This may be of use to you
We don’t find Bayonne very hot. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean keeps the temperatures down. We haven’t had one day over 30 degrees yet this year. It’s a university town.
There are plenty of non-French restaurants which would cater for your type of diet. Public transport is good and cheap too.
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Something to think about if France proves difficult for relocation.
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You may need to have some qualifications though. And speak German.
Agreed. But it may be a little less restrictive than French entry requirements.
Portugal and Spain have just introduced new visas for non-EU digital nomads (online yoga classes?) who don’t need to earn huge amounts of money per month. I think the Portuguese threshold is €800 and the Spanish one €1000 - Portugal’s a rising star and somewhere like Oporto aka Porto might be interesting - good university, cooler Atlantic coast and a happening place. If you’re working internationally online command of local language is less essential - tho’ obviously something to acquire.
Incidentally EU raised meat, whether red or white doesn’t contain growth hormones! And if you buy from a butcher instead of a supermarket, the animal was probably raised traditionally, outdoors in a field rather than in an industrial cage.
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Hello Sunshine lady! I applaud your desire to leave the US and to start fresh in Europe. But it’s a long and arduous road for a non-EU citizen all the way around.
Many comments by members have been right-on. I suggest you visit different regions before you commit. Just getting a long-stay visa can be very difficult unless you have sufficient income from States or are able to get into a University program here. Everything else is secondary.
I’m American and moved to Lyon, France 10 years ago at 59: no job, minimal French, no friends/family here, and had never been to Lyon before. My move was predicated mostly on the fact that my only child decided to make Europe her home. But I had a Bachelors degree, corporate business experience, TEFL certificate and one year’s experience teaching English at a language school in San Francisco and had made many pertinent inquiries re. work opportunities before I landed. Plus I had early-retirement income.
I researched ALOT via forums (expatforum.com mostly) for advice and recommendations. Recommend you do the same for planning purposes far in advance.
I’ve done very well here teaching at universities, business and engineering schools and for private companies offering English to their staff. ALL as an auto-entrepreneur (self-employed contractor). Lived in Lyon 5 years, Montpellier for 4 years and now reside in Strasbourg in north. Became too hot in south for me so moved up north. PLUS my daughter lives in Luxembourg now. And I have permanent residency so no going back to US for me.
Hope this is helpful. Wish you the best of luck. Hope you can make your dream come true!
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Also stuffed full of vegetarian and vegan cafés and restaurants. Had the best vegan meal ever there.
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Portugal nice country low wages compared to France but that’s relative also a thriving cash in hand economy be careful when translating working under the table when applying for bar work 
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must confess we loved our extended time in Portugal and would have visited again (by ourselves this time) if covid hadn’t hit…
Being introduced to a country by folk who were born/raised there, certainly gave us a useful insight, which we might have missed completely if visiting just as “tourists”.
and, yes Porto was great… 
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this is brilliant!!
thank you so much 
i’ve added it to my list of places to look into!
we can handle some high temperatures as long as that’s not the norm. we currently live in bend which can get pretty hot in the summer but the average is around 29 degrees celsius but can make its way up to 37 but it’s not very often and only lasts a few days to a week. but mind you, this is a dry heat so it’s not nearly as hot as the 37 degrees plus high humidity that happens near the ocean.
Sounds like you’ve been there. As an Art Lecturer (?) you would have visited the Museu Serralves?
There was an exhibition of Yoko Ono works when we went - in the height of Uk lockdown in June (?) 2020 if I remember - Portugal had just exited and there was a Ryanair flight…
Dear Sunshine Lady, 10,000 (dollars or euros) is so not enough. To prove you can pay your bills and not be a burden, you have to prove to the France authorities that you have a job already, and/or proof of income of far more than that, before they allow you the titre de sejour. You have to prove your income is satisfactory for five years. Each year, you have to apply and prove before they renew your titre de sejour for another year. Keep saving. And keep doing your research. ADHD drugs like Adderall are illegal here, as it looks like you already know. Stay in the US, and get a lot closer to retirement. Save save, save. Learn French.
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Actually U
Actually, no! But I met some people from there at a U of Lisbon conference and that sparked my interest. The other advice I’d previously dug out for an old girlfriend who’s a web-mistress (her term not mine!) in Toronto. Apparently techie people rent out their expensive apartments and move to a less expensive country.
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thank you for weighing in! i have also posted on expatforum as well as a fb expat group (the forums have been significantly more helpful). i’ve decided that i am going to take a trip there in sept and check out a couple of places and also hopefully make some connections. i think getting a year of college level schooling here will be my best bet because i’ve pretty much decided to focus on the student visa unless something happens that opens a door to employment. i think it’s so sweet that you moved out there because your daughter did 
What exactly do you mean by college level schooling? I think you will need more US qualifications than you have at present in order to get into a university in France.
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And you will probably have to pay fees as well. After a certain age, education is chargeable as my son who returned to uni after a two year break found out to his cost of €4000 to take his CAPES and then validated with Masters to teach here, payable every three months as he had to take a weekend and evening job to finance it. He already had a degree from a french university so that made it easier than being someone who just rocked up and wanted to study.
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