Where Would You Go in 2026 For Year Round Growing?

Looking for some ideas here. I grew up in Canada and have been living in Greece with my family for the past 3.5 years. Our motivation to leave Canada was to have more freedom, better climate and cheaper cost of living, and work towards building a self sufficient homestead. After 3.5 yrs here it's clear that Greece, and probably anywhere in the EU is not a good place to be with the current political situation and the fact that the EU is just as regulated and expensive, maybe even more than Canada. We are very motivated now to move towards maximum self sufficiency, off grid homesteading as soon as possible. We've mostly been looking at property for sale in Greece so far, but now  I'm pondering other options of places to move to, including overseas. The tropics have also appealed to me more, somewhere at high elevation with a mild balanced climate year round. The other consideration is cost of buying property. I would be willing to stay in EU if prices were not so high, but seems like anywhere in the Mediterranean close to the sea is just out of our budget. We are prioritizing year round growing season and for me even Greek winters are too cold, I'm very much into the 15-25 C  year round thing. We want to grow bananas, papayas, avocados, as much fruit as possible basically, and live in a country with less bureaucracy and tension.  Ecuador seems like a good option, and maybe Colombia/Peru, but I'm curious to hear if anyone here has any other ideas or other things I need to consider with such a large move and to a new growing climate.

I have some personal experience which may be useful, I also have a video to go along with it which may give you some inspiration. I've been living in southern Spain since 2014, before that I was living in the Dominican Republic while working as a dive instructor - best time of my life! After some years in Spain, I too felt overwhelmed with all the restrictions and regulations the government forces upon its citizens, and this has just gotten worse over time. Anyhow, I ended up buying a car and packing it to the brim with my belongings to drive southbound toward the tropics of West Africa. Senegal is one of the more stable countries, politically speaking, of west Africa, and people are very friendly and hospitable. I ended up buying a couple of plots of land there which I am now developing, growing those very fruits you long to grow, and the earth is a pleasure to work with (sandy loam is more more soft to dig through than Spanish calcium-rocky soils, both for plant roots as well as for human fingers).. Had I the option to go back today and ponder some more about where I would choose other than Senegal, I might also look into tropical countries with 0% Tax scemes, of which there are quite a selection out there.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can share anything else.

I live on top of a mountain.  I have more than enough freedom.

In the boondocks, I cant see any houses and rarely see people.

Know the code laws can help folks make decisions.  I have none.

I beg to differ on one thing, land prices and home costs are not exorbitant in ALL the EU.  How much traveling have you done in Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal?  You won't be living with an ocean view, but homes with some land for gardening can still be found for under 100k if you are willing to toil over restoration and make a few compromises while the project is ongoing.  My 2 centimes

I find myself kind of like Anne. Presently, I have all the freedom  I desire.

BTW, I have spent a bit of time backpacking in Ecuador and Colombia. Lovely but far more dangerous than I want to remember.

My old college friend Griff fell in love and married a Colombian woman, after five adventurous years there, he was killed just for his motorcycle.  The police never investigated, as it was so commonplace. Yes, a mere anecdotal tale, but one that still stabs me in the heart.  Please be wary of greener pastures, please.  

Hey Nkolaj, wow, that's super interesting! So how long have you been living in Senegal for? What's the climate like there, are there any mountainous areas that have a cooler climate? Is it easy to buy land as a foreigner? What about visa situation and costs?

Nikolaj Vinicoff wrote:I have some personal experience which may be useful, I also have a video to go along with it which may give you some inspiration. I've been living in southern Spain since 2014, before that I was living in the Dominican Republic while working as a dive instructor - best time of my life! After some years in Spain, I too felt overwhelmed with all the restrictions and regulations the government forces upon its citizens, and this has just gotten worse over time. Anyhow, I ended up buying a car and packing it to the brim with my belongings to drive southbound toward the tropics of West Africa. Senegal is one of the more stable countries, politically speaking, of west Africa, and people are very friendly and hospitable. I ended up buying a couple of plots of land there which I am now developing, growing those very fruits you long to grow, and the earth is a pleasure to work with (sandy loam is more more soft to dig through than Spanish calcium-rocky soils, both for plant roots as well as for human fingers).. Had I the option to go back today and ponder some more about where I would choose other than Senegal, I might also look into tropical countries with 0% Tax scemes, of which there are quite a selection out there.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can share anything else.

Over this way, if you like freedom and warm how about the good old USA, in Florida or Texas, otherwise look into Costa Rica or maybe even Paraguay.  I have not been to any of these places, only talked with people who have or live there, and the internet of course, but those are places I dream about visiting or living.  I know people who moved to South Dakota in 2021, but they weren't going there for the beaches.

Aaron Grim wrote: otherwise look into Costa Rica or maybe even Paraguay.

Paraguay has a great 0% Tax scheme

Dareios Alexandre wrote: So how long have you been living in Senegal for? What's the climate like there, are there any mountainous areas that have a cooler climate? Is it easy to buy land as a foreigner? What about visa situation and costs?

Dareios. First visited the country in early 2023, liked it a lot, and did a couple more trips, then I went all the way in late 2024. US citizens get charged more for their visa than EU citizens. In my case, I pay a couple bucks and get a stamp in my passport, then I'm good to stay in the country for 90 days. Then I cross the borders, pay a couple more bucks, get a couple more stamps, and the 90 days restart. There is a way to get a 'carte estranger' which I guess is like a national identification number or a residency, which eventually I'll do so as to avoid the 90 day border crossing, but for now it's working pretty well.

Senegal is wet/dry tropics, with wet season running from about July to September, extending a bit on either side, and the dry season October to June +/-. It's lovely there. I'll share a video below of my trip there so you can see the land I'm developing along with climate and landscape for yourself.



There are mountains in the far east of the country (near the borders of Guinea - I also go there in the video), although being tropical it does not get cool. You do get a drop in temperatures for a couple of months, and evenings throughout the year are very comfortable, although many days get very hot. Buying land was pretty straight forward, the only thing you must be wary of is that the person you're buying the land from actually owns it. As long as you take care and have some good people help you then you shouldn't have any issues. Cost of land varies, but you can find some very good prices if you look in the villages, and some of these aren't far from the sea. To give you an example, you may find areas where 10,000m2 (1Ha) costs 15,000€ or less.

Thanks for the suggestions but I'm looking for a warmer climate.

Rico Loma wrote:I beg to differ on one thing, land prices and home costs are not exorbitant in ALL the EU.  How much traveling have you done in Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal?  You won't be living with an ocean view, but homes with some land for gardening can still be found for under 100k if you are willing to toil over restoration and make a few compromises while the project is ongoing.  My 2 centimes

Hard to not get political about it. So just some snippets as i do get the sentiment. Happy to see Senegale are friendly. i've heard in Southern Italy they pay people in some villages to go and live there if that's hot enough for you. The southern Spain region around Malaga is very dry and has quite a lot of international Permaculture minded folk. Also in the mountains there. So you could check that out on your way to Africa.

I am a bit perplexed, and am curious about your research or experience. You grew up in Canada,  correct?  And Prtugal is not warm enough for you to consider? It may not be a perfect spot, but is safe, friendly, and way ahead of most countries in Permie lifestyle.  We all have to make compromises in life, at least i believe that, so I respectfully ask you to consider all your viable options.  As stated here, on your way to Senegal, please experience Sicily...free stone houses if you restore them.....Spain and Portugal. You have nothing to lose, yet everything to gain.

I have been around quite a bit. Funny I like Romania as well. But it takes awhile to buy land or form a company there. And the EU silliness.Plus wars in the direct neighborhood too.

We really loved the Philippines.But there government seems to vacillate hard between political extremes.

I will stick with Southern Georgia USA. Great easy to use Sandy loam. People are good and few. Bugs would be the main detractor. But something is always flowering here. Every month of the year.

Hugo Morvan wrote:Hard to not get political about it. So just some snippets as i do get the sentiment. Happy to see Senegale are friendly. i've heard in Southern Italy they pay people in some villages to go and live there if that's hot enough for you. The southern Spain region around Malaga is very dry and has quite a lot of international Permaculture minded folk. Also in the mountains there. So you could check that out on your way to Africa.

This is where I am currently. Sadly I was not aware that there is a strong permaculture movement here! Any way you could put me in touch?

Darren Robertson wrote:I have been around quite a bit. Funny I like Romania as well. But it takes awhile to buy land or form a company there. And the EU silliness.Plus wars in the direct neighborhood too.

We really loved the Philippines.But there government seems to vacillate hard between political extremes.

I will stick with Southern Georgia USA. Great easy to use Sandy loam. People are good and few. Bugs would be the main detractor. But something is always flowering here. Every month of the year.

Spain and Portugal are lovely, but in my opinion Portugal has an edge over Spain in the way people are. People seem more laid back, things seem less expensive, beaches more accessible, cities more vibrant. Climate can be a bit cooler in Portugal compared to southern Spain due to its exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, but it's definitely worth considering. I would consider Portugal instead of Spain if I could go back in time and start over again.