The Realities of Picking a New Home

If I end up wanting to leave the country, I need a place to go. Since ease of life is high on my list of necessities, I think starting with English speaking countries makes sense. After all, it is my native language. I considered Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

I started with Canada first, since it's so close. The culture is similar enough to mine that fitting in wouldn't be a problem. I speak French, so I could move to either coast. I've been to both Vancouver and Quebec. I loved them both. The architecture, language, people, food, all of it. It was delightful, and would make really good sense, if I didn't have an issue with cold weather. For many people this would not be a problem, but my lungs do not appreciate temperatures under the mid 60's Fahrenheit. Oops. I couldn't handle the winters in Canada, not even on the coast where it's mildest. Pity. Canada is lovely.

This narrowed my list down by one. Next, I did a little research on the UK, looking for places I might enjoy. I've had Cornwall on my Bucket List for years. After watching several seasons of Escape to the Country on BritBox, the Cotswolds was added to my list of must see locations. The culture is another step away from that of the U.S. There would be lots to learn, but I have visited twice, and met dozens of Brits while cruising Europe. Out of the many I met, only one disliked me even before I had uttered a word. He stated all Americans were loud, pushy and rude. Of course the Brits we were dining with disagreed, we had made friends in the preceding days. They explained he was a grumpy sort, and I shouldn't take it personally. I didn't. The man didn't smile once the whole evening.

But doing research on Cornwall led me to believe it was overrun by tourists much of the year, despite the rain it receives. The same is true of the Cotswolds. The reason so much of the UK is drop dead gorgeous, is the rain, which is a constant much of the year. I read recently that some places haven't had a dry day this whole summer. That would be disappointing. My allegies would go nuts, and I would be miserable. So, although I may visit both places in the future, living in either would be a no go, too cold, too wet. Yet another disappointment.

The third location I selected to check out was Ireland. Some of my ancestors were from there, early settlers in what is now the U.S. They came searching for religious freedom, ironic considering what's proposed by some extremists. A few of my ancestors were even in Jamestown when it was first settled. So Ireland would be a natural for me. 

I ran into the same issue here, however, weather. I had a friend who was from Ireland. He explained it's always raining there. While this is an exaggeration, it's not far enough from the truth to let me ignore his warning. I checked online, it rains between a third and half the time. No, thanks. Lovely, super fun loving, kind people, but nope. 

All this talk of rain and cold weather makes me want to be prepared for it, no matter where I end up living. I already own one of these. Very helpful, CLICK HERE, #ad. This week I'll look into Australia and perhaps New Zealand. 

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Old Town - Cannes

 

Hope for the Best, But Plan for the Worst

 

South Orange County, CA

If you've been reading this blog, you know a friend of mine told me about a 3-year around-the-world cruise in March of 2023. After spending the day doing research, I was sold, signed up and paid a deposit. I then set about getting ready. While doing so, I thought about what to do after the three years was up. I decided to either move to Portugal or into a 55+ community near where I was living at the time. Since the cruise didn't happen, and I hadn't spent three years learning Portuguese, I ended up moving into the 55+ community, where I am living now.

After what happened yesterday in the presidential race in the U.S., however, I'm rethinking my choice of where to live. There is much uncertainty, but one thing I'm sure of, life would not be to my liking in this country if the next president is unhinged. Therefore, I am once again looking for a safe place to call home. Once again, I have only a few months to make my choice and plans. At least this time, I have my previous experience to give me a head start. I also downsized considerably just before my last move.

I'm going to document the next five months on this blog. If the election turns out positively, and there is no longer a need to leave the country, I'll stay put. Otherwise, I'll continue to show what I'm doing to prepare to leave. If I do so, I'll keep posting when in my new home, and write about my travel experiences while living there.

One thing I know I'll take with me, if I end up leaving the country, is this handy device, CLICK HERE. 

There are several factors that will guide my choice of location. I'm going to research each possible location, and use these factors to help me select my possible new home. The most important five are: Weather, Safety, Infrastructure, Ease of Life and Language. The other things which are also significant are: Cost of Living, Health Care, Visa Requirements and Expat Communities.

These would probably be important for everyone thinking about moving to another country, but how important each is depends upon who is doing the moving. As for me, I'm a retired foreign language teacher. I taught German, French and English for over forty years. I have also traveled extensively and doing so is fairly easy for me. Additionally, I lived in Cape Town, South Africa 1997-1999, so moving to another country and fitting in does not frighten me.

Stay connected as we all see how things go in the presidential election, and in my search for a new, safe life abroad. 

You’re reading from the blog, EnjoytheViewTouring.com.

Sign up to be notified when I post something new.

Have K-12 kids? Then you'll want my book, Free College, to show you how to help your kids earn lots of college scholarships, CLICK HERE.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Christmas Shopping in the Summer in Innsbruck - Umbrellas

 

London, England

 

Lifestyles of Those We Only See on TV