What makes a good sabbatical location? Well, that’s up to you! 

Your purpose should inform your general location. And maybe you already know where you want to go. It’s a pretty big decision… are you sure? 

We ended up picking Arles as a home base in France. A town that wasn’t previously on my radar. Took a risk and it paid off. Big time. Financially, socially, soul-filling-wise, etc! I would be delighted to write about why Arles is awesome in a subsequent post, for now, let’s stick to planning. Read on for a glimpse into the foresight tools I used for selecting a sabbatical location. 

First quick lesson: What is STEEP-V?
An acronym that stands for Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, and Values. As a designer, I use this framework regularly to help me see the bigger picture and make more informed decisions. It’s also a way to categorize your trends, which might make more sense when you read the second quick lesson below… 

Second quick lesson: What are trends? What is trend scanning?
Trends can be defined as emerging patterns of change. Trend scanning is the act of gathering information about emerging patterns of change. Think of it as hunting for clues as to what could be possible in the future. As a futurist, I do trend scanning at the beginning of any project to better understand what factors are dominant now, and what factors might become dominant in the future.

With me so far? OK, Great! Now, let’s apply a futurist mindset to help you nail down your getaway location.

1. Define your location criteria leveraging the STEEP-V framework

Mine looked something like this:

• Social: Can I easily build community within 3 months? Is there life after the summer season?

• Tech: How fast is the internet? Transportation - how do I get around town, the region, and across the country? 

• Economical: What is the cost of living? What is the cost of getting around?

• Environmental: How close is it to the ocean? What is the average temperature?

• Political: Is it safe?

• Values: Does it align with my personal values? Is there a design/art scene that can inspire me?

2. Trends Scanning

• Ask around: Ask people you know & people you don’t know. “Hey I am thinking of taking some time off work to explore XYZ… what do you know about it?”

• Desk Research: Read the big articles (like Conde Nast Traveller guides) and the little articles (like local news papers). If you can speak/read the language, try doing a Google search for results that aren’t in English. 

• Social Media: Search location and follow relevant accounts on Instagram to get a feel for the location’s vibe

My purpose and location went hand-in-hand: I wanted to improve my French and spend time in a warm climate, so somewhere in the south of France made perfect sense. But where exactly… Nice? Aix-en-Provence? Turns out, neither.

Arles came onto my radar through STEEP-V. I read somewhere (likely on someone’s obscure travel blog) that many creative Parisians moved to Arles during the pandemic. This was my first gut hunch that said: this is it, this is your location! It reminded me of another city exodus closer to home - when creative Torontonians fled lockdowns and pricey rents for more space and vibrant communities in the likes of Prince Edward County. Perhaps a personal dream that went unlived. The more info I gathered about Arles through trends scanning, the more I fell in love with it.

Trend scanning started in March. We booked an apartment in Arles in April, feeling risky. And when Jacquemus announced that his Fall Winter 22/23 fashion show would take place in Arles in June, we literally jumped for joy. Arles was already on the map for various reasons, but Jacquemus just amplified it. This influx of creatives was amazing for Arles’ social, design, and arts scene, but had a negative impact on the cost of living - average prices of Airbnbs went way up. We went from feeling risky about our location decision for months to feeling validated about Arles’ creative community and lucky to have locked down affordable housing months ago overnight. Bam! And that’s the power of strategic foresight. 

A bientot!

Milena