Now that I’ve lived in Oaxaca for a few months, I’m starting to think about future locations. I’m glad I came here this year and I haven’t ruled out returning at some point, but I think I’d like to try some U.S. locations in 2014.

For a summary of what it’s been like living here, see my last post: Living in Oaxaca, what it’s like for me.

I now have a renewed appreciation of the convenient infrastructure of the U.S. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

• drinkable tap water
• reliable internet
• convenient shopping (i.e., Trader Joe’s)
• speaking in my native language
• paying for most things with credit cards (so I can earn more frequent flyer points… see my post about “travel hacking“)
• a good selection of indie films (one of my favorite things to do for fun)
• discounts on electronics, and being able to have things shipped cheaply from Amazon
• being able to stream Netflix or Pandora without needing to use a VPN service. (I use and like Tunnel Bear, but it can slow down your connection).

Continue reading “Location-flexible living in the U.S. — deciding where to live next year” →