Just getting started The escAPE ape — grinning ape in aviators and a teal hibiscus shirt, inside a navy badge

escAPElatitude

Retirement travel, honestly covered — the trips, the real costs, and the systems behind them.

Watch the channel See the merch

Who's behind this

We're a Pensacola couple — both correctional officers with the State of Florida, 26 years in each. He retires December 31, 2026; she follows on January 1, 2028. escAPElatitude is what comes next: a YouTube channel, this site, and a small merch shop, built a few hours a week in the open.

No hype and no highlight reel. If a trip costs more than planned or a system doesn't work, that's what gets covered — the numbers included.

The escAPE ape relaxing on the beach in his hibiscus shirt and aviators

What we cover

Four subjects, one rule: everything gets tested on our own trips before it gets recommended here.

Travel Systems

The repeatable side of travel — how trips get planned, booked, packed, and paid for without turning into a second job.

Cruise Strategy

Fares, cabins, booking timing, and onboard costs — how to read a cruise price honestly and know what a sailing really costs before you book it.

Geo-Arbitrage Playbook

Living well costs different amounts in different places. Real monthly numbers — rent, food, healthcare — for the places retirees and cruisers already base themselves.

Tools & Infrastructure

The gear, apps, and accounts that make long trips work: luggage that lasts, staying connected, and moving money without getting skinned on fees.

The ape gets around

The escAPE ape is the mascot — same grin, same hibiscus shirt, and an ESC key worked into every scene. If there's a way to press "escape," he's already on it.

The escAPE ape surfing, ESC key design on his board
Surf
The escAPE ape teeing off, ESC key tag on his golf bag
Golf
The escAPE ape floating on an ESC key swim ring
Swim

Merch

Funny retirement gear and escAPE ape designs, printed to order. The EscapeLatitude shop is opening soon on Etsy — take a look at what's coming.

Preview the shop