eat me". There's always a chance you won't get eaten, however small of a chance it may be 😂
I left FL in 2000 for a very good job in KC. MO. I lived in a very nice apartment at Crown Plaza. I missed the year-round warm weather and moved back to FL in 2002; but had to take a 37% pay cut!
Well you sure do know that you love Florida when you are willing to take a 37% pay cut to live here! Honestly, we probably would have done the same.
Nice video! Florida does have it's good and bad points when my father was retired he lived in KC in the summer and the rest of the year in Florida and rented his place to KC football players in the fall Rich Gannon lived there during the seasons he played at KC and later Joe horn. Nowadays with all the remote jobs people could probably do that without waiting to be retired I wish I could do that now that I'm older the summers are getting too hot for me here in Florida
Thank you so much for watching our video and for sharing your story! We would love to eventually have a place up in the midwest where we could spend summers! We don't mind the summers here in Florida, but mainly because of our close proximity to the beach. If we lived further inland, I have a feeling that we would enjoy the summers a lot less!
Love the videos, can't believe I hadn't seen this one yet.
I wish the Mrs was as agreeable to moving as you were!
In the meantime we get two weeks down there in the January/February that we enjoy!
Well two weeks here is better than most people get! Hopefully you'll continue to find ways to spend more and more time down here! We're glad you enjoyed this one, Gene.
I've lived in St. Pete for the past 40 years from Chicago and still love it here. Check out a Bay Area Info Tour to get a great overview of the Bay area.
Thanks so much for sharing, Bob. We'll definitely check it out. We hope that we'll still be hear and living St. Pete after 40 years too!
I have enjoyed watching your channel! You really help me figure out where we need to go and how to avoid busier beaches. We are excited to try some of the restaurants you recommended when we visit Treasure Island later this month!
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment! It's always encouraging to receive comments like these, and we hope you have an awesome time in Treasure island next month!
Props to you guys for taking such a leap!
It sure was exciting, but also scary!
Thanks so much for watching Todd :)
Moved down here to Bradenton , howdy neighbor lol, love it down here !
Hello. So happy to hear you're enjoying it down here!
Happy new year to a wonderful couple 🎉! Thanks for the video so open and honest to share your journey ! It is so helpful! We plan to move to Fl soon 😊very grateful to catch your video 👍I wished both of you have a prospective new year 🎉all the best that life has offers ❣️more video to share 🏆
Thank you so much! It was a challenging but also fun and rewarding year. We wish you and your family a healthy and prosperous new year and hope you are able to get down here to Florida sooner than later!
Vacationed in Sarasota for years with my parents as a child and later myself as an adult. So when the house prices dropped in 2008 to 2014 I bought a place in 2013 after looking a lot in 2011 and 2012 to get an idea of where and what I wanted and how much I could afford.
Very smart move. We bought our home in Sarasota in August of 2013 and sold it right as the COVID pandemic was ramping up and many were predicting a housing crash. We bought low in 2013 and still turned a great profit on it... but boy do we wish we would have held on to that house for a couple more years!
Great video! My husband and I have been wanting to move there for many years now but pay and rent have been our biggest fears. We were also wondering how to make the move cheaper and we did not know the U-Haul had U-Boxes! So, thank you for mentioning that! Going to check out some more of your videos!
Hi Carolyn, thanks so much for watching, we really appreciate it. It has been awhile since we have looked into U-box pricing, but hopefully it is still affordable, we had a really good experience using the U-box.
It's not what you think after being here for a while...the heat is relentless...
Welcome to Florida! Hope you're settling into your new neighborhood 🏡
Thanks, Michael!
Welcome to California home to legal marijuana HOLLYWOOD and its world famous movie studio and home to the beautiful city of San Francisco and its most photograph bridge in the world the Golden Gate Bridge 😃
Florida got a fake ass Hollywood gotta copy California
in Florida if u get caught growing marijuana plant at your house u will go straight to jail not here in California u wont go straight to jail if u got marijuana plant at your house because marijuana is 100% legal here in California not Florida 😃
The carolinas have beaches and hills with a lot less over crowding. Seems like it's either snow or no snow ever again decision for most people but there's lots of states like Georgia, SC, Alabama, and NC that have beaches, shorter summers and no snow.
Yeah, we love the Carolina mountains, but haven't had a chance to experience their beaches yet. Hopefully sometime soon!
Thanks to you both for this one !! I was supposed to be there this week and next week but I decided to hold off due to the questionable weather situation. I have been downsizing and it seems like I could go thru again ! You don't realize how much you accumulate over time. I have been thinking moving back to close to Madeira beach having lived there and still know people in that area. But I think that has been a big part of what is taking me so long to make the move. Finding a place ....the prices have gone thru the roof ! Thanks again for all the ideas and info !!!
Ahh, it seems like you made a good decision to hold off on visiting. Right now it seems pretty probable that our area will be impacted, even if we don't have a direct hit, but only time will tell!
It really is crazy how easy it is to accumulate stuff, good luck on the downsizing and finding a reasonable priced housing situation. We can't believe how much prices have increased, especially over the last year 🙁
Thanks so much for your ongoing support, if there are ever any questions we can help answer please let us know!
@@Explorcation Thanks so much ! Puerto Rico got hit bad too..... It looked beautiful at those beaches you shared with us !
@@jadeheart911 we are actually heading back to Puerto Rico today. We had much different plans before the hurricanes hit PR and Florida but we have to be flexible when planning trips during hurricane season.
I've been in Florida all my life. Just you wait. One day you're gonna get sick of this heat and the people here. When I move to Washington state I'm never looking back.
Everyone's different. I've met plenty of people that have lived in Florida there whole lives and have no plans to ever leave. If we didn't travel, I think we might eventually get sick of the heat. But we go back to the midwest at least once every winter, and after a week of snow and cold, we're always ready to be back in the Florida heat! We hope you love it up in Washington state!
lol...Washington State. Enough said!!
@@diyfferent 1 year later I'm now living in WA state lol. Weather has been great
Biggest downer for this Midwesterner moving to Florida is I can no longer save big money at Menards.... Traffic does suck and many don't seem to know how to drive around here, however we find traffic moves too slow lol. Never thought we'd live right off an 8 lane road (the BBD) and struggle to maneuver around often times below the posted limit. Great video as always!!
Also, the Hillsborough river has a lot of gators, I think we've seen them everytime we've gone on a float trip. The van fleet trail has a few bridges we've gotten pics of baby gators (park off green pond Rd and ride north) we also had our first venomous snake spotting there, a dusky pygmy rattlesnake right on the pavement.
😂 That Menard's "theme song" immediately popped into my head when I read the first sentence of your comment! But we do agree 100% that Menards is amazing and Lowes/Home Depot do not compare. There's no doubt that Florida has more than its fare share of slow driver's as well. And they can be just as dangerous as the crazy fast ones! It sounds like we're gonna have to check out the Van Fleet Trail. We love visiting places where we can spot gators, although I'm not sure that Jamie would be too excited about a potential rattlesnake sighting. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind comments, Anthony!
I'm selling everything & moving to Thailand. Bradenton,fl. to Phuket
Wow, congratulations! When are you planning to make the big move?
Checkout Frostproof Florida in Polk County,a little off the beaten path with a charming downtown surrounded with 2 large beautiful lakes, very affordable.Would make a cool video for those desiring a slower pass,less traffic.
We sure will. Sounds like a great place.
If you want to see alligators all day and everyday.. I have the place for you ... I grew up in the southside of St.Petersburg and we actually would swim in Lake Maggorie where a large population of gators lived..now mind you this was well over 45 + years ago but nonetheless they're still there in the Lake and in a lot of ditches and storm drains thru out the neighborhood....The Gators are in more places in the city than one may think...especially on the golf courses..
Thanks so much for the tip! We love spotting gators and will definitely check this lake out soon!
We live in Englewood on a freshwater canal and see alligators almost every day. :-) (And we have lived here most of our lives, 50 years.
I guess we need to head south for more alligator sightings!
Thank you so much for watching and commenting 😊
I live in upstate New York and have a job lined up in Panama City Florida. Right now just waiting on the phone call. I have times when it is snowing and blistering cold here in New York I wish I was somewhere warm and enjoying the outdoor activities Florida has to offer. My cousin moved to Florida 16 years ago and it would be nice to have one of my cousins nearby. My uncle lives in Alabama which is a 2 hour drive from Panama City which would be another positive thing. I think the only regret I will have when I move to Florida is the mountains and rolling hills as well.
We hope you are able to make the move down to Florida soon. And yes, you may end up missing the hills, but fortunately it is a bit hillier up in northern Florida than it is down here further south!
You did not mention hurricanes during your nine years. I lived through two on the east coast. Hurricane Wilma in 2006 destroyed my condo. Something to consider.
Yeah, we intentionally omitted hurricanes because we had planned a separate video specifically dedicated to hurricanes a couple weeks later. In retrospect, we probably should have at least mentioned that in this video! Thanks for watching.
Fellow KC guy here (Olathe) been dreaming about doing this for awhile myself. I own a home and a business so it feels a little daunting. Coming to Panama City Beach in a couple weeks so I'm hoping I can convince my wife this is a good idea lol. Good luck guys!
We owned a house in Olathe (around 124th and Black Bob) for a couple of years before moving Florida! Being a business owner would definitely add to the fear level of moving across state, but that doesn't mean the move wouldn't be a good thing for you. We hope you have a great time in PCB, and best of luck to you convincing your wife on the big move!
I moved to Tampa a year ago. One of the things that I have found to be a negative is most things close pretty early, including parks and some beaches. It is not very night owl friendly. It is also a very spread out metro area so most things are a 10-30+ minute drive away. It may be different if you live walking distance from a beach, which is a tourist area, but home prices are higher there. The weather is nicer and the rainy season is not as bad as the mid-west. It rains 30-60 minutes each day then is sunny again. People are friendly or at the least will leave you alone.
We agree with pretty much all of this. The Tampa metro is definitely very spread out, and we can see why it would not be great for a night owl!
Very informative!!! Sunshine and heat? I go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned job then reverse! Central air is prominent! I have alligators in our yard that live in our ponds and nearby golf courses.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. You are right, you sure can stay cool in the air conditioning if you want to.
Alligators in your yard?!?! I hope they don't get too close 😬
Wow, just found you guys. We're in Largo and have lived here... Forever lol. Didn't realize there were so many great places to eat and drink and explore around us, especially after the pandemic and being couped up. Your said you're doing meetups? Would love to take you up on that. We're getting to have someone convince us not to move to Washington lol. You sound like the right people given the Kansas snow.
We're so happy you discovered our channel, Michael! There really are a ridiculous amount of places to eat/drink/explore around here. Yes, we plan to do a meet-up within the next few weeks. If you send us an email to explorcationblog@gmail.com, we'll put you on our meet-up email list and will let you know as soon as we have a time and place identified.
So I'm a Florida native and I live inland in Polk county. As for alligator sightings you will see more if you're inland versus on the coast. It's not uncommon here that we actually do see them crossing a road, I think one time I did see them trying to cross an intersection going to an interstate road, my son one time stopped at a convenience store and there was one in the parking lot. So I do think it's probably because you're closer to the coast is why you don't see them. Also just a tip on traffic, stay away from the interstate and learn the back roads even going from Tampa to Orlando there are back roads to get there
You are probably right about us seeing less gators here because of our proximity to the coast. From what we've heard, gators definitely prefer fresh water over salt water, and much of the water around here is saltwater (or a mixture of the two). We honestly really enjoy seeing alligators but might be freaked out a bit if we looked over and saw one in a gas station parking lot😂 And thanks so much on the tip about the back roads!
I always look forward for your next video. Thanks for sharing your story. Have a great weekend you guys.
Thank you Chris, you are always so supportive of our channel😊 We hope you have a great weekend too!
@@Explorcation Thank you so much.
We moved here 2 years ago and concur with much that you shared. We would add that we would never use U-Haul boxes again. They were a nightmare to deal with.
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. We're sorry to hear about your bad experience with U-Boxes. Ours went pretty smoothly, but we were also in no hurry to get our stuff given we were living out of a hotel room when we first got to Florida.
@Explorcation our biggest issue was they refused to deliver to our home. We were never told this when we signed up with them. Between is and our son, there were 7 boxes.
@@koritsi4 that would be very frustrating, we are sorry to hear that. I do remember having to go pick our box up from a Uhaul center, but we also didn't have an address to ship to when we left, so it worked out for us to have a place for the box to stay until we secured long term housing.
I half expected them to say, "We sold everything we had and moved to Florida. After three months we ran out of money, and had to move back to our old home town. Florida is expensive!"
LOL thankfully we were only living on one income for a few weeks, and also, Florida was much less expensive back then!
Wendy and I love you two. We are driving home from Florida and love your videos 📹
We are a bit late with responses, but we hope you made it home safely and visit Florida again soon 💗 thanks so much for your support!
We did the same!! Moved from Washington State. Sold everything & ended up in a vrbo in Naples for 2 months. Lol... the big Mac 🤣 Yep... the traffic is Sssoooooo bad in Orlando and that stretch. We literally won't leave tge house to certain destinations at specific times lol.
Ya... it's rare to find Native Floridians! We escaped WA because of the constant rain. Lol... ya the storms were intense the first time we moved down. We see gators alot at home, but we have a pond behind our house too.
Great video guys! See you again soon 👋
- Ashley from Adventure Encounters
Thanks so much for watching and commenting, sounds like you had a pretty similar moving experience! When we were deciding which city to move to we narrowed it down to Naples or Sarasota...but ended up going with Sarasota. What led you guys to choosing the area you live in currently?