Author Topic: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?  (Read 6818 times)

jslasher88

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If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« on: January 24, 2017, 02:54:22 PM »
Sorry if this isn't the correct sub-forum, but I wanted to start a discussion and get insight from the grizzled Mustachians on here.

I'm a single guy with no ties to where I'm living, other than job (not very special) and family (much of which has disbursed from here anyway)

Quick bio about me:

28 years old
Living in a small town in Western NY state (think high taxes, harsh winters)
B.A. in Communications - past jobs include sports media, writing, and most recently finance
Currently making 35k/year working Customer Service for a small-town bank
No debt
Net worth about 70k, mostly in retirement accounts and taxable mutual funds.

I'm just feeling super restless lately with my life, wanting to do more, be challenged more, and obviously earn more. My career (and dating) prospects in this small town are extremely limited. I'm really overdue for a change of scenery.

Obviously my technical skills are not vast - I wish I could say I was an expert programmer, or an amazing welder or something. All I can say is that I have a great attitude towards hard work and am a quick learner. I can handle blue and white collar environments. I also speak moderate-level Spanish (I'm not Latino but just became interested in learning).

If you were in my shoes, where would you go? Can anyone prod me in the right direction? I've been to most parts of the US except the West Coast. I do love the rugged mountains of Colorado but am not sure that's the best fit for me (high cost of living, not into the 420 scene). I did live in FL for almost a year when I was 23, and the allure wore off a bit over time. I think it's a better place to vacation. I have some ties to the Pittsburgh PA area as well.

One idea I have is to take a break from work and backpack South America for a few months, improve my Spanish, see some sights, live it up a bit. Heck, I'd even be open to moving abroad.

Can anyone care to share some ideas? Thank you!




Bracken_Joy

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2017, 02:59:57 PM »
I would consider a few aspects:
-Where can I get work? (obvious one)
-Where are my hobbies plentiful, and free or cheap? (Ie, if you like the hiking, move close to hiking; if you love the ocean, move to a coastal town, not somewhere inland you have to drive really far. Make your dream life cheap, basically)
-Where do I have a social "foot in the door"? (Just one loose tie you can tap can be a major advantage to finding new friends/partners)

Poundwise

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2017, 03:32:12 PM »
I'd knock around the world for a year or two, starting out with a series of jobs teaching English in the Far East... connect with the expat communities there and see where it takes me. 

Dave1442397

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2017, 04:27:27 PM »
I'd knock around the world for a year or two, starting out with a series of jobs teaching English in the Far East... connect with the expat communities there and see where it takes me.

That's exactly what my cousin did. She quit her teaching job in Ireland, moved to a remote part of Indonesia to teach English, and then followed that up with time in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. She met her now husband along the way, and has since lived in the UK for a while before moving back to Ireland. She absolutely loved the experience, even though everyone thought she was crazy to leave her job in the first place.

darknight

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2017, 04:37:17 PM »
Look at overseas teaching jobs. I'm in similar shoes (although I have a wife and 2 young kids), same age, kinda restless. I speak mandarin at a day-day level (I even use it at my current job on occasion selling insurance) and we're moving to China to teach English (in less than 2 WEEKS!!). It's a paid job, I'll get to improve my Chinese ability 10-fold (never been there) and find a new job that will likely let me earn way more than I do now. I like the idea of teaching as it provides income to live a similar lifestyle but allows for a lot more free time to go travel etc etc. So America would be sweet to move/teach, I have a brother who lived in Ecuador for awhile and cost of living is beyond cheap. You could take some cash, get any job and live a high quality of life.

darknight

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2017, 04:41:52 PM »
I'd knock around the world for a year or two, starting out with a series of jobs teaching English in the Far East... connect with the expat communities there and see where it takes me.

That's exactly what my cousin did. She quit her teaching job in Ireland, moved to a remote part of Indonesia to teach English, and then followed that up with time in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. She met her now husband along the way, and has since lived in the UK for a while before moving back to Ireland. She absolutely loved the experience, even though everyone thought she was crazy to leave her job in the first place.

I feel them! I'm quitting my job and we're moving to China early Feb. People think we're crazy or they are jealous of the opportunity. I think most people regret not doing something a little more "crazy". I'm really looking forward for the opportunity we'll have to learn and grow. My wife and I have 2 young kids who will benefit from our leap of adventure (10 month and 3.5 yr old).
I was going to be done with work on the 20th, but I've got a laundry list of to-dos before leaving the country- most of them are on the computer and work is slow right now letting me get paid to do my job and get some to-dos done at the same time.. I'll be done later this week.

Undecided

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2017, 04:49:14 PM »
I've got nothing against traveling the world like some have suggested, but would have some concern, in your shoes, about coming back to the same situation you're in now. Your "improve my Spanish" trip sounds good, I'm not against that.

Do you intend to re-create yourself or overhaul your skills, or do you see yourself making more money by working hard and being good at something like what you do now, but in a more economically vibrant location where there just might be more opportunities? What are your interpersonal/cultural preferences like, recreation interests, etc.?

JLee

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2017, 05:10:20 PM »
Probably Arizona. Your Spanish skills will be in demand there and you should be able to find something with comparable pay easily enough (and the cost of living is likely dramatically lower).

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/phoenix-personal-banker-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM678_KO8,23.htm

nexus

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2017, 05:28:53 PM »
Posting to follow & provide some input.

26 going on 27. 50k NW, single, coming upon the end of a ~20 month job contract in IT on the west coast. I'm not sure where I want to go. I already did the whole starry eyed thing that OP did by moving to Florida, except I moved to Nashville when I was 23 (in search of sweet southern honeys and a better career). I came back to the golden state when I was 24 via job re-relocation.

Nashville has a booming job market, rising cost of living and a ton of folks our age there. In fact, I met more people that weren't Tennessee natives than I did locals. Its a college town and a great place to kick start your career. To me it felt like a place to transition through a part of life rather than move and stay there forever. Most friends I made while there wound up only staying 1-3 years before they went elsewhere. I was no exception.

That being said, I'd consider going back temporarily again. The nightlife is great and people are super friendly. The weather is also decent. As long as you stay out of the downtown, rent is fairly cheap. Now that I have a better skillset, it would probably be easier to hit FI out there, but I'd ultimately like to stay in CA.

My goal is to build up the 'stache as quick as possible, so I don't see myself taking much time off between jobs, or ultimately leaving the country. I'm toying with the idea of moving to Sacramento if the bottom falls out in my current city. If not Sac, perhaps somewhere near Santa Cruz or Monterey so I can start living that beach bum lifestyle on the weekends (unlikely because the cost of living is expensive).

Learning how to bartend and then moving to Vegas has also crossed my mind many times, but I like my cubicle world and standard working hours. Plus, it isn't likely that I'd end up making six figures bartending.

KMMK

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2017, 05:59:50 PM »
I'd look into international house sitting so I could live in various places and have a home base of some sort.
Without housing expenses I'd be almost FI so wouldn't have to earn much money.

Poundwise

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2017, 07:47:16 PM »
I'd knock around the world for a year or two, starting out with a series of jobs teaching English in the Far East... connect with the expat communities there and see where it takes me.

That's exactly what my cousin did. She quit her teaching job in Ireland, moved to a remote part of Indonesia to teach English, and then followed that up with time in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. She met her now husband along the way, and has since lived in the UK for a while before moving back to Ireland. She absolutely loved the experience, even though everyone thought she was crazy to leave her job in the first place.

That's what I was doing at age 22-- and having the time of my life-- when I came home for a spell, met my husband, and settled down forever!  No more globetrotting for me (at least for now.) How love can change your fate!

notactiveanymore

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2017, 07:47:14 AM »
Probably Arizona. Your Spanish skills will be in demand there and you should be able to find something with comparable pay easily enough (and the cost of living is likely dramatically lower).

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/phoenix-personal-banker-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM678_KO8,23.htm

I have some friends from Flagstaff who absolutely love it and can't wait to leave Missouri and head back there ASAP.

I'd look for small to medium size cities with affordable COL, a thriving social scene, weather that you wouldn't hate more than 4 months a year, and a temperament that suits you. Once you get a list of a few you're interested in, maybe check to see if there is a local reddit board for the city and ask people on there what they love/hate about it and research job opportunities.

For starters: Flagstaff, Austin, Atlanta, Charleston, Columbus, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Madison, Boise, etc.

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2017, 09:34:27 AM »
I think this is a great response:
I would consider a few aspects:
-Where can I get work? (obvious one)
-Where are my hobbies plentiful, and free or cheap? (Ie, if you like the hiking, move close to hiking; if you love the ocean, move to a coastal town, not somewhere inland you have to drive really far. Make your dream life cheap, basically)
-Where do I have a social "foot in the door"? (Just one loose tie you can tap can be a major advantage to finding new friends/partners)

To add my .02:
I'd definitely make some plans to do a long-ish international trip. Learning spanish better would be great and fun. And as for your current employer, you'd have the whole "I'm interested in doing this life-enriching experience for a few months, and willing to leave to do it" ...at which point they may be like "well see ya!" or they might say "well you're welcome to come back to work with us upon your return", which could provide a nice sense of security/back up plan to what ever you end up trying.
My friend always says "Fortune favors the bold" (usually right before he's about to take a risky shot in golf. Fortune does not always favor the bold...) But it can favor the bold in a situation like this.

How social are you? Are you willing to just walk up to random people and try to get to know them? I imagine there would be a decent amount of this that you would need to do if moving to another city with no connections. So that's something to consider. do you do that in your current town?

jslasher88

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2017, 09:36:43 AM »
Just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback so far! I've always been the "play it safe" guy and I really don't want to let too much more time slip away in a stagnant job/area. I am going to look into some of these ideas. Thank you for the encouragement and keep it coming :)

jslasher88

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2017, 09:40:21 AM »
Quote
And as for your current employer, you'd have the whole "I'm interested in doing this life-enriching experience for a few months, and willing to leave to do it" ...at which point they may be like "well see ya!" or they might say "well you're welcome to come back to work with us upon your return", which could provide a nice sense of security/back up plan to what ever you end up trying.

Fortunately, I've already dangled this idea with my boss, and he was totally on board with it. He said he'd be the first one to help me find a spot upon return if I wanted to resume this career. That is a very helpful peace of mind.

GreenSheep

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2017, 10:21:40 AM »
From someone who didn't do it (took the long education/career path instead) and is now trying to squeeze that same joy out of 2-week vacations and a FIRE date that can't come soon enough... do it! Do it all!

Go run around some Spanish-speaking countries for a while (Central and South America are fantastic and cheap!), then come back (if you want) and pick out a place to live. There are nice areas that are similar to the Colorado Rockies without the price tag. Northern New Mexico is beautiful and usually overlooked, though maybe not the best for job or dating prospects. Northern Arizona is also fantastic -- as noted above, Flagstaff is a great town, especially if you like winter sports. Utah is full of great scenery and outdoor pursuits. Same for northern CA, Oregon, Washington, Montana... I grew up on the east coast and wound up living out west, and I don't think I'll ever go back.

It might be helpful to give yourself some time to road trip around the US, or at least the west coast, since you haven't seen it, before you pick a place to settle down. Maybe you could do some freelance writing while you travel to help keep from diving too far into your nest egg.

davef

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2017, 01:44:04 PM »
As an American, you wont be able to work in Australia :( I tried.
I love Portland Oregon. It has your mountains and mild winters, lots of young women. If you are ok with your women being somewhat liberal and or weird I highly recommend this place.

laceconprof

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #17 on: January 26, 2017, 08:48:39 AM »
Have you considered Germany? They have a one year freelance visa that you could get as an American and Berlin is one of the lowest COL capitals in the world and it's a travel hub for Europe. Also, the English fluency of the average German is incredibly high relative to other non-English speaking countries.

Check out this post
“How-to: Get your German Freelance Visa without losing your sanity” https://medium.com/@imcatnoone/how-to-get-your-german-freelance-visa-without-losing-your-sanity-8fa68b39431a

Also, IIRC, the Mad Fientist had a podcast a while back where he interviewed a couple who spent time in Germany on a freelance visa. I think it's this one http://www.madfientist.com/mike-and-lauren-interview/

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Drifterrider

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #18 on: January 26, 2017, 11:36:09 AM »

I'm a single guy with no ties to where I'm living, other than job (not very special) and family (much of which has disbursed from here anyway)

Can anyone care to share some ideas? Thank you!

I would follow the opportunity; wherever it was.

arebelspy

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2017, 09:59:38 PM »
Mars (when available--see, e.g., this).  It's just that Mars ain't the kinda place to raise a kid.

Everywhere here on earth is open though, despite being married with a kid, so my answer to that question (besides Mars) is shown in my actions, and is "wherever I am right now."  :)
« Last Edit: January 26, 2017, 10:01:53 PM by arebelspy »
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Lanthiriel

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #20 on: January 26, 2017, 11:40:25 PM »
I would stay here in Alaska, but alas--no jobs for husband. So I'm leaving the land of moose and magic :(

cchrissyy

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #21 on: January 27, 2017, 12:13:39 AM »
agree with the advice to go somewhere with the beach if you like beaches, the mountains if you like mountains, etc
and if you have a couple friends or extended family members there already, the transition will be much easier, so make a short list of those options and see what grabs you.

Poundwise

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #22 on: January 27, 2017, 05:11:46 AM »
  It's just that Mars ain't the kinda place to raise a kid.

Hur, hur, hur.

Quote
Everywhere here on earth is open though, despite being married with a kid

I suppose you homeschool? I have got to take a look at your journal!

Anyway, it's not kids who really tie a person down... just old sick parents... :~(

Blatant

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2017, 06:25:22 AM »
First, I say: DO IT!!! DO IT!!!!

Second: If it were me, I'd pick a place based almost solely on my hobbies and interests. The other stuff will come.

I'm a mountain biker, so I'd only consider places with high-level year-round biking opportunities. I happen to live in Phoenix, which has that ... at the expense of too many people and brutal summers.

jlajr

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #24 on: January 27, 2017, 06:39:46 AM »
I have always been, am, and as far as I can tell will be for the foreseeable future, single and not tied down - at least not to other people.

I am, however, tied to an idea - Zionism - so after being born and growing up in the USA, I immigrated to Israel at age 26.

Then, a couple of years later, I moved to a community and stayed there from 1999-2009, when I decided for financial reasons to leave. Since then - being single and not tied down - I have moved a bunch of times to take advantage of job opportunities in a couple of amazing places to live. Last year, I moved back to that community, but only after securing employment in the area.

Now, with some FU money/a small 'Stash, I think about options such as taking a mini-retirement, leaving full-time salaried employment, and so on.

If I was in your shoes, I might consider trying to change my life less drastically. Maybe investigate location-independent or part-time/project-based employment, allowing for more geographic and financial flexibility. Or, has been suggested, look for a paid job, assignment or project and move only after you find one. No need to cut both the geographical and income cords at the same time.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2017, 06:41:54 AM by jlajr »

nexus

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #25 on: January 27, 2017, 01:42:44 PM »
If you're really adventurous, check out www.coolworks.com. It's basically a job board that has postings of jobs that'll house you and possibly feed you while you work for them. They're all over the US and include jobs at summer camps, national parks, ski resorts, jobs working on cruise ships, and many more.

One that I recently looked at paid for your housing, meals, and $340/wk (which isn't much). If I could FIRE, these are probably the types of cool jobs I'd jump at. For the most part, they're not high paying but with meals and housing included in your compensation I suspect it would be easy to save money -- especially if you're in a somewhat remote location.

arebelspy

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #26 on: January 27, 2017, 05:25:57 PM »
Quote
Everywhere here on earth is open though, despite being married with a kid

I suppose you homeschool? I have got to take a look at your journal!

Anyway, it's not kids who really tie a person down... just old sick parents... :~(

Only have a one year old.  But if/when the time comes that we want to travel with kids, yes, we'll do some form of homeschooling/unschooling.

Good point about the parents, though how long do you do that for, and to what level?  Depends on your feelings around obligation and such, I suppose.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Landslave

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #27 on: January 27, 2017, 06:21:08 PM »
 I live in Florida and there are these things going for it, for me. I do respect that you lived there for a year and didn't like it.

1) weather.  Probably only southern Cal or higher altitude Hawaii has it beat.
2) taxes.  VERY friendly tax man here.  No income tax, no small business tax.  No intangible tax, fixed-for-life homestead property tax.  Car registration is even cheap.
3) Cost of living.  Can live unbelievably frugally if you want to/need to.  Not only housing, but utilities, clothing (only need one season wardrobe), etc. 
3 1/2) CHEAP and good used cars.  No salt.  Lots of cream puffs on the market to be had for a song.
4) You can find your conservative/progressive, rural/urban niche.
5) Good airports with flights to where I want to go--important to me.
6) Good real estate investment climate.  Cash-on-cash return is very handsome.
7) Farm to table in your own yard, literally year round.  Gardeners can burn out because growing season is 325-365 days.
8) While the news of the weird from here is cringe-worthy, it is entertaining!  Florida can be a primer on dysfunctional living.
9) Labor is CHEAP here and a college education matters quite a bit.  Especially STEM and licensed professional skills are well-paid. 
10) Did I mention weather?  Look at random pictures of penisular Florida real estate listed on the MLS and notice how remarkably many of those pictures have a Chamer of Commerce sky in the background.  Sunshine and flip flops just never get old. 

Hope you find your place, wherever that is.

Landslave

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Re: If you were single and not tied down, where would you move?
« Reply #28 on: January 27, 2017, 06:51:47 PM »

I'm a single guy with no ties to where I'm living, other than job (not very special) and family (much of which has disbursed from here anyway)

Can anyone care to share some ideas? Thank you!

I would follow the opportunity; wherever it was.

Great post. I would concur.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!