I am moving for the 30th time this week! I can get used to the idea of moving all the time, but the process remains tedious. Each time, I hate how much stuff we have. The more you have, the more annoying and costly it is to move. I miss the days where I could move with just one backpack and one suitcase.
Sometimes I feel bad for being in my 30s and not having it together. We don’t own a home, and we don’t have wine glasses or nice dinner sets. But you can’t really have too much stuff when you’re moving around all the time. And we won’t be staying in Norway forever. Where will we settle? I don’t think I have found the best place to live yet.
Based on my personal experiences, this is my personal top 12 of best and worst places to live, or, my own happiness index!
12. Egypt
The good:
+ People
+ Cost of living
+ Diversity of food
+ Cultural heritage (or what is left of it)
+ Good shopping options and hours
+ Public transportation
The bad:
– Political instability and unrest (at the time I lived there)
– Safety and security issues
– Human rights issues and sexual harassment
– Animal welfare issues
– The weather
– Local food (sorry)
– Scams (landlords, taxi drivers)
11. Norway
The good:
+ Career opportunities and low workload
+ Nature and scenery
+ Social welfare
+ Work-life balance
+ Smart solutions like BankID
+ A focus on sustainability
+ Good gender balance
The bad:
– Weather
– Cost of living
– Not dog-friendly (dogs are not allowed in most places, people often don’t allow their dogs to socialise and are scared of off-leash dogs, many people still use aversive and outdated training methods including the “alpha roll”)
– Lacking diversity (food, people, dogs, products, hobbies/entertainment)
– Surprisingly inefficient (email response times or complete lack of response, postal service, public transportation, legal system)
– Local food
– Limited shopping options and hours
– European but not EU – and therefore, everything is taxed (incl. pets, your own belongings that you couldn’t bring with at the time of moving, etc.)
– Conservative politics and mentality
– Nationalistic and suspicious to anything or anyone non-Norwegian
– Hunting culture (wildlife, including wolves and whales)
– In many ways resembling a developing country while maintaining an image of being the best and most developed country in the world
10. Kenya
The good:
+ Weather
+ Cost of living
+ Swahili language
+ People
+ Local food
+ Nature and wildlife
The bad:
– Secluded (where I lived)
– Safety and security issues
– Human rights issues
– Animal welfare issues
9. United Kingdom
The good:
+ Infrastructure
+ Education and career opportunities
+ Very dog-friendly
+ Very veg(etari)an-friendly
+ Good shopping options and hours
+ Diversity of food
The bad:
– Weather
– Cost of living
– European but not EU
– Increasingly nationalistic, xenophobic and racist
8. Cambodia
The good:
+ Weather
+ Cost of living
+ Pace of life
+ Diversity of food and local food
+ Good shopping options and hours
The bad:
– Safety and security issues
– Human rights issues
– Animal welfare issues
7. Italy
The good:
+ Weather
+ Local food
+ Scenery
+ Pace of life
The bad:
– Inefficiency
– Nationalism
6. The Netherlands
The good:
+ Infrastructure
+ Education and career opportunities
+ Very dog-friendly
+ Very veg(etari)an-friendly
+ Diversity (food, people, dogs, products)
+ Nature and wildlife
+ Good shopping options and hours
The bad:
– Weather
– Politics
– Crowded
5. Spain
The good:
+ Weather
+ Local food
+ Spanish language
+ Scenery
+ Pace of life
+ Good shopping options and hours
The bad:
– Inefficiency
– Nationalism
4. Namibia
The good:
+ Weather
+ Nature, wildlife and scenery
+ People
+ Local food (braai)
+ Cost of living
+ Pace of life
The bad:
– Infrastructure
– Human rights issues
– Education and career opportunities
3. Iceland
The good:
+ Nature, wildlife and scenery
+ Moderate climate
+ People
+ Horses
+ Work-life balance
+ Politically progressive
The bad:
– Lacking diversity (food, people, dogs, products)
– Cost of living
2. United States
The good:
+ Education and career opportunities
+ Nature, wildlife and scenery
+ Very dog-friendly
+ Very veg(etari)an-friendly
+ Diversity (food, people, dogs, products)
+ People
+ Infrastructure
+ Good shopping options and hours
The bad:
– Work-life balance
– Human rights issues
– Politics
– In many ways resembling a developing country while maintaining an image of being the best and most developed country in the world
1. Thailand
The good:
+ Diversity of food and local food
+ Cost of living
+ Weather
+ People
+ Culture and customs
+ Nature and scenery
+ Pace of life
+ Diversity (food, products)
+ Good shopping options and hours
The bad:
– Political issues
– Human rights issues
– Animal welfare issues
wwwanchi 