The Sturg Transforming A Travel Bucket List Challenge: 10 Countries I’d Want To Live In If I Could
I read a travel bucket list that I wanted to do but I wanted to mix it up a bit
Mike Butler had tagged me in a bucket list challenge that Frank Priegue had started as a complement to Ginger Cook’s story that I had turned into a challenge with the Anti-Bucket List with my own story in response to hers. It’s almost like a creative boomerang is coming back around just in time for me to catch it. I say “just in time” because this story will mark my 999th story on Medium and that means that my 1000th story which is always a celebration post is forthcoming, maybe even today.
I saw Frank’s list and thoroughly enjoyed his “bucket list”. Mike’s list definitely included places I’d want to visit too but I’m already fairly close to the Bills stadium where I am now so that wouldn’t be as much of a trip. I think what I needed to do with this challenge myself was to make it a bucket list of countries I’d move to irrespective of my current financial situation, which is less than ideal.
I wanted to list a top ten countries I’d move to just because I like what they’re offering and to offer a brief explanation of the why for each one. For reference, I’m an American. I’m not including the United States on this list not just because I already live here, but also because I wish I had been born in a different country anyway.
10. Australia
I already have many writer and editor friends who live there. I would have the chance to visit and meet many of them if I just lived closer. The USA and Australia are almost as far apart as two countries can possibly be on the globe. Australia seems to have great weather in its major cities on the East Coast. I would live in any number of them. I would definitely prefer a city that doesn’t get too hot though so it’d probably be further south in the country. Plus, I already speak the language, well, mostly. I still need to brush up on Australian slang if I’m going to move there and understand people clearly.
9. England
I know this is only a quarter of the bigger country that they call the United Kingdom. I have always been fond of the different accents from across the country. I have also always wanted to see London and all of the various locales around the country. I wouldn’t want to live in London since there are so many people there but I’d certainly want to live within a reasonable train trip to it. I know that the train situation in England is definitely better than it is in the United States. I have always wanted to live in a country where train transportation is efficient. I would miss flavor in my food but I could always cook and add it myself and this country is still high on my list. I promise not every country on here is going to be English-speaking but I’m definitely going to have a few on here.
8. Canada
This country would definitely be the easiest one for me to get to. I’m a little under an hour from the border of the US and Canada currently. I don’t have a passport or I’d already be in Canada right now, even if it was just to visit. I’d rather not just visit. I feel like once I cross the border, that country would feel like home and I’d never want to leave again. I have family that lives in Toronto. I’ve met plenty of writers from Medium that live in Toronto and all over Canada. These reasons plus legal weed and affordable healthcare are enough to make me want to jump over the border right now. Also, have I mentioned that Toronto is the best city that I’ve ever visited? Of course, it’s on my list.
7. Philippines
Now I have my first and only Asian country on the list. The Philippines is where my mom’s side of the family lives. I’ve never been there but I hear that there are many beautiful parts of the country that I must see. I’d move to the Philippines and buy a house with American money or rent if I wouldn’t have dual citizenship since I don’t know how the property laws work exactly. I know that since my mom is from there, I’d have to do something to be able to buy land. Anyway, I obviously haven’t thought this one through. I just want to have a place that all of my cousins and mom’s family over there could live in too. I would want to share the property with all of us. I love the food, the sound of the language (I definitely still need to learn it), and the people. It’s a wonderful country and I could definitely see myself living there. Many people here will definitely also speak English as well. The weather would be the only drawback. I’m looking for colder climates.
6. Argentina
A Spanish-speaking country in South America, Sturg? Yep, I do speak Spanish after all and I think that I would enjoy living in Argentina. It’s already further south than many of the other South American countries so I imagine that the weather will be much more pleasant and mild. Plus, there is a ton of diversity within the country and I’ve always valued that in a country. That is definitely one thing that I actually do enjoy about my own country despite my desire to find a way to leave it. Argentina will definitely have a European feel to it without me having to travel across the ocean to get a taste of Europe.
5. Germany
Ooh, I wonder if you had just seen my German-language article? Yeah, I’m pretty proficient in German at this point. I’d be able to fit in. The great part too is that much of Germany also speaks great English so I can choose to communicate in either language if I’d like to. I’m not sure exactly where in Germany I’d want to live but it’d probably be in the South or the West or possibly Berlin but I don’t really want to live in a large city so I’d have to rethink that. They do have a great train system in Berlin, though, so that’d always be a plus for me. And German food? I love it. I would have a great time eating in Germany.
4. The Netherlands
It looks like we’re staying in Europe for this one as well. I’m currently learning Dutch and it’s nowhere near as good as my German. With that being said, Dutch people will speak English with anyone who is not from the Netherlands so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting fluent in the language. I do want to learn more though so I can try to communicate with people in their native language. I’d love to live in the Netherlands because it just seems so laid back and beautiful. And I’d have a water view from almost everywhere in the country. And Dutch desserts? I mean, this region in general has definitely got its food figured out. I would love to live in or near Amsterdam but again I think that’s just so I could have access to the city when I want to go.
3. Mexico
Did everyone think that I was going to end this list by staying in Europe and ultimately end up in the Nordic countries? I mean, we’re getting there but I think Mexico is a very underrated country. It is beautiful and in the places where people live, the weather is pleasant. I’d want to live near Mexico City and not in the drier, more mountainous northern part closer to the southwestern United States. I’m still trying to get away from the United States as much as I can. I can speak Spanish as I mentioned before and I’d love to be able to practice and speak with the people in the country. I am also a huge fan of their current President, AMLO. It’s enough for me to want to move down there as a top-three destination wish list country before I die.
2. Norway
I’m sure that most of you saw this coming. We’re back in Northern Europe, this time in Norway. I’m learning Swedish right now and I noticed the similarities between Norwegian and Swedish so this would be a great fit. Plus, like many of the countries on this list, Norwegians speak perfect English. Plus, this is Viking and Fjord country too. It would be cool to live near all of the culture and history that this country has. I wouldn’t want to live too far north as it gets very cold in some places as a bit of Norway is above the Arctic Circle. I think that I would love to see most of the Nordic Countries in Scandinavia but Norway just feels like an excellent fit in general. Good economy, and good, hardworking people. And so much to do outdoors. I wish I could still participate in many of these. I think that I will just be watching from the sidelines though.
1. Sweden
Norway’s neighbor at number 1, Sweden, is the ultimate destination for me. Much like Norway, their people speak flawless English. I don’t need to learn Swedish to move there but I’m doing it anyway. I was learning six languages simultaneously at one point earlier this year. I narrowed it down to two, Swedish and Dutch, two of the languages from the countries in my top 5 list. I’d absolutely love to move to Sweden. I think that it’d fit everything that I love in a country. The weather is a draw since it is in the Northern part of Europe so it won’t be too hot. The average temperature in July in Stockholm is 75 degrees F (24 degrees C). The average in January is 33 degrees F (0.5 degrees C) but that’s already on par with what I’m used to in the Northeastern United States near the Great Lakes. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I was so desperate a couple of decades ago to become a Swedish citizen that I asked to marry a woman from the country as she was going back. This is definitely my clear number 1 out of this list. And in a couple of years’ time, I will definitely try to gain fluency in Swedish so I can impress all of my friends here in the States as I probably talk to them over video chat as Mike and I will probably be hightailing it that way.
So, that was my twist on a challenge started by Ginger Cook (sort of) and further expanded by me and made officially into a challenge that way. The challenge got to Frank months later and he made this challenge about the Bucket List he wanted as a complement to that challenge. Then my fellow Splash Brother and Press Box editing star, Mike Butler, tagged me in this story. I saw both his and Frank’s story and transformed it once again and made it into this. I know it’s come a long way from the original challenge that Ginger inspired me to create but this was a very nice list to think of and share with all of you.
To all of my traveling friends, I challenge you to do this version of the challenge. Linda Ng, JoAnn Ryan, Adrienne Beaumont, Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages, Michele Maize, Anne Bonfert, Darren Weir, Michael Rhodes, and anyone else here from the Digital Global Traveler community.
Ginger’s original story
My official prompting
Frank’s Bucket List
Bonus: Frank’s response to Ginger and my Anti-Bucket List
Mike Butler’s twist on Frank’s Bucket List and also the story that he tagged me in and how I found the chain.
Take a look at all of these. I noticed that Frank’s wasn’t completely travel-related as he also said, “Write his memoirs,” but Mike’s definitely leaned more travel-oriented.
