Stop Shopping for Your Dream Life Abroad

Why most people ask the wrong questions before they move

After the last post, some readers will reasonably ask:

Fantastic. If spreadsheets and scouting trips are bullshit, then what do you actually do?

How do you decide where to live? Whether you’re switching neighborhoods or countries.

The annoying answer is that there isn’t a formula.

The more useful answer is that there are better questions.

So let’s create a checklist of sorts that’s not your standard checklist. It includes observations and inspections I’ve made of myself over the years and of others through formal research while studying urban planning and while watching Americans navigate American and European cities.