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As they hike to the group of glacial Seven Rila Lakes in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountain, Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers take in the cool mountain air and exhale slowly. The US couple, who relocated last year to Bulgaria in the eastern Balkans, say the country’s “breathtaking” landscape of mountains, forests, mineral springs, lakes and rivers often stops them in their tracks. When Thomson and Myers aren’t exploring beautiful lakes, they’re likely heading to “one of the old monasteries tucked into the hills,” a waterfall, or taking “a spontaneous drive that turns into a day trip.” “There’s something deeply grounding about living in a place where nature isn’t just a destination,” says Thomson. “It’s part of your daily life.” Nature calling So why did the couple, previously based in Denver, Colorado, choose to move to the southeast European country? Thomson and Myers explain that this isn’t the first time they’ve left the US to start a new life in a different country. They’ve done it twice before. “I don’t know that I want to live and die in the country that I was born in,” explains Thomson, before stressing that they certainly aren’t “anti US,” but were keen to avoid living a “vanilla life.” The couple — who’ve been married since 2007 and co-run a US-based wedding business, Blue Sky Elopements — realized years ago that they could work from pretty much anywhere and were determined to make the most of that freedom. They made their first attempt at moving abroad back in 2012, when they relocated to Mexico. But Thomson and Myers returned to the US after two years due to challenges with “security” and “infrastructure.” The couple say that they found it difficult to run their business from Mexico due to constant internet connection issues. “Plus, I don’t think we were ready,” admits Thomson. “So we came back to the United States.” While they were disappointed that things didn’t work out in Mexico, the couple hadn’t given up on the idea of settling somewhere new. And nearly a decade later, they got itchy feet again. Thomson and Myers decided to try out Ecuador, a destination they’d traveled to in 2008 and “really liked.” After taking a six-week “exploratory” trip in late 2022 to determine whether it was the right destination for them, Thomson and Myers were ready to take the plunge. However, once they were back in the US, Thomson had some trepidation about leaving her family again — she and Myers both have children from previous marriages. So they didn’t actually move until a few years later. “It was 2022 when, between the political contentiousness in the country and just a desire for some adventure,” recalls Thomson. “I was like, ‘Let’s go elsewhere,’” recalls Thomson. Thomson and Myers relocated to Ecuador in 2023, along with their two cats, Damon and Pythias, and quickly threw themselves into life in the South American country, which is renowned for its diverse landscapes and wildlife. Determined to make a success of this move, they got an apartment in Quito and invested time and money into making it comfortable. ‘Bad fit’ But after 18 months of struggling to adapt, the couple were forced to accept that Ecuador was “a bad fit” for them. “We are introverts,” explains Thomson. “We’re not shy, but we like our quiet and our peace. And Latin American cultures are noisy. “The pace of life is very different than what we are accustomed to. And it just didn’t feel like a good mesh for our values.” Thomson points out that they were plagued by “frequent power outages” during their time there as well and it ultimately was an “entirely different place” to the destination they’d been enamored by back in 2008. After a nationwide state of emergency was called in Ecuador last year as an “internal armed conflict” broke out, Thomson decided enough was enough. “I just looked at (Jeremy) one day and said, ‘This is never going to end. There’s always going to be a strike, there’s always going to be a power outage… “We need to go somewhere that’s not in constant crisis,’” she recalls, conceding that she didn’t feel safe there. The US State Department currently advises US citizens to “exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to risk of crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnapping.” Thomson admits it took a while to convince Myers that they should pack up and leave yet another country. “The cost of living in Ecuador was quite affordable, but getting there was not cheap,” explains Thomson, adding that they ended up giving away most of their stuff in Ecuador to charity before they left. “You have to stay in a place for a certain number of years to recoup the expense of the exploratory trip.” ‘Narrow window’ Once they were both on the same page, Thomson and Myers remained in Ecuador while they tried to figure out their next move. Determined to find the right destination for them, the couple created an “oh so detailed” spreadsheet listing all of the places they could potentially move to, with France and Slovenia high on the list. Thomson and Myers explain that they wanted to live somewhere with good hiking opportunities, as they “like being outside,” as well as a strong international community and manageable weather. “We don’t like it too hot or too cold, I’ve a very narrow window,” says Thomson, explaining that the spreadsheet was useful as it “quantified everything” and “took a lot of the emotion out.” After whittling their list down to a few top contenders, they eventually decided on Bulgaria, mainly because it met their requirements and regulations would allow them to continue running their business while on a retirement visa. “It was pretty close between Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania…” says Thomson, adding that all three countries had “beautiful hiking,” natural landscapes, an affordable cost of living and similar weather. “We tend to gravitate toward mountain towns because we like things a little cooler.” Once they’d made their decision, the couple went back to the US to apply for a Bulgarian D visa, a long-stay visa for non-EU citizens that is required to apply for a Bulgarian residence permit, opting not to take an exploratory trip to Bulgaria beforehand. In December 2024, the couple arrived in Bulgaria to begin their new lives, desperately hoping that things would work out for them this time. They initially stayed in Sofia, before moving to the ancient city of Plodviv, known as the “City of the Seven Hills,” in southern Bulgaria, four weeks later. “We did not choose Sofia as a permanent home, because it’s a city and (Jeremy) rides a bike,” explains Maureen, adding that it was perhaps “too big a city” for them. Third time lucky? While they’re still finding their feet, Thomson and Myers feel that Bulgaria suits them immensely and they love the “relaxed” way of life there. Myers says he’s found that Bulgarians have a better work/life balance and are more focused on family. “Here they work, and then they stop,” he says. “In the United States, they never stop.” As for cultural differences, the couple explain that while Bulgarians can come across as “brusque,” locals have been hugely welcoming. Myers is also a fan of Bulgaria’s food as well as its “slower pace” and “unbelievable history.” “Of course, they have their own political problems,” says Myers. “But we don’t know what the heck those things are about. So we’re just kind of disconnected from that.” Although they admit to struggling to learn the language, the couple are determined to master it, and have found that locals are “so appreciative” when they make an attempt at speaking Bulgarian as “they know how hard” it is to learn. Safety has been a major factor for Thomson, and she says she can walk alone at night in Bulgaria without any worries — something she didn’t feel comfortable doing in Ecuador. “I do not worry about mass shootings,” she says, admitting that she used to “scope out the exits” whenever she walked into a new place in the US. “If I hear a loud bang, I assume it’s a car backfiring, as opposed to hitting the ground like I would in the US… That’s the big thing for me, I just feel like I can breathe.” While the couple admit to missing the “efficiency” in the US, where things tend to get done “when you want something,” this is a sacrifice they’re willing to make. “I’ll adapt before I expect Bulgaria to adapt,” says Thomson. Getting it right They’ve made some friends in Plodviv, but point out that the international community isn’t as “active” as they’d anticipated. Although they love their apartment and have settled into the community well, the city is “hotter than hell” in the summertime, says Thomson. So after around 10 months in Plovdiv, the couple are moving once again. This time to Bansko, a mountain ski resort town that they visited this summer and fell in love with. Thomson says that she finds it to be similar to Breckenridge, a skiing town in Colorado, while still “retaining the charm of a Bulgarian village.” The couple recently took out an 18-month lease on a three bedroom/three bathroom apartment located a short walk from the town square. “We are very excited,” Thomson adds, explaining that there’s “hiking all over the place” and the city is becoming a bit of a digital nomad hub. “I fit in well with the digital nomads, because I still work, and I guess I technically am one,” says Thomson. Perhaps most importantly, Bansko is “not hot in the summer,” says Thomson. While finding the perfect place has been far from straightforward, Thomson feels that Bulgaria is the right fit for them, and stresses that they have “no desire to move again.” “It is not cheap to move from one country to another,” she adds. Thomson and Myers have since launched a YouTube channel, Expat Journey, detailing their experiences moving from one country to another. They plan to go back to the US every now and then to visit family and friends, but stress that the visits will be few and far between, as they find the journey, which involves flying to Istanbul, and taking a 13-hour flight to Denver, “exhausting” and “arduous.” So would they ever return to the US permanently? Never say never. “We are very fortunate in that we have our health,” says Thomson. “But it would have to be some sort of an extenuating circumstance – a health crisis, or a political crisis.” Reflecting on their previous relocation attempts, Thomson jokes that “sometimes the second or third time’s the charm.” “We were saying, ‘When are we going to get this right?” she recalls. “But now that we’re in Bulgaria, it feels like we’re on the cusp of getting it right.”
