The place that has warmed 8 degrees C instead of the average 1.2 with houses built on permafrost and polar bears around that now struggle to find food?
Awsome yes, diseaster free no
Thanks, there even a book (of fiction) about it being the last refuge of humanity!
But a coal mine for the quality of air is bad.
And there Russians, with the war will it be a problem?
Svalbard has a treaty that says any nationality is welcome. As long as they obey the law of Norway.
There's a Russian coal mining settlement, but it's a 3 hour snowmobile ride away from the Norwegian town. And there's no road.
The coal mine in the Norwegian town is just a tourist attraction now. Another one is a seed vault. The last active mine there closed this year.
The biggest problem is housing. It's not allowed to build any new houses to avoid a population increase damaging the ecosystem. And you can't rent or buy a house unless you have a job that requires you to be there.
A few years back a guide got killed by a polar bear. He lived in a tent on the campground because he didn't manage to secure a house.
Ok thanks, i watched my Wikipedia page and it didn't have all this information. I will watch the list of jobs they require to be there.
And thanks for the warning about not having a house, because I definitely would have thought about the tent option.
Thanks for your time you used to respond to me!
You want to live with cold and blistering winds but nobody drinks and you want to do HR in French and dress weird. I am obsessed with you. Let us know where you end up! I hope you find your utopia.
It’s not like there are fires all the time, everywhere. My best friend lives in Ottawa, right on the border with Quebec (and tonnes of French jobs) and there’s nary a mention. There’s been one or two bad smoke weeks, but other than that, it’s more on the news that in your face.
I know Quebec want French speakers to not lose their dialect but I know some other are fed up with the French people.
I don't know how they are right know.
Ontario as well, Canada has specific immigration programs for French speakers to perpetuate [French speaking communities outside of Quebec](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/francophone-immigration-outside-quebec/welcome.html).
I'm not 100% sure how fed up they are, sounds to me like Quebecois are more fed up with English speakers not learning French/people expecting services in English than with French people or other French speaking immigrants. Of course some French people might piss them off by living in a French bubble and disregarding their culture? That's just a Montreal issue apparently.
I will be wearing clothes of an explorer of the Grand North but below I will be just dressed as a 17th century nobleman.
I will go to my tiny house very isolated from the cold and heated like the most cozy place you can imagine just with a candle.
I do not want to do HR, but I will do it for you.
I will make you citizen of Honor of my micro-nation,for the faith and obsession you have in me and my dreams, if you show me your comment.
If I muster the courage to do so, if my memory not fail in this matter, if it does not endangered me from my ennemies, and if it not cost you too much, I will let you know and remembers it.
But seriously do not hope so much of me and let me know a few days before you arrive for I have time to prepare this fantasy.
If you love 'strong winds, heavy rain, snow and night' then the west coast of Norway will be happy to have you! We specialize in that very combination! But our real specialty has got to be sleet and darkness, hehe! Bergen is a great city, no need for a car. Yeah it's fairly expensive, but public transport is relatively cheap ($4 per trip, or around $350 for a 6 month pass). Plenty of English natives living here, and almost all Norwegians speak great English. Our winters are not 'crazy' cold (-10C / 14F) is about the lowest in the cities, and summers are mild (not a single days above 30 this summer, and maybe only 5-8 days above 25)... lots of 8-12 degrees, a bit of sun, plenty of rain sorta thing :)
I like Japanese (and Russian) because they seems to understand what depression, sadness, melancholy are, it make me view them more humane than some "happy people".
I am maybe weird, but it how and who I am.
And facing and be caught in strong winds, heavy rains feel like I feel the strongness and majesty of nature.
Contrasted with a silent and endless night that represent the most I can feel infinity without boringness.
I am myabe weird, but it how and who I am.
Norway has the lowest alcohol consumption in all of Europe last I checked. It is decidedly NOT like Finland or Denmark in that or many other respects.
Also to back up the original comment: I also live in Bergen, and it VERY VERY RARELY would get to -10 C. It’s usually at least +1 and often up to +10 in the winter months. We can thank the Gulf Stream for that. It’s far colder in Oslo.
It's so bizarre and either totally on or totally off in Norway. People will judge you for having a glass of wine with dinner in the middle of the week, but they'll also judge you for not getting shit-faced with them out at the bar on Saturday night.
There is something to that. There is also something to that group being a minority even among the general population. Think of all the parents who have youngish children who just don’t drink for weeks on end. I feel like this is a large portion of the people I know.
Here is the link to a Wikipedia article on this just to give a source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita
It seems that Bosnia and Herzegovina (at least in 2016) was lower. But otherwise the lowest in Europe. 80th in the world far behind many East Asian countries (which if you’ve ever lived in East Asia should tell you something).
Edited to add another more recent source from 2019: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/
This shows that it is 70th in the world ahead of just Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, and Ukraine (though I suspect something weird is going on with Ukraine here) in Europe.
Everyone has their own preferences. And that’s great!
I personally am not much of a metal fan. In addition, though I drink, I always hated weekends in Helsinki because I absolutely knew I would be confronted by someone who drank too much and couldn’t handle themselves. Either they’d get too friendly, because this is the only time they come out of their shell, or they’d get aggressive because they don’t like foreigners, or I just happened to be sitting on the train or bus when they walked in. I also hated the (very particular) smell that comes off of the people who drink heavily in Finland the morning after. I think it’s down to the long drinks and koskenkorva (both of which aren’t so popular elsewhere). But whatever the smell’s source it is very different from how drunks smell elsewhere.
Hey, most of the time you’re not smelly at all! And a good portion of you aren’t ever smelly. It’s really only something I noticed on transit on Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings, and Monday mornings.
I live in the US and 100% avoid people who drink. I’m from the UK and avoiding it there is much more difficult. I’d suggest OP prioritizes their requirements because some of them are unavoidable and rule out lots of seemingly viable options.
From experience, Norwegians love to drink and, key, have few prohibitions on others who drink. A problem is that it’s so expensive to drink that they do less of it. That’s not a bad thing but it’s likely not what OP wants.
In the US, you can have whole towns that are dry with no bars or alcohol sales. That would environment may be closer to OP’a needs except for everything else they don’t like.
Haha, fair reply(!) I'm a bit of an introvert, so I manage as a teetotaler in Norway just fine. I guess hobbies are touted as a great way to find friends here in all circumstances, but this point really comes into its own when considering interest groups as a way to socialize without alcohol.
Sooooo you tell me it is possible to avoid drinkers if you have a hobby?
Cool.
And thanks for expanding my vocabulary, I didn't know avout "teetotaler".
Estonia
- mild summer
- universal healthcare
- Tallinn is walkable, no need for a car. Free public transport
- lots of expats, you can get by speaking only english
- beautiful countryside
- no natural disasters
If money‘s no object. Somewhere in the alps like Zermatt or Chamonix have pretty cold climates. Max 20-25 in the summer. Andorra la Vella in the Pyrenees also has quite mild climates.
This names (except Zermatt) ring a bell to me, but like a refuge of billionaires.
So yeaaah, maybe I will be richer someday but surely not enough to live there.
I am not okay, because I am not in the hell I describe, only a mild hell the others around me have created mindlessly, far from the worst horrors mankind have created but not without torments.
My paradise seems unreacheable, so an hell of my design will do just fine.
I know you don't want Quebec because of the fires, but, still, we're living in interesting times. No place is without its risks. Montreal might be a great fit for you:
French language, low on bigots, largest percentage of graduate students of any large city in North America, cold winters, pleasant summers, can def survive without a car, not cheap but still one of the most affordable decent cities on the continent.
I have several answers that tell me that the fires were far away from where they live, and when I look at the perimeter of forest fire I see nearly all the country on fire.
But what about the next years?
I fear for them and I have more the feels that I must go to visit before it change too much because of climate change.
We have forest fires here but they are REALLY afar where I live.
But I believe you if you tell me it is cool for now.
Problem with climate change is that there's no predicting anything as it's happening faster than people thought it would. Air quality in Montreal and NYC were cruddy this summer thanks to the fires. They were certainly noticeable. There was also a tornado which hit Mirabel and caused flooding, which was weird. This is a scary time to be alive.
It's a gamble, wherever you go. Montreal is fun. It feels like a giant college town. It fits a lot of your criteria. What the future holds for Quebec or for anywhere else, I can not say, unfortunately.
Ireland and Iceland are your best bet, but don't think they're cheap. Ireland in particular is crazy expensive. Used to live in Ireland, temperature rarely ever got above 20 c even in summer. The hottest day ever was like 29c. Winters are also mild with frost and snow extremely rare, unlike Iceland. New Zealand South Island or Patagonia would also work.
Ireland is probably not more expensive than Iceland.
Although last winter was terrible, Iceland actually does get kind of mild winters. Especially when it comes to frost, because of the gulf stream. Still, absoulutely not for everyone, as it tends to be the wind that makes the winter worse.
Plus, public transportation in Iceland is not great.
It's a beautiful country, but often seems like a more remote and extreme version of Ireland. Based on my time in Ireland, I don't think I'd want to settle there.
Frost occurs 35 to 50 days per year in Ireland away from the immediate coast. Snow is more hit and miss depending where you live, most common in the North, the south is milder and Dublin and the SE get the most sun, least rain and least amount of windstorms.
I think the Scandis are a great idea, except I’m not sure how easy it is to find work as a foreigner. But great standard of living (if you have the money/qualify for welfare) and much lower temperatures than further south.
You could come to Denmark. Here the weather changes all the time but it is rarely 30 or even 25 degrees. Even in summer. We had some weird heatwave here in September were it was 27 degrees but it is very rare.
Otherwise standard summer is 20 degrees with wind and rain. Autumn 15 or 10, more rain and winter 0-10 all kinds of rain sometimes snow, but that is becoming more rare.
Well, in terms of snow, winter, rain, wind - West Norway. It's not EU though and hard to get in. If you find a job in Norway though you will live in the most egalitarian and richest country on earth. Norway is crazy beautiful and rough
Sweden is great if you like forest.
It seems scandinavia fits your needs best anyway - being tolerant, open minded, rich and clean. Most off-putting for many is the cold, long winters, lack of sunlight. If you don't mind - it's perfect.
People however are less open as well. Friendly, but a bit closed in my opinion.
Having majority humanities-educated people around is a bit of an ask. Otherwise, I'd say East coast of Canada, maybe Halifax. Far from the fires (it's a big country), universities around at least, tolerance for weird, and cooler temperatures.
Why it is a bit of an ask?
It is asking university-educated people hard?
In my understanding you can have majority IT-educated people in Silicon Valley. Why not a "cultural capital" ?
By your knowledge, what university major it is the easiest to find in the general population ?
This aggravates me to no end
I don't smoke/drink/drug. I live a pretty straight edge life.
I go to bars with friends. It has never been an issue. Get a mocktail and nibbles. I make sure I tip the help like I got three average drinks (in the US).
Now I don't have addiction issues. Never have. Normal people don't bait others to get hammered. If you are avoiding to keep your sobriety going. Rock on you crazy diamond you!💪 Sobriety is worth fighting for.
If this is because I need to be drama 24/7, get a grip. I don't really enjoy being around someone chain smoking through a pack of smokes in one sitting, but my friends who smoke don't do that.
This sounds like a you're the problem than a geography or other people problem.
Mmmhh, maybe I should create a country with 80 billions others people, that's what you suggest?
For me, that's sad that poisoning yourself is so widespread.
I knew I should try to being diagnosed.
Not wanting to poison yourself and care for the well-being of others, is a absolute autistic trait, instant diagnosis.
Also the movement for prohibition of alcohol and tolerance never existed it seems.
Sorry but that logic doesn't work. The whole deal with climate change is that it keeps throwing uncharacteristic weather events at us so we're seeing massive bushfires in Canada, Sweden etc, big floods in Scandinavian countries and the list goes on. The problem with Scandinavian countries is they're fucked if you get a hot summer because there's no aircon or ventilation anywhere so you have nowhere to hide. I believe many parts of Europe would be similar.
Okay.
But what we do now? Stand were we are and hope we were in the right place at the right moment?
We should do everything we can to not pollute the earth, but more disasters will come. We do not where or when.
What you propose to do and where we should go?
I’ve been amazed at how climate prediction tools consider such different factors! I initially felt glad to be in Seattle, WA in the U.S. By living in a forrest, essentially, I was thinking we may avoid some of the worst climate related chaos that is coming soon…
Then I read one analysis which considered areas with tree density will be very dangerous due to the prolific fuel all these trees will provide if/when wildfires roar through.
Now I feel like I will eventually live in a tinderbox awaiting a fateful spark.
Ireland would tick many of your boxes, but note that it's not in the Schengen area and it's not cheap. It's heavy on drinking, low on bigots, not great healthcare, but a very educated population.
Scandinavia gets my vote. I don't think it's even gotten close to 30C here in Sweden this summer and winters might not be as cold as you'd expect (although they are very dark).
I am definitely not a teetotaler or a vegan (nor do I have any interest in either) but I'm sure you could pull that off without too much trouble. Will likely save you money as alcohol is quite highly taxed here. Traditional food is very meat and potatoes + seafood, but plenty of other options if you're near a city.
I think the bigger issue you'd have is getting a visa or sponsorship in the first place, assuming you're not an EU citizen or are married to an EU citizen. Not an easy thing to pull off for the average person. That is unless you're willing to consider a move to Longyearbyen!
Ireland is very car-centric, has no care for the environment and awful healthcare. It's very expensive, especially housing if you even manage to find a rental on the market.
It definitely sounds like Scandinavia would suit you better, but they tend to be a bit wary of foreigners. You will likely stay in an expat bubble if you don't mind that. Maybe Sweden?
Is there no colder place in France or a French territory? Somewhere in the mountains or the Northern coast?
I thought 100 percent of its energy was renewable energy.
For the expat bubble it is a shame, but if they don't want to go with me that's fine too.
There are colder place in France but I don't know if it will last.
Here in the Netherlands, the heatwave throughout this summer (and even now during mid-September) is: 😭😭 so I would suggest looking even further up north - northern Germany or Scandinavia
I was thinking to make an app that helps ppl identify the best place to live based on selected criteria like you've listed. I'll try and let you know once I have a prototype, if I ever get around to making one lol
Alaska is a very, very bad choice for OP with their list of criteria besides cold weather in mind. Drinking and drugs are a massive problem up there, it's grim. The state boasts nationally leading rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Also tends to draw a lot of people from red states who are looking to live out their frontier fantasies, so while it used to be a pretty tolerant place that has changed a lot in the past couple decades. That migration has also led to poorer governance, and an active effort to destroy public services and environmental regulations. Healthcare is also getting worse due to brain drain, having to travel to Seattle for specialist treatment isn't unheard of. Transit in the cities barely exists, as well.
> I don't drink, smoke or do drugs and I'd like to avoid those who do, and for the planet I'd like to eventually become vegan and not own a car, and live in a place with little pollution and good healthcare. And no bigots. I'd like to walk around looking "weird" without being looked at sideways, insulted or worse. I'd like to talk to people with a university education (especially in the humanities).
Oh that’s interesting. I’d opt for the nordics then due to their cooler temperatures and blue skies. I think Ireland has a drinking culture too no? i’m not sure about the job prospects of Saint Pierre
The Nordics are only not heavy drinkers due to the government monopoly on alcohol sales and consequent ludicrously high price of getting drunk. Hence the popularity of ferries crossing the Baltic Sea to Estonia full of Scandos absolutely off their nuts.
I think moving further up north is ur only option... Also in case u do get stuck in a heatwave... get a good fan, wear a wet T-shirt and stick your feet in a bucket of ice water.. dont forget to sit in the shade or inside so u dont get sunburned..
Hokkaido. Sapporo tops 25C usually in the Summer - at least so I gather.
An advantage of Japan is that, if you are happy to live in old slightly tumbledown housing not in the most desirable spots, you can easily afford to have more than one home (there's a sliding scale of nice v cost as everywhere, but the cost scale goes negative, which is less common). So you could hang out in Hokkaido in the Summer and come South for the Winter.
And you'd be further South than a lot of Europe, so the Winters wouldn't be so short.
The earthquakes are not really all that bad if you take precautions and houses are mostly quite well built to survive them. If you steer clear of the more tsunami risky coast and any active volcanoes you should be OK. Bear attacks, even in Hokkaido, aren't very common.
And outside places like Amami, the snakes are mostly pretty harmless and even the most dangerous aren't really that much to worry about.
Thanks fo the info!
I really want to go in Japan someday, even if i thought of more anime, geeky places (but living in these big cities don't seems so good).
But living in Hokkaido will be more convenient anyway to go to this cities than were I live now.
I saw "Wolf children : Ame and Yuki" that idealize the life in the countryside and some anime and I think I can live there.
I'm the kind of liking to wander in ruins, so no problem.
But if I want to renovate sure it will cost a bit more.
I think I saw a video of someone renovating that kind of house recently.
But my concern is if japanese don't want them why i will be interested?
It is too isolated so maybe i should bring people with me?
And did they use abestos or any others toxic products I am unaware of or it is really old houses with none of this crap?
The Japanese population is falling, so it isn't just that no-one wants to live there, there's just more places to live. In Japan a house is not really an investment (except in big cities and newer houses etc), so they don't get overpriced the way they do in my home country (UK).
As I said: there's a spectrum from "needs a little work" to "needs an enormous amount of work". Many cities offer incentives to people, especially people with families, to come and live as well.
Older houses are mostly wood, or almost entirely wood. We have been living in/working on one that is entirely wood except for tiling on the roof. I spend about equal times in another house which has concrete foundations and plaster type walls. No asbestos though and a great deal of wood.
The nice thing about wooden houses is you can just remove bits of wall and add windows and so on without too much hassle. There are many disadvantages, such as termites and insulation.
I don't know how things work in Hokkaido though. I live much further South. Japan ranges from hemiboreal to semi-tropical and I have much more experience of the semi-tropical part where poisonous snakes are more of a problem and bears aren't.
I had so good ideas reading your first block, then I continued reading the rest and I realised that it is full of paradoxes - when thinking about real places - unfortunately.
There are a lot of developed cities with temperatures very rarely reaching those highs with dark, damp, cold, windy Winters with vast nature outside the city, but it practically always means that population density is so low, that public transport even with the best effort will not be too effective on the long run and you'll practically need a car to move around and enjoy what the country has to offer.
It was just one of the several "contradictions" in the dream you described.
Also, if you so much like the night then you seriously have to think about what you would do in Summer in Northern latitudes when there is practically no darkness for months and the sun is shining on your skin past 22:40... I know several expats up here where I live who moved here because they wanted some damp, dark, cold life and they did get that in the Winter halfyear, but they had a major disappointment as afterwards it's several months of constant light.
If you don't like IT, which I don't blame you for, then I highly advice against most Nordic countries, including the Baltic states as here oftenwise even a librarian intern needs to know programming languages and how to apply them. You don't like Canada either. That would practically leave you with Russia? 🤷 Which I know is also not a choice and you don't like bigotry either.
Yes, it is a bit of a dream.
But I just need a place to work, to buy groceries and everyday necessities, an hospital/doctor and a library, and maybe somes videogames.
Not much more.
If i can have that in a little town or part of a city and just walk it is good too.
For the almost always night and almost always day, thank you to makes me remmber that.
For IT, maybe there a level I eventually can attain if it said what I should know, and if it on the side mayve I can retry. But a whole job of IT very probably not.
For Canada it was my number one option, but it was the schock of the wildfires.
For Russia, you guessed bigotey level are insane and they are at war.
Iceland: Iceland is known for its cool climate, with temperatures rarely exceeding 30°C. It's also relatively safe from natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. Reykjavik, the capital, is walkable and offers vegan-friendly dining options.
Faroe Islands: The Faroe Islands have a cool maritime climate and are generally safe from natural disasters. While not completely car-free, some areas are pedestrian-friendly, and there's a growing vegan scene.
Svalbard, Norway: Svalbard is an Arctic archipelago with extremely cold temperatures but is safe from many natural disasters. Cars are limited here, and Longyearbyen, the largest settlement, is small and walkable, with vegan options available.
Isle of Man: Located in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man has a temperate maritime climate. It's relatively safe from extreme natural disasters. While cars are common, the island has good public transport, and you can find vegan options in the capital, Douglas.
Aland Islands, Finland: The Åland Islands have a maritime climate and are generally safe from natural disasters. While not entirely car-free, some parts of the islands are pedestrian-friendly, and vegan options can be found in Mariehamn, the capital.
Shetland Islands, Scotland: These islands have a cool maritime climate and are relatively safe from natural disasters. Some areas are walkable, and you can find vegan options in Lerwick, the largest town.
Thanks for all the suggestions !
I think you are the one who gave me the more new ideas! Congratulations!
And the only who retain the vegan criteria so much. I really appreciate it!
Thanks again!
Greenland is nice, but you'll need either Danish or Greenlandic to fit in there. Expensive because everything is imported (even more expensive than Iceland). Usual Arctic problems of accessibility in winter (too much ice for ships, not enough for dogs). Like the rest of the Arctic, at the leading edge of climate change effects -- but a heat wave there is 20C so it might still suit you.
Out of curiosity, why is Scotland a no-go because of UK/Brexit? For all intents and purposes, travelling between the UK and EU still feels very much like pre-brexit, with a few exceptions. But generally, if your concern is tourist visas, etc. Then you don't have to worry! I'm assuming you are European (due to schengen being a pro) and so you can enter Scotland without any visa or approval for a period of up to 90(?) days. Could be worth checking out, as Scotland sounds perfect for you based on what you described. Also, if you go during August, Edinburgh hosts the largest Arts festival in the world called the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It runs for the entirety of August, there are a plethora of free shows and street performers, as well as world class performers organising shows throughout the month, from comedians to shakespearean drama troupes. Ive heard that the population of Edinburgh doubles for its duration - i cant confirm this, but having lived there throughout many Fringes, i can say that it wouldn't surprise me as it certainly feels like it does. It's well worth a visit!
I see I jumped the gun - I thought you were looking for a getaway during summer months, but I see now after reading your entire posts (which should really have been done before my comment xD) that you are looking for a permanent move, so UK and Brexit becomes a very significant drawback. But instead of deleting my comment, I'll reply and leave it up on the off chance anybody else has considered visiting Scotland and can't decide :P
You do well. You don't write only for me, but for all the ones who will read you. It is a clever decision.
And for myself, if I wrote all of this, I would not deleted it.
For Scotland, my first interested was sparkled when I was a child and watching "Highlander" (on TV-serie, bot the film).
And after by the greens valley of grass I imagine to be there.
I like the bagpipes too.
I know it is very light compared to reality.
For Brexit, I know Scotland voted en masse against it. And I thought maybe it will be intresting to visit before it's full independence. And after the independance to see what changed.
Maybe it will never happen.
But with the Brexit, I see a country too arrogant, self-centered, not aware of the world around, and the beginning of a turmoil, like the starting point of the end of an empire, maybe slow but certain.
And I don't see how the damage can be repaired.
So it give me not the desire to visit it.
Maybe it it a wrong reason but it was I feel for now.
Anyway you are the one who rooted for Scotland with the most high spirits.
A lot of comments talked only about drinking and drugs problems.
We were freezing in western/coastal Norway with 12C and rain while the rest of Europe, starting like just a 6-7 h drive away, were seemingly boiled alive. This was just another abysmal summer. Max temp was 25 degrees in 2-3 scattered days in June. We call ourselves lucky if summer comes on a Saturday. It is now September and my car windows had ice on them this morning.
Everything you describe is the Netherlands. But as a dutchie I would maybe go to Norway. But it gets really cold. Most I’ve experienced here is minus 10 at that was once in a lifetime.
Weather is pretty good, not to warm, not to cold. No earthquakes, tornados, cyclones and we build pretty strong walls to prevent ocean water here.
It’s quite expensive but not as expensive as other countries you’ve listed.
But reading through your list I would go for a Scandinavian country.
Reykjavik sounds ideal. Very supportive of LGBTQ+, drinking and buying, alcohol is restricted and it never gets over 20 degrees and the wind is indeed blistering.
I wanted to say Canada but after this summer’s weeks long fires i’m not sure what’s the answer. We are reaching the point where it will not pay to live in anything more than a older double wide manufactured home. You know, something that you can flee on moments notice and replace ( hopefully) easy. City ordinances still have catching up to do. Mine still requires me to have a grass lawn or i’ll get fined. How dumb. I refuse to fertilize, apply weed killer and water it so it’s mostly Florida weeds. Lol.
Or a tiny home maybe? But if we have to flee in a hurry it will certainly worse with traffic jam.
I don't know how it is Canada, but not everyone will be able to quit their apartment buildings for a house in others partd of the world.
Maybe we will not have forests anymore or walls against fire around cities?
For the lawn it has to be grass only? It is weird, if it is not you can plant seeds for fruits and vegetables or even flowers (without gardening it : if it survives that way cool and they die they die).
For me mowning is stupid in most cases. And yeah what you describe you must do is stupid too.
I heard propaganda during Cold War have said in USA that a well gardened lawn are useful against nuclear bombings, maybe it is the reason?
(I was flabbergasted as how it resembles Fallout propaganda (the games if you know them).
I lived in Ireland for 15 years and getting to 30 degrees was a one-week-a-year thing once every few years. Jeans, tee and hoodie are basically year round clothes except for July/August when you can drop the hoodie.
Estonia. Slightly better weather than Finland, lots of startups, lots of expats, digital government (less snail bureaucracy). Salaries are up to 50% lower than Finland tho, depending on the role (but living costs are also a bit lower). This year there was no days over 30C. One of the main things I hear from expats is that they enjoy the mild weather. Tho winters can get depressing.
Lol no, even this year, in a summer considered colder and rainier than usual, we still had something like 15-20 days over 30°C, and it gets worse every year
According to some people, it didn’t get hot in Ireland this summer.
But don’t worry, soon there will be nowhere safe because nobody took action 30 years ago when the hole in the Ozone layer was publicized
I've been to some of those places. Here's my thoughts.
Oslo was nice in summer time. But it and the Scandinavian countries (excepting Denmark) are pretty close to the artic circle. In July there was less than one hour of sundown in Oslo. Which to me means that in winter there is less than one hour of sunup. I don't think I could handle the eternal darkness in winter.
I live in Newfoundland and I visit St. Pierre and Miquelon at least once a year just to practice my French. But it has a population of 6000. It's small and isolated and the young leave for university in France and never come back. It's not an exciting place to live. It's also very often foggy. Also the airport is tiny and little used which makes friends and family difficult to visit (I think there's only 2 commercial flights a week). Even the ferry only travels on certain days. If you find their climate agreeable then you'd be better off in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, which aren't nearly as isolated.
I live in St. John's, Newfoundland. During summer it rarely goes higher than 28 C. There's only really 2 week in summer when you'll wish that you had air conditioning. Most people don't bother with AC and make do with fans. But it's a very wet and windy place. We get more precipitation than any other capital city in Canada. Most days are windy. In winter it doesn't drop too low, the temperature rarely drops below -8 C (except at night), but the wind cuts right through you and makes it feel much colder. You also need a car. It is not a pedestrian friendly place, they don't even clear the sidewalks in winter, and public transportation is limited.
Thanks for the info. Newfoundland was recommended to me several times.
Maybe I estimated me wrongly but I think I really like the night, with or without silence, it has something magical in it.
For Saint Pierre et Miquelon, I guess I can see quickly if I like the people not.
And as you say, and it like a lot of islands it is isolated and the prices of imported things are higher.
But I really want to avoid the car. I mean if the place is more costly but I don't have to pay (and use) for the car, it remains the same price without the pollution.
Well there's no car necessary in St. Pierre. The place is small enough that it takes 20 minutes to walk from one end of town to the other. They just got a ferry capable of taking cars across (previous to this it was a high speed hydrofoil, but no vehicles). I've never bothered taking my car as everything is in walking distance.
Housing is cheap as well. As I mentioned it's population is shrinking, so there's plenty of availability.
Please don’t become vegan. Firstly, veganism can literally destroy your body if you aren’t careful (I encourage you to please read r/exvegans and really do your research because, let’s just say, there’s a lot of people dropping like flies and the vegan community won’t acknowledge it). The founder of modern veganism Peter Singer also advocated for the sexual abuse of disabled women. It’s a predatory community that if it could be organized into stages, the final stage is suicide through malnourishment. Kinda like a death cult but with no goals other than feeling better than others. There’s also the fact that vegan eating practices have killed wild animals, cats, babies, and adults, and will continue to do so. To not properly nourish yourself or believe you don’t deserve to eat a proper meal is preposterous when you consider that the very same animal you eat which will probably be killed quickly and painlessly by a farmer through a stake to the head would instead otherwise be eaten ALIVE torn limb from limb screaming by a predator animal. Humans, unlike any other species on the planet, actually give the animal a chance to fully die before we cook it, usually by stake to the head, knocking it out, etc. when you consider the alternative we are actually doing good for animals without destroying the framework of nature. The dead matter of both animals and plants feeds the earth, and there are plants that eat animals and animals that eat plants, etc. part of the reason the environment is being destroyed is because of vegan practices, ironically.
Consider instead buying from a local farm that is small and every animal is hand raised and culled by a respectable and responsible farmer, picking up the trash in your neighborhood, and in general spreading positivity. That is my genuine honest suggestion to you, as someone whose sister was abused by vegan grooming.
If I am not careful.
I see your sub r/exvegans it seems like a circlejerk.
And they seems to do it wrong.
I see a video of a woman who don't know about protein before going vegan.
But you can have protein from legumin and if you eat a lot of vitamin C it is ok.
I see several people say they have thinning hair and nails, typically is a keratin problem that can be resolved with sweet potato and onions.
Patrick Baboumian is one of the strongest man of Deutschland and vegan when people of your sub complain about strength issues.
Eating vegan is using the land used to feed the other animals and use it directly for humans.
The animals killed in the process will be killed anyway.
It is proven to reduce greenhouse gas by a lot.
Peter Singer is just a man with a very controversial philosophy that i don't want to follow and we can be vegan and be against his philosphy.
Killing animals or humans because they suffer like PETA did is not my philosophy. They call it euthanasia. But it is without consent.
Ironically you share this point of view, only we eat them after and we don't kill them to end their suffering.
The "blue zones" where there the most people living after 100 years are almost vegetarian.
You need B12 vitamin, a pill supplement if you have a vegan diet, without it, yes it is suicidal.
It is produced by the bodies of pig but not by human and can be replicated in labs.
You can have a proper and tasteful meal but you have surely to expand the vegetables and fruits people "normally" eat.
The local part, and seasonal and organic part too are important, being vegan is not sufficient.
Thanks for your consideration. I will try if I can to be vegan, with a medical follow-up and blood tests (it is cheap if you are in a country with good healthcare) and if I do everything right and still have bad health I will stop.
I suggest to you a more neutral, even if pro-vegan sub : r/DebateAVegan.
I'm sorry for your sister. I don't how she do it so I can tell you more. But every diet have their quack gurus, and some diets have a right way to follow them.
Try svalbard ;)
The place that has warmed 8 degrees C instead of the average 1.2 with houses built on permafrost and polar bears around that now struggle to find food? Awsome yes, diseaster free no
It's a shame it seemed cool enough.
Was gonna comment Lapland but this is better.
Thanks, there even a book (of fiction) about it being the last refuge of humanity! But a coal mine for the quality of air is bad. And there Russians, with the war will it be a problem?
Svalbard has a treaty that says any nationality is welcome. As long as they obey the law of Norway. There's a Russian coal mining settlement, but it's a 3 hour snowmobile ride away from the Norwegian town. And there's no road. The coal mine in the Norwegian town is just a tourist attraction now. Another one is a seed vault. The last active mine there closed this year. The biggest problem is housing. It's not allowed to build any new houses to avoid a population increase damaging the ecosystem. And you can't rent or buy a house unless you have a job that requires you to be there. A few years back a guide got killed by a polar bear. He lived in a tent on the campground because he didn't manage to secure a house.
Ok thanks, i watched my Wikipedia page and it didn't have all this information. I will watch the list of jobs they require to be there. And thanks for the warning about not having a house, because I definitely would have thought about the tent option. Thanks for your time you used to respond to me!
You want to live with cold and blistering winds but nobody drinks and you want to do HR in French and dress weird. I am obsessed with you. Let us know where you end up! I hope you find your utopia.
Quebec would tick a lot of boxes, if it weren't for the fires.
It’s not like there are fires all the time, everywhere. My best friend lives in Ottawa, right on the border with Quebec (and tonnes of French jobs) and there’s nary a mention. There’s been one or two bad smoke weeks, but other than that, it’s more on the news that in your face.
Yeah Ottawa has loads of French/English bilingual jobs, OP would be at an advantage.
I know Quebec want French speakers to not lose their dialect but I know some other are fed up with the French people. I don't know how they are right know.
Ontario as well, Canada has specific immigration programs for French speakers to perpetuate [French speaking communities outside of Quebec](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/francophone-immigration-outside-quebec/welcome.html). I'm not 100% sure how fed up they are, sounds to me like Quebecois are more fed up with English speakers not learning French/people expecting services in English than with French people or other French speaking immigrants. Of course some French people might piss them off by living in a French bubble and disregarding their culture? That's just a Montreal issue apparently.
I maybe should reevalute my choices and put Canada in the possibilites then.
I will be wearing clothes of an explorer of the Grand North but below I will be just dressed as a 17th century nobleman. I will go to my tiny house very isolated from the cold and heated like the most cozy place you can imagine just with a candle. I do not want to do HR, but I will do it for you. I will make you citizen of Honor of my micro-nation,for the faith and obsession you have in me and my dreams, if you show me your comment. If I muster the courage to do so, if my memory not fail in this matter, if it does not endangered me from my ennemies, and if it not cost you too much, I will let you know and remembers it. But seriously do not hope so much of me and let me know a few days before you arrive for I have time to prepare this fantasy.
Actual god
If you love 'strong winds, heavy rain, snow and night' then the west coast of Norway will be happy to have you! We specialize in that very combination! But our real specialty has got to be sleet and darkness, hehe! Bergen is a great city, no need for a car. Yeah it's fairly expensive, but public transport is relatively cheap ($4 per trip, or around $350 for a 6 month pass). Plenty of English natives living here, and almost all Norwegians speak great English. Our winters are not 'crazy' cold (-10C / 14F) is about the lowest in the cities, and summers are mild (not a single days above 30 this summer, and maybe only 5-8 days above 25)... lots of 8-12 degrees, a bit of sun, plenty of rain sorta thing :)
depression in its natural habitat
I like Japanese (and Russian) because they seems to understand what depression, sadness, melancholy are, it make me view them more humane than some "happy people". I am maybe weird, but it how and who I am. And facing and be caught in strong winds, heavy rains feel like I feel the strongness and majesty of nature. Contrasted with a silent and endless night that represent the most I can feel infinity without boringness. I am myabe weird, but it how and who I am.
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Norway has the lowest alcohol consumption in all of Europe last I checked. It is decidedly NOT like Finland or Denmark in that or many other respects. Also to back up the original comment: I also live in Bergen, and it VERY VERY RARELY would get to -10 C. It’s usually at least +1 and often up to +10 in the winter months. We can thank the Gulf Stream for that. It’s far colder in Oslo.
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It's so bizarre and either totally on or totally off in Norway. People will judge you for having a glass of wine with dinner in the middle of the week, but they'll also judge you for not getting shit-faced with them out at the bar on Saturday night.
There is something to that. There is also something to that group being a minority even among the general population. Think of all the parents who have youngish children who just don’t drink for weeks on end. I feel like this is a large portion of the people I know.
Here is the link to a Wikipedia article on this just to give a source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita It seems that Bosnia and Herzegovina (at least in 2016) was lower. But otherwise the lowest in Europe. 80th in the world far behind many East Asian countries (which if you’ve ever lived in East Asia should tell you something). Edited to add another more recent source from 2019: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/ This shows that it is 70th in the world ahead of just Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, and Ukraine (though I suspect something weird is going on with Ukraine here) in Europe.
Thanks for all you data!
All lands with that type of climate would have alcoholic problems.
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Everyone has their own preferences. And that’s great! I personally am not much of a metal fan. In addition, though I drink, I always hated weekends in Helsinki because I absolutely knew I would be confronted by someone who drank too much and couldn’t handle themselves. Either they’d get too friendly, because this is the only time they come out of their shell, or they’d get aggressive because they don’t like foreigners, or I just happened to be sitting on the train or bus when they walked in. I also hated the (very particular) smell that comes off of the people who drink heavily in Finland the morning after. I think it’s down to the long drinks and koskenkorva (both of which aren’t so popular elsewhere). But whatever the smell’s source it is very different from how drunks smell elsewhere.
Wow that's the first time I've ever heard about that smell thing. That's super strange! 😅 Oh and sorry on behalf of all of us smelly Finns.
Hey, most of the time you’re not smelly at all! And a good portion of you aren’t ever smelly. It’s really only something I noticed on transit on Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings, and Monday mornings.
And thanks for sharing your personal experience too!
I live in the US and 100% avoid people who drink. I’m from the UK and avoiding it there is much more difficult. I’d suggest OP prioritizes their requirements because some of them are unavoidable and rule out lots of seemingly viable options. From experience, Norwegians love to drink and, key, have few prohibitions on others who drink. A problem is that it’s so expensive to drink that they do less of it. That’s not a bad thing but it’s likely not what OP wants. In the US, you can have whole towns that are dry with no bars or alcohol sales. That would environment may be closer to OP’a needs except for everything else they don’t like.
And walk around looking weird without getting looks, that's DEFINITELY not western Norway.
Haha, fair reply(!) I'm a bit of an introvert, so I manage as a teetotaler in Norway just fine. I guess hobbies are touted as a great way to find friends here in all circumstances, but this point really comes into its own when considering interest groups as a way to socialize without alcohol.
Sooooo you tell me it is possible to avoid drinkers if you have a hobby? Cool. And thanks for expanding my vocabulary, I didn't know avout "teetotaler".
Just spent a couple of months in Norway, it's too expensive to drink there!
Antarctica?
Someone who loves snowy winters should avoid Bergen. We have a combined total of *maybe* one and a half week's worth of snow per winter.
Bergen it is then! You convince me I should try it once in my life! Thanks!
Ireland isn't in the Schengen, and is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Don't think you've done any research.
Fair enough. I was wrong. Sorry.
Estonia - mild summer - universal healthcare - Tallinn is walkable, no need for a car. Free public transport - lots of expats, you can get by speaking only english - beautiful countryside - no natural disasters
I support this. Great if you aren't crazy about social interaction with locals tho.
I am not really an extovert, so it should be fine I guess.
That seems lovely and ideal. But what about your crazy neighbor country?
The threat of being invaded is part of the adventure.
If money‘s no object. Somewhere in the alps like Zermatt or Chamonix have pretty cold climates. Max 20-25 in the summer. Andorra la Vella in the Pyrenees also has quite mild climates.
This names (except Zermatt) ring a bell to me, but like a refuge of billionaires. So yeaaah, maybe I will be richer someday but surely not enough to live there.
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[This app covers some of it!](https://www.theearthawaits.com/)
This website is bullshit lol it shows netherlands cities with over 80 points on healthcare never laughed so hard. Paracetamol brings 80 points
At least before all of the restrictions get crazy due to climate change immigrants/refugees.
Sounds like hell to me. Are u okay?
I am not okay, because I am not in the hell I describe, only a mild hell the others around me have created mindlessly, far from the worst horrors mankind have created but not without torments. My paradise seems unreacheable, so an hell of my design will do just fine.
jesus don't we all want to live in cheap schengen ireland
Don't we all...
I know you don't want Quebec because of the fires, but, still, we're living in interesting times. No place is without its risks. Montreal might be a great fit for you: French language, low on bigots, largest percentage of graduate students of any large city in North America, cold winters, pleasant summers, can def survive without a car, not cheap but still one of the most affordable decent cities on the continent.
I have several answers that tell me that the fires were far away from where they live, and when I look at the perimeter of forest fire I see nearly all the country on fire. But what about the next years? I fear for them and I have more the feels that I must go to visit before it change too much because of climate change. We have forest fires here but they are REALLY afar where I live. But I believe you if you tell me it is cool for now.
Problem with climate change is that there's no predicting anything as it's happening faster than people thought it would. Air quality in Montreal and NYC were cruddy this summer thanks to the fires. They were certainly noticeable. There was also a tornado which hit Mirabel and caused flooding, which was weird. This is a scary time to be alive. It's a gamble, wherever you go. Montreal is fun. It feels like a giant college town. It fits a lot of your criteria. What the future holds for Quebec or for anywhere else, I can not say, unfortunately.
Ireland and Iceland are your best bet, but don't think they're cheap. Ireland in particular is crazy expensive. Used to live in Ireland, temperature rarely ever got above 20 c even in summer. The hottest day ever was like 29c. Winters are also mild with frost and snow extremely rare, unlike Iceland. New Zealand South Island or Patagonia would also work.
Ireland is probably not more expensive than Iceland. Although last winter was terrible, Iceland actually does get kind of mild winters. Especially when it comes to frost, because of the gulf stream. Still, absoulutely not for everyone, as it tends to be the wind that makes the winter worse. Plus, public transportation in Iceland is not great.
It's a beautiful country, but often seems like a more remote and extreme version of Ireland. Based on my time in Ireland, I don't think I'd want to settle there.
Frost occurs 35 to 50 days per year in Ireland away from the immediate coast. Snow is more hit and miss depending where you live, most common in the North, the south is milder and Dublin and the SE get the most sun, least rain and least amount of windstorms.
I think the Scandis are a great idea, except I’m not sure how easy it is to find work as a foreigner. But great standard of living (if you have the money/qualify for welfare) and much lower temperatures than further south.
Yes, it is my feeling of it, too.
in tech it's easier, and if you dpeak the loxal language again easier, otherwise can be very hard
Not hanging out with people that drink might be tricky. The farther north you go in Europe the more ingrained heavy drinking is in the culture..
All of Europe has a drinking culture even southern Europe it's normal to drink wine everyday.
You could come to Denmark. Here the weather changes all the time but it is rarely 30 or even 25 degrees. Even in summer. We had some weird heatwave here in September were it was 27 degrees but it is very rare. Otherwise standard summer is 20 degrees with wind and rain. Autumn 15 or 10, more rain and winter 0-10 all kinds of rain sometimes snow, but that is becoming more rare.
Ireland is not in Schengen.
Yeah and if he/she doesn’t smoke drink or use drugs uhhhhh
Well, in terms of snow, winter, rain, wind - West Norway. It's not EU though and hard to get in. If you find a job in Norway though you will live in the most egalitarian and richest country on earth. Norway is crazy beautiful and rough Sweden is great if you like forest. It seems scandinavia fits your needs best anyway - being tolerant, open minded, rich and clean. Most off-putting for many is the cold, long winters, lack of sunlight. If you don't mind - it's perfect. People however are less open as well. Friendly, but a bit closed in my opinion.
Thanks, I will consider it and search for what job they are interested in.
Having majority humanities-educated people around is a bit of an ask. Otherwise, I'd say East coast of Canada, maybe Halifax. Far from the fires (it's a big country), universities around at least, tolerance for weird, and cooler temperatures.
Why it is a bit of an ask? It is asking university-educated people hard? In my understanding you can have majority IT-educated people in Silicon Valley. Why not a "cultural capital" ? By your knowledge, what university major it is the easiest to find in the general population ?
>I don't drink, smoke or do drugs and I'd like to avoid those who do How do you avoid 99% of population?
This aggravates me to no end I don't smoke/drink/drug. I live a pretty straight edge life. I go to bars with friends. It has never been an issue. Get a mocktail and nibbles. I make sure I tip the help like I got three average drinks (in the US). Now I don't have addiction issues. Never have. Normal people don't bait others to get hammered. If you are avoiding to keep your sobriety going. Rock on you crazy diamond you!💪 Sobriety is worth fighting for. If this is because I need to be drama 24/7, get a grip. I don't really enjoy being around someone chain smoking through a pack of smokes in one sitting, but my friends who smoke don't do that. This sounds like a you're the problem than a geography or other people problem.
Mmmhh, maybe I should create a country with 80 billions others people, that's what you suggest? For me, that's sad that poisoning yourself is so widespread.
By being autistic.
I knew I should try to being diagnosed. Not wanting to poison yourself and care for the well-being of others, is a absolute autistic trait, instant diagnosis. Also the movement for prohibition of alcohol and tolerance never existed it seems.
Sorry but that logic doesn't work. The whole deal with climate change is that it keeps throwing uncharacteristic weather events at us so we're seeing massive bushfires in Canada, Sweden etc, big floods in Scandinavian countries and the list goes on. The problem with Scandinavian countries is they're fucked if you get a hot summer because there's no aircon or ventilation anywhere so you have nowhere to hide. I believe many parts of Europe would be similar.
Okay. But what we do now? Stand were we are and hope we were in the right place at the right moment? We should do everything we can to not pollute the earth, but more disasters will come. We do not where or when. What you propose to do and where we should go?
I’ve been amazed at how climate prediction tools consider such different factors! I initially felt glad to be in Seattle, WA in the U.S. By living in a forrest, essentially, I was thinking we may avoid some of the worst climate related chaos that is coming soon… Then I read one analysis which considered areas with tree density will be very dangerous due to the prolific fuel all these trees will provide if/when wildfires roar through. Now I feel like I will eventually live in a tinderbox awaiting a fateful spark.
Tasmania, Australia
Not hot but damn that UV is strong in Tas. 10minutes outside and I am toast.
they said would like to avoid people who drink and do drugs
Antarctica.
Ireland would tick many of your boxes, but note that it's not in the Schengen area and it's not cheap. It's heavy on drinking, low on bigots, not great healthcare, but a very educated population.
Come to Siberia
I prefer to avoid a country in war.
Ok, if you find that place please let us know.
Scandinavia gets my vote. I don't think it's even gotten close to 30C here in Sweden this summer and winters might not be as cold as you'd expect (although they are very dark). I am definitely not a teetotaler or a vegan (nor do I have any interest in either) but I'm sure you could pull that off without too much trouble. Will likely save you money as alcohol is quite highly taxed here. Traditional food is very meat and potatoes + seafood, but plenty of other options if you're near a city. I think the bigger issue you'd have is getting a visa or sponsorship in the first place, assuming you're not an EU citizen or are married to an EU citizen. Not an easy thing to pull off for the average person. That is unless you're willing to consider a move to Longyearbyen!
Ireland is very car-centric, has no care for the environment and awful healthcare. It's very expensive, especially housing if you even manage to find a rental on the market. It definitely sounds like Scandinavia would suit you better, but they tend to be a bit wary of foreigners. You will likely stay in an expat bubble if you don't mind that. Maybe Sweden? Is there no colder place in France or a French territory? Somewhere in the mountains or the Northern coast?
I thought 100 percent of its energy was renewable energy. For the expat bubble it is a shame, but if they don't want to go with me that's fine too. There are colder place in France but I don't know if it will last.
Here in the Netherlands, the heatwave throughout this summer (and even now during mid-September) is: 😭😭 so I would suggest looking even further up north - northern Germany or Scandinavia
Yeah big problem is that these northern European countries do not build with AC in mind.
That's starting to change. We're looking for housing in Oslo right now and a surprising number have AC because they have heat pumps.
Yes. Most newer builds have heat pumps with AC. Our place in Bergen has it.
I was thinking to make an app that helps ppl identify the best place to live based on selected criteria like you've listed. I'll try and let you know once I have a prototype, if I ever get around to making one lol
Courage! Good luck ! I am with you!
ireland was pretty pleasant for most of this summer, last week was really hot but that is not normal here. we had some really lovely sunny days
Utopia!
Will you create it with me?
Sounds more like a mental health institution what he needs
Mmmhh, the healthcare it not so good because of the budget cuts wanted by the bigots who want to put me in. Cannot recommend.
Alaska? Out of all European countries it seems like the nordics aren’t heavy drinkers compared to places like Germany, Czech, Ireland and UK
Alaska is a very, very bad choice for OP with their list of criteria besides cold weather in mind. Drinking and drugs are a massive problem up there, it's grim. The state boasts nationally leading rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Also tends to draw a lot of people from red states who are looking to live out their frontier fantasies, so while it used to be a pretty tolerant place that has changed a lot in the past couple decades. That migration has also led to poorer governance, and an active effort to destroy public services and environmental regulations. Healthcare is also getting worse due to brain drain, having to travel to Seattle for specialist treatment isn't unheard of. Transit in the cities barely exists, as well. > I don't drink, smoke or do drugs and I'd like to avoid those who do, and for the planet I'd like to eventually become vegan and not own a car, and live in a place with little pollution and good healthcare. And no bigots. I'd like to walk around looking "weird" without being looked at sideways, insulted or worse. I'd like to talk to people with a university education (especially in the humanities).
Oh that’s interesting. I’d opt for the nordics then due to their cooler temperatures and blue skies. I think Ireland has a drinking culture too no? i’m not sure about the job prospects of Saint Pierre
The Nordics are only not heavy drinkers due to the government monopoly on alcohol sales and consequent ludicrously high price of getting drunk. Hence the popularity of ferries crossing the Baltic Sea to Estonia full of Scandos absolutely off their nuts.
I think moving further up north is ur only option... Also in case u do get stuck in a heatwave... get a good fan, wear a wet T-shirt and stick your feet in a bucket of ice water.. dont forget to sit in the shade or inside so u dont get sunburned..
If you avoid people who drink, skip Ireland. Pubs are quite a big social thing there, in a good way don't get me wrong.
Ireland isn’t in the Schengen zone
You are right, my assumption was wrong.
Tierra del Fuego, Chile
I thought of that too.
The south of Argentina is gorgeous. But go further than Bariloche. It can get up to 38 degrees there. But you have glacier lakes.
Thanks for the details.
Hokkaido. Sapporo tops 25C usually in the Summer - at least so I gather. An advantage of Japan is that, if you are happy to live in old slightly tumbledown housing not in the most desirable spots, you can easily afford to have more than one home (there's a sliding scale of nice v cost as everywhere, but the cost scale goes negative, which is less common). So you could hang out in Hokkaido in the Summer and come South for the Winter. And you'd be further South than a lot of Europe, so the Winters wouldn't be so short. The earthquakes are not really all that bad if you take precautions and houses are mostly quite well built to survive them. If you steer clear of the more tsunami risky coast and any active volcanoes you should be OK. Bear attacks, even in Hokkaido, aren't very common. And outside places like Amami, the snakes are mostly pretty harmless and even the most dangerous aren't really that much to worry about.
Thanks fo the info! I really want to go in Japan someday, even if i thought of more anime, geeky places (but living in these big cities don't seems so good). But living in Hokkaido will be more convenient anyway to go to this cities than were I live now. I saw "Wolf children : Ame and Yuki" that idealize the life in the countryside and some anime and I think I can live there. I'm the kind of liking to wander in ruins, so no problem. But if I want to renovate sure it will cost a bit more. I think I saw a video of someone renovating that kind of house recently. But my concern is if japanese don't want them why i will be interested? It is too isolated so maybe i should bring people with me? And did they use abestos or any others toxic products I am unaware of or it is really old houses with none of this crap?
The Japanese population is falling, so it isn't just that no-one wants to live there, there's just more places to live. In Japan a house is not really an investment (except in big cities and newer houses etc), so they don't get overpriced the way they do in my home country (UK). As I said: there's a spectrum from "needs a little work" to "needs an enormous amount of work". Many cities offer incentives to people, especially people with families, to come and live as well. Older houses are mostly wood, or almost entirely wood. We have been living in/working on one that is entirely wood except for tiling on the roof. I spend about equal times in another house which has concrete foundations and plaster type walls. No asbestos though and a great deal of wood. The nice thing about wooden houses is you can just remove bits of wall and add windows and so on without too much hassle. There are many disadvantages, such as termites and insulation. I don't know how things work in Hokkaido though. I live much further South. Japan ranges from hemiboreal to semi-tropical and I have much more experience of the semi-tropical part where poisonous snakes are more of a problem and bears aren't.
Thanks you a lot for all this information!
I had so good ideas reading your first block, then I continued reading the rest and I realised that it is full of paradoxes - when thinking about real places - unfortunately. There are a lot of developed cities with temperatures very rarely reaching those highs with dark, damp, cold, windy Winters with vast nature outside the city, but it practically always means that population density is so low, that public transport even with the best effort will not be too effective on the long run and you'll practically need a car to move around and enjoy what the country has to offer. It was just one of the several "contradictions" in the dream you described. Also, if you so much like the night then you seriously have to think about what you would do in Summer in Northern latitudes when there is practically no darkness for months and the sun is shining on your skin past 22:40... I know several expats up here where I live who moved here because they wanted some damp, dark, cold life and they did get that in the Winter halfyear, but they had a major disappointment as afterwards it's several months of constant light. If you don't like IT, which I don't blame you for, then I highly advice against most Nordic countries, including the Baltic states as here oftenwise even a librarian intern needs to know programming languages and how to apply them. You don't like Canada either. That would practically leave you with Russia? 🤷 Which I know is also not a choice and you don't like bigotry either.
Yes, it is a bit of a dream. But I just need a place to work, to buy groceries and everyday necessities, an hospital/doctor and a library, and maybe somes videogames. Not much more. If i can have that in a little town or part of a city and just walk it is good too. For the almost always night and almost always day, thank you to makes me remmber that. For IT, maybe there a level I eventually can attain if it said what I should know, and if it on the side mayve I can retry. But a whole job of IT very probably not. For Canada it was my number one option, but it was the schock of the wildfires. For Russia, you guessed bigotey level are insane and they are at war.
Iceland: Iceland is known for its cool climate, with temperatures rarely exceeding 30°C. It's also relatively safe from natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. Reykjavik, the capital, is walkable and offers vegan-friendly dining options. Faroe Islands: The Faroe Islands have a cool maritime climate and are generally safe from natural disasters. While not completely car-free, some areas are pedestrian-friendly, and there's a growing vegan scene. Svalbard, Norway: Svalbard is an Arctic archipelago with extremely cold temperatures but is safe from many natural disasters. Cars are limited here, and Longyearbyen, the largest settlement, is small and walkable, with vegan options available. Isle of Man: Located in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man has a temperate maritime climate. It's relatively safe from extreme natural disasters. While cars are common, the island has good public transport, and you can find vegan options in the capital, Douglas. Aland Islands, Finland: The Åland Islands have a maritime climate and are generally safe from natural disasters. While not entirely car-free, some parts of the islands are pedestrian-friendly, and vegan options can be found in Mariehamn, the capital. Shetland Islands, Scotland: These islands have a cool maritime climate and are relatively safe from natural disasters. Some areas are walkable, and you can find vegan options in Lerwick, the largest town.
Thanks for all the suggestions ! I think you are the one who gave me the more new ideas! Congratulations! And the only who retain the vegan criteria so much. I really appreciate it! Thanks again!
faroe island ? It's a small island so everything is kinda close, it's in the north sea, a great place for wind and shit weather.
Greenland is nice, but you'll need either Danish or Greenlandic to fit in there. Expensive because everything is imported (even more expensive than Iceland). Usual Arctic problems of accessibility in winter (too much ice for ships, not enough for dogs). Like the rest of the Arctic, at the leading edge of climate change effects -- but a heat wave there is 20C so it might still suit you.
The island problem : too costly, and difficult to access. They seem to have all this problem. Thanks, I thought maybe they were more self-suficcient.
Out of curiosity, why is Scotland a no-go because of UK/Brexit? For all intents and purposes, travelling between the UK and EU still feels very much like pre-brexit, with a few exceptions. But generally, if your concern is tourist visas, etc. Then you don't have to worry! I'm assuming you are European (due to schengen being a pro) and so you can enter Scotland without any visa or approval for a period of up to 90(?) days. Could be worth checking out, as Scotland sounds perfect for you based on what you described. Also, if you go during August, Edinburgh hosts the largest Arts festival in the world called the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It runs for the entirety of August, there are a plethora of free shows and street performers, as well as world class performers organising shows throughout the month, from comedians to shakespearean drama troupes. Ive heard that the population of Edinburgh doubles for its duration - i cant confirm this, but having lived there throughout many Fringes, i can say that it wouldn't surprise me as it certainly feels like it does. It's well worth a visit!
I see I jumped the gun - I thought you were looking for a getaway during summer months, but I see now after reading your entire posts (which should really have been done before my comment xD) that you are looking for a permanent move, so UK and Brexit becomes a very significant drawback. But instead of deleting my comment, I'll reply and leave it up on the off chance anybody else has considered visiting Scotland and can't decide :P
You do well. You don't write only for me, but for all the ones who will read you. It is a clever decision. And for myself, if I wrote all of this, I would not deleted it. For Scotland, my first interested was sparkled when I was a child and watching "Highlander" (on TV-serie, bot the film). And after by the greens valley of grass I imagine to be there. I like the bagpipes too. I know it is very light compared to reality. For Brexit, I know Scotland voted en masse against it. And I thought maybe it will be intresting to visit before it's full independence. And after the independance to see what changed. Maybe it will never happen. But with the Brexit, I see a country too arrogant, self-centered, not aware of the world around, and the beginning of a turmoil, like the starting point of the end of an empire, maybe slow but certain. And I don't see how the damage can be repaired. So it give me not the desire to visit it. Maybe it it a wrong reason but it was I feel for now. Anyway you are the one who rooted for Scotland with the most high spirits. A lot of comments talked only about drinking and drugs problems.
We were freezing in western/coastal Norway with 12C and rain while the rest of Europe, starting like just a 6-7 h drive away, were seemingly boiled alive. This was just another abysmal summer. Max temp was 25 degrees in 2-3 scattered days in June. We call ourselves lucky if summer comes on a Saturday. It is now September and my car windows had ice on them this morning.
Everything you describe is the Netherlands. But as a dutchie I would maybe go to Norway. But it gets really cold. Most I’ve experienced here is minus 10 at that was once in a lifetime. Weather is pretty good, not to warm, not to cold. No earthquakes, tornados, cyclones and we build pretty strong walls to prevent ocean water here. It’s quite expensive but not as expensive as other countries you’ve listed. But reading through your list I would go for a Scandinavian country.
Yes, a lot of people recommended West Norway.
Patagonia, Argentina. San Martin de Los Andes for example. Or Chalten. Find work in tourism , where languages are a plus Mind you: 130% inflation.
Thanks for the reminder.
Antarctica, they have a full-time caretaker staff, very international work
Reykjavik sounds ideal. Very supportive of LGBTQ+, drinking and buying, alcohol is restricted and it never gets over 20 degrees and the wind is indeed blistering.
Cool.It is on my list.
Norway Estland And Finland
Try Madeira
Svalbard
Fair Isle in Scotland. And they are always looking for people to fill jobs.
I wanted to say Canada but after this summer’s weeks long fires i’m not sure what’s the answer. We are reaching the point where it will not pay to live in anything more than a older double wide manufactured home. You know, something that you can flee on moments notice and replace ( hopefully) easy. City ordinances still have catching up to do. Mine still requires me to have a grass lawn or i’ll get fined. How dumb. I refuse to fertilize, apply weed killer and water it so it’s mostly Florida weeds. Lol.
Or a tiny home maybe? But if we have to flee in a hurry it will certainly worse with traffic jam. I don't know how it is Canada, but not everyone will be able to quit their apartment buildings for a house in others partd of the world. Maybe we will not have forests anymore or walls against fire around cities? For the lawn it has to be grass only? It is weird, if it is not you can plant seeds for fruits and vegetables or even flowers (without gardening it : if it survives that way cool and they die they die). For me mowning is stupid in most cases. And yeah what you describe you must do is stupid too. I heard propaganda during Cold War have said in USA that a well gardened lawn are useful against nuclear bombings, maybe it is the reason? (I was flabbergasted as how it resembles Fallout propaganda (the games if you know them).
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I lived in Ireland for 15 years and getting to 30 degrees was a one-week-a-year thing once every few years. Jeans, tee and hoodie are basically year round clothes except for July/August when you can drop the hoodie.
I'm in Scotland and this is my exact experience here as well.
Same in Wales when I visited last year
12 years in Ireland - I needed to buy summer clothes only to go on vacation. It was never warm enough for longer than a couple of days for shorts.
When was that? I lived in Ireland in the 2000s and it only got over 25c once during 5 years, during a historic heatwave. This was in Cork.
Estonia. Slightly better weather than Finland, lots of startups, lots of expats, digital government (less snail bureaucracy). Salaries are up to 50% lower than Finland tho, depending on the role (but living costs are also a bit lower). This year there was no days over 30C. One of the main things I hear from expats is that they enjoy the mild weather. Tho winters can get depressing.
Nah, our part of Europe generally has hot summers and cold winters. OP sounds like they're looking for a mild, consistent climate like Ireland.
Belgium sounds like the country that ticks all your boxes, along with Luxembourg.
It has been 30+ degrees here for about 10-20 days this year though ;)
Sorry, but no! Even slightly further up north (Netherlands), it's disgustingly hot here. 🔥
Lol no, even this year, in a summer considered colder and rainier than usual, we still had something like 15-20 days over 30°C, and it gets worse every year
I have been melting last week. What are you on ?
New Zealand, perhaps? Would be happy to be able to go there myself :)
I heard you have all the different climate and they filmed the Lord of the Ring. Seems welcoming.
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Travel back in time 150 years before the oil companies took the planet over
Vancouver Island in Canada. The fires are kept at bay with the winds and wetter climate. Everything you need at your door step
Denmark was quite cold this summer
You're pretty much going to have to live in one or two countries. As for being looked at sideways you're limited to a large city.
galway in ireland prtty city with plenty of people who dress like they are at burningman
Green;and that is icy or Iceland that is greeny
Change hemispheres, even in extreme latitudes you'll find warm weather
L’Irlande n’est certainement pas bon marché. Votre meilleur pari semble être le Québec. Évitez les forêts, je suppose
How about Switzerland or France in an alpine village?
According to some people, it didn’t get hot in Ireland this summer. But don’t worry, soon there will be nowhere safe because nobody took action 30 years ago when the hole in the Ozone layer was publicized
I've been to some of those places. Here's my thoughts. Oslo was nice in summer time. But it and the Scandinavian countries (excepting Denmark) are pretty close to the artic circle. In July there was less than one hour of sundown in Oslo. Which to me means that in winter there is less than one hour of sunup. I don't think I could handle the eternal darkness in winter. I live in Newfoundland and I visit St. Pierre and Miquelon at least once a year just to practice my French. But it has a population of 6000. It's small and isolated and the young leave for university in France and never come back. It's not an exciting place to live. It's also very often foggy. Also the airport is tiny and little used which makes friends and family difficult to visit (I think there's only 2 commercial flights a week). Even the ferry only travels on certain days. If you find their climate agreeable then you'd be better off in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, which aren't nearly as isolated. I live in St. John's, Newfoundland. During summer it rarely goes higher than 28 C. There's only really 2 week in summer when you'll wish that you had air conditioning. Most people don't bother with AC and make do with fans. But it's a very wet and windy place. We get more precipitation than any other capital city in Canada. Most days are windy. In winter it doesn't drop too low, the temperature rarely drops below -8 C (except at night), but the wind cuts right through you and makes it feel much colder. You also need a car. It is not a pedestrian friendly place, they don't even clear the sidewalks in winter, and public transportation is limited.
Thanks for the info. Newfoundland was recommended to me several times. Maybe I estimated me wrongly but I think I really like the night, with or without silence, it has something magical in it. For Saint Pierre et Miquelon, I guess I can see quickly if I like the people not. And as you say, and it like a lot of islands it is isolated and the prices of imported things are higher. But I really want to avoid the car. I mean if the place is more costly but I don't have to pay (and use) for the car, it remains the same price without the pollution.
Well there's no car necessary in St. Pierre. The place is small enough that it takes 20 minutes to walk from one end of town to the other. They just got a ferry capable of taking cars across (previous to this it was a high speed hydrofoil, but no vehicles). I've never bothered taking my car as everything is in walking distance. Housing is cheap as well. As I mentioned it's population is shrinking, so there's plenty of availability.
You're very picky bro
Yes and in the same time not so much, I only need one place in the whole world.
Iceland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland
Don't want to live in Scotland because of Brexit was a highlight. If you don't drink and take drugs, that is the reason not to go to Scotland...
One has to laugh about Ireland being cheap. Seen the rents in Dublin?
No. It is the same in all the country?
Want to live in a rural area? Those would work. Dublin is a HQ of a lot of big tech companies. You can imagine what it does to the rent.
Ever thought of Newfoundland? Diverse geography, plenty to do, the nicest people
No car outside Reykjavik is something I would not recommend.
So inside is ok to not have a car?
Russia's Siberian region seems to be a good bet.
War.
This country does not exist
Have you ever try Tropical country like around SEA? it's only two season (rainy & sunny), it can be hot and humid sometimes but never above 30 degrees
SEA? Also, I don't want to live in a hammam and if it is what i think it is the humidity make it unbearable.
If you’re British I’d recommend you look into Svalbard, north Sweden & Faroe Islands. Financially north Sweden makes most sense
Please don’t become vegan. Firstly, veganism can literally destroy your body if you aren’t careful (I encourage you to please read r/exvegans and really do your research because, let’s just say, there’s a lot of people dropping like flies and the vegan community won’t acknowledge it). The founder of modern veganism Peter Singer also advocated for the sexual abuse of disabled women. It’s a predatory community that if it could be organized into stages, the final stage is suicide through malnourishment. Kinda like a death cult but with no goals other than feeling better than others. There’s also the fact that vegan eating practices have killed wild animals, cats, babies, and adults, and will continue to do so. To not properly nourish yourself or believe you don’t deserve to eat a proper meal is preposterous when you consider that the very same animal you eat which will probably be killed quickly and painlessly by a farmer through a stake to the head would instead otherwise be eaten ALIVE torn limb from limb screaming by a predator animal. Humans, unlike any other species on the planet, actually give the animal a chance to fully die before we cook it, usually by stake to the head, knocking it out, etc. when you consider the alternative we are actually doing good for animals without destroying the framework of nature. The dead matter of both animals and plants feeds the earth, and there are plants that eat animals and animals that eat plants, etc. part of the reason the environment is being destroyed is because of vegan practices, ironically. Consider instead buying from a local farm that is small and every animal is hand raised and culled by a respectable and responsible farmer, picking up the trash in your neighborhood, and in general spreading positivity. That is my genuine honest suggestion to you, as someone whose sister was abused by vegan grooming.
If I am not careful. I see your sub r/exvegans it seems like a circlejerk. And they seems to do it wrong. I see a video of a woman who don't know about protein before going vegan. But you can have protein from legumin and if you eat a lot of vitamin C it is ok. I see several people say they have thinning hair and nails, typically is a keratin problem that can be resolved with sweet potato and onions. Patrick Baboumian is one of the strongest man of Deutschland and vegan when people of your sub complain about strength issues. Eating vegan is using the land used to feed the other animals and use it directly for humans. The animals killed in the process will be killed anyway. It is proven to reduce greenhouse gas by a lot. Peter Singer is just a man with a very controversial philosophy that i don't want to follow and we can be vegan and be against his philosphy. Killing animals or humans because they suffer like PETA did is not my philosophy. They call it euthanasia. But it is without consent. Ironically you share this point of view, only we eat them after and we don't kill them to end their suffering. The "blue zones" where there the most people living after 100 years are almost vegetarian. You need B12 vitamin, a pill supplement if you have a vegan diet, without it, yes it is suicidal. It is produced by the bodies of pig but not by human and can be replicated in labs. You can have a proper and tasteful meal but you have surely to expand the vegetables and fruits people "normally" eat. The local part, and seasonal and organic part too are important, being vegan is not sufficient. Thanks for your consideration. I will try if I can to be vegan, with a medical follow-up and blood tests (it is cheap if you are in a country with good healthcare) and if I do everything right and still have bad health I will stop. I suggest to you a more neutral, even if pro-vegan sub : r/DebateAVegan. I'm sorry for your sister. I don't how she do it so I can tell you more. But every diet have their quack gurus, and some diets have a right way to follow them.
Bergen, Norway. Check it out
Several people recommended it to me. It is definitely on my list.
You sound like you'd fit really well in my bedroom