FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

About I Could Live Here: A Travel Memoir of Home and Belonging by Ellen Barone

1. What is I Could Live Here about?

At once a travel memoir and a meditation on belonging, I Could Live Here follows writer Ellen Barone and her husband Hank as they leave their well-established life in the United States and embark on a decade-long journey across Latin America, Europe, and beyond. What begins as an experiment becomes a reimagining of home, love, loss, and what it means to belong—anywhere.

2. Is this just a travelogue?

Not at all. While it includes vivid, immersive descriptions of the places Ellen and Hank called home, I Could Live Here is “so much more than a travelogue,” as readers often say. It’s a deeply personal and honest memoir about identity, reinvention, and the emotional journey of creating a life through long-stay global travel.

3. Who should read this book?

This memoir resonates with anyone navigating change or searching for meaning, including:

  • Travelers, creatives, and curious souls

  • People at a crossroads—career shifts, life transitions, or personal reinvention

  • People exploring how to live abroad or take up a nomadic lifestyle

  • Those contemplating a life abroad or exploring a slower, more intentional way of living

  • Readers drawn to intimate, honest stories about identity, place, and belonging

  • Anyone who’s ever looked around and thought: Could I live here?

4. What makes this memoir different from other travel books?

Instead of a how-to guide or tourist recap, I Could Live Here invites you into the emotional experience of long-term travel. One reviewer said, “You don’t just read about these places—you feel like you’re living in them too.” Another praised its honesty in portraying both the joys and challenges of nomadic life.

5. What themes does the book explore?

  • Finding home and creating connection

  • Navigating loss and uncertainty

  • Redefining identity through travel

  • Aging with curiosity and courage

  • Relationships, reinvention, and resilience

6. Is this about solo travel?

Not exactly. I Could Live Here explores shared travel as a couple—how Ellen and her husband Hank adapted together to a lifestyle of “elective roving.”

But it’s also a deeply personal story, shaped by Ellen’s own reflections, routines, and independent explorations. The memoir balances partnership with the freedom and perspective that come from navigating the world on your own terms.

7. Where does the story take place?

Across three continents, including:

  • Mexico

  • Ecuador

  • Peru

  • Portugal

  • The U.S.

    Each destination becomes a chapter in their evolving sense of home.

8. What do readers say about the writing style?

Readers consistently praise the memoir’s:

  • Compelling and easy-to-read narrative style

  • Beautifully detailed sense of place

  • Emotionally rich and relatable voice

  • A truthful, resonant memoir that stays with you

9. Where can I get the book?

I Could Live Here is available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from leading retailers worldwide, including:

• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Bookshop.org

• Apple Books

• Waterstones (UK)

• Kobo

You can also request it at your favorite independent bookstore or library.

10. Is there an audiobook version?

Yes! The audiobook is narrated by the author, Ellen Barone, offering a uniquely personal listening experience. You can listen to a sample or learn more here >>

11. Will there be another book?

While I Could Live Here is Ellen’s debut memoir, readers have asked for more. You can follow her ongoing reflections, travel writing, and updates at ellenbarone.com.

12. Does this book offer insight into how to live abroad?

Yes—while I Could Live Here is not a how-to guide, it offers an honest, lived-in look at what it’s like to leave the U.S. and build a life through long-stay international travel. Ellen Barone and her husband share the emotional, relational, and practical realities of a nomadic lifestyle.