So far this year, Jamie and Keith Ochoa have visited Wisconsin, Louisiana, Florida, Iowa and South Dakota

NEED TO KNOW

• Jamie and Keith Ochoa “downsized everything” to live full-time in Airbnbs across the country
• The couple spends about six weeks in each location, with most trips designed around visits with their adult children and extended family
• The Ochoas budget roughly $5,000 monthly for rentals by redirecting their former home expenses

When Jamie and Keith Ochoa’s youngest daughter headed off to college, the empty nesters knew they were ready for their next big adventure. After originally mapping out life on the open road in an RV, the couple had a sudden change of heart that led them to a far more “bougie” way to travel: a series of long-term Airbnb stays across the country. 

Four years and dozens of destinations later, the retired French teacher, 59, and her husband, 60, have completely left their home base behind to “slow travel” the nation six weeks at a time. 

For the couple, the transition to full-time nomadic life wasn’t an overnight pivot. It required a complete overhaul of their living situation and mindset. “We sold everything but the bare minimum of what we would need to live in a really, really small, cheap apartment out in the countryside,” Jamie tells PEOPLE of moving from Virginia to Tennessee to establish state residency during retirement.

They used a 30-year-old “podunk” abode as a test-run home base. Over two years, they would travel for three months at a time before returning for a month. Once they got comfortable, they downsized even further, reserving “heirlooms” and seasonal clothing for a storage unit they visit once every six months. (The biannual visits are also when the couple complete any doctors and dentists appointments)

Since their four grown children and extended family are spread across seven different states, Jamie and Keith design about 40% of their travel schedule around family visits. The rest of the year is dedicated to exploring new parts of the country — staying in each location for about six weeks to get a feel for the local lifestyle, visit top attractions and events and get the best deal on Airbnb. 

“We’ve found that six weeks is enough time in any given place [so] that you can do all the things you want to do, and you’re not getting too bored wishing you were on to the next thing,” Jamie explains.

So far this year, the couple’s travels have taken them to frozen lakes in Madison,Wis., Louisiana bayous, the renowned Iowa State Fair, and most recently, the South Dakota Black Hills — all of which are featured in Jamie’s “Living Like a Local” social media series. 

“I’ve always loved travel. I’ve always loved teaching, I taught for 20 years,” she says. “I love sharing those kinds of tips and ‘Here’s what you can do too.’ People get excited and ask, ‘Oh, how can I do that?’ ”

One of those lessons is how to budget for a nomadic lifestyle.

Jamie says the couple took their entire monthly home finances — including their mortgage, HOA fees, taxes, utilities and even services like yard work — and converted it into their Airbnb budget. It gives them about $5,000 to work with each month. Like shopping for a house, the couple uses several factors like affordability and location to find each temporary home that’s right for them. 

“A lot of people are thinking of their vacation Airbnb, a beachfront Airbnb that is $10,000 per week,” Jamie says. “We’re not booking beachfront houses… I want to be at the beach, but I can’t afford beachfronts, so I’m going several blocks off the beach.”  

There are a few challenges that come with the “slow-travel” lifestyle. Having to book and research their next locations about six to eight months or more in advance, Jamie says it wouldn’t be possible if this weren’t her “full-time job.” She not only needs to find out where to go, when to go and what to do, but she also needs to know the intricacies of each community.

“My husband is really great about giving me the kudos because we couldn’t do it if I didn’t work at it,” she says of Keith, who still works remotely. “It’s a lot of research just to know the place. Then you’ve got to research the neighborhoods and the city and where you want to live. So that takes a lot of time.” 

For families looking to embark on their own nomadic adventure, Jamie’s advice is simple: “Start small.”

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“We loved the fact that we did it as a transition,” Jamie says. “You have to make it your own. My particular version of this lifestyle might not be your version. Some people might want to go out four months a year… Everybody has different needs and wants, so try it out.”

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