Last September, I decided to move to South America.

Naively equipped with 3 months of Duolingo, I didn’t have much of a plan except my first stop in Paraguay. I left Brazil 2 days ago. So here’s a breakdown of the journey (this email is a little longer, but if you like to travel, you’ll enjoy it),

Kickstarting in Paraguay

I knew I was in for a rough ride when I landed in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. The Uber app wasn’t working, so I had to order a taxi. I thought my basic Spanish would get me by, but I ended up paying 10x what I should have for a 20-minute taxi.

Welcome to South America, gringo.

But still, I was grateful to be there. I had stepped into the unknown, and I felt so alive.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Paraguay. I came here to get my residency. They have a tax scheme similar to Dubai, except you only need to be in the country one day per year.

But unlike Dubai, you don’t hear much about Paraguay.

My thoughts?

Surprisingly good. Almost everyone I met here said the same thing: it grows on you. It isn’t flashy, it isn’t full of tourists. But it’s safe, the food is good, there are great gyms, and the infrastructure is OK. And of course, the prices are great.

My favourite part was the people. Despite a few of them speaking English, everyone was super-friendly as I fumbled through the basics. There was also a positive, entrepreneurial air. I think this is because Paraguay’s economy is expanding, which is a stark difference from back home in the UK.

There were three downsides:

1. The weather. It sure beats the UK in the winter, but damn it gets hot fast. And it’s tropical, so there were some big storms too.
2. The traffic. Can absolutely suck. I tried to walk everywhere, but the walkability isn’t that great—especially if the streets are filled with cars.
3. The lack of green in the city centre. There are good parks a short drive out, but I like to have somewhere to walk outside my doorstep.

I ended up staying in Asuncion for 2 months. My plan was 2 weeks, but I had issues with documents in the UK, so I had to hang around. I also made a good friend, so I didn’t really want to leave (we met up again in Brazil later—which I’ll speak about in a moment).

The residency process was easy. I worked with a company that held my hand through it. I signed documents, went to Interpol, gave my fingerprints, and signed more documents (I understood none of it). A guy shook my hand, welcomed me as a resident, and I walked out with a little slip of paper.

Simple as that.

I took a long weekend in San Bernadino, a popular tourist town just outside Asuncion. Surprisingly, everything was in German. Paraguay is like their little secret! I rented a big villa there for around $100/night. It was perfect for writing.

But my desire to explore was calling.

So I ended up taking an 8-hour taxi to the border of Paraguay/Brazil/Argentina to see the stunning Iguazu Falls.

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu is a 1,300KM river that carves the border of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.

Crossing the bridge was absolute chaos. There was a 2-hour traffic jam, but I managed to pay someone to take me through backstreets until we popped onto the bridge and over to Brazil. I had no clue what was going on. My Spanish had not got much better, despite my terrible attempts to date in the language.

I spent my first night in Foz, Brazil. It’s a small city on the border.

My plan was to get an early night, but I met someone at an ice-cream shop, and 3 hours later I was in a nightclub. My party days are long behind me, but I love the Brazilian energy. Although it turns out that if my dating in Spanish was bad, my attempts at Portuguese were even worse. I stumbled home at 2 AM and woke up at 7 to visit Iguazu Falls.

Iguazu Falls is one of the 7 ‘new’ natural wonders of the world.

I went when I was younger, and remember being so awestruck that I would happily go again. I’m glad I made the shot. The size of the waterfall is incredible, and the power of it is insane. The boat ride I took was like nature’s ultimate cold shower.

The Brazil side of Iguazu falls is shorter, but gives you an incredible close-up of the waterfall. I spent 4 hours there, saw a wild black jaguar in the forest, then spent a few hours in the neighbouring bird park—which I really enjoyed.

I then headed back to my hotel, packed my bag, and crossed the border into Argentina.

I stayed the night in Puerto Iguazu. This is a small tourist town.

After 2 months in Paraguay, I loved the energy. I stayed in a lovely hotel with an epic view of the river, strolled the bars and restaurants in the evening, and then got an early night to head back into the park the next day (without a hangover!).

The Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls is awesome. If you can do both, I’d recommend it.

You can spend all day walking there, and of course, I did.

Although my favourite part was the small train ride to the waterfall. Why? Because sitting in front of me on the train ride was a beautiful girl who I was far too terrified to speak to. After sitting like a plonker for 20 minutes, I sparked up a conversation. We hung out for an hour and agreed to potentially meet up in Buenos Aires sometime.

Little did I know she would end up being my girlfriend.

But alas, I am getting ahead of myself.

After the second day of Iguazu, I crashed for one more night in Puerto. Then took a short flight to Buenos Aires.

Bouncing around in Buenos Aires

Initially, I did not want to come to BA because internet reviews weren’t great.

A lot of people said to avoid it because it was quite European, prices were high, and there were a lot of tourists. I went 5 years ago, but I was young and stupid and spent most of it partying. I figured I’d give the city a go for a month.

I fell in love.

I stayed in Palermo, which is tourist central. But I stayed true to my Spanish and only spoke to the locals. And yes, Buenos Aires has a European vibe. But damn, it is absolutely beautiful. The streets, the architecture, the food. The people are crazy passionate about everything. My one-month plan quickly stretched into two.

I spent my days writing my book, hitting the gym, and then going out to eat. I love eating alone, and boy, did I have my pick. There were hundreds of restaurants within 20 minutes of my AirBnb. I spent every night wandering the streets.

There are many beautiful parts of Buenos Aires. Some of my favourites were strolling the busy Sunday Market in San Telma, the chaos of Boca, the wide range of museums, and hanging out in Palermo Bosque — a lovely park with lakes. I also checked out the Theatre Colon, which was amazing.

One of my highlights of Buenos Aires was joining The Art of Living, a meditation/breathwork centre. I took a 3-day introduction course, which was tough considering it was in Spanish. But I made some good friends, and the experience also made me reconsider the nomadic lifestyle. I have felt better with deeper connections than spreading out superficially.

Before I left Just Buenos Aires, I did a 3-day silent meditation retreat about 8 hours west of Buenos Aires, in a lovely monastery. I got to see two more cities along this trip, including Rosario—Messi’s hometown. But this trip was a tiny fraction of the size of the country. In England, this would’ve been top to bottom!

The only downside of Buenos Aires was having my phone robbed, which led to 3 of my banks being emptied, my identity stolen, and losing around 800 hours of writing my first book. It was the toughest 3 days of my life, but it made for a hell of an email (you can read it here). It also brought me a lot closer to Carolina, as she was a rock throughout. I tell her the crime in her country is one of the best things that happened to me.

My 2-month trip extended to 4 months when I decided to spend more time with her. Despite her being unable to speak English, we ended up really close. I did not plan on getting into a serious relationship. I also knew if I didn’t hang around, I would be kicking myself.

2 weeks in Patagonia

I have always dreamed of Patagonia, and I was itching for nature after so long in the city. Carolina and I decided to visit Bariloche together.

We almost didn’t make it because Mr Genius over here booked the taxi to the wrong airport, but we arrived just in time.

Holy shit. It was incredible. Bariloche feels like a European ski resort, nestled on a massive lake, with the view of the Andes Mountains stretching across the horizon. Every morning I woke to watch birds glide across the water as the sun rose, the landscape shifting from shades of pink to glorious greens and blues.

Life in Patagonia was my cup of tea.

The days are long (at this time of year). I could write/work all day and finish with a beautiful hike, of which there were many. There were also many lakeside beaches for relaxing. And if you like road trips, the 7 lakes tour is amazing.

It is a little pricey, the traffic is balls, and I’ve heard the winter weather is brutal. But I will definitely be heading back for longer next time. I felt like a tit for only staying for 2 weeks!

I’d be amiss if I did not say the best part was asking Carolina to be my girlfriend during the trip. I pulled her out of bed to watch the sunrise and wrote her a letter because my Spanish still sucked. Turns out, I can be quite romantic on occasion.

Thankfully, she said yes.

We returned to Buenos Aires for one more month. But you can’t stay for longer than 6 months without triggering residency. I asked Carolina if she’d like to come with me to the next country. We spoke about Colombia, but I had two friends in Brazil who would not shut up about Florianopolis.

Initially, I told them to bugger off. I haven’t spent 6 months learning Spanish to be clueless again. But I relented, and I am very glad I did.

Florianopolis, Brazil

It was a 3 hour direct flight from BA, we came for 6 weeks.

This place is another paradise.

It is an island on the South coast of Brazil. My previous experience of island living has been that you gain beauty and tranquillity but lose infrastructure and convenience. But Florianopolis has it all. The island is stunning, with endless beaches and great hiking. The roads and buildings are well developed. The restaurants were fantastic, and there was a great gym.

It is also incredibly safe, which is important as safety is one of the negative parts of Brazil.

We rented a small apartment buried at the end of a quiet street. It was a 10-minute walk through the dunes to the beach, so we’d wrap up our days by strolling along the sand, or simply sitting and enjoying the incredible displays of nature. Both the sunrises and starry night skies were incredible.

If I had more time, I would definitely have learned to surf.

Carolina and I agreed that Florianopolis is one of the best places we have been to. And when considering settling down, this is a frontrunner. Aside from the occasional sucky traffic, and me learning the wrong language, I don’t have a bad word to say about it.

Wrap up & next up

Each place was special in its own way.

Paraguay is cool if you want to go off the beaten track (the tax situation helps). Argentina is stunning—Buenos Aires has a beautiful charm, and Patagonia is jaw-dropping. And Florianopolis is a gem if you want to enjoy a great blend of nature, good food, great vibes, and surfing.

I’m in Miami now, doing some banking stuff as part of my tax restructuring. It is the first time I have been to the US. I’ll write more about that once things have settled down. Then I fly to Toronto, Canada, to visit a friend I made in a cohort last year. Afterwards, I ‘pop’ over to Vancouver to headline for the The Future-Proof Creator Summit alongside Dan Koe.

And then finally, I return home to the UK.

…Which I'm most excited for.

The trip has been great. But the more time I spend away from home, the more I realise that the best moments are spent with friends and family.

Thanks for reading,

Kieran