We’ve been able to experience a lot of cool places while we’ve been living and traveling abroad over the past three years. We’ve lived in Asia, camped under the northern lights in Sweden, and surfed on the barren beaches of Mexico… just to name a few. We’ve thought a lot about our lives as digital nomads and while it has it’s perks, we’re always keeping a running tally of our top spots we might find ourselves settling down in. So here they come in no particular order: our 3 favorite places we would love to live.
Mexico
It’s cheap, offers tons of unique travel experiences, has plenty of culture and it’s close to family in the States. Mexico has just about everything an expat could ever ask for. We stayed in the small town of San Pancho and absolutely fell head over heels for the community and the small town charm. The cultural center, surf and yoga scene along with the nightly sunset viewings all provide a sense of community we were truly proud to be a part of. The only downsides are the slow wi-fi and the lack of clean drinking water. But then again, we could just get of these ionized water machines for the house. We’ve seen something like this when we were staying in a guesthouse in Brazil and it looks pretty awesome. You can see customer reviews here.
Brazil
More specifically Rio de Janeiro. Much larger than our Mexican selection, there is never a dull moment in Rio! With parties and gatherings happening nearly every night of the week, this is one spot where you need to be young at heart to keep up. There is also plenty of outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing and general beach going in the area, not to mention the Amazon is just a quick flight away! We’ll most likely have to hold off until after the 2016 Olympics as the World Cup Final was more than enough excitement for us!
France
We’re going to be honest with you – we mostly made this pick for 2 reasons: the wine and the cheese. Where else is it not only allowed, but almost expected to have a glass of white wine with lunch? We housesat in the South of France on 2 separate occasions and with fast reliable wi-fi and nothing but vineyards for miles, this slower lifestyle really appealed to us. Although it may be too slow for us at the moment, we could definitely see ourselves settling down and maybe even growing some grapes of our own one day.
The One We Wouldn’t
Norway
Oh man is Norway beautiful! It is by far the most beautiful country we have visited on our travels. But it’s hard to live there. Norway can’t be beat in the summer; we were actually there at the tail end of spring. But the winter months must be absolutely brutal. No sunlight and mountains of snow? We would certainly go stir-crazy. Norway offers some amazing benefits to its residents and if you are working in the country the wages are amazing, but if you’re still getting paid in the dollar, or any other currency for that matter, Norway is undeniably expensive. In fact, it is the most expensive country in the world. Being such we would love to visit again, but maybe for just a few weeks during the summer when the hiking and fjords are at their best.
Now you’ve heard our top picks we’d like to hear yours! Given the choice, where would you settle down?
