We value privacy very highly, and it incluses other people's privacy. So you have to make it clear that you want more contact. Thé hardest part is to make the différence between someone who doesn't want to disturb you, and someone who want to bé left alone. Asking this question directly is uncommon but usually works. Joining a sport or music sociéty is a good way to make Friends Feel free to Ask me more questions.
Indeed! Thanks for clearing this up because those Swiss with whom I have friendly relations are indeed as normal as any other friends I have from all over the world ..... despite the fact they speak Schweizerdeutsch
Investors are buying up real estate due to fears of inflation in the US, leading to higher prices of homes pretty much everywhere in the US. Also, many remote workers are seeking a better lifestyle outside of the big grid cities, so even remote places are seeing higher real estate prices.
Some of the places that I really liked during our travels across the US since retirement now have much higher housing prices. I used to be a big fan of small towns in western USA, but now my enthusiasm for moving is somewhat dampened due to wildfire threats, hot weather, potential water shortages, and in some cases a flood of homeless people. I think there are still good places in western US but you have to do your research.
My current preferred relocation area would be Tennessee and the areas surrounding it. It has forests, mountains if you want them, the climate is not as severe as further north but still has four seasons. The area does have rainy weather, but that is a requirement for forests, choose sunny all the time or green landscape, one or the other. A boundary for this area might be the Ohio River to the north, the Mississippi River to the west, the Appalachian mountain range to the east and the northern mountains of AL and GA to the south. There are cities/places with many different characters within this region, so one should explore and find the right fit.
I have traveled through most of the lower 48 states in the US since retirement, and I generally like the places I go to. But most places have a good season and a bad season (an exception to this might be San Diego). I think it is a reasonable retirement goal to have two home bases, one in an area with a good season when the other has its bad season. My home in MI has glorious summers on Lake Michigan, but winters mean sitting around watching blizzards in grey murky weather for 3 months. I currently have a camper van to snowbird in FL or AZ, but I think that the easy campervan boondocking thing is kind of played out. There are so many people doing it and a lot of them are homeless people dirtbagging it and trashing the camps. I am thinking that a better strategy might be to rent a place in warm weather for a few months. My winter places of interest include the Mediterranean coast, the Canaries/Madiera and Carribbean. These places are expensive and often destroyed by tourism, but with some research perhaps jewels can be found.
My winter places of interest include the Mediterranean coast, the Canaries/Madiera and Carribbean. These places are expensive and often destroyed by tourism, but with some research perhaps jewels can be found.
The west coast of Turkey might be of interest, great climate all year round and very cheap and accessible. Corsica and Sardinia are probably the most unspoilt big islands in the med.
