At every stop since we began traveling we have been asked: Where are you going to settle when you finish? The answer is always the same: We still don’t know.
I almost can’t believe we haven’t decided where we want to end up when the Big Adventure is over. I made a list this past fall of possible locations and ideas, but after some more travel we’ve decided against some of those. We had thought Seattle might be a great place to land, but after a month in Portland in December we were reminded of why we left the Pacific Northwest, so that idea fell off the list. After just a 10-day road trip around New Zealand, and never being able to unpack our suitcases, our idea of a long-term driving trip around the U.S. felt a whole lot less interesting as well. We thought for a while that Tucson, Arizona might be a great place to end up – it ticked off a lot of boxes, and we could afford a house with a pool there! – but then we stepped off the train in the middle of the Australian desert and realized we did not want to deal with the climate, pool or no pool. Just as we would be stuck indoors during the winters in Seattle, we would be stuck inside during the summer, or trying to escape.
So, since time is becoming more and more of the essence, we’re still talking about what is important to us, and getting those things on a list. In no particular order, they are:
- We are happiest when we’re near the water, especially the ocean, but lake or rivers make us happy as well.
- Abundant sunshine is a must, although we don’t like dealing with extreme temperatures or humidity. We don’t mind cold weather, or snow once in a while.
- We enjoy city life, but don’t miss it or need it as much as we once thought we did, especially big cities. We’re OK living near a city, but not necessarily in one.
- We would prefer not to own a car, but can see now that we will probably need to have one no matter where we live, with a couple of exceptions. This will be specially true if we don’t live in a city.
- We like locations where we can walk, even if we own a car and it’s just for walking’s sake.
- We need to live where it’s easy and somewhat affordable for our children and their (eventual for some) families to come visit, or for us to visit them. This is the primary reason we decided not to return to Kaua’i, as much as we miss it and would love to go back.
There’s a few more things, but we are clearer now about what we’re looking for in a location, and have narrowed it down to three options. We are still doing our due diligence on #3, so I’ve left off the name of the place for now:
- Strasbourg, France. We’re still in love with this city and it still has a lot going for it. Pros: The size is manageable and there’s lots to see and do; there is great public transportation (no car necessary); it’s flat and very walkable and also a great place for bike riding; it’s quite affordable; the food is wonderful; it’s in a great location for travel to other places we want to see; and, as for water a river runs through the middle of town. Also, our family have all said they would come visit us there as we’d only be 1.5 hours from Paris. Cons: The visa process (mostly time consuming), and the big one: we don’t speak French! We would have to spend a lot of time and money on French lessons before we go and after we arrived.
- San Clemente, California. This charming beach town was my home away from home growing up, and is located about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego in Orange County. Even though I know it’s not the same now, it still holds a special place in my heart (along with Laguna Beach and Dana Point). Pros: The weather and the beach are the primary ones, and it’s a walkable town if you’re located on the west side of US 101 (El Camino Real). We also know people who live in the area, a big plus for us. Cons: Housing costs are very high (think Hawaii high), and there is not a lot available in our price range. We would have to have a car again, and Southern California traffic can be hellish at times. Also, California is not a great place for retirees when it comes to taxes, although we’ve crunched the numbers and our tax burden wouldn’t be much. Living in San Clemente would be all about location, location, location, and because we no longer have children living at home it’s something we can afford to do. It also costs a LOT less to get to and from here than it does from Kaua’i.
- Mystery Location, USA: We’re still doing research, but this small town is fairly near a couple of bigger cities with a university and medical facilities but without being too close (i.e. not a suburb). We’d have to drive to those cities though for many things though, including some of our groceries and such, so we’d definitely need to own a car if we settle here. The area gets plenty of sunshine overall but without high temperatures in the summer, and humidity is low year-round (it does get some snow in the winter though). The area is affordable, and it’s an OK location tax-wise for retirees, and is located near some beautiful natural areas that we love to visit, so some more positives. There are a few small lakes in the area, but not really a lot of water around which is a bit of a negative for us.
We have no need to buy a home, at least not initially. We enjoyed not owning a home when we lived in Hawaii (in spite of our awful landlord), and we’ve gone over the numbers and with new tax laws in place having a mortgage no longer makes much sense for us other than we wouldn’t have to worry about rent increases. We recognize that we are still “restless people” at heart and would prefer not to be tied down with all the many things that home ownership entails.
We’ve committed ourselves to a firm decision by the time we leave Japan in mid May so that we can start working toward that move. In the meantime we will continue to research our options, consult with our son (who is no longer quite so opposed to us living in France), and think about what will be best for us and our family in the long term.
The Occasional Nomads 
OMG I VOTE SAN CLEMENTE!!! We’d be 30 much away from each other!!! 😍
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The proximity to you and one other person is one of the most positive things about San Clemente. It would be SO MUCH fun to live so close!!!
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I’ve never been to your first two choices so I can’t comment, but like you, I also must live near water, so that would be a deal-breaker for me as far as your mystery choice. Is there a town in the US that would be similar to Strasbourg? You’re good with languages though so maybe that wouldn’t be a major obstacle for you.
This might be a crazy question, but would it be possible for you to spend maybe a few months a year on Kauai and the rest of the year wherever you decide to settle? A best of both worlds type of arrangement!
Do you know yet where any of your daughters might want to settle? If they do have a firm idea then that might narrow it down for you if you want to be near at least one of your kids.
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We’ve thought about becoming snowbirds and doing half a year on Kaua’i, but we’d basically have to buy somewhere and then come up with six months rent somewhere on Kaua’i. And, we’d need a car in both places as well, so another expense.
It’s looking more and more like the girls may end up back east, but we really don’t want to move there (brutal winters and hot, humid
summers). Everyone says just pick a place where we’re happy and they will come and see us.
Strasbourg size-wise reminds me a lot of Portland. A big-enough city without being too big. Decisions, decisions!
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I have a friend who is retired navy and moved to San Antonio after he retired. He says it’s a great place for retired military (Lackland AFB is there). He hates winter, which is one of the reasons he moved there, and he loves the climate. The cost of living is also low. It might be something to consider. He is a realtor, so if you think it’s a place you’d be interested in or have questions about, let me know and I’ll put you in touch.
Someone I used to work with moved to Arizona after she retired. I’ve only been there a couple of times and didn’t care for how dry it is, but she loves it. She lives near Prescott Valley. Her original plan was to rent a house for a year to see if she liked it, and she liked it so much she ended up buying something.
Just a couple of ideas…Good luck!
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We like Arizona a lot – it’s another state I have traveled through extensively, from north to south, east to west. We drove through Prescott on the way to the Grand Canyon and thought it was rather dry, but several people we know love it there. The climate is certainly less hot than in the south.
The renting for a year before buying is sound advice – that’s what is recommended in Hawaii and we ended up renting the entire time and enjoyed it (crazy landlord and all). So, maybe that’s what we’ll end up doing wherever we go (we’d definitely) rent in Strasbourg and San Clemente.
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It would be way on the other side of the world so to speak but there are many walkable small towns near cities in the Carolinas. I suspect hill country in texas would meet many of your requirements and there are many lakes and rivers. As a dedicated road tripper, I cannot imagine (in a car or even an RV) going constantly. Two weeks away from home is my absolute max, which is why I look at with awe and fellow bloggers who go months at a time. You learn by speaking. We used to do the speak in German and let them answer in english thing so that we would both be learning. And a town the size of Strassbourg (which would be my vote by the way) will have some kind of immerson program at alocal uni-the kind where only french is spoken once you walk in the door. And there is an expat community in Strasbourg.
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The Carolinas have been suggested to us many times, but I cannot do summers there – way too humid. Brett’s sister lives in the Dallas area and we’d love to be closer to them, but we’ve just never seen ourselves living in Texas. We like living in the west, but Texas is in a class by itself.
I’m pretty sure we could pick up enough French to get by, but it still would be a daunting hill to climb if we end up moving to Strasbourg. We love though that it’s a very international city, a place that is very welcoming to foreigners and outsiders. We just loved our time there and no other place we’ve visited has come close except for Florence. We’re very cognizant thought that visiting somewhere is very different from living there full time.
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Fun process :).
it seemed like the smaller areas in France did not have a problem with helping English speakers. I loved nearby Baden Baden as well. Very walkable. Your time there was special. Sounds like a dream.
I have friends who are living just off the beach in San Diego–renting the dream. It is Oh LaLa in price, but they, too, have no kids in tow. They choose walking distance (shops and beach) finding a condo with a two year lease (owners overseas). They are down to one tiny car. The parking spot was extra. I’d trade places with them in a heart beat.
Maybe, one day, my husband and I will find our “last place”. Travel is in our blood. Tough to say, “This is it!”
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I’m not sure how much fun it is right now – there’s so much to think about and the list order keep changing all the time to the point where it’s starting to drive me a little crazy. It’s one of those things where we know we have to “choose right” or at least we want to.
I so envy your friends life in San Diego! That’s the ideal we would shoot for in San Clemente. Housing stock is very low though, especially in our price range, and prices are as you say, Oh LaLa. But it would definitely be the sweet life if we make it work.
We had no trouble not speaking French when we were in France last year, but living there full time would be a different story – we would need to learn the language, or at least have a rudimentary grasp of it. (We had hoped to make it over to Baden Baden from Strasbourg – so close! – but it didn’t happen. Another reason to go).
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I thought there was a time limit for staying in Strasbourg or was that one of the other countries? Does being near a military base factor into your thinking? I’m sort of leaning toward California as it would be easiest for the kids to visit and also for you to visit them and other places but only if you can find reasonable rent prices. Makes my head spin trying to think of a place. I feel for you making that decision. The only good thing is that you don’t have to live there forever, you have many options. A year here, a year there so much to explore. Good luck!
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With a long-term visa we can stay in France for a year. Here in Japan we can only stay for 90 days, same for the Schengen Zone without a long-term visa. It would be nice to have a base nearby, but it’s not necessary.
I would love to be back in California, but it’s the most complicated of the three – a lot would have to line up at the same time to make it work for us. But if we could do that it would be a great place to live. The mystery location is pretty nice though – the more we find out the more we like it.
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I love your thoughts. I vote for France – near La Rochelle – this area gets a lot of sunshine, is near the water – has amazing food…oh I can’t even explain how much I love this area. I can’t wait to hear where you end up.
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One of the reasons we would love to go back to Strasbourg is that is would allow us to explore more of France. We were quite surprised by how much we liked it there and could see ourselves living there. And now I’m going to go check out La Rochelle – it sounds wonderful!
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Clearly I’m biased, having lived in S. California my entire life, but having recently moved to just a few miles from the area you are considering, I will say that even after 18 months we are still pinching ourselves that we live here. The weather is superb, there is simply no downplaying that. The scenery is spectacular, there is no downplaying that either. And the traffic here is not that bad, it really isn’t. People seem to flock to our more northern northern Orange County beaches, and even in the summer I can go anywhere I wish without traffic concerns, as long as I stay south of Laguna. And I do feel you would never, ever run out of things to do, many of them absolutely free, or if not, very very inexpensive, including those famous $5 dinners on the pier at Fisherman’s on weekdays. 😊
And although I don’t live in San Clemente proper, I live very close, and go there weekly to volunteer, and can attest to it still having a small town feel. The retirees that have elected to call it home, the ones I’ve met through volunteering at least, are pretty darn impressive. Many have moved here from Europe, or from Canada, while others are lifetime residents. They appear to be well traveled and sincerely interested in the world at large, not just in the happenings in San Clemente. And by volunteering, as an FYI, you’d have a host of even more free activities to consider, including live theater and concerts.
But regardless, it doesn’t appear you have anything but wonderful options on your list, so wherever you decide to land, I’m sure you’ll be very happy!
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Interesting problems! 🙂 On one hand, I’m glad it’s you and not me. But OTOH, I love moving, so a new city sounds exciting. I too would vote for temperate weather. I have a H.S. friend who settled in San Diego, and he is never coming back to the Midwest except to visit – says he can’t take the winters either. After the past two weeks, I can see his point. And yours. That said, housing IS crazy there, and he was frustrated multiple times in trying to buy a home. Renting seems more practical if you can avoid a crazy landlord. And you have more flexibility if you decide to make another choice. Good luck deciding!
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We did not think this was going to be as difficult a decision as it has become, but each place is equally balanced – what one area has the others are lacking, but they have features we’d give up with the others. Arrrrgh! We’d buy a home if it felt right, was the right price, etc. but it’s definitely NOT a priority. Anyway, we have to figure this out one way or another, but for now one location is at the top of the list one day and the next day it’s one of the others, all for good reasons. We just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing and settling in the right place for us.
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After much hemming and hawing we left the east coast and our family and moved to Tucson lock, stock and barrel. The heat in summer is really not that bad at all. It is quite lovely here and we are both happy with our decision. Snow birding was not for us. I need to be in one place with all my art supplies. LOL. Plus, unlike you I am not a traveler. I just don’t enjoy it. Traveling here was enough. Plus I still haven’t seen the Grand Canyon! On the list!
Good luck with your decision. It must be overwhelming since you now have been to so many interesting places! If you do come here to check it out, be sure and get in touch!
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I really like Tucson, and I like Arizona. My parents met at UA, and we visited Tucson often when I was young (part of my name is after our parent’s first landlords, who became their mentors and good friends). I attended UA for a while, although the apartment I lived in at 6th and Campbell has been torn down. I am familiar with the climate, etc. but we also don’t like the amount of driving we’d have to do there. The walk scores are abysmal, and I know we wouldn’t want to walk anywhere anyway when it’s 110 degrees outside – that’s what I realized when I stood out in the desert in Australia!
I don’t think we’re really the snowbird types either. We need to pick a place and go there!
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Wow, such interesting alternatives! We are trying to make a much smaller decision about moving. Currently near Ventura, CA and considering moving near Berkeley to be able to be part of our 2 year old granddaughters childhood on a regular basis. Prices and seismic risk too high right near where they live so we are considering Napa and Pleasant Hill as options. Good luck with your decision making and thanks for sharing your thought process as it is so helpful to see how others approach this.
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They’re all really different, aren’t they? That’s what’s driving us sort of nuts right now – each one of them has definite advantages.
I read your post about the current downsides to locating in Berkeley. I think seismic activity is something to be considered any place in California, and the state is overdue for a “big one” (so is Oregon and the PNW).
Brett and I are almost at a place where we don’t want to talk about where to move any more because the decision process this time is beginning to drive us a little crazy! Usually this is a fun exercise for us, but it’s becoming less so this time – all three of our choices are good ones for us, but the stakes are higher this time and we want to make the right one!
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Thanks for sharing where you are with this process. Very interesting.
I’m wondering if you still have travel miles to go in your spirits….not necessarily the two-nights-here, three-nights-there travel but the longer term 2-3 months in one place. Can you continue The Big Adventure at a more leisurely pace for another year? I know you are booked through the fall.
My grandparents retired to New Hampshire for the summers and South Padre Island, TX for the winters. SPI doesn’t meet your criteria but both states have no income tax and waterfront. New Hampshire is loaded with beautiful lakes, the ocean, plus close to Boston.
Another idea is to spend summers in a place like NH then rent out your digs for an academic rental and travel the world for 8-9 months.
Good luck with your winnowing process and thanks again for including us!
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We have considered extending our travels for another year, but doing it like you say, two to three months in one place versus moving around so much (which we did not enjoy). If we traveled around the U.S. we would have to buy a car which we really don’t want to do, but it’s still doable and hasn’t been excluded. We plan to come back to Japan in 2020, in the fall, so that has to figure in as well. Arrrrrggghhh! So many choices! One way or another though we will have a decision by the middle of May!
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California (Sacramento) is so perfect… close to the bay area or to Tahoe HOWEVER the taxes, etc are making it very difficult to remain here. Two children + families in CA nearby, one in WA and one in CO, want to stay nearby the grandbabies… decisions here too! Looking forward to hearing about the mystery spot 🙂
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I honestly love California (even Sacramento, a difficult thing for a SoCal girl to say) – it’s my home, I’ve traveled all over the state and they are doing good things these days. However, the taxes and general expense of living there is a real issue for us now, especially since we’re on a fixed income. But it really would be like coming home for me so San Clemente is staying on our list! I will reveal the mystery location soon!
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We moved to the Long Beach Peninsula on the southwest Washington Coast nearly 20 years ago and still love it. Mild summers, mild winters, and an uncrowded beach to walk. The area is affordable too. https://www.facebook.com/longbeachpeninsula
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The Long Beach Peninsula area would be wonderfully close to Portland, and to Seattle as well. I will look into it!
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We are from the mountains of New York state near Albany- The Helderberg Mountains. We started looking in 2014 for an alternative to winters with -20° , 30mph winds and 100″ of snow annually. That along with $11,500 in property taxes were enough motivation to change our locale. We spent a few weeks on Puget Sound visiting Coupeville, Port Angeles, Sequim and the San Juan County islands; Friday Harbor was a favorite.
We eventually bought a house on Kauai in 2015 a place we had been visiting for 25 years. The summers have gotten warmer by 2-3° probably due to climate change. that increase means August temps previously with highs comfortably about 84° now can get to 87°- 89° (two days in a row got to 89° in 2018- broke a record). We are in the hills of Wailua so we don’t get as hot however we did install air conditioning last year so we can enjoy Hawaii more now.
Giving consideration to the San Juan Islands as a three- four month respite from mid-June, July, August and possibly early September.
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Oh now there is new suspense! For quiet a while before your trip, we tried to figure out where the long railroad trip would be and now this! Your blog never gets boring, Having lived in NY state not very far from NYC, I love the east coast of the US. Yes the winters are pretty bad and the summers are hot /humid but I love the Fall in New England and the spring weather. However I know many retired people stay away from the area due to high taxes. If I could, I would live on the east coast somewhere between NY and Boston.
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The two factors you mentioned about the northeast are the two reasons Brett and I don’t want to live there! We lived in Maryland for nearly four years and couldn’t wait to move – the winters and humid summers nearly did us in, but I will admit fall and spring were absolutely lovely. Our daughters are probably going to end up back east though – they complain about the weather but secretly I think they like it (well, somewhat – they also miss Hawaii).
The decision about where to settle though is not settled! And yesterday we came up with another option that has got us both thinking about that as well. I did not think it was going to be this hard!
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I’ve lived in various parts of the northeast my entire life. I like having four distinct seasons, although our winter this year has been very mild and more like an extended fall. It is a great place to live for young people because there is a lot to do and because of the job opportunities, so I can see why your kids (secretly) like it. But…I can’t imagine living here as a retired person. The cost of living is high and the taxes are as well, so I have no doubt I’ll have to leave when I retire. Quite a few people I worked with have retired in the last few years and all left the area citing taxes and cost of living as the reasons.
I don’t think you should stress too much about deciding where to live. As you know, you don’t have to stay wherever you decide to go permanently, if it turns out you don’t like it. I’m curious to know what new option you’re considering!
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How exciting to have three such different choices! You know, I think learning a language through immersion is supposed to be the best way. I bet there would be someone in Strasbourg willing to tutor you, also. And, totally selfishly, since I’ve always wanted to see the Alsace area, and your description cemented that desire, it would be fun to have someone I know, even just through a blog, living there.
Really looking forward to your decision and, because I’m a mystery buff, reading about the Mystery Location.
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Just to keep things interesting, there is now a fourth choice – we stumbled upon it yesterday and talked about it most of the day. It’s VERY appealing, and doable too. Decisions, decisions, but we’re honestly glad to have choices! We did not think it was going to be so difficult though to figure this out.
We absolutely loved the Alsace region and Strasbourg and felt very comfortable there. I’m sure we can find tutors there for practicing French (I would happily exchange English tutoring), but initially we (or at least one of us) would need some fairly intensive language instruction and it’s not cheap. Just one of the many factors to consider.
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Oh the suspense!
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It is sort of driving us crazy at this point – each option has good reasons for being selected, and we would be happy at each of them.
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