Why I prefer access to ownership, part 2: housing

On October 21, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Living abroad, Living in the U.S., Location flexibility, Minimalism, Travel1 Comment

This article is part 2 of a series. See also: Why I prefer access to ownership, part 1: cars, books and more

An Airbnb apartment in Omaha (Dundee neighborhood) where I stayed for a few days.

I like the idea of not owning a place to live, but instead having access to well-designed living spaces that I can use as needed — like Zipcar, but for housing.

Since I didn’t purchase real estate until later in life (and right before the housing crash), I never made money from it or built equity (since I had 100% financing). It’s currently breaking even as a rental and when the value comes back up to a little more than I owe, I’ll probably sell it, since I don’t want the responsibility of owning something in a city where I don’t spend much time. Continue reading “Why I prefer access to ownership, part 2: housing” →

My first stay with Airbnb – loved it!

On October 1, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Language & culture, Living abroad, Location flexibility, Minimalism, Travel4 Comments

I’ve been reading about Airbnb for over a year, and now I finally had a chance to try it. It was a totally positive experience! Since I’m living a “location-flexible life” I’m interested in easy ways to find short-term housing. Airbnb seems like a good solution.

With Airbnb, you can choose to rent a room in someone’s house or apartment (while they are living there), or an entire house or apartment (without them there). For my one-week stay in Mexico City, I wanted to stay with locals, so I could get advice about how to get around and what to do in Mexico City. Renting a room in Edgar’s apartment was perfect for that.

I chose his place for several reasons: Continue reading “My first stay with Airbnb – loved it!” →

Location-flexible living in the U.S. — deciding where to live next year

On August 15, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Living in the U.S., Location flexibility, Minimalism2 Comments

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).