Everyone answers this question like they’re auditioning for a travel show. Bali! Patagonia! A castle in Scotland with questionable plumbing! Fine, but I’ve thought about it, and my answer is Lisbon. Not for the pastries, although the pastries are doing a lot of heavy lifting. It’s the light. Lisbon has the kind of golden afternoon light that makes you forgive your unanswered emails.

The city is built on hills, so every errand doubles as a hike, which means I could eat the pastries without consequence, or at least with fewer consequences. The ocean is right there. The coffee is strong and costs less than my dignity. And nobody in Lisbon has ever once asked me to hop on a quick call.

Would I actually move? Probably not. My whole life is here, and my couch knows my shape. But if you could live anywhere, you’d pick the place that makes standing still feel like a vacation. Lisbon is where I’d finally learn to be late on purpose.