nomad city hacks.

Hey friend, 

I’ve just arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina - where ill be based for the first half of this year.

Its probably the most interesting place in the world for me right now. Between the history, the European influence (the genetic makeup of buenos aires is actually more European than current day Paris or Madrid), and with the current political changes here- its attracting a cool mix of people and im curious to see what unfolds.

Often, I get asked how I choose where I want to live…

For me it’s finding a balance between what I need as a foundation to live a good life

• access to great local produce (organic if possible) 

• sunshine, warmth

• walkable 

• community of likeminded individuals 

• great coffee scene

And the things that I actually travel for

• culture exchange 

• language learning

• meeting people very different from me

• the unknown 

And so the best way to balance these too I’ve found is to base myself in a solid sized city that ticks the boxes of the first list- that also allows me to have the experiences in the 2nd list.

Typically once a month or so i’ll do a small trip to a more isolated and remote, more authentic smaller town. This is where generally the more impactful experiences take place, but these small more isolated authentic places wouldn’t been a ideal place to live full time. 

So for example, i’m here in Palermo Buenos Aires, which is an nice expat area where I have access to all the modern comforts I need. But then I can rent a motorbike and head into the mountains for the weekend. Fly down to Patagonia or into the andes, surf trip to south of chile, take a ferry across to Uruguay etc. There’s a plethora of incredible experiences waiting for me.

I’ve found this to be the best balance for me.

- Jay

Jay Topp is a 23 year old writer, marketer, film maker & self-led educator originally from Australia, now based between Latin America & Europe. You can see his films here. Instagram here. And his business website here.

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