Laurie is the current organizer of the Albuquerque Solo Women’s Travel Club Meetup* and during the Covid-19 pandemic, she has been hosting Zoom meetings with members. The topic for the January 2021 meeting was “If you could live anywhere else in the world (other than the U.S.), where would it be and why?”
Of all our Zoom gatherings, January’s meetup on the 21st was the most well attended with sixteen women participating. This may mean that living elsewhere is on some of our minds!
Rachna (“Rich”), Risa, and Erika said that a beach or an island that’s hot and sunny all the time would be their preferred place. Costa Rica and Panama entered the discussion several times in addition to the Caribbean Islands. Erkia has read extensively about Zanzibar and wants to travel there to investigate. Several of us mentioned the friendliness of the Costa Rican people, known as “Ticos.”
Some members would prefer to move to a place where they didn’t have to learn a new language, or to a place that has large communities of American expats. In Mexico, Lake Chapala and Ajijic, Puerto Vallarta, and the Riviera Maya are a few of those places. Jean’s relatives immigrated to the U.S. from Norway, and she spent a summer solstice there one year enjoying the spectacular views and gorgeous scenery. (Check out the film Smiles of a Summer Night by Ingmar Bergman; one of Bergman’s few comedies that takes place in near-by Sweden on summer solstice. –LMcD) Jean said moving to Norway could be a possibility.
Tracy and Vicky both love Tuscany. Tracy has done a biking tour through Italy; she also loves Venice and “would live there in a heartbeat.” Her second choice would be Ireland if she couldn’t find a translator in Italy—she’s another member who would prefer not to have to learn another language. Vicky’s favorite place was Florence, but she also loves Scotland.
Ireland came up several times as a possibility for relocation. Susan has Irish ancestry and has taken a three-week tour of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. She and Judy both said they’d love to live in Ireland, that the people are friendly and welcoming, but the cold, damp weather could be a drawback. Risa is completing a virtual tour called the Ring of Kerry, a distance-based exercise program (walking, running, swimming) that advances you along the route of this Kerry map:
https://www.theconqueror.events/ringofkerry/?gclid=CjwKCAiAr6-ABhAfEiwADO4sfalXRwELy04eMnWy4tV5kUItuEnWeYwNZb1rg2NZ2HybgXrPPuaXlhoC4nUQAvD_BwE
Brenda lived in Spain for two years, when she was in the Airforce, and loved her time there. She lived in a small coastal town called San Sebastián, located in the Basque area of Spain. If she relocated, she would move to a place where she wouldn’t have to drive. She thinks Mexico is a good choice and likes beach areas, Mazatlán on the Pacific coast in particular, and the large American communities that have been established in Mexico.
Kalya has spent three months in Australia and New Zealand, and if she decided to leave the U.S., she would move to New Zealand’s South Island. She loves Christchurch and its slow pace and friendly people. New Zealand is well-known for its natural beauty, where you can be both on a glacier and on a beach during the same day. Risa mentioned that her daughter wants to move to New Zealand and that it’s possible she would follow.
Donna owns a home in Israel that’s been in the family for many generations. She laments that Israel has a bad, and undeserved, reputation for crime and terrorism—she mentioned being more scared in Los Angeles than she ever is in Israel. Netanya, the Mediterranean resort city near Tel-Aviv where her ancestral home is located, is rich in history.
Carol and Rose prioritize good health care and would move to an English-speaking community only. They want to travel to Australia and Ireland, and when they consider a move abroad, Cosa Rica and Canada were mentioned in the same sentence. Two very different places, but both with excellent health care options.
* The “Solo Women” in the name means women who live on their own but want to travel with other women.