Where to live?

We are a family of three - mum (28), dad (31) and bub (8 months). We're from Christchurch, NZ and post-earthquake we want to get out of town and live somewhere else for a while. My husband works from home so we're in a position to travel a bit and settle down.

Any suggestions on where to go?

My main concern (other than access to good healthcare and personal safety) is friendless-induced boredem. For at least some of the week I need to entertain myself and baby while husband works. We've been in Australia for three weeks and I'm finding that the hardest part so far. How can I make friends with young children in other countries?

My husband has a UK and NZ passport so there is potential for us to settle somewhere in Europe - though that does seem quite far from all our family. I don't want to live in the UK. We thought France might be an option as we both speak a little french.

I'd like to spend at least a month or two in Thailand. Maybe combine a few weeks of travel with a month or so settled in Koh Samui (where a friend lives).

Our other thought was somewhere in Canada - either Montreal or Vancouver. We can stay in Canada up to six months.

I think wherever you end up, joining a playgroup or parenting group of some sort would be your best bet in meeting new Moms in the area.

I am originally from Canada living in Australia with my Aussie hubby. We now have two kids and it does not get any easier being this far from my family. I love Australia but the distance to where my family, friends and support system is just so very far that even if I wanted to go for a quick visit its not possible due to time, the stress (for me) to travel so far with two young kids in tow and the cost of those flights.

I would consider Australia for you that way you are only a short flight back home and there are plenty of Kiwis here to help combat the homesickness.

Good luck with your decision!

Ocean

Have you heard of the author Richard Florida? I bought his book Who's Your City awhile back and although I haven't read it cover to cover it does present some really interesting questions about why we chose to live in certain places.

The website focuses on the US and Canada- it's still pretty cool to check out when considering relocating: http://www.creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/place_finder/

Another interesting source for ideas is the recent list of most livable cities: http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2011/02/liveability_ranking

Melbourne is rated #2 and I can attest that it is a great place to live. Vancouver is rated #1

I'd recommend doing your homework when it comes to Canadian winters. Montreal is COLD from Nov/Dec - Apr/May it's a fantastic city (one of the best), but you need to love minus temperatures to live there. Vancouver is fantastic, but very expensive. If I were you I'd look into Victoria on Vancouver Island http://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/british-columbia/victoria

Thumbs up on #1s suggestions. Wherever you go, look for parenting groups, playgroups, drop-in centres, playgrounds, etc. In Canada as well - not sure about other places - you'll find community centres have a ton of kids programs, which at a young age include the parents, and although you'll need to pay a little more being a non-resident, it won't be much and it's a great way to get out and meet other parents, etc.

I like #2's suggestions. Vancouver is expensive indeed, but not crazily so, and Victoria is lovely. Both cities are large enough to find lots to do & beautiful walks to take, but they have the social environment of a town - open and friendly. Winters are not so bad there (depending what you're used to). Vancouver winters are actually very mild, nothing at all like Ottawa/Ontario.

You've obviously been through a traumatic experience, so why not take it easy somewhere laidback and cheap, to take the financial pressures off? Especially since you're leaning to Asia anyway, why not consider living there?

Ubud, in Bali, where we have been for the last couple of months is very well set up for homeworking, with drop in schools and childcare and a travelling/expat population, plus fantastic local cultural life and atmosphere with amenities such as Western restaurants. Chiang Mai, Thailand, is another good option: amazing culture, great dirt-cheap food, and an expat/travelling community that includes a lot of families. Or think about Penang, Malaysia, which does have beach, again good food, relatively cost-effective condo style living, and international schools/drop-ins/nurseries...

The world's your oyster, really. I'd start travelling and see where you want to land. But I would consider a cheap tropical idyll, if you wanted.

Theodora
http://www.travelswithanineyearold.com

Hi all.

Thanks for the responses so far. We're slowing informing our thinking and trying to come up with a plan. It somewhat depends on what we can do with our house in Christchurch. There are obviously a lot of people who are now without homes so now could be a good time to sell or rent. Having said that, real estate agents are not actively marketing houses at the moment. (We've had our house on the market for a few months in any case). Renting wouldn't really make us any money. We may have to think outside the box on this one. Any ideas? It would be ridiculously expensive to keep up the expenses on the house and live abroad at the same time. We're seeing that already after one very expensive month in Australia so far.

Australia seems to be very expensive when you're not earning Australian dollars. The AU$ is insanely strong at the moment compared to the NZ$ and US$. (My husband earns most of his income in US$).

For Canada, we're thinking maybe we should take a trip there and explore each city (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) for a week or so and try and get a feel for what would suit us best. We would normally be leaning towards Vancouver BUT we're still really nervous about being on the Pacific rim. My husband has previously spent 2.5 months in Whistler snowboarding and thinks we can handle the cold. I'm still not sure. I guess we can always leave if it gets too much.

I love the idea of spending time in Asia. I've spent heaps of time in Thailand and a few weeks in Bali and I think Ubud would be a lovely place to chill for a bit. What are the drop in childcare centres like? We thought about hiring a nanny for some of the time we're away to take the pressure off and give us time to explore and do activities we can't do with an eight month old. Any idea what that would run in Ubud? For, say, 3-4 days a week? Do you have any recommendations for sites with rental accommodation? I need to be able to impress my husband with a pretty good standard of accommodation to get him to commit to South East Asia. He's really not keen on developing countries. Are there good hospitals in Bali?

Hiya, I live in Perth and came over here from England a few years ago. If you want to get to know people I suggest joining groups or classes. Gyms have creches for children, you could sign up for a month. Many gyms have a 2 week free pass. Dance classes are great to meet people but not sure about the children. Book clubs or philosophy chats in cafes are good. Check out meetup.com for groups with your particular interest. Then you have all sorts of activity clubs - sailing, kayaking, hiking etc. Also doing a short course at tafe or something. You can also use your children as a way to meet other parents plus the children also meet others.

I have some AMAZING friends here and I mainly met them through dance, gym, tafe and random chats - I talk to anyone when Im with like minded people and if I see they have potential I ask them out for coffee!

If you're looking for somewhere to stay in return for doing some odd jobs for hosts you can check out workaway.info, there are hosts worldwide. Also couchsurfer.org.

All the best and good luck.