It’s easy to fall in love with a destination when you’re on vacation.

You’re eating great food, sleeping in a beautiful hotel, taking photos of all the highlights, and blissfully ignoring things like grocery shopping, paying bills, finding healthcare, navigating bureaucracy, and figuring out why exactly your internet stopped working.

Living somewhere is different.

Living somewhere is where the honeymoon ends and real life begins.

It’s where you discover what a place is actually like beyond the tourist brochures and social media highlight reels.

This section is dedicated to the countries I’ve called home, the places I’ve spent enough time in to move beyond the visitor experience and learn what everyday life is really like.

Here you’ll find:

• 🏡 Housing, neighborhoods, and what it’s like to put down roots
• 💰 Real-world cost of living and everyday expenses
• 🚗 Transportation, commuting, and getting around
• 🏥 Healthcare and practical day-to-day realities
• 🌎 Cultural differences that surprised me
• 🍜 Food beyond the restaurants tourists usually see
• 🤝 Local customs, traditions, and community life
• ✈️ Relocation insights for anyone dreaming of making a move
• 😳 The good, the bad, and the things nobody warns you about

I’ve lived in places that felt instantly familiar and places that challenged everything I thought I knew.

I’ve navigated foreign school systems, learned to communicate when I barely spoke the language, celebrated holidays I didn’t grow up with, and discovered that no matter where you go, people are usually far kinder than the headlines would have you believe.

Every country has its own rhythm.

Some move fast.

Some move slowly.

Some make perfect sense.

Some leave you constantly asking, “Wait… that’s how we’re doing this?”

And honestly, that’s part of the fun.

The stories you’ll find here aren’t about checking landmarks off a bucket list. They’re about the experience of building a life somewhere new, adapting to a different culture, and learning to see the world through a different lens.

Some places felt like home immediately.

Others took time.

A few surprised me completely.

All of them taught me something.

Whether you’re dreaming of relocating, planning a long-term stay, considering retirement abroad, or simply curious about what life is really like beyond the tourist trail, I hope these stories help paint a more honest picture.

Because sometimes the most interesting part of travel isn’t where you visit.

It’s where you stay.

And every place we call home, even temporarily, leaves a little piece of itself behind.

🌍 Welcome to Living There. The stories behind the destinations.