Finding Home: Why This Dominican Lifestyle Feels Different

Nov 19, 2025 Cabrera, Dominican Republic 0 comments

Discover a powerful realization about what “home” truly means after years of travel, adventure, and living in six countries. In this video, I share how an unforgettable off-road trip through the Dominican Republic—ranging from frost-covered mountain pines to coastal palm trees—revealed something unexpected: for the first time in my life, I genuinely look forward to coming home. If you’re exploring the Dominican Republic, considering a move, or simply curious about life near Cabrera, this video offers real insight into finding your place, feeling content, and knowing when a region truly fits. Join me for an authentic, uplifting story rooted in experience and discovery.

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Tagged as: Cabrera DR, Caribbean life, Dominican Republic, Dominican travel, DR lifestyle, expat life, expat living Dominican Republic, finding home, lifestyle vlog, living abroad, mountain travel DR, moving to DR, offroad trip Dominican Republic, relocation tour DR, retire in Dominican Republic, travel vlog DR

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Testimonials

Jay and Melissa

My husband and I began researching Dominican Republic with hopes of relocating in the future. We are so glad we reached out to Barry. He and John were able to help us plan out our trip. Once we arrived John was a great host and he answered a lot of questions and introduced us to… Read more “Jay and Melissa”

Jay and Melissa Johnson

Excellent

We met Barry a couple years ago, highly recommended to us from several locals we had met around the north coast of the DR. Barry is guiding us through our search for a home in the Cabrera area. Barry’s knowledge of the DR and especially the north coast is outstanding, and very interesting. So far… Read more “Excellent”

Tammy/Rob

Tour of Cabrera

My wife and I have been looking at relocating for the past few years and have done some trips in Panama, Costa Rica and just recently to the DR. We have been to Punta Cana several times, but this time wanted to see the North Coast. I watched some videos that Barry had on Something… Read more “Tour of Cabrera”

Dallas Scothorn

Definitely Worth It

My wife and I recently returned from tour with Barry which we ejoyed very much.We were interested in purchasing a income/vacation property.We had vacationed in the DR twice before and loved beauty of the island and how friendly the locals were. Barry & Liane showed us a wonderful time and we learned a lot about… Read more “Definitely Worth It”

Brendon

Universe doesn’t care about you!

The heading says it all! But, people still cling to their beliefs, because, to them science is the devil! It always amazes me how people can Be militated by religion, especially by politicians who use it to gain advantage! Best and most current example is Trump! This nut, is no more religious, then a man… Read more “Universe doesn’t care about you!”

John Verkayk

Tim

We returned from our first DR Tour a few days ago. Even though it cut into our hoarded escape resources, it was the absolute best thing we did. The Tour is all, and so much more than, Barry describes. The North Coast people, land, and culture drew our tired, oppression-weary souls as nothing we could… Read more “Tim”

Hunter & Sherry

Hello – We just returned from the DR, with one week on our own vacationing in Samana and one week in Cabrera. We had a private tour with Barry for 3 days and he went out his way to make time for us in his schedule as well as made it possible for us to… Read more “Hunter & Sherry”

Bill, Texas

It’s hard to find a starting point to describe my experiences with Barry and ALL of the DR Escapes Family. I have read all the comments from other groups that have been posted and have found that I identify and agree with everything that has been written. The DR Escapes family is absolutely wonderful. The… Read more “Bill, Texas”

Gary

We came to Cabrera, Dominican Republic and stayed for two weeks from late June to early July. We came with our whole family along with my daughter in law and our grandson. The below comments will be as honest as I can be. I want to say first of all that Barry and his team… Read more “Gary”

Paul & Elizabeth

Hey all, I can’t say enough about our trip and encounter with the DR Escapes team!!! WOW – if a picture paints a thousand words it would take a novel to describe the views at every turn which remain vividly impressed on my memory forever, the oceans, mountains, the people the culture! (We come from… Read more “Paul & Elizabeth”

Sheryl

I visited the Dominican Republic for the 1st time with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. My only other time out of the US was vacationing in Mexico and the Bahamas. Our DR trip was a completely different experience. I have to admit, I was very fearful at first. Several friends had told me that… Read more “Sheryl”

Jim, Colorado

Originally I had planned on joining the April group tour to experience the northern coast, but as luck would have it, the day of my departure the airline ended up canceling my flight along with hundreds of others. With thousands of travelers having to reschedule, I was not going to be able to make this… Read more “Jim, Colorado”

Dave

The DYD tour was my first time to visit the Dominican Republic. I’ve traveled the world through my military job and it’s hard to put into words how unique the DR is. Everything Barry says about the country is accurate. I must have said “hola” 200 times and the smiles and warm friendly atmosphere are… Read more “Dave”

Kathy & Paul

Our stay, our tour, the fellowship with all the people you introduced to us was awesome. We would, without a shadow of a doubt, recommend DR ESCAPES TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!Your sincerity, kindness, being so informative and honest on all subjects was so enlightening and educational. Also presenting both sides of a picture! There is no way a… Read more “Kathy & Paul”

Troy, Jeamette, and Derek

Our time in the DR, let me just give a bit of back history, Troy sits in front of a computer all day for work so he has an opportunity to search different sites, we have been trying to look at different options simply because we know that we can’t sustain ourselves here. He started… Read more “Troy, Jeamette, and Derek”

Mitchell & Barb

It is with deep gratitude and appreciation that Barb and I write you this note. Our recent visit with all the DR Escapes folks exceeded our expectations! We have been very blessed over many past years to have vacationed to many islands but the DR north coast is amazingly unique with the beautiful beaches, magnificent… Read more “Mitchell & Barb”

Ruby & Brent

My husband and I had the opportunity to spend the week of thanksgiving holiday 2012 in the Dominican Republic, and boy, what a great visit that was. Good food/drinks, great people and not to mention the sites. My husband has been interested in getting another passport for quite some time, in light of everything that… Read more “Ruby & Brent”

Police Officer

Hello, I recently made a trip to the Dominican Republic to meet Barry in person and to experience and see what Cabrera and the other cities on the northern coast of the DR had to offer. As police officer with 7 years experience I undertook my journey to Cabrera with a lot of skepticism, doubts… Read more “Police Officer”

Bill and Sherrie

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to go along with a friend to go to the Dominican Republic. He turned my wife and I on to DRESCAPES, after reviewing the site, we became very interested, we had no intention of purchasing property, we were excited to see all of what the site had… Read more “Bill and Sherrie”

Regis

I was fortunate to be able to track down DR Escape’s website since it was only on SGT Report one day, and then disappeared, I contacted SGT and he sent me the link, and luckily I was able to make the tour in Mid-November 2012. Being a former military man, I had spent time in… Read more “Regis”

Kevin S., Florida

I just returned from the DR myself and spent a lot of quality time with Barry and the DR Tour family, and I can certainly say without any hesitation that all facets of my experience while there completely exceeded my expectations! Personally, with over 20 years of of following trends, I have appreciated the solutions-oriented… Read more ” Kevin S., Florida”

Tal

Firstly, I was just blown away by the scenery and the beauty of the area. It is the nicest place I have ever seen. I spent a few days in the capital after and I saw a quote from Christopher Columbus (who made the DR his home) and he said “the most beautiful land that… Read more “Tal”

Mike, Ontario, Canada

I’m writing to thank you guys for not only great advice on real estate in the DR, but also a great vacation. The discover your destination tour was unbelievable. We actually learned more about the D.R. in 4 days with you and Julian than we could of in 6 months by ourselves. Anyone coming to… Read more “Mike, Ontario, Canada”

Butch, Maine

We had the whole week with Barry – he took off work specifically for our visit – and was able to extensively experience the Dominican way of life and view the properties we had interest in. Barry worked effectively and efficiently to accommodate all the needs and requests we had. In addition, he and his… Read more “Butch, Maine”

Richard, Texas

I would like to write this testimonial for/to Barry Soloman and Julian “Willie” Acosta. My wife and I are planning to retire this year. We had been doing research and decided on Central America (Costa Rica, Equator, Nicaragua) or the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Dominica, Barbados, Puerto Rico). We checked around and planned to start with… Read more “Richard, Texas”

Ben & Connie – Austin, Texas

How do you describe an experience in a way where the recipient comes away with the understanding of what you are attempting to explain? This is the paradox we find ourselves in. Wanting to convey what we just experienced over the last two weeks without leaving anything out. Well here goes… Folks, Barry & Liane… Read more “Ben & Connie – Austin, Texas”

Mikal

What a Pleasant Surprise… I have been aware, for a long time as to the many changes that were in effect in the States and quite a few things that were to come. In September of 2013, I had crossed paths with the DRescapes web site last year after watching a video that I had… Read more “Mikal”

Evan

Hello, everyone, my name is Evan. I’m 20 years old and I’m from Wisconsin. Back in March, I took the DR Escapes tour, and I want to give a brief testimonial of my time there. Previously, I had never been outside the country and was not well traveled. So, the idea of traveling to the… Read more “Evan”

Matt & Michelle

Before coming to see Barry in the DR, I remember introducing myself as a realist that was not swayed by the events reported on the evening news. I explained that we were not ‘doomsday preppers’ and that we were only looking for a nice location to consider for vacation/retirement property. Our goals were simple, 1)… Read more “Matt & Michelle”

Leslie and John

My husband and I finally took the leap and landed in the DR mid September from VA. After watching all of Barry’s videos for about a year, over and over, it sounded too good to be true. We were given the tour we expected, and more! Barry, Liane and Johnny were so hospitable, it really… Read more “Leslie and John”

Winslow and Renee!

Life Changing Experience My wife and I visited the DR in early November for two weeks. It was a life changing experience to witness first hand, the sustainability and beauty of the country. Barry really laid out the red carpet for us along with Johnny and Liane. My wife and I felt like family. We… Read more “Winslow and Renee!”

Derek & Chyrell

Cabrera was the first of our multi-country tour in our quest to diversify our assets outside of the U.S. Barry and the DR Escapes team did an amazing job educating us on various real estate investment opportunities in the Cabrera area. They also took the time to show us beaches, restaurants, and other areas of… Read more “Derek & Chyrell”

Wayne

A friend and myself recently visited DR in Summer 2015 to meet with Barry/Johnny and explore the northern DR area. I had been in contact with Barry for almost 8 months prior to our trip and we had several conversations discussing DR and current events taking place in the world today. I really appreciated the… Read more “Wayne”

David

My time in the Dominican Republic with both Barry and Johnny has been life changing. Apart from a short cruise, I had never left the country prior to coming to the Dominican Republic with a friend to hang out with Barry and Johnny. Also, previously I had studied very little of the Spanish language. Initially,… Read more “David”

Cole S., Alberta, Canada

My experience in Dominican Republic with the DRescapes crew was very eye opening and helpful. They showed me a life that I didn’t think was possible these days. They were very knowledgeable about the country and told it like it is, and explaining how smart it is to have a plan B in case of… Read more “Cole S., Alberta, Canada”

Regards, E. Family

Hola from Scandinavia! It’s been a great pleasure talking to Barry about DR and the options one might have if wanting to escape, at least part-time. Barry is a person with passion for life in the tropics. However he has a realistic approach to being an expat and what it means to adapt smoothly to… Read more “Regards, E. Family”

D. Cole

I started working on moving a business to the Dominican Republic about a year ago. I ran into many of the common problems associated with relocating out of country. What about residency. What Lawyer do you use? What licenses and permits are required? What about health and vehicle insurance? Etc… What Barry says was true… Read more “D. Cole”

Sandy and Bryan

This is written to you Barry and Liane with special emphasis towards Jose, Louis, Claude and Marie Josee, Johnny, Willie, Dr. Brea and so many others. We (Sandy and I ) have talked and talked about this trip almost every day to reinforce our memories of that time we would not forget that experience. You… Read more “Sandy and Bryan”

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