As they hike to the group of glacial Seven Rila Lakes in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountain, Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers take in the cool mountain air and exhale slowly.

The US couple, who relocated last year to Bulgaria in the eastern Balkans, say the country’s “breathtaking” landscape of mountains, forests, mineral springs, lakes and rivers often stops them in their tracks.

When Thomson and Myers aren’t exploring beautiful lakes, they’re likely heading to “one of the old monasteries tucked into the hills,” a waterfall, or taking “a spontaneous drive that turns into a day trip.”

“There’s something deeply grounding about living in a place where nature isn’t just a destination,” says Thomson. “It’s part of your daily life.”

Nature calling

Americans Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers relocated to Bulgaria last year, after first moving to Mexico and Ecuador. Courtesy Jeremy Myers

So why did the couple, previously based in Denver, Colorado, choose to move to the southeast European country? Thomson and Myers explain that this isn’t the first time they’ve left the US to start a new life in a different country. They’ve done it twice before.

“I don’t know that I want to live and die in the country that I was born in,” explains Thomson, before stressing that they certainly aren’t “anti US,” but were keen to avoid living a “vanilla life.”

The couple — who’ve been married since 2007 and co-run a US-based wedding business, Blue Sky Elopements — realized years ago that they could work from pretty much anywhere and were determined to make the most of that freedom.

They made their first attempt at moving abroad back in 2012, when they relocated to Mexico.

But Thomson and Myers returned to the US after two