The 4 places on our “Expat base” shortlist
Note: this is an older post recounting our hunt for a base. It’s old…but still relevant to anyone who’s travelled and then thought of settling down somewhere other than “home”.
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I guess it’s a natural progression – working the 9-5 lifestyle, leaving it all to travel full-time, followed by the inevitable…finding a base somewhere.
We’re not quite there yet but, after 2 ½ years of full-time travel, this might be the year we actually sign a lease somewhere. It is in no way a rejection of the full-time travel lifestyle – we love travelling and exploring different places as much as ever.
But after a while you get sick of living out of a suitcase and having to lug your belongings with you around the world. You also want to have your own “stuff” again. Although living in other people’s apartments is a novelty at first, at a certain point you want some of your own furniture, you want a few of your personal items on the walls. I’d love to have my own bike again. Finally, taking a break from travelling means you can maybe take a class or make some friends. In short, there are many reasons why full-time travellers eventually get themselves a base somewhere.
More can be written about the above and I’ll probably do that sometime. But this post is about where we would get a base. That’s a dilemma every traveller goes through as well. The great thing is that travelling as we have the last few years has made us realize the criteria that makes us happy. If you had asked us about our ideas for a base before we started our life of travel it would have been very different than the list you’ll see below.
Top Photo – over the last 2 ½ years we’ve spent at least a month in the 12 places featured in the image at the top of this post: Lisbon (Portugal) , Split (Croatia), Bangkok (Thailand), Brasov (Romania), Padova (Italy), Rovinj (Croatia), Prague (Czech Republic), Sevilla (Spain), Nong Khai (Thailand), Budapest (Hungary), Kyoto (Japan), and Hua Hin (Thailand). We also spent 3 months in Cape Town (South Africa).
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Here is our shortlist of places – our Top 4 places – that we have considered as bases, counting down to our favorite.
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4. Budapest (Hungary)
We’ve been to Budapest twice now: for 2 months in the summer of 2015 and for 1 month in February of 2016. It actually took us a while to appreciate the city, we found it a bit gritty and dirty at first. But it has grown on us and it is one of those cities we always enjoy coming back to.
Pros
– Vibrant, international city with good food.
– We really like the Hungarians. Very Friendly and we’ve found the level of English good.
– Inexpensive compared to most of Western Europe, much cheaper than Canada
– great transport system
– a charming city with lots of culture
– easy access to both Western Europe and the Balkans. Ideally situated (for us). Cheap flights back to Canada
– Can find anything in Budapest (shopping, fitness centers, yoga).
Cons/doubts
– It might be too “young” for us. Lots of young tourists come here just to get drunk. We enjoy the ruin bars but I think that whole scene would get old really fast. Reminds me of Montreal where we lived for 25+ years: great city with vibrant nightlife. But we’ve outgrown that and we find Montreal “too young” as well.
– Gray, cold winter.
Budapest is one of our favorite places and it certainly would be no sacrifice living here for a while. Could we love it long term? I don’t know. There are a few places however that rank ahead of it.
3. Sevilla (Spain)
We spent 2 months in Sevilla this summer and the time flew. We really loved it, we felt we really “lived” in Spain. In many ways Sevilla makes the most sense of any of the 4 places on this list because Lissette and I both speak Spanish. It would be ridiculously easy to make friends here – we found the Sevillanos outgoing and curious and made a few friends in our short time here. We also loved the lifestyle and could easily adjust to those late Spanish hours. It is the most “logical” place on our shortlist.
Pros
– The language factor. Speaking Spanish, we could easily live here. People are outgoing.
– One of the cheapest places in Western Europe, just a touch more expensive (maybe 10%) than Budapest (or Prague).
– We like the late lifestyle, Spaniards are always ready for a party.
– We found Sevilla a fantastic base and we were situated next to the best fitness center we’ve ever been to (Viding, in Macarena).
– Of the 4 places on our shortlist, Sevilla is the closest to Canada/Mexico should we ever need to get back for a family emergency.
Cons
– Local transport not great: Sevilla’s old town is a maze of small streets and getting around anywhere central takes time.
– One of the hottest places in Europe. We don’t like it too hot…and Sevilla is at times unbearable.
We both loved Sevilla but I might have loved it more than Lissette. She has a deep love for Central and Eastern Europe and doesn’t have the same room in her heart for Spain as I do. For now. But we’re not done visiting Sevilla or Spain. Unlike all the other places on this list, we’ve only been here once and it might take a few more visits to get deeper feelings for it.
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2. Prague (Czech Republic)
We always go back and forth about which is city we would live in given the choice: Budapest or Prague? Right now, after a 1 month stay in March (we had previously stayed in Prague 3 months back in 2014) our choice would be Prague by the slimmest of margins. It’s not that we love Prague more than Budapest, we just feel that it would fit us more.
Pros
– As inexpensive as Budapest.
– Great beer
– beautiful city, maybe the most beautiful city we’ve visited anywhere
– fantastic transport system
– A good-sized and well-organized Expat community.
– Next to Germany, one of our favorite countries.
Cons
– We don’t find the people that warm (not as warm as the Hungarians). We found them friendlier the last time we went in March – maybe they just get sick of foreigners in summer.
– English not widely spoken (less so than in Budapest)
– Tourists. Too many tourists.
– like Budapest, it has a gray, cold winter.
Prague was the place where we started our full-time travels in 2014 and is a regular stopover for us. We come here once a year to get dental work done and get our yearly medical checkups. It would be very easy to spend more time here. Love Prague as a base.
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1. Split (Croatia)
Until a few years ago I had never heard of Split. In many ways it is the least logical of the 4 places on this list…on the other hand, it is the place that we feel the most in our hearts.
We’ve been in Split twice now (2 months in the spring of 2015, 2 months in the summer of 2016). It is just the right size for us, a medium-sized city that feels much smaller. It has the coast on one side, mountains on the other. I’ll never forget the first time I saw that mountain range extending down the coast. For someone who enjoys hiking it is paradise. Split’s old center dates back to the Romans and is incredibly well preserved. Steps away, Marjan Hill is a large park with sweeping views of everything. The people are simple, hospitable and genuine. They haven’t lost their roots to the land and sea. We like them a lot.
Pros
– Incredible nature all around. Very few places beat Croatia in that respect. In Split you are surrounded by nature. It is what makes it unique among the cities on this shortlist.
– Beautiful historic center where locals still live and carry on their daily lives.
– Genuine people that we really like.
– Costs about at par with Sevilla (ie. about 10% more expensive than Prague/Budapest)
– We really love the Balkans. Having Split as a base would allow us to explore this region in more depth.
Cons
– The least developed of the 4 places in this list
– public transport is bad
– Very hot in mid-summer, also crowded with tourists.
Split is the place that calls to us the most and we’ve already started looking at all the details required to make this a base.
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This doesn’t mean the end of travelling for us. It just means that we would have a base – a temporary home – that we can come back whenever we want. We might even consider renting it out on Airbnb whenever we are travelling. We still want to travel at least 6 months of the year.
Updated: Goodbye Croatia. Love you but you really suck right now…
Updated: Why we chose Nerja as our new home in Spain (and why it’s perfect for the times)
Updated: Why Spain? How we got here
Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
Hey Frank…..Warning: a bit of a longish post…..but there’s a lot to say on this topic.
Ahh, considerations for the elusive, ideal “Expat base”. Over the years I’ve given this theme quite a bit of thought myself and my criteria has certainly evolved over time. Great to hear that you and Lisette have found your Euro base in Split…..should be very nice being by the lovely Adriatic especially when all the tourists have gone. The nearby islands will be enticing to explore as well.
Currently I’m in Penang scoping out the possibilities of basing here during European winters. So far I like it a lot, many advantages. Such a wonderful mash-up of people, cultures, foods, architecture, etc. The main downside is the awful traffic (seems everywhere is like this now) and the old town does get hordes of visitors -on weekends especially.
Yeah, I’ve become convinced that one needs at least two home bases. A 3-season place in Europe preferably somewhere nice on the Med. (with some exceptions like Costa del Sol, Naples, Athens) and the other during winter in the warmer/sunnier tropics – currently this seems to be a few select places in Thailand or Malaysia. If I could afford it, I would have a 3rd place in the S. Pacific (Tahiti/Moorea?) that I could fly to on my fantasy private jet!
In our 30s we were convinced our base was going to be someplace in Central America – Panama, Honduras, CR or Nicaragua. Funny that I never gave much thought about Mexico. We loved the Latino culture, the landscapes, towns and the proximity to Canada plus I can speak Spanish.
Well, we ended up living for a year in Panama City and 3 years in CR and travelled throughout the region. We were fortunate to having worked there in our professions which helped integrate (to an extent) into the local scene. There were many pluses and minuses to living there, but in the end there were things about Latin America that were not in sync with some of our key values, criteria. The main ones being: 1) poor personal security situation -we just heard about one too many actual robberies and assaults, especially in CR; 2) lack of options to live a healthy, active lifestyle and little interest by gov’ts to promote it and create infrastructure (local walking paths, bike trails, etc) and, 3) quickly deteriorating environment especially in the cities – the traffic congestion and pollution were just awful and there was zero interest in developing a modern mass transit system (due to power of local transport mafia). This was between 2002 and 2007 and I realise some of these faults may have been addressed to an extent (or maybe not at all).
Then a work opportunity came up in central Europe (Bratislava) and we left CR behind with absolutely no regrets. Europe, as you and Lisette have noted, is far more aligned with typical desired expat values and lifestyle options ……although as per your “4 Expat Bases” shortlist…..there is no perfect location even in Europe or for that matter anywhere else in the world.
So back to our expat quality-of-life criteria (version 4.2):
— weather has to be warm and sunny for at least 6-8 months of the year
— small to medium size town/city (under 500,000)
— central location with good transport connections (1 hr. max to airport w. long-haul flights)
— near the sea/beach (?? not really that critical)
— affordable
— excellent opportunities for recreational pursuits
— high value placed on local environmental conditions (clean air!)
— personal security not really issue
— relative ease to work within or around visa limitations
— good services available (transit, health, shopping, etc)
— able to learn the local language or English is commonly spoken
— friendliness of locals, able to integrate – even in a limited way
We’ve explored quite a bit of central/eastern Europe and we like it a lot as an expat base – at least for part of the year (I’m done with winters). We’ve done quite a lot of exploring of Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Czech, Montenegro, S. Poland, Italy and Albania. For now I’m most content with Bratislava because it hits many of the above criteria. But I’m only there between April and end Oct. and then off to some tropical destination for winter months.
With the exception of Prague (can you believe it?), we’ve been to all the other places on your short list. I’ve been through Budapest numerous times (as well as other smaller places in Hungary). Other than for short visits, Budapest has never appealed to me. Unlike your experience, I found the Hungarians difficult to connect with and their English language abilities fairly limited compared to many other European countries. It’s also a fairly large city suffering from urban sprawl. In Hungary, I would much prefer basing out of smaller places like Vac, Esztergom or Sopron.
We really liked Sevilla but we never gave it much thought as a base and we found the Spanish people quite insular – especially compared to the exuberant Latinos. Anyways, our focus for the month we spent in Andalusia was to explore the beautiful Pueblos Blancos villages and hiking in the national parks in the area. That was awesome.
We spent quite a bit of time exploring Croatia, along the coast but mostly in the Istria region which we really liked as a potential base – sort of a poor man’s Tuscany. We based out of the interior of Istria, a place called Pazin (right in the centre) and explored at all times of the year. Places like Porec, Rovijn, Pula and Rejicka are all beautiful towns but absolutely smothered by the tourist hordes during the summer months. But from about mid-Sept to June it’s wonderful and quiet in the Istria. Going down the coast we stayed about 4 days in Zadar and the same in Makarska, both of which we really liked, especially the stunning setting of Makarska. But it was the high season and there were scads of tourists there. We only spent a day in Split so didn’t really get an impression. We also stayed in Dubrovnik for a week but it was very busy, over run with tourists as well. But if you get the chance, head to the town of Cavtat – close to Dubrovnik airport. It’s a lovely little seaside town to spend a few weeks, especially in the off season.
Further down the coast, we spent a month travelling between Montenegro and Albania. Kotor is small but quite interesting, set in this fantastic fjord and backed by steep mountains – you’ve probably seen the photos. The old capital Cetinje up in the mountains is another interesting historical place – be sure to take the narrow, serpentine and stunning backroad between Kotor and Cetinje. Budva has a beautiful small old city + very nice beaches. Crowded in the summer mostly with rich Russian tourists and yachties. Also check out Herceg Novi close to Croatia, small town with a very pretty setting, a place I could easily hang out in for several months at a time. I read somewhere that Montenegro offers residency with purchase of real estate. Not sure all the details, but I’m thinking that it’s catering primarily to Russian oligarchs.
We only spent 2 weeks exploring (2008) some of the high (and low) points of Albania and it is an interesting and quirky country. But its coast is a complete disaster of over development and unfinished hotels/apartments, really hideous somewhat like Costa del Sol. There are several fantastic and beautiful towns in the interior that are worth spending time in including Berati and Gjirokaster……fascinating mountain citadels that still have people living in them as if time has stopped. I’d like to go back to hike in the mtns there.
So to conclude, still researching the options of where that ideal expat base or bases are going to be……but that’s all part of the fun of travelling when you’re semi-retired! Saludos!
Great comment, thank you very much for putting so much time into it. You’ve touched on a lot of great points.
Firstly, we are most likely heading to where you are at the beginning of March. For reasons I’ll get into on another post, we’re not renewing our Croatian Temporary Stay (ie. year’s stay). We’ll keep our apartment and have it to return to, but will be going back to the 3 months in/3 months out thing we used to do before. We were thinking of spending time in Thailand and Malaysia, working our way from Chiang Mai to Singapore with 2-4 weeks stops along the way. One thing I’m really looking forward to is the food – I can eat Thai food everyday, and I can remember Penang having incredible Indian. We’re going to decide this weekend. I know March to June will be really hot which is the downside (another option is South Africa where it will be late Autumn – much more comfortable temps. But Lissette doesn’t seem as keen).
I like your idea of having two bases. Yes, sounds right! Wish I had tons of money to make that happen. Or as an ex-boss would say “a pied a terre” – such a pompous dick he was. But the idea is great, like the royals with their summer and winter homes.
Everything you say about Latin America is spot on. My mom lives in San Miguel de Allende and I’ve visited each of the last 5 years. Love Mexico. But I don’t know if I’d ever want to live there. The safety reason is a main one, the other is just the ability to walk. Sidewalks in most towns non-existent and the pollution bad. Long distance transport excellent but local transport not so good (except if you want to take the taxi everywhere which is what most do).
You really thought out your criteria list. Excellent and it sounds perfect. The language factor over time becomes an issue – even if Visa regulations here in Croatia were easier, I don’t know if we could ever learn Croatian. We speak French and Spanish but those Slavic languages way off the map…but Split fits many of the points on your list. You mention sunny days which is important to us as well (I get depressed when there’s no sun) but temperature considerations also important for us – I don’t know if we could live in the tropics where it’s 30+ and humid every day. For others that’s heaven.
Agree with you about the Spanish. Amazed by the degree to which they don’t speak any other language and how they’ve mangled up their own. Holy cow, try understanding the Spanish in Sevilla! But Andalusia is gorgeous and we got along fine with the people. And transport was excellent. It’s also about same pricing as Split.
We spent a lot of time in Istria on previous visits. It’s nice, as you say a poor man’s Tuscany. Also spent time in Kotor which was very impressive (more so than Dubrovnik in my opinion). But as an expat base? These places totally dead when the tourists leave.
Keep me up to date with your expat research! And any tips on Penang and Malaysia appreciated.
Thanks again for the great comment.
Interesting post Frank. So far I have lived in three countries, London, Toronto and Vienna, which have all been very different and all have pros and cons. I guess it depends on someones lifestyle! For me the perfect place may be somewhere with excellent transport connections so as to get away, but also great things within the city or destination to make it worthwhile being there! Although I do love cities though I think I would prefer to live in a quieter area with local beaches and stunning scenery, maybe with the sea nearby! I would say your question “Where would you live if it could be anywhere in the world?” is definitely a tough one and I really don’t know!
Also thanks for sharing your experiences on the places you’ve stayed so far! I’m a bit fan of Prague and Budapest, although have only been to them for short trips so it’s interesting to know what it’s like for longer periods there!
I was recently contemplating settling in Spain. Until I researched the tax system. There is not only a relatively high income tax, that varies from province to province, but also a wealth tax, also varying from province to province. I estimate that if I move to Spain my taxes could double. Also, all of the English-speaking tax professionals in Spain appear to be Brits specialziing in tax planning for Brits. As an American, this leaves me without good sources of counsel.
Have you looked into the tax issues in your favorite places? The province of Andalusia, where Seville is located, has high tax rates. I believe the taxes in the Czech Republic (Prague) are quite reasonable. In fact, taxes in Eastern Europe generally are, I think, more reasonable than in Western Europe. Probably because the Eastern Europeans suffered decades of Communism and want to give free enterprise a chance.
Hi John,
Great comment.
The whole tax thing doesn’t apply to us because we are still officially fiscal residents of Canada and have a few different circumstances.
But your issue is exactly what a good friend is facing. He has both good income and a lot of assets which, if he gives up his Canadian residency for French (in his case), he’ll have to 1) pay capital taxes on the deemed disposition of his Canadian assets and 2) face a wealth tax in France. On top of that, he says Health Care in France is taxed at 15% of income…which in his case is a lot of money (in Canada you pay up to a maximum).
So it sounds very similar to what you are facing. He’s been facing the same situation for years now (he has homes in both countries) and has remained a tax resident of Canada just because of those reasons.
Question is: do you have to be a fiscal resident of Spain? Where/How do you make your income? On what basis would you try to get temporary/permanent residency in Spain?
The best thing to do is to see a tax specialist in the US (we just did the same in Canada a few weeks ago) and see how you can work around your plans.
And you are very right about Central/Eastern Europe…plus cost of living much less.
Thanks for the comment, I hope that helps a bit.
I’ve been to Prague and Budapest and loved it. I haven’t been to Sevilla or Split yet but they are on my list.
I think the question of where to live in the world is a really tough one. I have lived in Toronto, London and and Vienna so far which have all brought pro’s an cons. I do like being quite central Europe though as it’s easy to travel almost anywhere with the great connections. I have seen a lot of people moving to Bali recently which looks incredible. I guess I wouldn’t mind doing that for 6 months or longer to get a nice taste 🙂
This is a really good list, how will you choose!! This new phase of life sounds exciting. I’ve been an expat in Melbourne and London but one of our goals is to spend some time living in a non-English-speaking country. I used to really want to live in France but now somewhere like Tokyo appeals more. How we change 🙂
Thanks Natasha! You are right about language, one of the reasons Sevilla is an attraction for me is Spanish – I get by but would love to perfect it.
Japanese would be a complicated language! Congratulations to you for even thinking of learning it. Coming from Canada, I speak French. Not too complicated, I’m sure you could learn quickly.
really? Split? there are foreigners living there but not a lot of them, I’d reckon. not to put you off but any kind of bureaucracy is just terrible in Croatia. but if you don’t have to find work and have some money it’s probably the most easy going place of all on your list! Though much quieter in the winter time than in summer when you have to put up with the tourists!:) I’d choose Prague from your list:)
Split suits our lifestyle, we like nature and it’s just the right size.
And you’re right Tanja, if we had to work it would be totally different.
#TeamSplit. I’m currently missing the hell out of Split in the two weeks since we left it for smoggy-and-much-more-chilly Sarajevo. I love Sarajevo, but my soul craves being near the sea, walks to Znjan Beach, or walks into the center for Luka’s Ice Cream. Or watching those brave/mad ones playing Picigin on Bacvice Beach on the first day of December. Or maybe it was our neighbors – the “Cro-nadian”/American couple were completely awesome or the German dude we met on the way to Solta became our pal and would eventually visit us in Sarajevo.
Sounds great Lucija. We’ve never been this time of year (we’ll be back there in a week from now) so I’m happy to know you enjoyed it in early December 🙂
Prior to leaving the Bay Area I spent a whole year telling myself there was no way I’d want to live in Split on a long term basis but something felt like “home” to me. If I find that feeling elsewhere up the coast, than I am a lucky person. Definitely go to “4 Coffee Soul Food” if you haven’t been and tell Nikola that Samir and Lulu/Lucija from California/Sarajevo sent you 🙂 They serve an amazing Flat White.
Thanks for the tip Lucija!
Budapest is nice, but cold in winter. Central for traveling. Seville – you don;t have to learn a new language and if you live on the outskirts, it’s cheaper with no tourists,
For my pick to permanently move to – Beer Sheva, Israel. I like the desert and it’s not as expensive as Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Cold is relative, we were in Budapest in February and we found it quite comfortable. But we’re Canadian and have lived through 25+ years of Canadian winters…:)
Sevilla agree…but really does get hot and the geography really not that exciting. But love everything else about it.
Beer Sheva – interesting! Never heard of it and just googled it. In the desert I see and they also have a weather chart. Now that is really hot!
This is such an interesting post as we just went through a very similar process. We took two years to travel Asia and find the places we would consider as a home base. In our case it also entailed finding a place where Ben could bring in income. We also considered Portugal and Spain but at the end of the day for both of us, Asia is just so much less expensive overall and also more interesting culturally for us of course.
Having done our research we ended up with three favorites: Hoi An, Viet Nam, Ubud Bali and Southern Sri Lanka. Here we are, have selected the tropical island of Sri Lanka as our home base for further nomadic travels and sequential living.
Good luck with your choice and move. Very exciting adventure ahead!
Peta
Thanks Peta, I enjoy reading your blog because you guys so fully committed in your choice of base. I don’t know if I would ever buy something, much less construct my own home!
I mentioned that if you had asked us about a base before travelling we probably would have chosen a place in SE Asia. We’ve basically gone the other way, preferring Europe instead. But when we do have a base here, we intend to travel more extensively in Asia…so we get a bit of both worlds while keeping costs down. We haven’t yet visited any of the places that you’ve listed but intend on eventually get to each country.
We have not bought…we are renting, with an option to buy. Ours is a renovation project, in lieu of rent.
We took two years to select our home base,..doing a lot of research and traveling. Oh the hardship….:)
Peta
What a terrific short list! I always thought somewhere in Spain would make a terrific home away from home…but then we were in Split this year and it seemed like such a livable place with easy transportation to other countries. You could always escape to another place in the hot and crowded summer. Certainly an exciting dilemma – I’ve enjoyed following your traveling lifestyle but can’t imagine not having my own home to come back to after one of our trips. Best of luck with the decision!
You nailed it Rebecca – that is exactly what we would do. We didn’t particularly like the crowds in August and we went to nearby Macedonia which was uncrowded, beautiful and inexpensive. We’d explore more of the area, it’s not all as popular as Croatia and we could actually make money renting out an apartment to tourists during that period.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
So many great choices and, except for Seville which we’ve visited several times, all the cities you’ve discussed are new to me. When we traveled full time we also used the opportunity to get an idea of places that we could set up a base. Your point about the different perspectives and criteria gained from before you started your travels and after many experiences was especially true for us also. Before, we pictured year round tropical weather and beaches and we had every expectation of finding a place to call home in either Mexico or Central America. So what are we doing in Lagos, Portugal? We found that tropical weather all.the.time gets old, beaches get crowded and we simply fell in love with having all the culture of Europe at our fingertips. And, lucky you. The process of finding a base is just as much fun as setting up your new “home.” 🙂
Great comment Anita and we couldn’t agree more. Before our years of full-time travel, if you had asked us where we would like to live we would have probably said Thailand. We had previously really enjoyed it on vacation. But Europe, for us, offers much more. We also don’t mind European winters, very mild in comparison to what we had in Montreal.
My mom is retired now in Central Mexico after many years in Thailand. That’s another place I could be – I love Mexico. But Spanky doesn’t feel the same way, her first option will always be Europe.
I do think it’s a natural progression to want a base after traveling for so long. We basically moved countries l guess from the U.S to Spain. We always wanted a base to operate from and even though we rent, it’s still ours to dump in 🙂 and l think our dogs like having a base and seem to enjoy our various home dog sitters who spoil them more than we do. Good thing is for most of the E.U, a 6 month lease is considered long term so l guess you don’t have to be tied down for too long. Our lease is up in March, we are moving.. I have no idea where yet..but someplace closer to the sea is calling us :-). Good luck..it will be interesting to see where you end up. I’m too old to learn such a difficult language as Croatian..and l get what you mean about Budapest being a “young” place. That’s how l felt about Berlin even though we really liked it.
You’ve done it right Kemkem and that’s what we want to do – establish a base by renting and maintaining flexibility. It could be Split for a while and if things don’t work out, we could go somewhere else and rent there. The disadvantage we have though (which you don’t have to worry about) is that neither of us are EU citizens so we’re in the same boat as Anita and Richard as far as trying to get temporary residency.
Look forward to hear where you’ll end up!
Personally, out of the four choices of your shortlist, I would opt for Sevilla :
because :
– I [kind of] speak Spanish
– closer to my homebase when retired (South of France)
– I’m more than fed up with the cold, in summer when Sevilla is too hot I could spend a few weeks in France where my wife has an apartment anyway
– and of course all the other pros you mentioned. The only problem is that it’s not on the seaside (my wife and I love the sea and the beach scene)
Thank you Lionel. Yes, I think the biggest pro for us is the seaside and mountains in Split. We’re not really beach people but we do love nature and I love hiking.
We’d have to explore more of Southern Spain, there are places that have all the attributes of Sevilla but that are also located along the coast. Andalusia is a beautiful region. And yes, if you have a homebase in the South of France then it’s really not so far away…but if I had a base in the south of France I don’t know if I would need another base at all! 😉
I like your thinking. I will be interested to hear how you get visas and where you decide to go. I like all the places you list as well, and like you am not a huge fan of too much heat. Good luck
Thanks Corinne,
We looked into the legalities earlier this year in Split. IF someone buys property or opens a company in Croatia they can theoretically get permanent residency in Croatia after 5 years. If someone wants to only rent (as we do for now), you can only get temporary stays of up to 1 year (which can be renewed every year). So, in effect, if you sign a lease, which you have to get notarized, you can get extensions to the usual 90 day allowed stay…but it is only an extension of your stay (which is good) but with no possibility of building towards permanent residency (which is the downside).