Aosta is pretty close to Boulder. Less prestigious university and slightly light on on the start-up scene but growing.

If you where considering Berlin, you might want to look into Leipzig. It’s not too far from Berlin (about 1-2 hours south) and has a similar vibe, but is smaller and more affordable. Climate will be roughly the same of course. But lots of lakes around, very bike friendly and very good kayaking in and around the city. No mountains though…

I definitely recommend Brighton, it’s got a great alternative scene, lots of decent beer and burger joints, and very closer to the south downs.

The weather probably matches Portland closely, it’s pretty miserable in the winter but the summer is glorious.

I wouldn’t say the tech scene is thriving but better than average.

Sounds like Brighton, UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/12/brighton-leading-tech-startups
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way
http://northlaine.co.uk/

Grenoble ?

• Big university campus
• Scientific Hub
• Wonderful nature (Alps and prealps called Vercors and Chartreuse)
• Startup ? I’m not sure but start it
• Weather is not bad

Geneva ? (ok not affordable )
Maybe Lyon, Nice (expensive), Montpellier ?…

Cambridge in the UK is the closest town to Boulder that I’ve seen thus far, but it fails rather miserably when it comes to outdoor adventure opportunities. Other than that, all boxes checked–good startups, progressive + smart community built around a university, laid back, and about as affordable as Boulder or Portland (which is to say not very unless you live in a nearby village. Again, just like Boulder or Portland). It even has a large metropolis 40m away.

I can second Freiburg. It’s one of my favorite places. I used to live there for three years and this summer returned to do some nomading. Can even suggest some cafés to work from. In Summer you should absolutely hang out at Jos Fritz Café. They have a quiet shady beergarden with free wifi, and nobody cares if you don’t order something for hours.

But I’d have to add that it’s not a great place for IT/nomading if you care to meet other people with similar interests. Apart from the small IT faculty, there is barely any IT industry to talk of. People generally are a little anti-computer and all about being outdoorsy, political and sustainable. Don’t expect them to be super excited when you tell them what you do Maybe some people will even scowl.

Nonetheless, the vibes are awesome there and I’m sure they will broaden your horizon when you get to know them. Moving there was one of my best decisions so far.

Freiburg Im Breisgau Germany. http://www.freiburg.de

1. The Black forest is beautiful and natural area with lakes nearby as well. Well located near France and Switzerland. Warmest region in Germany I think.
2. Large green energy research and implementation from the universities there. Great public transportation and connections via bus, rail, light rail and airports.
3. Vaubahn community might be Portlandesque. They even have a few food trucks. University towns are more diverse and alive, IMO.
4. Germany isn’t inexpensive though, but might work if you are a frugal person on a budget.
5. Vibrant university town, might be good for startups and talent or even flat sharing.

I’d love to be in this area, it’s in the so called blue banana zone. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Banana

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, hits your first three (fails miserably on the affordable requirement, but is great if you have the money).

Ljubljana, Slovenia might be a good bet. I don’t know about the startup culture, but there’s at least one cool co-working space and it’s definitely affordable, close to nature (30 minutes by train and you’re in some of the prettiest landscapes in Europe).

I think Tallinn in Estonia may fit this description.

Check out Bonn. Siebengebirge just around the corner is beautiful, Bonn is progressive with a good mix of nationalities (DPDHL, Telekom and NGOs means many Expats), smaller and less hectic than Berlin, more affordable than Munich and better weather than Hamburg.
Drawbacks include rising cost of living and the next startup community (small but growing) being in Cologne (30min by train).

Moab in September should be pretty perfect weather…any sooner and its way too hot IMO. SLC has been having milder winters lately so you’ll be in for perfect weather and great fall colors in September.

You can find some information on the trend of activity, but that’s about it. There’s no real rhyme or reason. It may happen every day for 2 weeks or go 2 weeks without seeing it. Generally, though, you’re in a downward cycle, so they will likely be less intense and few of them overall.

Your best bet it to rent a car and cross over into the far north Finnish border in the Kilpisjärvi area. Because of its location, the climate is clear and dry. You won’t have to contend with the same issues as far north Norway. If you have access to cabins in the northern fjords, that would be great as well.

Let me know if you want a connection - I know a number of people with cabins about 3 hours north of Tromso and I know they sometimes rent them out.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast

Have had Tmobile for 2.5 years, with about 60 total days in the US that entire time, and a couple of months ago in Ireland I got an explicit warning text from them that I was not spending enough time in US. I am in canada and mexico for the rest of the year and no issues there as I am on the north american plan anyways, but they may be cracking down…

Anecdotally, it seems the requirement is having it register on a US tower every few months or so. If you travel back to the US regularly, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’ve been a T-Mobile customer for many years, a nomad for a few of those, and haven’t had any issues, including the year I was out of the U.S. for 11 out of 12 months. They never mentioned any requirement to me. However, some folks have said suggested this might be because I’ve had service with them for so long.

I’m looking to switch to Google Fi anyway due to lower cost, and the fact that I don’t make all that many calls any more. Plus I’ve had some problems with voicemail and receiving calls.

Have been on the T-mobile plan for over three years now. Usually spend about 10 months out of the year outside of the US (returning back for month stints twice/year), and have not had any issues.

We used T-Mobile for about a year outside of the US before they gave us notice and cut us off. We switched over to Google Fi and it’s working out well. It was kind of a hassle when they canceled us (gave us 30 days notice) because Google Fi has to be activated inside the US (at least it did a year ago) and I wanted to port our numbers. I was able to get a short extension from T-Mobile.

I’ve heard others say they haven’t had an issue with staying outside of the US, but that was not the case for us.

We also sometimes use local SIM cards because it’s often dramatically less expensive if we’re going to use lots of data. Once you get used to it the local SIM card thing is really easy in most places.

Aosta is pretty close to Boulder. Less prestigious university and slightly light on on the start-up scene but growing.

If you where considering Berlin, you might want to look into Leipzig. It’s not too far from Berlin (about 1-2 hours south) and has a similar vibe, but is smaller and more affordable. Climate will be roughly the same of course. But lots of lakes around, very bike friendly and very good kayaking in and around the city. No mountains though…

I definitely recommend Brighton, it’s got a great alternative scene, lots of decent beer and burger joints, and very closer to the south downs.

The weather probably matches Portland closely, it’s pretty miserable in the winter but the summer is glorious.

I wouldn’t say the tech scene is thriving but better than average.

Sounds like Brighton, UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/12/brighton-leading-tech-startups
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way
http://northlaine.co.uk/

Grenoble ?

• Big university campus
• Scientific Hub
• Wonderful nature (Alps and prealps called Vercors and Chartreuse)
• Startup ? I’m not sure but start it
• Weather is not bad

Geneva ? (ok not affordable )
Maybe Lyon, Nice (expensive), Montpellier ?…

Cambridge in the UK is the closest town to Boulder that I’ve seen thus far, but it fails rather miserably when it comes to outdoor adventure opportunities. Other than that, all boxes checked–good startups, progressive + smart community built around a university, laid back, and about as affordable as Boulder or Portland (which is to say not very unless you live in a nearby village. Again, just like Boulder or Portland). It even has a large metropolis 40m away.

I can second Freiburg. It’s one of my favorite places. I used to live there for three years and this summer returned to do some nomading. Can even suggest some cafés to work from. In Summer you should absolutely hang out at Jos Fritz Café. They have a quiet shady beergarden with free wifi, and nobody cares if you don’t order something for hours.

But I’d have to add that it’s not a great place for IT/nomading if you care to meet other people with similar interests. Apart from the small IT faculty, there is barely any IT industry to talk of. People generally are a little anti-computer and all about being outdoorsy, political and sustainable. Don’t expect them to be super excited when you tell them what you do Maybe some people will even scowl.

Nonetheless, the vibes are awesome there and I’m sure they will broaden your horizon when you get to know them. Moving there was one of my best decisions so far.

Freiburg Im Breisgau Germany. http://www.freiburg.de

1. The Black forest is beautiful and natural area with lakes nearby as well. Well located near France and Switzerland. Warmest region in Germany I think.
2. Large green energy research and implementation from the universities there. Great public transportation and connections via bus, rail, light rail and airports.
3. Vaubahn community might be Portlandesque. They even have a few food trucks. University towns are more diverse and alive, IMO.
4. Germany isn’t inexpensive though, but might work if you are a frugal person on a budget.
5. Vibrant university town, might be good for startups and talent or even flat sharing.

I’d love to be in this area, it’s in the so called blue banana zone. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Banana

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, hits your first three (fails miserably on the affordable requirement, but is great if you have the money).

Ljubljana, Slovenia might be a good bet. I don’t know about the startup culture, but there’s at least one cool co-working space and it’s definitely affordable, close to nature (30 minutes by train and you’re in some of the prettiest landscapes in Europe).

I think Tallinn in Estonia may fit this description.

Check out Bonn. Siebengebirge just around the corner is beautiful, Bonn is progressive with a good mix of nationalities (DPDHL, Telekom and NGOs means many Expats), smaller and less hectic than Berlin, more affordable than Munich and better weather than Hamburg.
Drawbacks include rising cost of living and the next startup community (small but growing) being in Cologne (30min by train).

@travelmore thanks! The hostel looks fun and a great spot. Im going to book a room there right now.

Also do you have any recommendations for nightlife? Or what areas to stay away from?

Thanks!

Yeah HK is good. Like a 2 hr train ride from Guangzhou. If you book flights early enough, you could go to Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, etc for pretty cheap. For accommodation, if you aren’t staying at a hotel, Lazy Gaga Hostel is amazing. Stayed there for 1 month last Oct for the fair.