05.07.25

I was proud to contribute my second article to Business Insider, a major media publication. It was called, “I’m an American spending my retirement living in 50 different countries. I’ve loved these 4 — and have one clear favorite,” and it shared my TOP FOUR countries that we have lived in. Because media publishing space is tight, this was edited and shortened down from the NINE I originally wrote, so I wanted to share the rest of my list, below. I hope you enjoy it.

********************************************************************************

“I’m an American spending my retirement living in countries around the globe. Here are nine of my favorite places I’ve lived so far. (with a spotlight on #1)”

Of all the many questions we get asked about our full-time nomadic lifestyle, probably the most common is, “What’s your favorite country?” And, as simple as that query is, it’s also one of the most challenging because we love so many, and consider several of them “home.” But when push comes to shove, it comes down to the third country we lived in back in 2019, and that is Croatia.

When we left the US we had to familiarize ourselves with the limiting Schengen Zone restriction, which only allowed us to live within the 27 countries of the European Union for 90 days at a time. After six weeks in Spain, and six in Italy, we had to bail out of Europe and went to a country that we knew very little about: Croatia. Back then it was not part of the EU (it is now), and was an easy overnight ferry ride from Ancona, Italy. Pulling into the island heavy, beautiful coastline about sunrise in the middle of May, gave us a great head start, and even before landing, we knew we made the right choice.

Of the many Balkan countries that were previously under the thumb of the USSR, we concluded that Croatia had come a long way towards embracing capitalism, tourism, and the English language. We had no issues with communication and lived about 20 minutes north of the city of Split, a town we have returned to three more times since then.

What is it about a country, or city, that makes you feel “welcome?”

In our case it was being embraced by the locals. Our lodging, overlooking the beautiful water of the Adriatic Sea, was small, but had a balcony and incredible view. We lived in what they call “Kastels,” which are small hamlets north of the bigger city of Split, and their lives revolve around the sea. Fish is one of their main staples, but since Italy is just across the water, less than 200 nautical miles away, their menu has a heavy Italian influence.

And it was amazing!

One of our favorite restaurants was just a 5 minute walk, and made the largest pizza I have ever eaten, which I measured at 22 inches! Prices for food were incredibly affordable, and our room, even with such a prime location, was too.

During our six weeks there we rented a scooter and rode it all the way to the southern border with Montenegro, and the coastline was breathtaking. As a Californian for four decades, and someone used to beautiful vistas, this blew California out of the water. Along the way we stayed in several great towns, including Makarska and Dubrovnik, which is well known as one of the location shoots of House of Thrones.

A few years later we toured the northern part of the country, starting from the Istrian Peninsula, and headed south, stopping at half a dozen islands, yet barely making a dent in their 49 inhabited islands, out of a collective 1200 plus.

I could sing the praises of Croatia endlessly, but it does have competition!

The Balkans overall are a haven for many tourists and expats, since it carries a European vibe—almost—at a fraction of the prices of central and western Europe.

Other countries in my top nine, include Romania, with some of the most intense driving roads in the world, and Montenegro, small, but a sailor’s dream when it comes to coastal cruising, and Bosnia, which is mostly landlocked, but with incredible topography.

Other contenders for our top countries have to include Greece and Italy, both iconic and on many “bucket lists,” and each have their own special magic, and both have such a deep, deep history. One of our stays included the small medieval town of Tivoli, about 20 minutes east of Rome. We lived in an apartment which was 500 years old, which blew my mind, since the US is such a young country. And the town itself was founded 600 years before Rome, which also staggered me, and was my first gut punch of recognizing how little of the world I had seen.

But, Europe doesn’t work for everyone!

Southeast Asia, where my wife and I spent a year between several different countries, put three in the running, and seriously made me reconsider Croatia as the number one. But they are so different than the “western” part of the world, which was our footprint for our first five years on the road.

The East has such a long history of it’s own, and though we’ve not been to China, probably the Fatherland of the Orient, the other countries are not slouches.

Many fellow travelers insisted we go to Vietnam, and raved about it, but I balked, since our first one week experience there in 2020 did not rock my world. But our second venture in mid-2024 turned me around, and we stayed for the maximum of our allotted 90 days visa period. Between the very inexpensive cost of living, amazing food, both eastern and western, and the gorgeous water, Vietnam is firmly placed as one of our 90-day stays, and we will return.

Bali, Indonesia, was our first entrée into Asia in late 2023, and our 60 days stay had us convinced that the Balinese people were truly some of the most beautiful souls we have found anywhere. Between their respectful nature, their courtesy towards visitors, and their Hindu based faith structure, we found it hard to not like Bali.

Except for the traffic, which is almost a deal killer. But not quite.

Last on my “top” list is Malaysia, which we visited twice in six months. English is a second language there, so being able to read signs and communicate is a real plus when it comes to feeling at home. And, like Bali and Vietnam, the people were courteous and polite, and even the very large city of Kuala Lumpur, did not overwhelm.

There are surely many countries that fall into the “second best” category, but just these mentioned is enough to keep us happy on the road, for many more years.