Welcome to the barge lifestyle! This is the chronicle of two retired Canadians aboard our century-old Dutch barge, “Change of Pace“, as we cruise the European canals and inland waterways, embracing the water-based nomadic life. You can use the pins on the map above to view our travels and other information on our barge life.

Soon after retiring, we sold everything and lived a fast-moving nomadic life with nothing more than a backpack and carry-on case each, visiting every continent, 74 countries, and staying in more than 250 cities. The D2 Detours main page of this site details those travels.

For almost 5 years, we packed up and moved frequently, averaging less than 6 days in any one location. We loved the life, but after checking off most of the items on our bucket list we were introduced to the barge life by Whitney’s step-sister and husband, Laura and Boyd, who had embraced the canal life by living in Europe on a Dutch barge they named “Flat Bottomed Girl” (you can read about it in this post from 2024).

After sleeping in 280 different beds, the idea of slowing down, living in our own space, and having our own stuff with us was very appealing! So, in late 2025 when Laura and Boyd informed us they were thinking of moving up to a larger barge, we let them know we would happily take their boat off their hands, knowing they had brought it up to tip-top condition, and so our barge life was born. You can read more details in our post: A Change of Pace for 2026.

The joy of canal travel is that you cannot hurry, even if you want to. – Unknown

Our new home will allow us to slow down, yet keep exploring new places, so we’ve renamed her “Change of Pace”, and will move aboard in June, 2026