Your Wings May Be Clipped, But Don’t Let That Stop You From Dreaming or Planning

sean keenan

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Our world is, after a dispiriting period of shutdown, beginning to open up again. I realize, as every passing week brings news of re-drafted regulations and extended lockdowns, that I may seem over-optimistic. But the beauty of having correspondents and editors all over the globe is that, even if international borders remain closed, our writers can still research and travel and write from within the countries they’ve moved to.

That’s how we can bring you Wendy Justice’s immersive report from three of the most tempting expat locations on the planet: Dalat, Da Nang, and Hoi An. Stationed in Vietnam—the country which has led the world in its response to COVID-19 (with ZERO deaths as I write this)— Wendy can easily bring us her reports of warm-weather beach towns where couples can live well on $1,000 a month (including rent), and a mountain retreat where the weather is mild, the produce is fresh off the vine, and $10 will buy a meal for two with drinks.

It’s the same reason we can bring you a report on the very liveable market towns of Uruguay’s interior, visited and assessed by our own Uruguay correspondent, David Hammond. He’s found the ideal middle-ground between big-city energy and deep-country tranquility in the grasslands of this genteel South American country.

And since we’re mostly fantasizing about international travel now, we might as well cast our net wide. What about Dakar, capital city of Senegal, right out on the very western tip of Africa? IL contributor Emma Saville found it an undiscovered gem, dotted with colorful markets, beautiful colonial buildings, and a soundtrack of mesmerizing local music.

If that’s not evocative or exotic enough, we turn next to the lesser-known Bengal coast of India, where Nic Tarter discovers the one-time French colonial city of Pondicherry. “It’s like we’re living in France for a quarter of the price,” says Sarah Becker, a German visitor Nic met under the ceiling fans of the stately Indian Coffee House in a city that somehow blends the languor of a European beach resort with the color and energy of modern India. All over the world, there are opportunities—some in places you may never have thought about before. We’ll keep bringing you inspiration, and as the world continues to open up, you’ll be more ready than ever