Finding a Good Location (Part 1)

This three-part series is on finding locations to move to or visit.

It’s about finding locations (outside mainland US) with good outdoor air and good buildings.

This first email is about evaluating the location in terms of air, water and challenges you could face if you have MCS, MCAS or mold illness.

Part 2 and Part 3 list out 17 locations and what I think of them, plus I explain and link to examples of building types outside the mainland US that can be good.

Part 4 has a list of precise locations with Bnbs, hotels and campsites.

If you would like one-on-one help choosing an exact location and housing for you I offer that here.

Air

Let’s start with the obvious - air quality.

One of the only parts of the mold avoidance paradigm that I still subscribe to and I think is really helpful (if not taken to the most extreme) is the idea that there are outdoor toxins of concern that do not show up in regular pollution reports that make mold sick people feel that they are in a low grade moldy house.

These outdoor toxins are very obvious once you get free of them and then go back in them. In mold avoidance they are referred to as “MT”, cyanobacteria (this one can show up in mainstream reports but only when it’s really extreme) and “FRAT”.

However, I don’t think these names are precise, I don’t think most people can differentiate between the three and there are other outdoor toxins that feel different from these (in other words, there are more than three major outdoor toxins of concern, especially in tropical areas).

So don’t worry too much about the names which are influenced by speculation and groupthink in mold avoidance, but think of them as the outdoor toxins that contribute to keeping people sick from MCS, CFS, etc. For example getting free of “MT” usually results in a dramatic drop in MCS even if your limbic system is totally dysregulated.

In the Caribbean, I found areas with very pristine air and I also came across outdoor air that had us on our knees in one hour. This was a tropical toxin that was worse than the worst “MT” in its severity, but was something we don’t have a name for or haven’t tested. (And it wasn’t just me there that experienced it).

There might be a better chance in Latin America (Latam)/Caribbean that a rural area has good air than in the US, but randomly sometimes a rural area has MT or cyano, sometimes very remote areas even.

I doubt that there is any island in the Caribbean nor any country in Latam that doesn't have any good air pockets, so it's a matter of finding where that is.

However, please note that all countries, all states, and all provinces have good air and bad air, except for maybe the tiniest of countries like city-states. If you are going to another country because you don’t think your area has good air that is not true.

You do not need to leave your country to find good air. Though there could be other factors in another country that make a move or vacation worthwhile (like cost, access go health care, beaches, weather, etc).

Water & Winds

The air over the ocean/at the seashore is not necessarily “good air” (from here on “good air” refers to air free of toxins that are particularly relevant to those healing from mold, CFS, MCS, based on the mold avoidance paradigm).

The ocean often has sewage dumped in it, there is more and more toxic seaweed or bacteria (sargussam, red tide, or cyanobacteria), and other factors that lead to funkiness.

Man-made bays are also usually not as good locations.

It does seem like there is some positive effect from ocean water that is very turquoise, perhaps due to the minerals (you can absorb when in the water) perhaps mixed with the negative ions from the water.

But the water doesn’t have to be turquoise for that location to be good.

You can also encounter turquoise water meeting up with land that has bad air on the land.

I believe that this is why some people spend a lot of their time in the water or focus too much on the trade winds and if the wind is directly blowing on their lodging.

My opinion is that your location should be good on land and on water. And this is achievable.

My Background

I have a 5-year degree in International Development Studies, and my area of expertise is Latin America.

With CFS, and with some ability to pick up locations effect but before I really got hit by mold and then MCS: I worked for a year in Ghana and have backpacked through Morocco, Ghana, and Togo. In Latin America, I spent a few months each in Cuba, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

With a high level of mold and/or MCS I have travelled within the Pacific Northwest, Toronto, The Carolinas, Alabama, Florida, Spain (Malaga area and Canary Islands), Cuba (I’ve been there three times, once highly sensitive), South America (I have lived here for 3 years now).

I did have a high level of MCS when I first set out from the moldy tiny home and lived at Airbnbs, some hotels, and then in tents for a while.

I will give my opinion on some of the countries I’ve been to in part 2.

I am also immunocompromised and physically limited.

How to test a location

For me the most important thing part of all of this to have Andrew Huang (from Age of Enlivenment) do intuitive testing on photos to identify areas with good air and to identify good buildings.

He needs recent photos that have not been brightened or altered and are not so dark that they are blurry.

Recent photos means if it’s an Airbnb you need to send someone there to take photos.

He needs to see the same outdoor location in sunny and cloudy/stormy weather.

His readings are far, far more accurate than anyone's reports in the facebook groups. They are incredibly accurate. I don’t trust reports in mold groups anymore, so I’m not tracking those. The only thing you should trust more than Andrew is yourself.

He mostly tests for mold and related toxins bit also can identify high off-gassing homes.

He doesn’t test for fragrance so that is something you have to ask about.

For more about finding hotels and airbnbs when you have MCS and also some general guidelines for picking better hotels this article covers that.

This Substack series is more about the outdoor locations and building types that are better for mold.

Without Andrew’s testing you will be taking shots in the dark when going to a new country.

There is no reason to think that you will land in good air and in a non moldy house by just dropping a pin on a map.

me in Ghana

Checklist of what to consider when choosing a location

I’ll give a list of specific locations in the next email, plus example of good building types, but this is a list of things you should consider.

Disease potential

The vast majority of the developing world has high disease potential both via mosquitos and food and water.

I get sick very easily.

The quality of tap water has improved a lot in bigger cities throughout Latin America since I first started traveling, but in the majority of the developing world the tap water is still not safe to drink.

You will want to check government websites for other disease potentials that come from food, swimming in freshwater, mosquitos and other bugs.

Personally, I cook all my own food, I use bottled water to rinse dishes after washing them, use bottled water for all my cooking, drinking and brushing teeth, I avoid swimming in freshwater, and guard against mosquitos as much as I can if it’s an area with malaria, denge or chik v.

I also am avoiding areas with tonnes of ticks/tick borne illness after getting bitten in Florida.

Mosquitoes fogging in the Caribbean to control for mosquito-borne disease (also an MCS trigger)

Chemical sensitivity triggers

Possible unexpected MCS triggers include:

• way more potent car exhaust (less regulated, older cars, more diesel potentially)

• more cigarette and cigar smoke in public

• burning garbage smoke/burning plastic (this happens even in bougie areas of Latin America)

• highly scented cleaning products

• more cologne or perfume use

• increased pesticide spraying both inside for pests and outside for mosquitos

Other unexpected triggers might include

• charcoal burning

• wood-burning

• exhaust from boats

• other people’s mosquito repellant and sunscreen

• sargassum seaweed

• widely used incense.

These differ by country.

Also, unless you are in a bustling metropolitan city with a significant wealthy class and/or lots of foreigners it’s very unlikely you find any unscented personal care or cleaning products in stores.

Only international name brand hotels might have unscented laundry soap for sheets, otherwise expect lodging to be quite scented.

However, plug ins are very uncommon in Latam/Carib and also, almost no one has a dryer so there are no dryer exhaust plumes. Though I can still sometime pick up laundry smells from my neighbours.

I used to bring tarps to cover beds and my own blankets as well as my own scent-free products when I had MCS. You can also look at whether you can easily import scent-free products.

In terms of things you should ask about at a Airbnb or hotel when you have MCS this article looks more at that.

Weather

If you haven’t traveled anywhere hot for a while, this might be an unpleasant surprise.

You also should look at whether taxis, buses, and hotels often have AC (likely many or most don’t).

High-end hotels usually have AC almost anywhere in the world, but even then, not always!

Some areas are also very prone to regular power outages.

If you are reliant on AC in hot weather you have to think this through carefully.

On the opposite side, there are many high elevation areas that are cold to people who are used to indoor heating but do not have indoor heating at all. Bring a space heater or heating blanket.

The safety profile of the area

While many people do assume that developing nations are more dangerous, do not go based on isolated news reports or rumours. Look up actual statistics.

One of the biggest myths about traveling is people’s perceptions on which areas are dangerous.

I look at whether crime is isolated to certain areas or certain groups of people (like it’s only organized crime related, or targeted at tourists, etc).

What are the real risks and will they be likely to affect you in the area you plan to go to and the activities you plan to take part in?

There are many guides to safety for travellers out there. Look at those and then look at special circumstances (like is it safe to camp where camping is not the norm).

Usually big cities in Latin America are the most dangerous, and you usually get safer the more rural you get unless you are in a cartel controlled area.

Do they have the foods you need

Food in Ghana was delicious but it was very different than in Canada. It was hard to find imported foods.

The biggest myth is that rural regions in developing countries only grow organic food or that the default is organic. That is not true at all. Pesticide use is the norm amongst small farmers even in the villages I was in in Ghana and it’s certainly true in Latam. Organic foods don’t exist in many areas (except for maybe a few fruits that grow on trees).

Imported foods can be really expensive. If the only organic foods are imported foods (which is likely), they can be very expensive.

It might not be realistic to go gluten-free, vegan or eat all organic.

Supplements

Farmacias in Cuba are limited. Drug availability is limited. Supplements are also very limited. “Drugstore in Cuba” by Wagner T. Cassimiro ‘Aranha’ is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The availability of supplements is limited, sometimes severely limited (possibly nonexistent) in developing countries.

Some countries have high tariffs on imported goods and it may be extremely expensive for the shipping cost as well.

In some countries like Mexico, it is not legal to ship in supplements from abroad though you should check with iherb and Vitacost to see what they will ship into Mexico as they have figured out more than any other company the most ways around that.

Big cities will have some selection of supplements for sure but you want to check that before hand as well as check on if you can import supplements through stores like Vitacost (in the Americas) or a mail forwarding system.

Most countries will have some kind of mail forwarding that comes from a more developed country, but you have to check on what you are allowed to forward and import.

Type in an address in the country you want to go to in Amazon, Vitacost and iherb and then go through different categories to see what will ship.

Medical care

If you are on any medication you will want to check if that medication exists in the country you want to go to, and how easy is it to get.

You will also want to look at the quality of medical care, both clinics and hospitals. What kind of ailments (including emergencies) can they address? Which ones are not treated there?

How far away are you from a good hospital if something did happen.

How common is it that doctors and nurses speak your language (or do you speak theirs)?

How good is the dental care, can they do things like implants, do they have biological dentists? Don’t expect alternative health care – look up whether they have the practitioners you need.

Make sure you have travel medical insurance.

Is camping allowed or viable

Camping is mostly a first-world activity. If you plan on camping as your primary option or backup option, be sure to research the feasibility thoroughly.

If camping outside of a proper campground, check on the legality, safety, and general acceptance of doing this.

In some places in the Caribbean camping is basically out of the question unless you rented a house with a large closed in backyard. In other places, they won’t mind at all and I have found people that are very chill about it.

If camping is non-existent there, it’s most likely there are no stores in which to buy camping gear that may need to be replaced.

You can check if Amazon or Mercado Libre deliver to your area.

Noise levels

It’s possible and likely that developing countries will be noisier than Western countries – whether it’s traffic, roosters, howler monkeys, people who get up very early, or a culture of playing music in public places – this is another thing to know about.

If your sleep is highly affected by noise then plan your strategy accordingly.

I got stuck in Cuba’s week-long New Year’s celebration, woken by howler monkeys in Costa Rica, and my room was right by the community well in Ghana where everyone pulled water at 5 am.

What else…

There are many other things that could be different in your destination country.

Rocky roads can be bumpy and painful for many to drive down, they may not be conducive at all to wheelchairs. There may be very different cultural norms that influence the clothing you wear. They may not be tolerant of LGBTQ. There may be limited access to ATMs. Credit cards may not work there. There may be many safety precautions you need to take that you would not think of in your home country, etc.

I recommend the Lonely Planet as the first place to look.

OK that is all for part 1.

Part 2 & Part 3 cover:

• A list of actual locations you could go to and what I think of them. Plus my review on many of the places I have been to.

• I will explain the different building types you will find outside of mainland US and their propensity to have mold.

• I will also link to some examples of better buildings in each location.

• Plus where you can move to when on US government disability and how you can get a local residency visa.

-Corinne

If you would like to pick my brain on this topic I do offer this in email consulting. Please see the consulting page for all the details and booking.

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