There’s no place like home, except for the place next door, and the place across town, and that little chalet in Switzerland, and that… and that… and that… You get the idea. It turns out there are a lot of places in the world one could easily call home. And once you get past the sentimentality of thinking there is only one right place on the globe for you, your eyes become open to (quite literally), a world of possibilities.
From there, it is just a matter of choosing the right spot for your circumstances at a given point in time. For some, the goal is to find one spot and live there for the rest of their lives. For others, it is to sample all the best places the world has to offer.
Since there is no one best place in the world to live, it becomes a matter of knowing how to choose between the numerous good places on offer. Here are three factors to always keep in mind when making a selection:
Affordability
When you open up your atlas to find places marked home, you might be surprised to find that home may be closer than you think. Improving your situation may be a simple matter of reducing expenses.
If you happen to live in the Alberta area, this link will show you a list of all the energy providers in the area. There are quite a lot of them, and among other things, they compete on price. You can save a lot of money by making a phone call and switching providers. It’s easier than changing cable companies.
One of the key factors in determining the best cities in the world is cost of living. All else notwithstanding, if you can’t afford to live there, you can’t call it home. Check your utility options before packing your bags. Affordability could be closer than you think.
Pace
Some of the most beautiful places you can visit roll up the sidewalks by 6:00 pm. Forget about night life. There isn’t even a late evening life. Once the evening commute is done, so is the life of the city. For many inhabitants of this planet, that is the perfect speed.
We here a lot of talk about fast-paced cities, but very little about slow-paced cities. But slow cities (Cittaslow) has become a cultural movement. These cities are devoted to maintaining a high quality of life for all its residents. The most stressful thing about these cities is making the move. And there are plenty of things you can do to eliminate even that.
Values
If you are opposed to the values expressed by President Donald Trump, then you should not live in the state of Alabama: a state that voted for Trump by an overwhelming margin. If he stands for a second term, he will carry the state again. Without becoming too political, that is Alabama.
If that is not you, then you should find another place to live that is more in keeping with your values. If you are homosexual, you should live in a place that is not hostile to you. Otherwise, be prepared to fight discrimination battles for the rest of your life.
There are dozens of places in the world where you could be happy. But they all have at least these three things in common: They are affordable for you. They move at a comfortable pace for you. And they reflect your values. If any one of those things is not true about where you live right now, pick a new spot on the map and get moving.