If You Could Live Anywhere: The Surprising Importance of Place in a Work-from-Anywhere World

by Melody Warnick

Overview

Even when your job can be done from anywhere, the place you call home still matters—a lot.

By the old rules of work, your dream career determines where you live. If you want to make movies, move to Los Angeles. If you want to work in publishing, you must be in New York. And if you're launching a start-up, you'll only succeed in Silicon Valley.

But with the meteoric rise of remote and freelance work, more people than ever are becoming location independent. Even doctors, teachers, and other people in more traditional occupations have to make tough choices about where they settle, because living in the right place can still make all the difference for your success and happiness.

So if work won't dictate where you live, how will you ever decide?

If You Could Live Anywhere answers that question. Melody Warnick unpacks the big-picture concerns that we often miss when we're writing pros-and-cons lists about potential destinations. Because the secret to being happy isn't moving, it's aligning your location with your values. You'll learn how to craft a personal location strategy that will make the most of your money, your community, and your life, with success stories from people who flexed their location independence to find homes and work they love.

The future of work is clear: it can happen wherever you are. So where do you really want to be?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728246901
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	637,169
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Melody Warnick is the author of This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Fast Company, The Guardian, Slate, Quartz, CityLab, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, O: The Oprah Magazine, Medium, Livability, and many others.

Table of Contents

The Anywhereist Manifesto vii

Chapter 1 When Anywhereists Rule the World 1

Chapter 2 You Need a Location Strategy 18

Chapter 3 Your Town Is Your Office 42

Chapter 4 All the Towns Want You 54

Chapter 5 Everything's Cheaper in Panama 76

Chapter 6 Don't Move to Silicon Valley 102

Chapter 7 The Colleague in the Neighborhood 124

Chapter 8 Your City Has an Inner Artist 147

Chapter 9 When You'd Rather Live Everywhere 167

Chapter 10 Smarter Places 192

Chapter 11 Beingthe Good Where You Live 213

Chapter 12 Happy to Be Here 235

Chapter 13 You Too Can Be an Anywhereist 254

Notes 269

Index 305

Acknowledgments 321

About the Author 325

Editorial Reviews

05/02/2022

This out-of-touch manual from journalist Warnick (This Is Where You Belong) offers remote workers guidance on finding a home base. Warnick suggests that those who are able to work remotely (whom she calls “Anywhereists”) should reconsider where they live, taking into account different locations’ economic incentives, such as Vermont’s grant program that reimbursed remote workers up to $10,000 to move to the state. She also highlights the benefits of moving somewhere with a low cost of living, noting that a cheaper locale could mean fewer work hours, earlier retirement, or being able to afford more nice things. On the importance of connection, the author tells how a Denver woman relocated to a small Oregon town and created a work community by opening a coworking space in an old opera house. The author’s glib treatment of gentrification will likely rankle some (she describes those opposed to unchecked development as “CAVE people—citizens against virtually everything”), and the advice is often impractical, such as the recommendation to “ask for what you want” from a town’s chamber of commerce before moving. This is a missed opportunity. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Fletcher & Co. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"“In the midst of the pandemic work-from home trend, this aptly timed book offers tips on how to capitalize on the opportunity to work from anywhere…. easy to read, intriguing, and informative.” - Booklist" — Booklist

"I just loved this book. Not only is it a practical guide on relocating for people who can work anywhere, Warnick’s research and insights are a primer on what makes an appealing community, and more importantly, how to to be a happy, contributing citizen of the place you call home." — Heather Lende, Alaska State Writer Laureate and New York Times bestselling author of If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name

"If you can live anywhere, where should you live? It can be an overwhelming question, but in this smart and well-researched guide, Melody shares practical strategies for finding an answer—and shows how choosing a place to live can be a vote for the kind of life you want. Highly recommended for anyone who works from home and wonders where home should be." — Laura Vanderkam, author of The New Corner Office

"If You Could Live Anywhere is a thorough, thoughtful, and inspiring guide for using location to unlock your best life. Whether you're seeking personal fulfillment, professional growth, financial freedom, or all of the above—Melody Warnick shows us the many ways we can choose a spot on this globe that suits our goals and needs best. Her mix of real-world success stories and practical advice is sure to give any Anywhereist the confidence to reevaluate their place. Heck, if this book had been around 10 years ago, it definitely wouldn't have taken me a full decade to leverage my own work-from-anywhere freedom!" — John Petersik, New York Times bestselling author of Young House Love

"In this illuminating, surprising, and inspiring handbook, Melody Warnick walks you through the important issues you know you must consider before pinpointing a new place to live, as well as highlighting ones you might have inadvertently glossed over. Even if you have no intention of moving in the next few years, you'll benefit from Melody's friendly prompts to refine your personal values and cultivate happiness no matter where you find yourself." — Anne Bogel, author of Don't Overthink It

"With remote work opening up the world to us, Melody Warnick’s data-driven approach guides us to the best place to call home. If You Could Live Anywhere is like a match-making service for people and places." — Ali Wenzke, author of The Art of Happy Moving

"This book is an upbeat, energetic and smart guide that anyone committed to optimizing her work-life-home balance should keep handy. Chock full of research and relatable anecdotes, I found it easy to read and super helpful, even as a framework for understanding the challenges and opportunities I have faced post many moves. I will definitely be gifting this book to many friends, who, like me are approaching their empty nest years with intentionality and a renewed sense of adventure. Melody's strategic Anywhereist approaches are both freeing and pragmatic." — Christine Kraft, author of Unpacked

From the Publisher

Katie Schorr’s sweet tones and gentle enthusiasm are perfect for this title, which aims to balance vision and practicality. In this age of remote and freelance work, the concept of living wherever you want is no longer a fantasy. The key is to understand whether or not various locations (including your current one) align with your values. Schorr’s narration has an optimistic and grounded tone as she lists the questions to ask and factors to consider in making the decision of where, or even whether, to relocate less daunting. This germane and intriguing audiobook provides valuable information and insights. M.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile