4 ms·

I want to experience another culture and I want my family to have a similar experience. Since I have really no idea what I'd be in for, I was looking for input

by gregd 12y ago

I want to experience another culture and I want my family to have a similar experience. Since I have really no idea what I'd be in for, I was looking for input on what others experienced. I haven't traveled much outside of the US but am really, really attracted to Europe. I work remotely currently so stable/fast internet is pretty much my only requirement and the country has to be expat friendly.

smoe 12y ago
I wouldn't be to concerned about stable/fast internet. I currently work out of hostels and cafes in Medellin, Colombia. Free wlan everywhere and haven't had any more problems than back in Switzerland. And since I have a local cell phone, I can just switch to tethering if there are any. Europe has a lot of amazing cities I could imaging to stay longer, but they have very different cultures and styles of living. In my opinion it comes down to personal taste rather than any other concern (except maybe cost of living). Instead of moving all you stuff to one place it may be better to store it in your current place and just come to Europe with backpacks and travel for a bit until your family finds a place they feel like settling.
mynegation 12y ago
So, to recap: different culture, expat friendly, stable internet, and (I presume) safety for the family. There is a continuum with countries similar to US culture on one end and countries with very different culture on another end, but with various issues (safety, internet availability, language, etc). I would say somewhere in the middle of the spectrum are countries of Eastern Europe: they are beautiful, most of them are expat-friendly and have expat diasporas, stable internet, relatively safe. I would suggest you look at Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania (great internet connectivity BTW).

4 ms·

I want to experience another culture and I want my family to have a similar experience. Since I have really no idea what I'd be in for, I was looking for input

by gregd 12y ago

smoe 12y ago
I wouldn't be to concerned about stable/fast internet. I currently work out of hostels and cafes in Medellin, Colombia. Free wlan everywhere and haven't had any more problems than back in Switzerland. And since I have a local cell phone, I can just switch to tethering if there are any. Europe has a lot of amazing cities I could imaging to stay longer, but they have very different cultures and styles of living. In my opinion it comes down to personal taste rather than any other concern (except maybe cost of living). Instead of moving all you stuff to one place it may be better to store it in your current place and just come to Europe with backpacks and travel for a bit until your family finds a place they feel like settling.
mynegation 12y ago
So, to recap: different culture, expat friendly, stable internet, and (I presume) safety for the family. There is a continuum with countries similar to US culture on one end and countries with very different culture on another end, but with various issues (safety, internet availability, language, etc). I would say somewhere in the middle of the spectrum are countries of Eastern Europe: they are beautiful, most of them are expat-friendly and have expat diasporas, stable internet, relatively safe. I would suggest you look at Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania (great internet connectivity BTW).