Our lifestyle at the moment is more about staying in a house for a month or two at a time and living there as if it were our long-term home. This last few months we've been in Malaysia, next we are going to to try Thailand for a few months. We find that we are asking ourselves - what is that called?
Are we traveling? That gives the impression that we are always on the move. In the RV that does feel like what we were doing but now we are not so sure. We haven't traveled more than 10 miles away from home since we got to Penang 2 months ago.
Are we tourists? We are spending a lot of our days working, or researching, grocery shopping, cooking and exercising. We don't visit many temples or museums so it doesn't feel like we are tourists.
Are we ex-pats? Being an ex-pat implies that you have moved somewhere for at least a significant period of time, more than a month or two, so that doesn't seem right either.
So what is it called when you set up temporary home for a month or two in a city and live like a local to get a taste of a place. We have been trying to come up with a term that describes trying on a lifestyle / culture / environment for size to see how it fits.
We feel like we are dating places right now, and we are not willing to settle down. We don't have a monogamous relationship with anywhere as a home. We are literally and figuratively sleeping-around! That term has kind of been hijacked already so could it be that what we are doing is kind of like bed-hopping. Because we are trying out different lifestyles we came up with the term Lifehopping. What do you think? Any other creative thoughts out there?
We are full-time RVers, but didn't want to leave the PNW over winter, so we house sat for 2 different couples. I like to call it "living local"!
ReplyDeleteYes living local is what it's all about! That's what I think people who don't travel full time don't get. It's not all Mai Tais and theme parks, we are just living like everyone else and moving a lot.
DeleteI'm not sure what you would call it, definitely globetrotters. When you find out can you let us know as we are doing the same thing! We did a few touristy things when we first arrived in Mexico, but have settled into living mode and doing a lot of planning for some up coming on-the-go trips for the next 2 years. If there is one thing I have learnt about living in different countries is that coming from a different culture does make it difficult sometimes, but not impossible. I am currently reading a book about an Australian girl who lives in Paris and it is a common problem. We have toyed with moving to different countries permanently but sacrifices such as tax breaks and healthcare will make us go back to Australia, eventually, just not right now....
ReplyDeleteYes I agree it is much more challenging than many of these "retire abroad" websites would have you believe. In some ways it is part of the fun in other ways adjusting to new places is just a pain in the butt. When we moved from the UK to the US it took a long time before we adjusted.
DeleteFunny that healthcare would drive you back to Australia, that is probably the thing that drives us away from the US!!
I'm to the point where I really don't want to travel unless I can stay for at least a month. I completely get what you're doing! I guess I'm 'sleeping around' too!
ReplyDeleteKimberly
I know going back to a week's vacation would be tough.
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