Amy and Andrew Shantz with their children, Elizabeth and Katherine, sailing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador.Supplied
Amy and Andrew Shantz from Cambridge, Ont., are living the sand-and-sun dream. With their daughters, Katherine, 12, and Elizabeth, 14, the family is currently spending 7.5 months hopping between Ecuador, Colombia and the Caribbean.
And it isn’t their first time – the family took a sabbatical to the same area six years ago. Ms. Shantz is a principal with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, which allows principals and teachers to have a portion of their salaries deferred for four years so they can take the fifth year off. Meanwhile, Mr. Shantz, a mobile crane operator for a construction company, gives his employer kudos for being so supportive.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. The Shantz family recently hopped on a Zoom call from their temporary home in coastal Santa Marianita, Ecuador, to discuss their second sabbatical together. Between learning the intricacies of the local transit system (pay a dollar to hitch a ride on the back of a pickup truck), home-schooling on the beach and carving pineapples for Halloween, the Shantz family is exploring the true meaning of a rich life together:
How did you choose where to travel?
Andrew: When we first decided to do this six or seven years ago, we had four criteria: safety, climate, affordability and weather. But we’re also depending on people we know who are already down here. My aunt lives in Colombia so we’re going to see her again. And we have a friend I went to university with who moved to Ecuador 12 or 13 years ago. He was the impetus [for us] to come down and try living on this beach. So, we weren’t completely blind when we arrived.
Amy, you mentioned your dad passed away right before retirement – I’m sorry to hear that. Did his death change how you think about your future?
Amy: Yes. I learned sometimes things happen and you don’t live to retire, so let’s spend as much time as we can together now. We talk about “YOLO” – you only live once. We want to spend [time] with our kids while they are still willing to come with us. I joke with my friends that I’m having my mid-life maternity leave. I’m taking a year off to be with the family the same way I did when they were little.
These trips also give us something to look forward to that’s not 20 years away. If winter is super-cold, you’re like, “Well, in two more years, we’re going to be on the beach for six months.”
I can’t imagine your trip is all relaxing on the beach though. Does travel bring any unwelcome surprises?
Amy: Well, we’ve been sick with the flu since Sunday. And [our daughter] Katherine injured her knee, so we had to navigate the health-care system. She was on crutches for a few weeks.
There’s also a drought here, so we’re running without power for almost 14 hours a day sometimes. But our landlord got us a UPS power bank, so we still have internet and WiFi, which is amazing. We don’t mind [the outages] because it’s part of our experience. We just light candles and play some games.
Andrew is taking time off without a salary, while you are receiving the portion of your salary that was deferred for four years. How can you afford to be away so long?
Amy: You have to budget for the year [off]. You still have to pay for insurance, phone bills, a mortgage back home. And, I’ll be honest, we haven’t nailed budgeting either time we’ve done this. Because it’s a long-term plan, you [sometimes] think, “Well, if I don’t save enough this year, I can save a little bit more next year.” That can set you back.
While my money was automatically being saved, Andrew had to plan. We have a separate bank account called our YOLO account.
The way you travel changes too. You stay in one place and you shop in local markets. It’s more like living abroad than major travelling. Travelling is really expensive. Living abroad is more affordable.
Amy, have you ever worried that these years away might stall your career as a principal?
Amy: Before our first [sabbatical], I was in the middle of moving from vice principal to principal. I was worried about the timing. But the superintendent at the time said, “No, the job’s going be here when you get back. Just go.” I actually interviewed for the principal job while I was away and then got it.
This time, I worried about [falling] behind all my principal peers. One of my mentors disagreed. She said, “You’re going to bring back the humanistic, cultural and responsive knowledge that you get from travelling.” So here we are.
How do you handle Katherine and Elizabeth’s education while on your trip?
[As someone who works] in education, I love having the time off to focus on what they’re doing. They’re home-schooled, technically. Katherine is in grade seven, so she’ll just return to her school. But it’s a little bit different for Elizabeth. She’s taking a lot of online courses right now to get her grade nine credits. Then she can go right into grade 10 with her friends.
Have your experiences changed how you feel about wealth and success?
Andrew: We recently read a book that defined wealth as passport stamps, not material accumulation. So we are learning to define it as how our girls adapt and overcome adversities. That’s a form of wealth as well.
Amy: I would say that sometimes the girls adapt better than we do. Initially, they were more hesitant about leaving because of what they would miss back home. But they’re intrepid. These girls are amazing! They’ll jump in the back of the trucks, go on long walks, try new foods. And for the most part, they never complain. They’ve been volunteering, serving dinners at the local guest house, washing cars and dog sitting. When you’re living abroad versus just travelling place to place, you become part of the community.