At 26, I set off on a yearlong adventure to South America. It’s been 6 years, and I have no plans to leave.

Sinead Mulhern is happier after relocating to Cuenca, Ecuador.

I often think back to the day I arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador, the Andean city that accidentally became my home.

I was alone on a bus. The sky was dark, and because of plummeting high-altitude temperatures, it was freezing. Rows of Andean peaks stretched out for miles with no sign of civilization. At 13,000 feet, the bus climbed corkscrew roads cut into the mountains.

I tried to distract myself from my growing sense of unease, but all I could think was that I should’ve gotten on that plane back to Toronto.

It was 2018, and I was 27, halfway through what was intended to be a yearlong adventure in South America.

I spent the first six months in Colombia, but I’d just been kicked out of the country for accidentally overstaying my visa. Fortunately, this was well-timed with a visit from friends.

We backpacked around Ecuador and after a couple weeks, they boarded their flight back to Canada, while I jumped on a bus to Cuenca to continue exploring.

Despite the initial intimidation, it’s now been six years, and I’m happily settled.

The historic walled town of Cuenca is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I was craving a break

I moved to Toronto in 2010 to study journalism. The city has a lot to offer in terms of career opportunities and a vibrant arts scene, so I stuck around after graduating. But as the years passed, the city felt too fast-paced, I was stressed out, and everything was expensive.

During a short vacation to visit a friend living in Colombia, I decided I wanted to go on a longer adventure in South America. I noticed my friend’s well-rounded lifestyle: She hiked to waterfalls, learned Spanish, and danced every weekend.

When I returned home, my life felt limited, and I wanted what she had. So two years later, in 2018, I said goodbye to Toronto. My plan was to travel for a year and then relocate to another part of Canada.

I’d saved enough to cover a year of budget travel and had a few freelance clients. I figured that if I hated it, I had the privilege to just go home.

I didn’t know that my adventure would stretch far past 2018, through the pandemic, into my 30s, and rewrite my life trajectory.

I’ve enjoyed movies about women who quit everything and create a life elsewhere, but I never thought that’d be me.

Ecuador felt right

I gradually decided to move to Cuenca, about 200 miles south of Quito, Ecuador, after extending my visas and eventually being granted permanent residency. I’ve stayed in South America for the same reasons one might stay on any life trajectory, be it a location, career, or relationship: I feel stable, curious, and engaged. I genuinely like my life better.

I have a community, and there’s always something new about the culture to experience or understand. The early days of my adventure were a trial period. But at some point, between climbing mountains and strolling through blooming countryside, I thought this was a lifestyle I was excited to wake up for.

I’ve had some unforgettable experiences here, including summiting volcanoes, turning 30 in the Amazon, camping under the stars in the Andes, and swimming with Galapagos penguins.

The smaller cultural nuances make living here special. There’s a formal politeness I value: Strangers say good morning, dates get the car door, and at social gatherings, everyone’s greeted regardless of whether you know them. Sundays are reserved for family.

Every day at lunch, the city stops to enjoy traditional food, the sunshine, and each other’s company. People don’t put themselves last to work. They’re not burning themselves out just to get the scraps.

Mulhern and a friend enjoying a pool day in the valley of Yunguilla, close to Cuenca.

Unlike in Toronto, the cost of living is affordable

I rent a one-bedroom apartment with a beautiful terrace for $320 a month. A typical lunch costs $2.75. My monthly Pilates membership is $50, and I pay about $20 for acrylic manicures. I get most of my groceries from a market, where I buy two large bags of produce, coffee, and dry goods for $20. Most locals pay a few hundred less on rent, while higher-earning expats would typically pay more.

But with that comes consequences. El Mercurio, a local newspaper in Ecuador, reported in May that the arrival of foreigners is pushing up local rent.

As an expat, I try to contribute to the economy in a beneficial way. I mainly support local businesses: the bakeries, butchers, fruit markets, corner stores, and restaurants in my neighborhood; artisan markets for furniture and decor; and Ecuadorian craft beer when I go out with friends.

Ecuador is a hot spot for North Americans who’ve chosen to relocate. Reports on the 2022 Ecuadorian census found that 14,424 Americans lived in the country. It’s sixth on International Living’s 2024 global retirement index.

But it’s not just pulling those in their later years. In 2022, the country also launched a digital-nomad visa, making it easier for younger workers like me to live and work in the country.

I don’t take my cost of living lightly. In Canada, inflation, housing shortages, rising rents, my generation moving back in with their parents, stressed-out food-bank systems, and a shrinking middle class often dominate the conversation. These are serious issues. If I lived there, I know I would struggle.

Living in Ecuador has nudged me to better define my personal values. Time in nature, an active lifestyle, fresh food, time with friends, and creative work are now essential to me. I wouldn’t live in a place that required me to sacrifice any of those.

Life here isn’t perfect. I’ve witnessed political instability and dealt with daily power outages due to drought.

My reality is running past goats by the river and finding energy in the Andean mountains, things that initially terrified me.

This lifestyle hasn’t been perfect, but I’m grateful it’s mine.