I booked a $200 flight to Panama on a whim, then decided to move there. I found the community I was missing in the US.

Chrysten Crockett moved from Atlanta to Panama City and said she's staying for good. Courtesy of Chrysten Crockett. Chrysten Crockett visited Panama during a trip to Latin America and fell in love with the country. She thinks Panama is more welcoming than the US and has a stronger sense of community. Crockett will still travel the world, but Panama has become her permanent home base. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chrysten Crockett, a Cleveland native who moved from…