I’m thinking of leaving the US for a month or so just to decompress and collect my wits. I need a place that’s fairly cheap to live. Prefer somewhere stable (not a security hazard or a conflict zone), and either a rural area, or a city/suburb that’s not gross and depressing. I have to continue working, so I need decent speed broadband (like a reliable 5mb/s would be fine). Side trips and a good transit system are nice, but optional.
Obviously an English-speaking population is helpful, but I’m willing to cram a new language if need be (already speak some Spanish, French, German, and a few others). Russia and Japan are not an option.
Any thoughts?
Edited: oh yeah, budget. I would like to do this project for $10K US or less.
Portugal might be nice. Cheaper than many places in Europe. Nice weather. Not gross and depressing. I haven’t spent a month there, but got by pretty well speaking only English.
You know Portugual is actually a fantastic idea. I just remembered I have an old acquantance there, and I can get by in Portuguese. Interested in collecting more ideas though.
Mexico City. Cheap (to my USD), a huge and fascinating city to explore with excellent public transportation and lots of side trips. Fast internet readily available. And unless your work involves the Cartels, quite safe. I spent a week in CDMX and it was one of my favorite trips. Could easily spend a month there.
Also a good idea. Mexico is a big mystery box to me. I wouldn’t know where to go, and I’d be worried about security. So if Mexico City is safe and cheap, that’s pretty interesting.
I have a good friend who recently retired to Costa Rica. He loves it, and tells me there’s a large population of expat Americans living there. He bought a house there and tells me that it’s cheaper to live there than in the states.
As for internet access, sorry, I cannot be of any help.
Have you considered Canada? Granted, some parts of it are damn expensive, but my daughter and her husband used to live in Montreal pretty cheaply, and outside of Montreal I’m told some bargains can be found in the rural areas.
I’m seeing some cheap fares to a variety of Europeans cities on Going (which used to be Scott’s Cheap Flights). Rentals should be cheaper because it’s winter, at least if you avoid holidays.
I lived in Portugal for two years in the 90s. It’s a great place where you can just sit and drink excellent red wine and eat terrific cheese on good peasant bread. I don’t know how expensive it is these days, but I do know that Lisbon has seen a real spike in real estate prices. I have a friend who recently moved with his wife from Texas to the Algarve area in southern Portugal, where they plan to live out their days. Much more affordable than Lisbon, and a very relaxed coastal atmosphere. Oh, and it’s a short drive across the border to Spain.
Another vote the Mexico City, at least the nicer areas, is a great place to spend a month.
If the OP simply wants to leave the whole Earth, not just the USA, I suggest Lake Powell. You can rent a houseboat for rather little money and effectively leave the planet for a week or a month. Just you, any companions, pretty water, and desert rocks. I spent 2 weeks out there 20+ years ago and on day 6 we saw another boat briefly. That was the extent of our contact with humanity and civilization. Restful beyond imagining.
Another vote for Mexico City. Very affordable, great food, and a whole lot to do just a subway ride away. It also has more museums than any city in the world save London. I spent a whole day in the Education Ministry building courtyard looking at the 200 Diego Rivera murals there for free. Also, the Trotsky Murder House is a must-see.
oh … Panama city … as well … (havent been there for a while)
but def. worth a month, and the country is small enough to get from end to end in a couple of hours … IIRC you can just sit at the channel and see huge ships pass you by some 10 meters away…
and its dollarized … so you dont even have to clean out your wallet.
pains me that colibri is not around for a more in-depth perspective …
Buenos Aires would surely meet the OP requirements, the only con is that we are in the middle of an extended election season and we have a libertarian proto-trump in the lead (ugh, ugh,ugh). There isn’t usually election violence here, but things could get heated this time (no revolution or anything like that, but ranging from annoying street protests (we do those almost better than football) to something like January 6 in the Capitol)
An option would be to go to a town near Buenos Aires, like Chascomús for example that have good connectivity but are outside the big urban conglomerate.
I can’t recall. I know we rented it full, and were out for 2 weeks, then refilled it upon return. We also didn’t try to water ski behind it, or zoom all over the lake for the hell of it. The motor (an outboard) probably ran 2 hours of 24.
there are lots of nice cirquits of small channels in france and the UK to putter around …
donno how involved steering those boats is (is it a full time “job”?) … as those tours are normally booked by multiple persons - families and groups of friends
A month for $10,000? That should be achievable pretty much anywhere as long as you’re not insistent on a Doubletree in the best part of the city for the whole month.
Take Mexico City, for example. Polanco is a great neighborhood to be in, but I usually spend $4000 of my company’s money to be there for a week, between the hotel and the vastly, vastly overpriced food. You might consider an AirBnB, but Mexico City is going through a bit of an expat/immigrant “crisis” right now, and a lot of the locals might frown at you.
On the other hand, staying near the embassy can be a lot more economical, and although there are also expensive restaurants there, there are lots of local-priced options there, too.
For $10,000, I’d be inclined to spend a month in Montreal. As much as I love Mexico, I’ve already lived there multiple years and have been nearly everywhere in the county, whereas I’ve only ever spent meaningful time in my neighbor, Ontario, while Quebec has left me wanting more. Same warning about centre-ville fancy hotels, but if you get out into the neighborhoods, hotels are a lot cheaper.
