How We Choose Where to Live as a Nomad Family (Plus Our Destination Checklist)

How We Choose Where to Live Next

When Marty and I sit down to pick our next base, we don’t start with beaches or bucket lists. We start with four practical questions. What’s the time zone? What will the weather be like when we’re there? Can we get the visa? And what will it really cost us to live there?

If a place fails one of those, it usually comes off the list, however good it looks online.

Then come the things that make daily life work with Louie at nine and Leo at two. We want somewhere walkable, safe and kid-friendly, with weather that gets us outside and vegetarian food that’s easy to find. 🌱

That process took us to Da Nang for our first month. It’s also why we chose Chiang Mai over Bali for Christmas, and Leo’s pram decided a lot of that one. The full story is in our Chiang Mai vs Bali guide. Next year, we’re moving to Hoi An, mostly for its worldschooling community.

We haven’t always got it right, though. This guide covers the process we use, the lessons that changed it, and a checklist you can use for your own family.

The Short Answer

• Rule places out first. Check the time zone, weather, visas and cost before anything else.
• Then check daily life. Look at walkability, safety, healthcare, food and how welcome kids are.
• Check the education rules if you homeschool or worldschool. They vary a lot by country.
• Look past the averages. Weather and cost figures on paper are a starting point, not a promise.
• Research, but leave some room for surprise. You can learn a lot online before you land.

Time Zones: Where Our List Starts

Time zones shape your whole working day, so they’re the first thing we check. A destination can tick every other box and still not work if your meetings land at dinner time or midnight.

Look at where your employer, clients or business partners are based. A few hours’ difference is usually manageable. Eight or nine hours can mean early starts, late calls and less time with the kids.

Think about family at home too. Calls with grandparents are much easier when everyone’s awake at the same time.

Weather: Why Averages Can Fool You

I’m a Queenslander, so you’d think I’d know better. 😅

When Louie was five, we went to Australia for six weeks. We headed up to North Queensland for the warm weather. On paper, it was the obvious choice.

Instead, it turned out to be one of the coldest spells it had been. We’d planned our trip around a climate chart, and the weather simply didn’t follow it.

That trip taught us that averages are just averages. Now we look at the range of temperatures for the months we’ll be there, not only the typical figure. We also ask families on the ground what the weather has actually been like.

Weather affects more than beach days. Extreme heat changed how we planned every day in Da Nang with Leo, with outings in the mornings and late afternoons only. Wet seasons, burning season and storms can all disrupt plans.

Our month-by-month guide to the best time for families to travel is a good place to start.

Visas: Check Every Passport in Your Family

Visas decide how long you can stay, so they need checking early. Always use the country’s official immigration website or embassy, not blogs or visa agencies. Rules change often, and our family visa guide is a good starting point.

Keep these questions separate, because one doesn’t guarantee the next:

• Entry: can you get in, and for how long?
• Work: are you allowed to work remotely while you’re there?
• Residence: at what point do you need a residence permit?
• Tax: when might you become a tax resident?

Not every nomad visa covers children. Some only cover the main applicant, or set extra income requirements for each dependant. We’ve listed the ones to watch in Nomad Visas That Won’t Let Your Kids Come.

As a Dutch-Australian family, we check each passport separately. Marty’s Dutch passport means EU free movement rules usually apply to our family when we’re in an EU country other than the Netherlands. In the Netherlands itself, Dutch national rules apply instead. The EU’s official Your Europe portal explains how this works for non-EU family members.

If your family holds more than one nationality, our mixed-passport guide walks through your options.

The Real Cost of Living for a Family

Cost of living figures online are useful, but they’re rarely built for families. A single nomad’s monthly budget doesn’t double neatly for a family of four.

We build our estimate from what we’ll actually spend:

• Rent for the size of place we need, in the area we’d want to live
• Groceries and eating out, based on how often we really eat out
• Transport, including taxis or Grab if walking isn’t realistic
• Health insurance for the whole family
• Education, such as tutors, classes, online programs or school fees
• Visa fees and flights in and out
• Deposits and set-up costs in the first month

Numbeo is a good benchmark for everyday costs, but its figures are crowdsourced averages. Treat them as a guide, not a quote. Budget Your Trip shows what travellers spend, which is useful for short stays but isn’t the same as living somewhere.

For a real example, our month in Da Nang cost about €2,265 for our family of four. We stayed in a comfortable hotel with breakfast and a pool, so you could spend less. The full breakdown is in our Da Nang guide.

To compare places side by side, see Where Can Nomad Families Afford to Live?

Daily Life With Little Kids

This is where a place either works for your family or it doesn’t. For us, it comes down to four things.

Walkable. With a toddler, being able to walk somewhere in ten minutes matters more than having a car. In Da Nang, staying near My Khe Beach meant we could walk to the beach, cafés and shops. Footpaths blocked by parked scooters still made the pram hard work, though.

Safe. Check your government’s official travel advice first: Smartraveller for Australians, or Nederland Wereldwijd for Dutch citizens. Then look at safety neighbourhood by neighbourhood, because it can change a lot within one city. Ask how you’ll get around safely with young kids, too. We never found car seats in Grab cars in Vietnam.

Kid-friendly. Some cultures make room for children everywhere. In Vietnam, people light up when they see Leo. Look for parks, playgrounds, shade and somewhere quiet for naps.

Vegetarian food. We cook a lot and eat out often, so we check markets, supermarkets and vegetarian restaurants before we choose. Our guide to vegetarian travel with kids covers where it’s easy, and where it isn’t.

Education: Check the Rules Before You Go

Homeschooling and worldschooling aren’t legal or recognised everywhere. Germany, for example, doesn’t allow homeschooling. In Vietnam, home education isn’t formally recognised, so foreign families usually educate through their home country’s framework.

Residency matters too. Once you become a resident somewhere, local compulsory schooling rules may start to apply.

Our Worldschooling Legal Requirements by Country guide is the place to check. If you want a school, our international schools directory lists options by city.

Healthcare and Insurance

With small kids, we always want to know where the nearest good clinic or hospital is. Check for paediatric care and English-speaking doctors, and find out whether you’ll pay upfront and claim back later.

Sort out family health insurance before you book anything. Our health insurance guide compares the options, and our vaccinations guide covers what to check with your doctor before you go.

Internet and Remote Work

If you work remotely, reliable internet isn’t optional. Ask your accommodation for a recent speed test, and have a local SIM or eSIM as backup. Check how often power cuts happen, especially on islands and in rural areas.

Our ranking of nomad cities with reliable internet is a good shortlist. For SIMs, eSIMs and backup plans, see our internet guide.

Finding Your People

Community was the main reason we chose Hoi An. Having other families nearby makes friendships easier for the kids and gives parents a break from carrying everything alone.

You can start looking before you arrive. Join local family Facebook groups, check worldschooling hubs and ask questions. Our directory of 420+ worldschooling hubs is a good place to start, and our guide to building community on the road has more ideas.

Researching a Place Before You Go

There’s so much out there now. Between Instagram, YouTube and Facebook groups, you can get a real feel for a place before you land.

That’s mostly a good thing. Before Da Nang, I’d seen so much of it on socials that I knew exactly what we were getting into. That made the practical side easier.

But honestly, I missed the surprise a little. Part of what I love about travel is turning a corner and not knowing what’s there.

So now I research the practical things properly, like neighbourhoods, footpaths, supermarkets and the weather. I try not to watch every video of every beach and café. 📱

✅ Our Nomad Family Destination Checklist

Use this to compare places side by side. Few destinations tick every box, so decide which ones are deal-breakers for your family.

🕒 Time Zone and Weather

• ⬜ Time zone works for our jobs
• ⬜ Calls home are manageable
• ⬜ Checked the weather range for our months, not just averages
• ⬜ Climate suits young kids
• ⬜ Low pollution levels
• ⬜ Minimal extreme weather risks

🛂 Visa and Legal

• ⬜ Every passport in our family checked on the official site
• ⬜ Long-stay or digital nomad visa available
• ⬜ Visa covers our children
• ⬜ Remote work allowed
• ⬜ Clear tax and residency rules
• ⬜ No frequent border runs required

💰 Cost of Living

• ⬜ Rent fits our family budget
• ⬜ Groceries affordable and available
• ⬜ Utilities reasonably priced
• ⬜ Transport costs manageable
• ⬜ Deposits, fees and set-up costs budgeted

🛡️ Safety and Healthcare

• ⬜ Checked official government travel advice
• ⬜ Safe neighbourhoods for families
• ⬜ Good hospital or clinic nearby
• ⬜ Paediatric care available
• ⬜ English-speaking doctors, or translators available
• ⬜ Family health insurance sorted

🎓 Education

• ⬜ Checked homeschooling rules
• ⬜ Homeschooling or worldschooling community nearby
• ⬜ International schools available, if needed
• ⬜ Tutors, classes or libraries nearby

🌐 Work and Internet

• ⬜ Fast, stable internet at home
• ⬜ Backup internet options (SIM, eSIM or hotspot)
• ⬜ Coworking spaces available
• ⬜ Power cuts rare or manageable

👨‍👩‍👧 Daily Life

• ⬜ Walkable neighbourhood
• ⬜ Children welcomed in public places
• ⬜ Parks, playgrounds or beaches nearby
• ⬜ Fresh produce and dietary needs covered
• ⬜ Safe drinking water, or filtered options
• ⬜ Safe ways to get around with young kids

🏠 Housing

• ⬜ Family-sized furnished homes available
• ⬜ Safe and secure buildings
• ⬜ Long-term rental discounts possible
• ⬜ Close to parks, shops or transport

🤝 Community

• ⬜ Nomad or expat family community
• ⬜ Playgroups, clubs or sport for kids
• ⬜ Regular meetups or events

⭐ Final Decision Check

• ⬜ Passes our deal-breakers
• ⬜ Works for both parents and children
• ⬜ Feels like a place to live, not just visit
• ⬜ Reduces stress rather than adding to it

FAQs

What should nomad families check first when choosing a destination?

We start with time zone, weather, visas and cost of living. If a place fails one of those, the rest doesn’t matter much.

How do we work out the real cost of living for a family?

Build it from your own expenses: rent, food, transport, insurance, education and flights. Use Numbeo as a benchmark, not a guarantee.

Do digital nomad visas cover children?

Not always. Some cover only the main applicant, and others require extra income for each dependant. Check the official immigration website.

Is homeschooling legal everywhere?

No. It’s banned in some countries, such as Germany, and not formally recognised in others. Check the rules before you commit.

How can we tell if a destination is safe for kids?

Start with your government’s official travel advice. Then research neighbourhoods and ask families who live there.

Can we trust weather averages?

Use them as a guide only. We planned around warm weather in North Queensland and got one of the coldest spells it had been.

How long should our first base be?

Many families start with one to three months. Our first base, Da Nang, was a month, which gave us time to settle into a routine.

How do we find other families before we arrive?

Join local family Facebook groups and look up worldschooling hubs in the area. Ask questions before you book.

Our Takeaways

No destination ticks every box. Da Nang was hot, Chiang Mai has its burning season, and even sunny North Queensland let us down once.

What helps is knowing your non-negotiables and checking them honestly before you fall for the photos. For us, that’s time zones, weather, visas and cost, then walkable streets, safety, welcoming people and good vegetarian food.

After that, leave a little room for surprise. Some of our favourite moments have been the ones no video prepared us for. 🌍