Why I Love Living in Goa, India

I’ve just realized that I’ve written a lot about this tropical slice of paradise in the last few months while I’ve been living in Goa, but I haven’t actually told you perhaps the most important thing…

I’ve told you about the best beaches and parties, given you ideas of things to do off the beach, shared my costs of living, recommendations for the best places to stay and how to find a house to rent in Goa. 

So I thought I’d covered everything, but then I realized – I’ve written so much about Goa but I haven’t actually explained why I love living in Goa so much!

So Why Do I Love Living in Goa So Much?

I guess the truth is that I can’t really explain why myself!

Is it just me or have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to place? Have you ever fallen instantly in love with the feeling that this place gives you – something intangible, you can’t really see it or touch it or explain it, all you can do is feel it and fall in love with the vibe, the energy and everything about it.

Ever since my first visit to Goa on my first, whirlwind, trip around India, Goa had been calling me back. The pull grew stronger and stronger until I could not resist it anymore. And when I returned I was rewarded with some of the happiest months I’ve ever spent.

Ever felt like you just belonged somewhere, like you were right where you were meant to be?

This is how I feel about Goa, and I can’t quite explain how much I love this place, every day that passes here I find myself almost overcome with joy, I feel so lucky to be here living in Goa and it’s gonna break my heart to leave!

Sure, the warm weather and the tropical beaches help, the charismatic red cliffs and green paddy fields scattered with white washed Portuguese churches and colorful temples.

Add in fresh seafood, rich curries and colourful markets; the infectious energy and life of India, the swish of a sari and the smell of sandalwood, spices and sea breezes, and not forgetting vibrant orange sunsets over the Arabian sea that never fail to mesmerize me.

The fact that I can live a comfortable life for very little also helps too, I love the luxury of time to pursue my passions and the freedom to live life my way, unconstrained by responsibilities, worries or the daily grind.

It’s not just me though, so many people decide to make Goa their home or return for holidays year after year. In fact, I have fallen in love with a totally new kind of community here.

Every day I’m inspired by the hippies, yogis, artists, free thinkers and soul searchers that have also come to love this corner of India and settle here for months on end every year. I’ve even met some who have never left since the heady days of the ‘hippie trail’!

I take huge pleasure in the simple things in life, I love to feel the wind in my hair and the total freedom to explore on my bike, zipping between villages and beaches without having any real destination – just going where the wind takes me.

Sometimes I think – how can I feel so at one in a country so unlike my own?

In the end I still can’t really explain why I love this place, it’s just a feeling, but then maybe that’s all I need to know, why over complicate things.

If you want more tips for Goa check out my Goa travel guide and all my other Goa blogs here.

Has somewhere stolen your heart on your travels and begged you to stay a while?