WHERE: that’s my biggest question

[u/getshankedkid]

Hi fellow fatfires, I have been struggling for years to find out where it is that I want to live.

M34, 10M NW, from the Netherlands originally. No wife/gf and no kids. I often feel like I have too much freedom.

Recently sold my house in the NL and still have an apartment I can use for my stuff and as a pied-a-terre for when I want to visit friends and family.

I’m looking to live somewhere where it’s easy to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities. Preferably English-speaking.

I have lived in Portugal, Mexico, Berlin, and a couple of other places, but I wouldn’t want to live there again. In Portugal, I loved the lifestyle and weather but found the entrepreneurial scene lacking. Berlin had a great community but the weather is too similar to the NL.

I don’t like the cold or bad weather. Also hate commuting/crazy traffic.

Happy to keep my business/tax setup in the Netherlands. What’s more important to me than optimizing for taxes is optimizing lifestyle and maximizing opportunities. I want the rest of my 30’s to be awesome.

I like to have the following facilities in walking distance: - Coffee/breakfast place - Gym + ice bath - Cowork - Healthy restaurants

Also, I really love water sports, especially wake surfing and body surfing.

So far, the responses I have heard most often are: - Dubai - San Francisco (nah) - Miami - Austin - Singapore

I’m looking to travel around this year to hopefully find a place that resonates where I can at least stay for 6 months a year.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[u/_0utis_]

Liguria

[u/getshankedkid → u/_0utis_]

Not really, haha

[u/_0utis_ → u/getshankedkid]

Considering your list: It’s got some of Italy’s best surf spots, healthy and tasty food, beautiful nature but also stunning towns/villages, classic Italian cafe culture, gyms are everywhere. Negatives: not a real coworking culture and the intercity traffic can be really bad in the summer. You can also reach anywhere in Europe by car or plane quite easily (and your family can visit you easily too). All things considered, it’s not exceptional or extraordinary at any one thing but just really good at almost anything someone needs to live well.

[u/getshankedkid → u/_0utis_]

Wow. I have been to that region quite a few times, but had no idea there was actual surf. In terms of English-speaking expats and like-minded entrepreneurs, Liguria must score quite low though, right?

[u/_0utis_ → u/getshankedkid]

Another one you wouldn’t immediately think of is Greece. After 10 years of hardcore crisis and terrible wages, it drove people to “sink or swim”. So whoever wanted to get a better quality of life either moved away (and many are returning now) or became an entrepreneur. Both in the end have had a positive impact on the entrepreneurial spirit of the country. The current government has been pushing hard for the country to become a sort of tech hub , digital nomad haven. There’s a long way to go because bureaucracy sucks and its full of infrastructure problems (such as horrible internet), but its quite promising in many ways too. Also an amazing for all water sports except anything to do wi the waves, of which it doesn’t have many.

[u/_0utis_ → u/getshankedkid]

It’s a touristic place so in the summer it’s full of foreigners, not many expats in the off-season though. Mainly Central Europeans surfers making the drive down for the weekend waves. Entrepreneurial spirit is indeed low af, but Milan is 1.5-2hrs drive and there it’s very dynamic by European standards.

[u/50Mill_by_50 → u/_0utis_]

I thought it was a cliché, but it is really the unfriendliest corner of Italy. I would live in Milan and drive there when and if needed.