Starting my Slow Travel Journey: Phase 1 ...the Research
A breakdown in how went from sitting in a 1 bedroom in New Jersey with a dream to packing my bags for a specific city beyond the USA
While I’ve been planting the seeds for moving out of the USA for the past year and a half, I didn’t realize just how badly I wanted to get out of here until I accidentally started planning 2 back-to-back international trips with 2 friend groups earlier this year. One trip was supposed to be to a Caribbean island and another was supposed to be in Thailand. As I was crunching the numbers I realized that it would be exponentially cheaper for me to just move to one of those countries than for me to drop thousands of dollars for an 8-day stay. That was my AHA! moment. I apologized to both my friend groups, gave them a heads up about my plans (I doubt they realized just how serious I was) and started plotting.
If you are considering moving abroad for any length of time, follow these steps so you don’t waste as much time as I did.
Phase 1, Subsection A: The Necessities
After realizing that I wanted to move, my next question was “where?”
The world is a huge place filled with lovely (and some dangerous) people and locations so how do you narrow down 1 out of 195 countries and a seemingly infinite amount of cities? You start with your basics:
What kind of climate do you like (hot, cold, warm, humid, etc.)?
What languages do you speak? To what degree do you speak those languages? Are you open to learning a new language or do you want to be somewhere where you primarily language will be more than enough?
Do you like city living or do you need more space?
What’s your ideal cost of living per month?
Will you earn an income or will you be living off retirement/savings?
Once you figure out what these are and start doing some research on countries that tick most (if not all) of your boxes, then you can move onto Subsection 2.
Important: Have at least 5-7 countries on your list that meet most of your requirements. Many places can meet your needs on paper and only on paper so you’ll want to have a few backups. Also don’t start thinking about cities yet. Start at the macro then funnel down.
Phase 1, Subsection Ai: The Intersectional Necessities
These are the necessities that people generally only think about when it comes to their specific identity-related intersections. This is not a comprehensive list of questions but I hope that it’ll get you thinking about what questions you, specifically, need to have answered before you start planning.
Are there people of your cultural background in this country/city? If so, what are their experiences?
How safe would I feel as a woman/non-binary person here? Are there other people I can research/talk to about their experience?
When it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights, how does this country fare? Are there certain cities that are more accepting than others?
How accessible is a country/city? Some places make accessibility a priority while others are less accessible for any number of reasons.
Some places are more risky for people who sit at specific intersections. For example, I’ve heard multiple stories of Black people who were treated poorly in Italy, but I’ve heard very concerning stories about Black woman travelers to Egypt. While these experiences are common, that does not mean that if you go to these countries that something terrible will definitely happen to you. You might just have to take more precautions than someone who is not within your intersection.
Phase 1, Subsection B: The Strong Preferences
This is where I started to really narrow down to specific regions/cities. Some of these items can be non-negotiables for you and others are characteristics/questions that you may never think about. Take what works for you and use this list as a base to create your own :)
Close to airport
Somewhere with access to lots of fresh fruits
Flat ground (not hilly)
Access to strong wifi and co-working spaces
Walkable (I don’t want to need a car)
Somewhere with a decent expat/international community but still has a thriving local population
Phase 2: The Research
Researching which cities to put on my list of potentials was honestly one of the most fun parts for me! If you’re asking yourself “How TF do I even start researching these countries and cities?” trust me, the answer is a lot easier than you think. Here’s where you go:
Facebook groups
TikTok
YouTube
Phase 2, Subsection A: Facebook Groups
Most international people, like digital nomads, slow travelers, and expats, are on Facebook groups. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of incredibly specific Facebook groups based on country, city, ethnic/cultural group, lifestyle, etc. For example, there are Facebook groups for Black people who want to move to Portugal. There are groups for solo traveling women around the world. There’s a group for single women and mothers who want to find housing in the city of Merida, Mexico. If you can think of it, there’s a group for it. Just type in some keywords into Facebook, ask to join, answer their questions honestly, and off you go! The people in all of these groups are so helpful, kind, and many of them are willing to meet you when you plan a visit (I’ve made many friends on my scouting trips this way).
Phase 2, Subsection B: TikTok and YouTube
We all have a love-hate relationship with social media but this is one of those times where you just gotta love it. TikTok is full of expats and digital nomads who are very honest about their experiences living in other countries. Yes, there are many people who are just trying to make pretty content and gain followers but I’ve found some wonderful friends on TikTok who I’ve met with in person during my scouting trips and other who have provided me with information that it might’ve taken me weeks to discover.
Hint: If you’re a black person who wants more info about countries to consider moving to, look up the #blaxit on social media. It’s a play on the words “black” and “exit” and is a way for Black Americans aspiring to live and current living abroad can find each other.
While I haven’t personally used YouTube for my research, I know many people who have. While YouTube tends to be a more curated image of a person’s experience (in my opinion), it’s a wellspring of information for people looking for guidance on getting a visa. If you have a specific question that you’d like someone to answer I think you’d have the best chance of getting a response on a Facebook group, then on TikTok, and, in last place, on YouTube.
Phase 3 is about planning your scouting trip, which I’ll dive into next time and I’ll use my trip to Mexico as an example and connect you all with the specific people who helped me make my decision 🙂
More on that in the weeks to come! If you have any questions, LMK so I can answer them in upcoming newsletters!
Also, share this info with someone you know who’s thinking about moving abroad but just needs a little help…or just share it because I’m the cutest lil literary Libra you ever did see.
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