I’m a travel writer who has visited 68 countries—the 4 ‘magical places’ I think about moving to most

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I wonder what it would be like to live in most of the places I visit, but I know I can’t make everywhere home.

As much as I would love to wake up in Sydney every morning, Australia is just a little too far away from everywhere else. As vibrant as Istanbul is, it’s a bit too big and bustling.

Reykjavik is comfortable , but it might be too small a city for me to put down roots — and I wonder if I’ll ever get the hang of Icelandic.

As a Chicago-based travel writer, I constantly discover magical new places all over the world. Of the nearly 70 countries I’ve made it to so far, these are the four places I think about moving to the most.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki is a vibrant, walkable capital city with excellent public transit, a well-connected airport, and plenty of things to do. I love its long summer days and midnight sunsets, its love of electronic music, and its robust art and food scenes.

There’s a contentment here that you can feel. People don’t have to struggle to meet their basic needs.

In Helsinki, Finland in 2024.

Courtesy of Meena Thiruvengadam

Singapore

In Singapore in 2023.

Courtesy of Meena Thiruvengadam

Life expectancies in Singapore are long , and crime rates are low .

I was walking alone one night from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel back to my own hotel a few blocks away when it hit me: I was safe. There are no mass shootings at schools, churches, shopping malls, offices, parades, or anywhere else. Singapore has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the world.

Cars even stop for pedestrians.

Like in Finland, I have a couple of friends in Singapore — enough to begin building a new local community. And the Texas summers I grew up with have prepared me well for Singapore’s heat and humidity.

Lisbon, Portugal

I fell for Lisbon on my first visit in 2011, and each time I return to Portugal’s capital it feels more like home. I love walking this city’s pedestrian streets, shopping its affordable boutiques, and taking … Read More