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Feeling stuck in seasonal sadness? Maybe your cure isn’t in a supplement—maybe it’s in a suitcase.
In today’s episode, I’m talking with Sara Dunn—not about SEO, but about a totally different system that’s transformed her life: snowbirding. Yes, we’re talking about skipping winter entirely. Sara breaks down how she and her husband live in two states, manage two homes, and run fully remote businesses without losing their minds (or their mail).
Sara, the founder of Sara Does SEO, is a powerhouse wedding SEO strategist who’s helped her clients attract over a million visitors a year. But today, she’s sharing her personal operating system for something a little different: emotional outsourcing through geographic flexibility.
Why Snowbirding Works (Even If You’re Not Retired)
Most people think snowbirding is only for retirees. Sara breaks that stereotype. With a remote business and a remote-working husband, she realized they didn’t have to stay rooted in a snowy place that didn’t suit their lifestyle. What began as a one-month trial in Florida has evolved into a bi-annual migration.
It wasn’t about luxury. It was about sustainability—mental, emotional, and physical. Winters in Michigan were long and gray. Sara hated the cold, and COVID lockdowns made things worse. Their first Airbnb stay turned into a lifestyle.
Living Between Two Homes
Today, Sara and her husband split their year: October to April in Central Florida, spring through fall in Michigan. They’ve even bought a small townhouse in Florida to make the transitions smoother.
Their logistics? Surprisingly manageable. Sara keeps a dedicated “Move to Florida” checklist in her Notes app, tracking everything from cardigans (yes, Florida gets chilly!) to her favorite kitchen knives. She’s learned to navigate two sets of utilities, mailing addresses, and even furniture preferences (yes, they bought the same couch twice).
Systems Make It Work
Tech plays a huge role. Smart home setups, digital mail forwarding, and a supportive neighborhood network have made the lifestyle sustainable. Even Etsy gets a shoutout for labeling shipping addresses clearly—saving her from more than one delivery disaster.
Emotionally, though, the transition isn’t always smooth. Sara describes feeling sad every time it’s time to leave one home for the other. But within a few days, she always finds her rhythm again.
What Most People Miss
The challenges aren’t hidden—just overlooked. Misdelivered groceries, inconsistent mail forwarding, and remembering which drawer the silverware lives in are all part of the trade-off.
But the benefits? Being able to sit outside every day. Feeling energized by her surroundings. Walking to a cute town square. Getting twice the access to library books via the Libby app. Sara thrives under this system, and it’s reshaped how she defines “home.”
Testing It for Yourself
Thinking about trying snowbirding? Sara recommends starting with a longer-term Airbnb rental in a town you genuinely want to explore. Walk around. Live like a local. Don’t just vacation—test-run a lifestyle.
Start small. Stay for a month. Build a list of what you miss and what you don’t. That data becomes your blueprint.
Julie: Welcome back to the System for Everything podcast. Today’s tip is seasonal. Depression can be cured by relocating. It’s called emotional outsourcing. Today we’re chatting with Sara Dunn. She is the go-to wedding, SEO expert, helping wedding planners for photographers, venues, and other industry professionals who want to rank higher on Google without the tech overwhelm.
As the founder of Sara does SEO Sara and her team help wedding pros get found? Online through done for you, SEO services, coaching and DIY courses. Her wedding SEO framework breaks down the confusing world of search rankings into clear actionable steps that actually work, and she has the results to prove it, bringing in over 1 million free website visitors from search for her clients.
Last year alone, Sara is a sought after industry educator having shared her SEO expertise on so many stages. So if you are ready to become Google famous, Sara’s ready to help you get it done, but she’s not here to talk about SEO today. Today.
Sara: Shocking. It’s shocking and rare. I’m so excited.
Julie: Today, Sara is telling us.
All about another system one she has never shared about before. But first, we’re gonna start with the system reboot. A quick reset to start the episode with some humor and humanity. Sara, what is a mundane task you secretly enjoy? The thing that gives you absolute main character energy for no reason.
Sara: Oh, weeding in the yard.
Oh, okay. Love that It is, love that mundane it. Most people hate it and I think it’s such a great way to improve and like see a visual improvement. Something you’ve done. I love
Julie: weeding. Oh, okay. Awesome. Besides what you currently do for a living, what is a job that you think you’d be incredible at? Ooh, that’s tough.
Sara: I, I have sometimes said that I might have gone into civil engineering because I find traffic patterns really interesting, and
Julie: that’s just me being a nerdy person. Okay. I have read a book about urban planning. I’m not gonna become an urban planner, but I am fascinated with like street layouts. I’m right there with you.
Sara: I still live in my hometown and there’s one intersection that has totally inspired this since I was in like middle school because it’s so badly engineered and none of the lights are sequenced now. This is like 20 years of this intersection being terrible, and every time I drive through I’m like, I should have gone into this so that I could fix it.
Julie: Okay, and finally, what summer television show are you most looking forward to?
Sara: Um, I am not the TV chooser in my family. Uh, my husband calls himself my, uh, algorithm, so he picks what TV show we’re gonna watch next, but we are currently obsessed with your friends and neighbors. So that’s our current show.
So good. That’s on my list and I haven’t
Julie: had a chance to start it yet, but. On my list. All right everyone. You’ve met the personality. Now meet the powerhouse. Here’s my conversation with Sara Dunn on the system for Snowbirding. Okay, Sara, I wanna go back to the very beginning. Where were you living before this?
What was life like then? What made you say like, we can actually pull this off.
Sara: Yeah, so I’m from southwest Michigan and so is my husband. We met in high school. We’re both from the same small town and so like Michigan is home. We went to Ohio for college, like not very far. Not a different climate, so like the Midwest, Michigan is just home, and I thought that we would always live in Michigan.
Now that said, I, I’m a Michigan girl with Scandinavian background. I have never liked winter. I do not like the cold. Um, I don’t know. I fell out of the wrong tree, I guess because I hate winter. I play zero winter sports. I don’t like skiing. I don’t like snowshoeing. I don’t like parkas. And so weird. ’cause I can totally picture you in goalie pads.
That’s so weird. Zero hockey, like none, none of the things. So. It was just like I thought my entire life would be suffering for six months of the year, because where I live, winter really goes from like late October into the end of April. It can snow anytime in that. Range of time in the year, like my entire childhood, going to Halloween, my costume always had to be able to fit a winter coat underneath.
Oh. Because it’s always so cold here by the end of October, and anyone else from the Midwest will totally get it, but other parts of the world would be like, really? But yes, yes, it’s
Julie: cold. How is the Midwest not capitalized on like renting out shopping malls for like neighborhood trick or treating like capitalize on indoor?
Um, that is a great idea. See you on Shark Tank.
Sara: So fair. Yeah, so I guess that doesn’t answer the question. That’s like the, uh, where we came from and how this started, but just like No, it’s all part of the backstory. I love it. Yeah, I mean, just Michigan is where I thought I would spend every winter, but like many things in our lives, the pandemic happened and impacted kind of my whole world view.
So. It was 2020, um, actually the end of 2020. And we had been, you know, mostly shut up inside. And summer was okay ’cause we could be outside a little bit more here in Michigan and see our friends and family social distancing. But it was like. Winter was coming back and things were still not good. And we realized not only are we gonna be inside for six months of this winter, but we won’t be able to see anyone either.
And so my husband, who had a job where he went into an office most of the time was no longer going into the office every day. And I don’t know where the crazy idea came from, but one of us said to the other like, what if we just went to Florida for. Four weeks or five weeks because we don’t have to be here.
Like my clients don’t care where I’m talking to them from. And he didn’t have to be in the office at the time either. So it was like, I don’t know, let’s, let’s spend one of those late nights on Airbnb going, where could we go that would be affordable? And like, is there a house you can rent for five weeks?
And that’s really how all of this started.
Julie: Okay, so what does your lifestyle actually look like in practice? Like when do you arrive? When do you leave? When are you really in each state?
Sara: So, um, fast forward a few years and we have basically decided to do this every winter. So I am now skipping winter and um, as I mentioned, you know, that whole season that possibly could have snow, we have just decided to skip.
So we now leave for Florida about October, and we come back at the end of
Julie: April. That is amazing. How do you handle those transitions? Kind of like. Emotionally, logically, is there still that like emotion to it? Like, oh, we’re gonna miss everyone, but like, we’ll see you soon. Yeah,
Sara: this has been really interesting.
I love that you asked this question ’cause I didn’t realize that there would be an emotional component to leaving each of our locations because I’ve found that I’m someone who definitely is a homebody and I really like to be where I am. So we’ve done this transition now back and forth like three times.
Um, but every time I. It, you know, the calendar rolls and it’s time to leave Michigan. I’m like, I don’t wanna go. Like, I don’t wanna go. Oh, I like where I am. I’m comfortable. I got my routine. I don’t wanna go. But thankfully my husband is always like, I’ve been ready for weeks. Like, let’s get outta here. It’s gonna be awesome.
And, and it was the same thing. Did he switch jobs? Yeah. He has since switched to a job where he sells software. So he travels a lot. It doesn’t matter where he is either. And you know, he just, he loves. Being where it’s warm and so do I. But you know what, it was again, this spring, just a few, it was about a month ago now that we came back to Michigan and I was in Florida going, I don’t wanna go.
I like it here. I’m comfortable. I have my routine, you know, I’m working in my, my garden here in Florida like. I don’t wanna go back. So it is like this emotional transition that like, I just have to push through. It’s like two weeks of me being like, I don’t wanna leave. And then the first week back in the new place, I’m like, I’ve got, you know, I’ve gotta kind of move back in.
I’ve got stuff in boxes, I have to remember where things are in my own kitchen. So it’s like this strange adjustment period. But like I said, it’s been. Little less than four weeks that we’ve been back and I’m already like, I love being here. I’m so glad to be back.
Julie: What? So
Sara: what does that actually
Julie: look like?
So you have to remember stuff that’s in your kitchen. I mean, are you, do you rent, do you own, do you Airbnb? The property you are not at? I mean, what is the actual housing setup in each place?
Sara: So here’s what’s interesting. The first two times we did this, we rented, we found a place on Airbnb that had a long-term option.
Um, the first time we went, we did just over four weeks. The second, uh, winter we went for, I think it was nine weeks. And what we found is when you get into that like 2, 3, 4 months, there are just certain creature comforts you really love and miss. So like. Your own mattress, like yeah, you know, you, you can sleep on kind of a mattress you don’t like for a week or two weeks or three, but by week four, it’s like, this is actually hurting my back and I miss the mattress that I chose for myself at home.
Little things like that, or, you know, when you’re renting, it’s like, okay, you gotta bring all of your favorite things with you. Like I’m packing the knives that I like to use in the kitchen. I’m packing my own pillow and my own sheets. So the number of things. That you have to bring with you when you go for an extended period and really live somewhere else.
It was like the entire car was full when we drove down of things we needed. And so by year three I was kind of getting the itch like. Could we buy something small in Florida so like we can have our favorite things in it and it just feels more comfortable and actually feels like home. And if we’re going to spend six months at a time like that.
Would be something that would just feel more comfortable in that transition. So we did find a small townhouse in our favorite town in Florida, and that is something that we own now, and I’m just really, really happy to have that. And because that feels like home, it’s like. I have Michigan home, I have Florida home.
Both feel like home when I get there. I just have to remember where the rice cooker is when I
Julie: get there. Are, are the setups in your homes, like identical? Like let’s say, you know, you’ve got that drawer to the left of the sink that’s got silverware in it. Is that at both homes like that? No. No. ’cause the kitchen layouts are
Sara: totally different.
So it’s like literally you have to remember where the silverware comes out. Um, and I still remember the week we got back here to Michigan this spring. My husband shouts from the kitchen. He goes, where is the toaster? I’m like, it’s in the lower cabinet that spins around. I’m like, oh my gosh. But like you get.
Your brain kind of forgets like, okay, it’s in the corner cabinet in the other kitchen, but here it’s in the lower cabinet and it’s, it just takes that transition time.
Julie: Do you have anything that is like a go-to system or tool or app or anything like for organization or packing or scheduling? Yeah, I
Sara: just have to, um, rely on my notes app, so I.
I’ve started keeping a note in my phone that’s like, you know, move to Florida because there are things each time that I’ve forgotten or wished that
Julie: I had, oh, the first time, what is one thing you always forget or you never remember until it’s too late? I mean, I will say it’s not like you’re moving to a weird rural campsite where you know you can’t run to CVS in both places, but still there’s things you’re like, oh, I can’t forget that again.
Sara: No, I mean, the thing for me is clothes. ’cause I’m like, I don’t really need more clothes. But the first time we went down to Florida for an extended timeframe, I did not bring sweaters. I was just like, this is Florida. It’s warm. And like I, I almost brought no sweaters. I’m like dresses, t-shirts, tank tops.
It would be fabulous. But we go to central Florida, it’s not like being down in Miami. So when we’re there in January, it’s. 50 degrees and sometimes even less. And so I’m like, oh. So I literally, in my move to Florida note it says, bring sweaters. And I made myself a note this year that said like didn’t bring enough cardigans.
So like I’m always trying to be like, okay, future Sara will need to know and remember ’cause I’m gonna forget by October that I need to bring. More cardigans and, um, puffy vests. I said to go to Disney, I need a puffy vest. Oh, I love that.
Julie: Do you have, how do you, well, how do you manage like. The actual logistics of things like, like mail and deliveries and taxes and insurance, and I’m fascinated by all of that.
Sara: I mean, it is something that we certainly have not perfected yet. Um. Like, there’s so many systems now where your address is saved. So we’re all, we have tried to get so much better about, you know, when you’re ordering something after you’ve just made the move, you have to check your address that’s saved in there.
Um, you know,
Julie: I would absolutely Uber eats to the wrong house.
Sara: Oh, for sure I have, I have ordered Walmart delivery to the wrong house. I’m like, oh, great. All of my groceries just got delivered in Florida. I’m out in my Michigan front porch going, I got the delivery notice and there’s nothing here. And I have to pull up my Walmart app and be like, oh my gosh, come on.
Like you’re better than this. And so I. I gotta go tell my neighbors in Florida, do you want some free groceries? Because I just got like my whole list delivered and it’s at the wrong place. So I mean, some things are just down to having great neighbors, which thankfully we do in Oh good locations, you know, and family is here in Michigan, so there have been times we have sent things to Michigan and they have gone to the UPS store for us and forwarded them onto Florida for us.
Oh. So I mean, it’s. It’s confusing and we’re not great at it. I actually think this is my favorite thing that I noticed, and people probably won’t pick up on this, but Etsy, you know the app, Etsy, where you can buy stuff online? Oh yeah. I love, it’s the only. Checkout cart that I’ve ever seen where the checkout button tells you where it’s going.
So it says like buy and ship to, and then the city that it’s going to. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I’m like, this is genius. Why doesn’t everything do this? Yeah. I want the button to always say where I’m shipping it to in case it’s going to the wrong place. So shout out to Etsy for saving my life and making sure I didn’t send something to Orlando when I wasn’t there.
Yeah. Mail is hard. Um, and we do set up like a, there’s mail forwarding that you can do. Mm-hmm. So we do set up a season long mail forward. It’s not perfect though, like the, the last name has to perfectly match for it to get forwarded on. It takes a really long time. So our mail takes a long time to get to us if it gets sent to one location and, um, they don’t forward anything.
That’s not first class mail. So sometimes I don’t get my magazines and some other stuff that seems classist. Right. The, the, there are certain mail that is not good enough to be forwarded, so it’s, it’s not great. And again, thankfully we have people that can check mail in both places and help us out if that needs to happen, but.
It, it’s definitely a hassle and I will say the, the world is not made for you to live in two places and have two addresses, and so it just takes a little bit of figuring sometimes to make sure that everything’s set up the way that it needs to be.
Julie: I love that. Okay. Do you, do you decorate both places the same or do you like really lean into different vibes?
Oh, different vibes
Sara: for sure. Nice. Which I mean is actually kind of fun ’cause we’ve had our house in Michigan for over 10 years now, and so I. Some of the things here maybe I wouldn’t have chosen now. Um, so I get to kind of, I got to start fresh in Florida and they’re, they’re totally different styles too.
Like our house in Michigan, uh, I love it. It was built in 1966, but it’s like very much in the woods and like a, a ranch style house, lots of dark wood. And the place in Florida just is kind of like a newer kind of different style. So. I get to lean on both, both styles a little bit more like earthy and woodsy here.
And then in Florida I have been using a lot of pink in our decor In Florida. What’s that? I’ve got pink curtains in my office. Uh, we got kind of these mauve dining chairs, and so I just feel like Florida gets to be a little bit more playful and coastal and fun.
Julie: Are there any rituals that you’ve created, like routines for arriving to make you feel like, okay, this is how we settle in.
This is the first thing we do.
Sara: Yeah, I mean, in most cases, like we have to open the house back up, so we do, oh, of course both of the places are, are empty when we’re not there. And so it’s like, okay, get to Florida. Take all of the outdoor furniture back outside and, you know, prepare to be able to use that space.
We’ve got a couple chairs and then like a sweet little table that I love working at. So, you know, moving back. Outside and getting everything set back up is kind of like the first thing I always wanna do when I get there. And it’s kind of the, the ritual and then unpacking everything that we do still move from one place to the other.
Definitely clothes and shoes. And my husband has like this dream that he wants to be able to go to one place or the other with nothing in hand. Like everything that he needs is there already. And I’m like, well, that’s fine if. All you do is wear t-shirts and sweaters and mostly the same thing, but I’m like, I’m not buying two of every blouse that I love.
Yeah. So.
Julie: But like it, but like taking like a small carry on of just the absolute things that you only have in the one place. Oh, I could see that, that would be my ideal too. Yeah. I mean, that would be way
Sara: easier. Instead I’m like, I might need these high heels one time so I better bring them, um, you know, like the, the contingency.
’cause I mean, it kind of stinks when you’re in one place and you’re like, oh yeah, I really, I wanna wear this outfit. Um, and then you realize that’s not there. Yeah, it’s, it’s at the other place, and so you’ve gotta kind of come up with a different idea, especially for things like, I try to think through what are the major events that are gonna be happening while I am in the other location, like speaking engagements or conferences.
You know, I have certain things that I’ll wear that I don’t wear at home. High heels being one of them. Yeah. So I’ve gotta make sure if I have a speaking engagement, I’ve got a couple pairs of shoes that I’m gonna be able to wear and that are close at hand so that I can take them with me. So it’s just like there’s, there’s definitely things that I will always want to move back and forth.
And so a big part of the transition is packing those things up. Getting them to the other place and then unpacking and settling back in, which at this point I, I think we’ve pretty much got down to just a few
Julie: days. Oh, that’s awesome. So, you know, you work from home, you have that work from home lifestyle, and now your husband’s able to have that too.
Do you have to each time you’re moving. Be like, I’m off for a few days. I mean, is it a few days process or are people expecting you to be like, well, you can work from anywhere. You have to jump in.
Sara: Yeah, I mean a lot of times we, we move on the weekend, so I don’t tend to take a lot of time off for the transition.
I probably should, I would probably be less stressed, but it’s usually like I’ll take out, I’ll take off the one last afternoon before we leave and then just plan to unpack on a weekend. So, yeah, I mean there really isn’t like a big. Time off transition from work. And for me, thankfully, I have a wonderful team that’s very supportive.
So if I’m not able to work as many hours, it’s not like nothing is going on in the business while I am doing the move. I mean, it was funny, I was. We were doing like our last team meeting before my move this spring, and they were like, how is it already time for you to go back? I feel like you just got there.
I’m like, I do too. Um, so they’re kind of used to this being my schedule too. And I, I think a lot of people who come to like. My live trainings are starting to realize, oh, Sara’s in her Michigan background now. Um, like you can see where I am. So it’s, it’s becoming like this real normal thing now that we’ve done two full winters and, um, we’re just kind of like settling into what that looks like and it’s a little bit easier than it has been.
Julie: I think there’s probably a lot of people that might listen to this and think it’s like. So glamorous and like what? Like an interesting, cool like Alec lifestyle. So like what’s the highlight reel? What’s the hidden challenges? Like what is actually glamorous? What is like the least glamorous thing?
Sara: Yeah, well, I feel like I need to call out.
I do feel like we’re very privileged to be able to do this and there are some unique things about our situation that let us do it. Like I so appreciate having an online job so that I can take my work wherever I am. Um, I’m glad that my husband made the decision to find remote work as well, and the fact that we don’t have children who are.
You know, when you have children who are in school like that just wouldn’t work. So because of our situation, we’ve been able to make it work and I mean it. Just, I don’t know if, I wouldn’t call it glamorous, but it really does like suit my soul. I love just chasing 75 degrees and sunny all year. I, if I never see a snowflake again, I will be super happy.
Um, so it. It really is wonderful and I’m so glad that we get to do it. Um, so I would say it’s certainly more highs than lows and it’s been working out really well for us. But that, I mean, the logistics are certainly a challenge and the fact that, you know, we do have a home that’s empty half the year and there’s a little bit of worry like, what’s going on there?
Is everything okay? Do you have like cameras in both places? Yes. Yeah. Good call. Winston loves his security cameras,
Julie: so yes, we can, I will not try to break into your home, I guess.
Sara: That’s right. Uh, so yeah, I mean, we’ve got eyes on it all the time. It was definitely harder when we first made the transition and we didn’t have, um, such wonderful, like neighborhood support.
We hadn’t met anyone yet, so it wasn’t like we could just text someone and be like, Hey, is everything okay? After the ba, the big storm we heard about there was. Hurricane Milton went through Central Florida last fall and we weren’t there. And so we were in really close contact with our neighbors. I was really worried, like never lived through a hurricane before.
Not that I, you know, I wasn’t even there physically, but it still felt like I was worried for days as that hurricane was on its way. And thankfully our neighbors. They were like, um, I got a text message from one of our neighbors and he was like, um, we are trying to reduce projectiles, so can I take your garbage cans into your garage?
And I was like, oh my gosh, I’ve never thought about projectiles. So thankfully, yes, he was able to go and drag those inside for us. I’m, I think. This is much easier than it would’ve been years and years ago before the technology would’ve allowed a lot of things. Yes. Because we can open the garage door remotely.
Mm-hmm. We don’t have to leave a key with someone. We’ve got an alarm system, so we would know if any doors were opened. So
Julie: Yeah. You don’t to send a carrier pigeon to be like, is there water in my kitchen? Yeah,
Sara: yeah.
Julie: Yeah. So I mean it,
Sara: it seems like. I don’t wanna complain about any part of it ’cause it’s such like, oh, you’re allowed problems to, I wanna know if anything has ever gone
Julie: like comically horribly wrong.
Sara: Um. I mean, not knowing how anything in another state works, but anyone who’s moved from state to state knows the pain of that. But having lived in the same state my whole life, just the fact that everything is handled differently in Florida and um, I. Just things we didn’t anticipate and kind of had to deal with.
Insurance is different. Um, taxes are different. The way garbage is collected is different. I’m like, okay, this is confusing.
Julie: We, I, I had that issue moving just across town. When we bought our house, we moved to a different area of the same city in Dallas, and for three weeks in a row, our garbage wasn’t getting picked up and I couldn’t understand why.
And I finally took to tweeting. At every single city council member. There was 12 of them at the time. And our, our guy got back to me and was like, Hey, like, let me look into this. And we were apparently supposed to, instead of on the front curb, which is what the people across the street had, because apparently their alley is closed.
They were doing construction on it. We’re supposed to be putting it in the back alley, like behind our backyard. Oh no. And I was like, I. Would never have known that. How, how would I know that? And he like, and he, he’s the best. Omar, you’re amazing. He, uh, like had somebody from the sanitation department come out within like two hours to pick up our three weeks of garbage.
I was like, thank you so much. And he was like, anytime Very sweet. He’s like, welcome to the neighborhood. Yeah. But I was like, how would I known? Like, so in a whole new state, I can’t even imagine. It’s, it’s been interesting, but, uh, a good thing to learn about and appreciate a little bit. Do you have, like, I know you do, you know, some doubles of certain, like wardrobe items and kitchen items and things like that, but what about things like a gym membership or a library card or like.
Just, I mean, like any of that kind of, I don’t know, sandwich shop, punch card, are those still a thing? Like do you have like doubles of those? Do you have them in each place? Does that ever get confusing?
Sara: Oh, yeah. I, the best thing in the world is having two library cards because, oh, you can have access to the Libby app for two separate libraries, so yes.
That’s epic. Yes. And for anyone who doesn’t know, that’s an app where you can get library books to your Kindle or audio books to your phone and it’s all based on what library you are renting them from. And so now I’ve got like
Julie: double the options. Hot Libby tip. Everyone keep your Kindle on airplane mode.
Okay? Then the book does not disappear if you have somehow not finished it. Okay? Keep it on airplane mode people. Best tip also, your battery’s gonna last longer. Oh
Sara: yeah. That one changed my life when I was like days away from a book having to be returned and I wasn’t done with it. Oh yeah. And someone told me, just switch your Kindle to airplane mode and it’ll never go away.
Yes. So good. Best thing ever. Best thing ever. So yeah, having two library cards, you know, is up there in the list of benefits. Um, I can’t think of anything else. It’s like a, a double other than like double of our. Favorite home things. Yeah, it’s funny, like if you ha have to think about what are the things you can’t live without or would really wouldn’t want to, and then just you’re like, I’m gonna buy the exact same.
So we actually bought the exact same couch we have here in Michigan. We bought the exact same one for Florida, and I was like, I know I love it. It’s just like the right squishiness and like. Why would I find something different? Let’s just buy the same thing in a different color and we’ll know. We’ll love it.
Julie: So yes, you come from a place of privilege that you’re able to do this, and that’s, that’s something great to acknowledge. But like, are there smaller ways you think people could like test this out with, you know, extended stay short-term swaps, things like that? Like if they are perhaps an aspiring snowbird.
Sara: Yeah. Well, I definitely think that if anybody wants to escape winter, the way we have, the best way to start is by renting a home on Airbnb, especially in an area that you think that you would want to stay for the long term. Um, and really thinking about. Where would you actually wanna live if you’re viewing this as a secondary location that you’re gonna be based out of?
You know, do you wanna be in a neighborhood or do you wanna be more in a downtown? We found like a, a nice small town where we could actually walk down to the main street, and that was really fun for us. And we went back a couple years in a row. So we went in 2020, we went in 2021 and we tried different parts of town and we were like, okay, we really want to be in the main area, not out in a neighborhood.
’cause we love that walkability and we love when friends come to visit that they can go walk and do some other things if they wanna do that while we’re working. So. That would be my number one piece of advice, like if someone is considering this, is to think about finding a more residential place. Don’t just stay at a hotel for an extended period.
Really find an Airbnb that’s like something you would wanna live in, and then see what that experience is like. And I’m really glad that we bounced around a little bit and tried different situations and figured out what we would really want if we were gonna stay somewhere for six months or more. Do
Julie: you ever get tired of the back and forth?
Like, do you ever think like, okay, let’s, let’s not do this this year, or like, what helped you push past that? Like, we cannot possibly do this? Um, um, the weather pushes
Sara: me. That’s fair. So, I mean, as soon as it starts turning and it’s not 75 and sunny anymore in Michigan, I’m like, I’m out. I, I do think we’re, we’re trying to figure out the perfect time to leave because I do love the fall color and the leaves changing and everything.
And when we leave mid-October, we miss some of that fall season, but it, at the same time, it does get. Cold and there’s usually like this really awful week in October where it’s 40 degrees and it rains every day, and I’m just like. Looking at my weather app on my phone and I’m like, what is it right now in central Florida?
Because I think the answer is 82 degrees and sunny again. And so it’s, it’s the weather for me. And then, you know, in the opposite, in the spring it starts to get hot in Florida and a few days, you know. Where it feels like the surface of the sun and you can’t even sit outside. You know, sitting outside is my favorite thing to do in the winter when it gets too hot for me to be able to sit outside.
I’m again on my weather app going, what’s it like in Michigan right now? And usually the answer is, it’s only like 55 or 60 degrees. But still, that sounds kind of refreshing at the time. So I think this. The six month cycle that we’re on has really been perfect for encouraging the transition. It was much harder when we went for like nine weeks.
It was, I think most of January and February, and then we had to go back to Michigan in March and the weather was awful, and I was like, why did we come back here? It’s way too early. It was still gray and drizzly, but the snow was gone and just let that month of march up here is really not fun when you’re ready for it to be spring.
So definitely that I, I’m comfortable where I am, but the, the weather really pushes me to say, okay, it’s time to make the transition and it will be worth it.
Julie: I love that. Okay. Sara, I have loved this conversation. I’m so, I have always been so fascinated by this, like, since I’ve known you, that you do this like back and forth and I think it’s so, so cool.
Um, it’s not something I could ever do. I would 0% thrive in that situation. Why is that? Oh, I hate change. Yeah. And more than big changes, I hate small change.
Sara: Ooh,
Julie: interesting. I worked, uh, at the Mavs for 10 years, and one time they changed our office chairs and we didn’t even get a heads up about it. And I think I complained every day for two weeks.
Like I was such a brat about it. Like, ugh, no, I’m very like, like I, I don’t even like regular travel. That’s very hard for me. I, it’s a whole thing, but yeah. But I think every. Every time it’s hot. ’cause it is the surface of the sun already here in Dallas. And I think, why do I. Yes. Why do I do this? Yes, there,
Sara: there is the opportunity to get away for a little bit, but that would be short term change.
Yeah. Uh, yeah. You know, I, I’m very inspired by all the snowbirds who live up here. Mm-hmm. I was like, you know, if you can be 75, 80 years old and do this every single year, then I certainly can do it at my age and figure out how it works. So. Um, was very inspired and was always my goal to be an old retired person who wintered in Florida, and I just realized I didn’t actually have to be old to make that happen.
Well, retired. That’s right. Totally. Thank you. Internet. So, you know, it, it. I know it would not work for everyone, but it’s definitely working for us.
Julie: I love that. I love that you thrive under that. So tell everyone where they can find you online. If there’s anything you wanna promote, let’s push that. Now. I know you’ve got lunch and learns.
Those are awesome. I. I do. Yes. I mean, we didn’t
Sara: talk about SEO at all today, which is a refreshing change for me. Um, as much as I love talking about SEO people
Julie: are, people are gonna see Sara Dunn is on a podcast, click on it and then be like, well, it’s about what I know I’m listening to.
Sara: I know, right. Um, but I mean, if.
Anybody wants to show up higher on Google, please feel free to come to SEO Lunch and Learn. I do them every single month and you will know when I have this background that I am in Michigan and, um, you will find out when I move to Florida and you know, if you just. I, I post a lot of appreciation posts on my Instagram stories because I love where I am, where I, when I am there.
Um, so if you wanna just kind of follow along with Snowbirding, my Instagram at Sara does, SEO is probably the best place for that.
Julie: Yay. Thank you so much for coming on, Sara. All right, it is time for the system shut down. Um, we’re gonna log off the serious stuff. I’m gonna talk about a book I just read. I just finished reading Expiration Dates by Rebecca Searl.
I give it four out of five stars fast, heartfelt read with the right touch of magical realism. Um, the gist is that the main character receives a note with every new relationship, telling her exactly how long it will last. No context, no explanation. Just an expiration date part, love story, part, mind game.
And it really made me think a lot about timing and choice and whether we would do things differently if we knew the ending. Um, I highly recommend it if you like books that are clever, a little weird and easy devour in a weekend. And unlike Sara’s life in Florida, this book gave me chills.
Sara: I mean, this recap is giving me chills, just the whole premise.
I was like, oh, what? Okay, so here’s my question for you, Julie. Was it audiobook physical book or ebook?
Julie: E. Ebook? So, let’s see. I started listening to audiobooks when I was nine because I, the book I wanted was already checked out by somebody at the library and the children’s librarian who knew me very well.
I will say. Lemme just detour on this real quick. I was such a freaking nerd that when the children’s library section at my local library in Arlington, Texas got redone when I was a child, uh, I cut the blue ribbon and I was written about in the newspaper to the whole thing about what reading means to me because.
What a nerd, but I love that so much. She said, uh, you know, we don’t have it, but we have it in audiobook. And I was like, what is that? And she was like, oh, it’s where someone reads the book to you. And I was like, wait, I could be doing something. And still reading what, uh, instantly I was hooked. I listened to them actually to fall asleep, and I am 39 years old and I still do it.
To my poor husband chagrin. I listen to it. People say all the time, they’re like, how can you possibly like, know what you’re reading? How can you get through it? And I’m like, because I remember the last thing I remember. And then I just go to that part and I like, I keep it on a timer for like 30 minutes.
It’s not like I accidentally get through the whole book at a night. Um, but anyway, so I love audiobooks, but my body is trained now. Audio books mean sleep, so I can’t like, oh no driving. I can’t listen to audio books while, while on driving. Driving. No, no, no. Absolutely not. I would probably for sure die.
And then I used to be very loyal to paper books and I was like, never gonna get an e-reader. Like I love the feel of a book. I love the smell of a book. I love going into a bookstore. Then I realized when I was going on trips, I was packing like six books and I was like, this is getting ridiculous.
Sara: Yes.
Julie: So I switched to a Kindle and I have never looked back.
Uh, I love it. Love my Kindle. I love the library. I am a huge advocate for libraries. They’re the best place on earth. I. On Earth. That’s my happiest place on Earth. Mm-hmm.
Sara: Yeah. I, I read through the entire blue dot reading section at my elementary school. It was like a certain reading level. They had the little blue dot sticker on the back.
I read every single one of them because I was such a nerd for books when I was a kid. Love that. So I, I totally know how you feel and the fact that when you get an ebook, especially from the Libby app, it just comes straight to your. Your reader and you can get started and you can carry a lot of them. If that’s your thing,
Julie: it’s the best.
Yeah, I definitely check out way too many at a time. Like I. I don’t know why I thought having a child I would have more time to read. I dunno why that was, that was incorrect. Everyone. I don’t know if you knew that It’s incorrect, but, uh, I talk about books a lot over on my Instagram at Dallas Girl Friday.
I’ve even got a reading highlight with lots of book reviews that you can check out there. Thanks everyone. Thanks.
