That chill in the air is starting to bite, and the snow and ice won’t be too far behind.  Time to pack your bags and drive or catch a flight to your second home somewhere nice and warm.  Be free as a bird and go south.

Ah, if only it were that simple.  I’m a snowbird and learned that beyond the economic price, there is a time cost.  If you are considering this lifestyle, the list below gives you an idea of some of the tasks.

But I also want to give you my “verdict” early in this piece:  all the effort has been worth it! I’ll summarize some of those benefits as well.

Time/Preparation/Tasks

• Prepare the home you are leaving up north. Power outages and heat system failures can happen so to minimize damage be sure the main water valve is shut off, faucets turned to the open position, bottles of liquid that can freeze are removed, and consider using anti-freeze in some drain traps.
• Mail forward, suspending service such as cable/internet, adjusting other home service.
• Pack all the essentials to take with you (checkbooks, medical items, etc.)
• If you are leaving a car behind have someone start it periodically or disconnect battery or use a trickle charger

Benefits

• The warm weather climate allows me to continue biking, swimming and other preferred hobbies.
• Instead of renting, I have a second real estate investment.
• Friends in two different parts of the country.
• New experiences and places to discover.
• Lodging whenever I want it!

Other Considerations

For an informative read that focuses primarily on the financial pros and cons check out this article https://agingoptions.com/housing/being-a-snowbird-why-its-great-and-why-its-not-so-great/

You need to really enjoy the area you pick for your second home, so I made sure I rented there for a couple weeks for two years before I bought.  I’m also a person that makes friends easily and doesn’t mind some alone time, because for most of us the second home location often means temporarily leaving some friends and family –our support network—behind for a few months.

I also recommend that your second home–if far from your primary residence–not be a stand-alone property but be a condo or part of an association.  These arrangements come with an association fee, but relieves you of some of the long distance maintenance and worry.  Here’s an interesting take on the subject https://www.parkplacenetwork.com/post/choosing-between-a-condo-or-house-what-s-best-for-the-snowbird-lifestyle

Consider if your medical insurance will provide the necessary care in a different location (ie traditional Medicare usually works fine, but Medicare Advantage plans usually require you stay in their network.)

Alternative to Snowbird

Instead of buying a second home, you might want to consider living in a different  location/country each year for the winter months. For those who love variety this arrangement might be the perfect fit. There are some locations where a rental property is incredibly inexpensive.  Here is a fun video with some tips, both financial and adventure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWDtn2-amH4

While the alternative of spending a winter in a different country has its appeal, for me I like returning to the same town in Florida where I have my little villa.  It took me the first four or five years to explore the region for my favorite biking and hiking trails, fishing spots, and restaurants. And now I return to those special places each season.  In those early years I met friends with boats who share my passion for fishing, so I always look forward to seeing my buddies and getting out on the ocean. Having the second home also allows me to keep what I need at my finger tips and not have to lug it down from up north (ie fishing equipment, bicycles, kayak, etc).

Perhaps the best benefit of all: it almost feels like I have two separate lives, two years packed into one, and I’ve grown to love both places and never dread the winter.

(Michael Tougias is a NY Times Bestselling Author of 30 books for adults and 9 for middle readers.  His latest adult book is In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival and Courage www.michaeltougias.com)