About Us – Timeless Wanderers
Hi, we’re Gary and Sally — travel lovers who swapped a life in Australia, for slow travel through Tuscany and Europe’s most beautiful ski resorts.
In October 2022, after more than 30 years working inhospitality and devoting our lives to raising our children,we decided it was time to finally follow a dream we had been talking about for decades — moving to Europe when we retired.
Europe has always felt like a second home to us. We’ve been travelling here since the 1980s, and for the last 25 years we’ve returned annually for ski trips, sometimes with our children and sometimes just the two of us.
Those trips shaped the way we travel — slowly, seasonally, and always with a deep appreciation for place.
Letting Go of the Old Life
When we returned to Australia, things moved quickly.
We sold our house, our cars, and almost everything we owned.
Watching it all happen so fast was both exhilarating and terrifying — the dream was becoming real.
We placed our most treasured belongings into storage while we searched for our future home in Lucca.
With nowhere left to live and our plans accelerating faster than expected, we left Australia a couple of months earlier than planned.
House Sitting, Detours & Discoveries
Without a long-term Italian visa yet, we headed to the UK, where Australians can stay for up to six months visa-free.
Our first stop was St Ives in Cornwall, where we spent a blissful month in an Airbnb by the sea.
When our next accommodation unexpectedly fell through — a situation that seasoned travellers know all too well — we found ourselves temporarily homeless again, right before Christmas in London.
A friend suggested house sitting, something we had heard of but never seriously considered.
That suggestion changed everything.
After joining TrustedHousesitters, we secured our first sit in Liverpool within days, caring for a beautiful dog named Amara while her owners travelled.
It cost us nothing but responsibility — and we were hooked.
One sit led to another across England, including Essex, Horley, and London. Many homeowners invited us back for future sits.
We quickly realised there was a real need for mature, trustworthy, retired sitters — and being Australian didn’t hurt either.
Almost everyone had a connection to Australia, which instantly created a bond.
Finding Our Home in Lucca
After a family Christmas in Geneva and a week skiing in the French Alps, it was finally time to return to Lucca and search seriously for a home.
After viewing many properties, we found the perfect fit: a three-bedroom home with two bathrooms, a fireplace, dining room, and space to grow into.
It needed renovations — a new kitchen and two new bathrooms — but that felt like part of the adventure.
Buying property in Italy turned out to be far more straightforward than expected (opening an Italian bank account was the hardest part!).
With the help of a fantastic local realtor, we navigated the process with confidence.
As our Schengen time came to an end — Australians can spend 90 days in the Schengen Area at a time — we knew our journey was evolving once again.
From Slow Travel to Travel Blogging & Custom Itineraries
In 2023, as our slow travel lifestyle continued across Italy, the UK, and Europe’s ski regions, friends, family, and fellow travellers kept asking the same questions:
How are you doing this? Where should we stay? How do we plan a trip like yours without rushing or overspending?
That’s when Timeless Wanderers was born.
We began full-time travel blogging to share real-world, lived-in travel experiences — not rushed itineraries or checklist travel, but thoughtful journeys built around staying longer and travelling smarter.
Today, we specialise in:
Slow travel in Tuscany, with a deep love for Lucca and Tuscany.
European ski travel, drawing on decades of first-hand experience in alpine regions.
Custom travel itineraries, designed for couples and travellers who want seamless, stress-free planning without rigid schedules.
Every itinerary we create is personal.
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all travel.
Whether it’s a Tuscany road trip, choosing the right ski resort, or planning a longer European adventure, we design trips the way we travel — balanced, realistic, and unhurried.
Life Now
Today, we split our time between Italy, the UK, and budget-friendly destinations, using Lucca as our home base.
We live the Schengen shuffle — three months in, three months out — house sitting, slow travelling, and continuing to explore Europe one region at a time.
Travel, for us, isn’t about ticking boxes.
It’s about connection, comfort, and creating memories that feel timeless.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for being here.
We look forward to sharing our future adventures — and helping inspire yours.
If you have a question, a comment, or would like help planning your own journey, we’d love to hear from you.
Welcome to Timeless Wanderers.