When I first moved to a remote island off the coast of Alaska, I expected everyday life to be full of inconveniences.
Although my island is one of the largest in the US, it's mostly untouched wilderness and accessible only by plane or boat. The community I live in is also quite small, with just over 5,000 people.
Before I arrived, I pictured having incredibly limited access to basic necessities, struggling to order anything online, and constantly having to leave the island whenever I needed to buy groceries or run errands.
Fortunately, since arriving here a year ago, I've been able to do everything I need to do more easily than expected — though I've had to adjust how I plan and execute certain tasks.
Most of all, I've learned that convenience doesn't necessarily mean having endless options right outside my door.
We can still get online orders, despite being in what feels like the middle of nowhere.
Even though there are more options on the island than I expected, including coffee shops, fresh seafood stands, and grocery stores, there are still things I can't easily find locally, like certain clothing brands, specific car parts, or specialty household items.
Luckily, when I need something that isn't available here, I can still order it online despite not being in a major city.
Amazon and other big online retailers are still part of my life, and can deliver packages to me — it just takes a couple of weeks instead of a few days, and shipping can sometimes cost extra.
Living on an island didn't mean sacrificing reliable internet.
Despite being on a more remote island, my internet connection has never been an issue.
In fact, I've been able to maintain a career that depends on an internet connection. I work as a full-time content creator, which means I spend a lot of time filming, editing, communicating, and uploading content.
Fortunately, reliable internet has made it possible for me to complete all my work on the island rather than move to a more populated area.
Travel does require more planning, but it's easier than I expected.
Travel is one area where living remotely requires more planning, but it's not as difficult as I anticipated.
There are regular flights to and from the island — with the nearest one to Anchorage being about 250 air miles away —but I still have to account for the weather and the possibility that plans may change.
A typical trip off the island can take most of a day once I factor in connecting flights and time getting to and from the airport. Sometimes, when poor weather or flight delays come into play, I've spent more than 24 hours trying to reach a destination.
As long as I plan accordingly for long travel days, including closely monitoring the climate conditions, they don't always turn into the tedious adventure most people assume.
Even though I have fewer places to eat and shop, I've enjoyed relying on the local businesses.
Because my community is pretty small — a town of about 5,200 people with surrounding villages bringing the total population to around 12,400 residents — I often recognize people when I'm in town.
A lot of these familiar faces run local businesses, and supporting them has become a natural part of my routine, whether I'm grabbing coffee, buying essentials, or going out to eat.
Although I have limited options for dining and shopping, I've come to appreciate having a handful of reliable places where I know the staff and exactly what to expect.
There's something meaningful about regularly recognizing familiar faces and feeling so connected to local small businesses — things I don't think I would have if I lived in a bigger city.
Because nature is my backyard, I never have to go far for outdoor adventures.
Before moving here, I enjoyed spending time outside, but living in this environment has encouraged me to make outdoor activities a much bigger part of my routine.
I hike, trail run, paddleboard, and explore areas around the island. I don't necessarily have to plan an entire vacation around doing those things.
If I have a few hours free, I can often use them to get outside and explore.
When you're surrounded by mountains, water, trails, and wildlife, it's easy to find a reason to spend time outside. For me, that has translated into being more active and spending more of my free time outdoors.
Ultimately, I've been able to maintain a lot of the life I had before.
I originally thought the biggest adjustment to living on an island would be everything I couldn't access. Instead, I've noticed how many parts of my everyday life I can still maintain.
I can get groceries, order things online, work from home, go out for coffee or dinner, exercise, travel, and spend time with other people in the community. I just sometimes have to approach those things differently than I did before, often with more patience.
Living on a more remote island comes with tradeoffs and limitations, but I've learned to embrace it. I may no longer have every convenience I'm accustomed to, but living here helped me realize I need fewer conveniences than I thought.
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Arwa Moore writes about travel, lifestyle, and personal experiences.
