Many people find the idea of dropping everything to go live in another country for the entire summer appealing. Exchanging gray colors for bright ones, switching hard-working days with eternal holidays, and trading out grumpy faces of fellow citizens for smiling strangers is a total fantasy. It seems there are no disadvantages to living in the tropics!

Some people dare to ditch everything they know and leave for paradise. But spending time on an island for a short vacation vs moving there permanently are 2 different things. When one’s initial excitement disappears, the reality of tropical life begins — and not everyone finds it all that interesting. Many Bright Side authors are downshifters and can imagine for themselves what things can go wrong.

All the days start to feel the same.

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You can now buy European products in many tourist countries, but there are some things that are available only at home. These products are different for every country but are mostly unavailable in the tropics.

European food in Bali is much more expensive than local food. Good cheese, for example, is a rare thing. You need to change your food preferences drastically to be able to live a comfortable life here.

We’re not trying to talk you out of living in warm countries. For many people, a long trip becomes motivating and helps them to start fresh and see new horizons. However, some people eventually return to the starting point after becoming disappointed in their move. We’d be glad to know if our article helped you to make a more balanced decision about whether to move to the tropics or not. Have you ever considered downshifting or have you already experienced this? Please tell us about it in the comments!