Issue #20

18 October 2025

Welcome to Path Finder: Our Journey in Real Estate and Adventure

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Bare Minimums, Big Moves, and New Beginnings

So much has been happening over the past two weeks. All of our household goods are packed up and gone! We did have a few hiccups with the movers, even after putting clearly labeled stickers on everything to identify which shipment it belonged to, if it was a high-value item, or if it was professional gear.

We tried to make the process easier by setting out refreshments for the movers each day they were here, but one major frustration was how they left cigarette butts all over the property — especially frustrating with our children playing outside. It’s one of those PCS lessons I’ll definitely be sharing for future movers.

We’re staying in contact with the Travel Management Office (TMO) on base and plan to do a reweigh of our shipments before delivery to make sure everything lines up correctly.

For now, we’re officially down to bare necessities — camping chairs, a hammock, and an air mattress. Our kids have been incredibly resilient through all this, and I’m so glad we decided to get rid of their twin mattress setups before leaving England. When we get to our new duty station, we’ll upgrade them to something they can keep for years.

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🐾 Pet Shipping Prep: Four Crates, One Big Bill

We’re officially booked with American Airlines Cargo for our pets’ flights. We’ll be shipping two German Shepherds and two cats, each in their own crate as required.

Any guesses on how much it costs to ship four animals across the Atlantic? 💸
I’ll be sharing the full cost breakdown in my next issue — including vet visits, crates, transport, and airline fees — so you can see exactly what goes into the process.

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🚗 Goodbye Highlander: Shipping the Car

We also said goodbye to our Highlander this week — it’s officially on its way to Virginia through the military’s vehicle shipping program. I plan to do a full comparison between military and private vehicle shipping, because while the military option is technically free, it definitely comes with its own challenges and delays.

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🏡 House Hunting in Virginia: Defining Our Buy Box

On the real estate front, we’re getting ready to make an offer on yet another home in Virginia. Having an awesome agent on site makes all the difference — they’ve been our boots on the ground, sending us photos, videos, and updates in real time.

This will be our third offer so far. It’s tough to find a home that checks all the boxes, but here’s what’s in our buy box:

✅ 4+ bedrooms and 2+ bathrooms
✅ At least 2,000 sq. ft.
✅ Garage or workshop space
✅ Zoning that allows animals (harder to find than you’d think in Virginia!)
✅ Enough land to get our homestead going again

I can’t wait to be back in a space where we can grow our own food, collect fresh eggs, and teach others how they can start doing this too.

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🍰 Afternoon Tea & New Opportunities

I’ve also started reaching out to local Virginia businesses to partner on an Afternoon Tea experience once we settle in. Over the years, I’ve collected around 100 English tea sets, along with kettles, sugar bowls, and tiered cake stands.

We’re exploring different options — from quiet afternoon gatherings and private events to themed parties with entertainment. It’s such a fun way to bring a piece of England to our next chapter and support small local businesses at the same time.

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🏠 Our England Home: Ready for the Next Family

Our home here in England is just about ready to be marketed for let, and I can’t wait for another family to enjoy it as much as we have. In an upcoming issue, I’ll walk through the process of getting a property ready to rent in the UK — from the required EPC rating (Energy Performance Certificate) to the HMRC landlord registration and everything in between.

It’s been a learning experience, and I’m excited to share all the details to help anyone looking to rent out their own home overseas.

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✨ Coming Up Next in Issue #21:

💰 Real numbers — what it costs to ship four pets internationally
📦 How to protect your high-value items during a PCS move
🏡 Steps to get your overseas home rental-ready

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🔗 Stay in the Loop

I can’t wait to bring you along as we make this transition—new home, new land, new opportunities to turn every step into progress.

👀 Until then, you can explore past issues, digital downloads, and more right here:
👉 https://linktr.ee/Thepathlessjourney

Until next time, keep building, keep learning, and keep finding your path. - Kimber