Ask HN: Looking for tech city without hayfever risk in May/June

9 points by timdaub 1 year ago | 8 comments
Hi,

I'm allergic to grass pollen, and it has its season in May and June in Europe. So this year I want to try to escape Europe and to not get exposed to pollen. For this reason, I've been looking for places that:

- Have a nice tech scene

- No pollen in the air in May and June

- Affordable

- Safe

- the closer to Europe, the better

The best I could find for now was:

- Iceland (bit cold lol)

- Capetown (do they have a big enough tech scene)?

- Canary Islands (I don't want to be a beach tourist)

What other options are there? Also: Have you already done this, and what was your experience? Does this plan generally work?

  • flextheruler 1 year ago
    I would’ve said try allergy shots but I did earlier in the year and they gave me awful side effects worse than the allergies themselves. I also get side effects from allergy medicine. I’ve used Flonase which is not an antihistamine with moderate success. A room air filter could also help indoors.

    If you’re considering moving just because of the allergies maybe shoes are still worth considering. My insurance covered it and my allergies weren’t debilitating just annoying.

    • metadat 1 year ago
      Maybe a desert town with little or no vegetation. Somewhere in Nevada or Arizona, perhaps?
      • timoteostewart 1 year ago
        Not Central Texas (e.g., Austin)
        • ecesena 1 year ago
          I have hayfever in EU. I've been living in San Francisco for the past 10y+, no hayfever here.

          It's not affordable, but I'd assume the general area of north California / south Oregon should all be the same from a hayfever perspective (vice versa, I suffered hayfever in New York, so not recommended in the critical months).

          • Peroni 1 year ago
            Might not meet your criteria of affordable but I'm pretty sure Helsinki has a much lower grass pollen count than the rest of mainland Europe. Great city, great tech scene, great people, super safe, etc.
            • jonkiddy 1 year ago
              Perhaps Toronto, Canada?
              • mousetree 1 year ago
                > Capetown (do they have a big enough tech scene)?

                What does it matter whether there is a tech scene or not if you're just going for two months?

                • brudgers 1 year ago
                  - Affordable

                  The right combination of allergy medication might be the most affordable option.

                  Talk to your doctor. Good luck.