Scouting trip protocol

Visit like you already live there

A holiday shows you a place at its best. These two weeks of small, practical tests show you an ordinary Tuesday. Tick them off as you go and keep notes — they stay on this device only and are never sent to us.

1. Days 1–3

   Live like a resident, not a guest

   Stay in a residential rental away from the tourist centre, and do ordinary things.

   • Do a normal weekly shopUse the supermarket locals use, not a gourmet market. Note prices for things you actually buy.
   • Carry the shopping homeWalk the route with bags. Notice hills, steps, pavements and shade.
   • Ride transit at rush hourTake the bus or train around 8am on a weekday. Was it reliable? Could you get a seat?

2. Days 4–6

   Test the care you'd rely on

   Healthcare is usually the dealbreaker. Check it before you fall for the view.

   • Take your prescription list to a pharmacyAsk whether each medicine (or a generic equivalent) is stocked, and whether you'd need a local prescription.
   • Time the trip to the nearest 24-hour emergency departmentDo it by the transport you'd really use, at night if you can.
   • Ask how a newcomer registers with a doctorAsk a clinic directly. Note language, waiting time and what paperwork they mention.

3. Days 7–9

   Hear the neighbourhood at its worst hours

   A street at noon tells you little. Go back when it's loud and when it's quiet.

   • Visit your shortlisted streets at 11pm on a Friday or SaturdayListen for bars, scooters, dogs and rubbish collection.
   • Return at 7am on a weekdayDeliveries, school traffic, construction, church bells.
   • Spend one ordinary, unglamorous dayRainy, tired, nothing planned. Does the place still feel like somewhere you could be content?

4. Days 10–12

   Look at homes with a critical eye

   View rentals you might actually take, and check what listings don't show.

   • Ask how the home is heated and cooledAsk about winter heating, summer cooling, insulation and typical energy bills.
   • Check for damp, mould and water pressureLook in wardrobes and bathrooms; run the shower; open windows.
   • Listen through the wallsStand quietly in the bedroom for two minutes.
   • Check stairs, lifts and step-free accessImagine the building ten years from now, with a knee injury.

5. Days 13–14

   Find the offices you'll depend on

   Locate the practical machinery of a life here.

   • Find the immigration or foreigners' officeNote how you'd reach it and whether appointments are booked online or in person.
   • Ask a bank what a non-resident needs to open an accountWrite down the documents they list.
   • Talk to three people who live here year-roundAsk what they wish they'd known before moving, and what they'd never give up.
   • Write your honest verdict before you fly homeOne page: what surprised you, what worried you, and whether you'd return for a longer trial.