Living in two / multiple countries

[Johnny1975]

I'm finding it hard to decide where I'd like to eventually live (once i'm able to). I've considered the idea of living in 2 countries, i.e. Philippines and Mexico. The fact is that at least for some people, one place doesn't have everything that you need. Not to mention that although some places are nice, they may not fit with who you are and so living there permanently might not be realistic, but they can still be nice to visit often, and maybe form enough ties to be able to at least call it a part time / secondary home. I don't want to be a perpetual nomad, what I want is to be based in one place (or possibly 2), but be a frequent traveller to other places. Another issue is long flights, or having to take more than one flight from one home to the other, on top of the other trips that one might want to make in between. And if you want to settle with someone and have kids, that makes it even more complicated.

These are all dilemmas that I think about often. How do you handle all this? What do you do when no single place seems to have everything you want? How do you live in 2 places and call them both home? How do you split your time? How does it affect you?

[The_Adventurer]

This is what Vladislav has recommend for as long as I have been on this board. When I first arrived here, he worked in the middle east, doing contracts around 6 months, with, apparently, very high pay. He would then enjoy the next six months in the Philippines, no worries over work or money. I think he was onto something then, and it may still be the best way to go now.

I also cannot find one place that has everything I might want, or even if there is such a place, there may be visa and/or cost of living issues which make it infeasible. I have been considering the idea of doing part of the year in Japan, where I could have a quiet environment, great infrastructure and focus on my work, and it happens to be the ideal market for what I make. I would, then, spend the rest of my time in the Philippines where I would relax, enjoy good weather, still work, but work less, and try to enjoy life a bit more.

I am not certain this is ideal for me, though, as my own priorities are changing over time. The primary reason the Philippines is on my list at all is because of the easy visa and low cost of living. I am not sure there is much else I like about the place, when thinking of it objectively. At the same time, my happiest memories of all my time abroad were while there. I also haven't been to Japan in nearly 15 years, except for a short tour five years ago. The place has surely changed and I may find I don't even like it anymore.

Like you, I do want to have a home base, a studio, which is the main place where I create my works.

[Jester]

Good thread here.

Yohan, a member here, is doing Japan and Thailand.

My two cents to add is, that for me, I would want the countries to be not more than three time zones apart. So I ha the option of relocating as often as I liked, perhaps every couple of months (avoiding visa runs), without the grueling change in sleep cycle.

California / Baja

Argentina / Uruguay

Thailand / Philippines

and so on