Edinburgh. It’s small, but has a lot of the conveniences of a bigger place. It’s walkable, has decent public transportation compared to other cities of its size, has nice nature in the city and really nice nature just outside the city. The student population keeps it young and vibrant, although they cause overcrowding in some areas. Much of the city is really beautiful, although some of the outskirts are neglected. It has a lot of the things I like (music, comedy, art) and the food options have vastly improved over the last 10 years. It’s probably my favourite place I’ve ever lived. Downsides are that it is really small and gets a lot of tourism, so some areas aren’t really so nice to be around. The drinking culture can be a bit of a turn off, but once you find some like-minded people you don’t have to rely on that anymore. The main reason I no longer live there is the darkness of winter (and the fact that the rents doubled over the last two years while we’ve been travelling). Also, as an expat, the costs and requirements associated with moving there are a bit much for what you get. But it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I hear you. These days people don’t really ask me anymore. Sometimes they’ll say stuff like “You’re STILL traveling?!” which is a bit frustrating BC we are trying to settle down but it’s quite difficult to transition from FT DN to…something else. It’s funny though bc it would be a huge faux pas for me to walk into someone’s home and be like “Wow! This house is nice! How do you afford it? Can you teach me how to afford a house this nice?” Sounds mental. But bc our lifestyles are niche it’s socially acceptable to ask these questions.

I just spent a month in the South of France for $1000, will spend another month in Tirana next year for $800. Both from Airbnb. It’s definitely doable.