Record Number of Americans Exploring Moving Abroad
Top Six Expat Considerations
Where Can I Live, is a UK company founded in 2018 that helps people relocate to different countries has seen a 193 percent spike in U.S. traffic since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade on June 24.
Many Americans are concerned about their freedom and loss of rights.
Add the number of American retirees has doubled in 2021 — looking where their money can go further we have a mass exodus.
With the uncertainty of American rights and safety, and money the search for where the grass is greener has hit an all-time high.
Where are they going?
In 2022, Mexico was the best place for expats, followed by Indonesia and Taiwan, according to the Internations Expat Insider 2022 Report. Of the 52 countries surveyed for the Internations report, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Kuwait were the worst places for expats. (Google July 24, 2022)
A victim of the 2000s Great Recession over 50 out of work club, I became a reluctant expat. Having lost my job and been unemployed for years I faced homelessness.
In an act of soup line fear, I booked a one-way ticket to Palm Tree World.
Anything I couldn’t carry, except my guitar and luggage, went with me.
I was crazy in a sick society.
Since the dawn of time, people have dreamed of paradise on Earth. Those places include Atlantis, Xanadu, Shangri-La, and recently, Bali.
According to the Internations report, Indonesia is also #2 on the expat destination list.
Is the Grass Greener?
The first major experience I had as an expat was finding a murdered tourist on the floor of my rented villa.
According to Greenback Expat Tax Services, about 9 million U.S. citizens are living abroad. The U.S. Department of State estimates. 1 in 4 American expats is “seriously considering” or “planning” to renounce their U.S. citizenship.
Not for all the tea in China, I am not one of those considering giving up their Passport. As long as I have a place to stay I return to the States.
Most expats I met knew little about the country or culture where they wanted to retire. Except they thought it was cheaper.
A common question I get asked by locals in my host country is why. Why would I want to live in their country? I’m from rich first-world America. They are from a poor, developing nation. What could be the attraction?
It is a good question.
Making mistakes goes without saying. We all make them. Try and learn and move on.
Reversing a course is not always so easy in a foreign country.
Having said that it’s hard to impossible to imagine what life is like in a country halfway around the world.
Not all visits or expatriation end in mistakes. My mistakes some I can write off as happenstance but others I own. What happened is not to suggest that it will happen to you.
The pandemic is over and Bali is booming again.
My friends think I’ve hit the big time living over there!
Every year a new wave of expat dreamers splash ashore. As many float away on a life raft. The turnover is dizzying and makes it hard to care who anyone is.
Internations don’t report how many expats go back.
Planning is key
Too often I read blog messages like where should I live? What’s it like? How much money do I need?
Consider all the positives and negatives you can find about your dream destination. Make an assessment.
But, there is nothing better than a reconnaissance mission.
I relied more on what I was being told by expats who had lived there for a long time. I had never met the expats in person and our connection was virtual.
Beyond a musician’s sketchy details, my research needed a serious fact check. I hadn’t a clue about what the country was like.
I read a guide published by an expat that turned out to be full of bad information. Tourist brochures are for tourists.
My life in a foreign country was a decision based on photos and words from strangers.
I was going there to live, not a nomad blog travel backpack trip.
Once I settled in.
The toilets lack soap and toilet paper. Packs of wild, rabid dogs abound. Restaurants lack inspection. Dengue and typhus are prevalent. If those things don’t get you a python in your kitchen cupboard or a drunken tourist on a motorbike will.
The locals are nice.
I did manage to live on $35 per day.
The Top Six Expat Considerations
Familial and friend dislocation
Accepting that not everyone where you came from will approve or care you might hear names like “runaway.” Including what I am doing is irresponsible, somehow bad, or selfish. Much of this response is jealousy and ignorance-based.
So many have had dreams that will never come to fruition. When they see the few who have they look for negativity.
Consider your new home in Bali has the largest Muslim/Buddhist/Hindu population on Earth. If you have an issue with that don’t try.
Most developing countries have ever-evolving laws and rules. The bureaucracy changes without notice. There is a lot of misinformation online and on non-updated Government websites. Tourist photos can deceive.
Opinions vary
When you’re on the outside looking in it’s hard to figure out. When you’re on the inside looking out it’s still hard to convey.
Poverty
Poverty is agonizing and even with the thickest skin, the pain will sink into your heart. If you are insensitive to the lives of have-nots you should choose a different home.
Readjustment disorder
Adjusting to an alien culture takes time. Go with the flow or talk to The Castaway “Wilbur” the painted soccer ball.
I ain’t got nobody I can depend on.
Self-reliance is a big part of living abroad. It is also a cultural trait of many developing countries. Even if supported by many we are all alone in the world. This can become magnified in a foreign country where language and cultural differences are to the extreme.
Be practical
Check if your health care needs will be met. Many of my prescriptions were not available.
Are you adaptable?
The trial and tribulations of a new set of cultural mores and language, entitlements, and the fact you are now the stranger.
Living abroad will test you to the breaking point. If you survive you’ll remain if not you’ll pull your hair and scream.
It’s difficult to live in a place where English is not well known and laws are Draconian. The reality you are familiar with turned upside down.
To survive and find happiness abroad, you must give up some of your beliefs, mores, and way of life.
A part of you must let go as you deal with things you do not agree with but must tolerate. This is difficult to do.
It takes a strong will to change.
A part of you will be gone. Few can deal with that.
No matter where you try and live the grass may always appear to be greener. Your new life abroad will come down to what you can tolerate.
To let go of your former life means a lot of things like living without creature comforts.
The takeaway is to prepare for the unexpected. Be flexible, adaptable, and patient, and learn the ropes. Without knowing the local language your chances of long-term survival are not good.
You will need help.
The expat experience has rewards but it’s not for everyone.
Good luck!
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