As many young British Columbians struggle to pay the bills, one couple has spent more than a year abroad living contentedly on a couple dollars per day.
Danica and Nathan Reid left the comfort of the Okanagan for Nepal in 2014, four years after they were married, hoping to find a new life of simplicity and adventure.
Before long, they fell in love with the country, and they have no plans to leave.
While the Reids gave up a lot, including privacy – which can be hard to find when you live in a place where 10 people might share two rooms – the couple said they’ve also learned much from their new friends and neighbours.
“They’re cooking together, they’re washing clothes together,” Nathan told CTV News over Skype. “They sing and dance together and all of those things make the family unit a lot closer than what’s the norm in Canada.”
The couple has made a home in Hetauda, a city of roughly 80,000 in southern Nepal. They’re supporting themselves through their website, The Ticket to Travel, and their YouTube channel, where they’ve been documenting their efforts to get by on just the basics.
For one Nepalese month, which last 32 days, they challenged themselves to live on $1 U.S. a day – the same amount more than a billion people survive on year round, according to the United Nations.
The Reids wanted to learn whether they could enjoy life on that kind of budget, as opposed to counting the days until it was over. Though there were challenges along the way, Nathan said they were surprised by how content they were.
“People who don’t have a lot… come up with creative ways of making ends meet with their family,” he said.
“They make fun out of nothing. It’s just awesome to see.”
With the challenge over, the Reids still get by on dollars a day, and over time they’ve only grown more attached to their surroundings, the people, and the lifestyle.
While they plan to visit Canada again, they said the simple life half a world away is just too good to give up.
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