OK, I hear you. Zika and Chikungunya have “flared up” in St Martin, but honestly I do not get bitten by mosquitos in the time we are there at the places we hang out.
In Assateague (Maryland, US) you cannot set foot outside your tent without spraying DEET all over yourself.
Lack of snow? I freaking hate cold weather.
The Republic of Slowjamastan. Not fan of living in the desert though.
I would definitely do Luxembourg. I love forests and medieval architecture. It borders a variety of my favorite European countries, and is just centrally situated in general, so great as a base for travel. I hate beaches and islands and lack of seasons, so Luxembourg is good for not having or being any of that.
20 years ago, I would have said St. Kitts and Nevis. But now I’d be hesitant to move there permanently as climate change gets worse. I worry about heat and especially water supply.
Yeah, water is a big deal. I guess I’m heat tolerant. Sea breeze keeps me comfortable and bottled water delivery services are a thing.
By the time climate change makes some areas uninhabitable, I’ll be worm food.
Climate change is the game changer.
Rising seas, heat domes, forest fires, dwindling water supplies, along with restrictions on opening bank accounts and buying property, sketchy wifi/ data connections and poor public transportation makes me want to stay put rather than move to a small country with limited resources other than cheap wine.
I’m another who dislikes the tropics. I have always been enamored of what C.S.Lewis named “northerness”. I like snow, crisp air, the flight of the seasons. I do not enjoy feeling ennervated by humid heat.
Whereas I’m comforted by the fact the official languages are English & Maltese and most of the Maltese speakers, speak English or Italian.
As a tourist, yes.
Not mentioned are language considerations. English, if known at all, may be a third language there. Maybe even fourth.
I’ve never been to Malta but think English is more common.
EDIT: See I’ve just been beaten to it.
Their total ban on abortion makes me wonder what other stultifying policies are in place.
I live in Luxembourg. It’s lovely. AMA.
My wife and I were considering retiring to Malta, and we’ve enjoyed visiting, but after further thought and experience we’ve realized the big downside is that you have to get on a plane to go anywhere. We really like traveling, and being on the continent means we can get in the car (or better yet buy a train ticket) and have our pick of destinations. On Malta, every trip starts at the airport, and that doesn’t work for us.
Nice place to visit, though.
Nitpick: Liechtenstein. Lichtenstein is the pop artist (which is the only reason I mention it - there is a genuine possibility of confusion, albeit obviously not in this context).
Of the countries I’ve visited (and so have at least some chance of deciding whether I might actually enjoy living there), New Zealand would have been my first choice too. Sticking with the <3m population restriction, it would be Iceland. I’m not going to count Wales because it’s only a few miles from where I live and by most definitions is the same country. Never been to Malta - I’d want to check that out too, not sure I could cope with the winters in Iceland.
I have a fantasy about moving to Svalbard and just writing all winter, but the rents are high.
My ideal climate would be a Mediterranean one - proper seasons and glorious summers. But aside from Malta, I think all the space is swallowed up by much bigger countries
It would need to have skiing, so Liechtenstein or Andorra would fit the bill. If I was willing to give up skiing I’d pick one of the ABC nations (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) to avoid hurricanes.
Ferries to Sicily also. Though it takes over a day.
A lot of Canadians have moved to Costa Rica. Peaceful, stable, friendly population, lots of ex-pat westerners, reasonably low taxes, very low cost of living and 10% of your income gets you full healthcare. For retirees on small incomes, it’s dirt cheap.
Starlink opens up a world of possibilities for cheap living while staying connected to the modern world for work and entertainment.
The only thing I worry about is its neighbors. Costa Rica may be stable, but the countries around it have historically not been all that great for stability.
Costa Rica is another good choice, but the humidity would kill me. There are indeed a lot of English speakers and a very large ex-Pat community.
They even got to the moon first!
All, or almost all of the countries mentioned here are European. What about South American or African countries? From what I’ve read Botswana isn’t too bad, and it’s less than three million.
Not a lot of choices in South America under 3 million people. The only options would be Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Other than being slightly over the population criteria, Uruguay would be on the top of my list. It has beautiful beaches, is liberal as far as South America goes, and Montevideo is a nice city. However, it comes it at about 3.5 million people.