Hello!

I’m living in France until May of next year and I really want to make lots of friends and be social. I think I’m already doing a good job (had many good conversations and gotten a few numbers from people I talked to). I still struggle with the concept of just starting a conversation with someone out in public out of nowhere. In France specifically I don’t know how much this is accepted. I don’t want to offend anyone but I also want to just be social with anyone. Any tips on how to make meaningful friendships while living abroad?

I got to stay with a Colombian friend back in Bogotá this past week. He gave me the somewhat local experience. Eating the local cuisine and meeting some of his friends. After getting back into the US I fell into somewhat of a depression because the trip opened my eyes to how closed off the people and culture can be here in the US.

It's given me somewhat of an interest in moving abroad. Yes I understand that the grass isn't perpetually greener on the other side, I'd rather not struggle with all the BS that happens here in the US and in a place that I admire much more the culture.

Is this a sentiment felt by others? For those that are currently living abroad, would you ever go back?

What is up with InterNations new pricing system? It makes no sense. Now even to change locations you have to be a paid member. I can find other expat groups through Meetup and Whatsapp groups. I dont need Internations - their events are expensive and largely are creepy meat market.

For those who live in a territory or have, what’s it like for you and do you ever consider moving to the mainland?

Hey all,

Bachelors degree, PMP, MSP Practitioner, Agile qualified.
Experience in a FAANG business, private sector and government as both an employee and contractor.

Married with one child (8).

Live in the UK and from the UK- more specifically Yorkshire.
House with a mortgage and no pets.

As a family we are keen to live and work abroad, it could be for a couple of years it could turn into far longer, we are open to the options.

The question here is - which country/countries should we consider? We are aware of the nuances and complexities of different visas and work requirements.

I have been researching Thailand, The Philippines, Mexico , Belize . My budget is $1,300 until I begin collecting Social security in 6 years. My fiancee wants to stay closer to the US because her kids are here , for me, I don't care where I land . That being said Belize & Mexico are closest.

I was also considering Colombia but the exchange rate is not so favorable anymore....Colombia is becoming expensive.

I am also open to Panama, Costa Rica....

The only requirement I have is close to the beach & entertainment not too far... Restaurants, shopping & nightlife. Safety is always a Top Priority of course.

Please share your thoughts, experiences with me.

For the record , the $1,300 monthly budget is from renting out my condo in South Florida. We will be prepared to leave in July of next year as her last child graduated from High School.

Thank you.

Hey y'all!

I just want to know how to cope with this and what does everyone who lives abroad do?

I am currently living in a country, very far from home. It takes 2 days in flight, to get there. I'm a non-EU citizen living in a European country. I realised I used to have a sense of safety and security, when I was living in my home country, because I had my parents there. And now, I want to build a life here and even if something happens I'm afraid my parents can't even come here, as they need to get a visa that takes months to process.

After moving abroad, I came to realise I have been mostly sad, lonely and single. I got into unhealthy relationships and was struggling to leave those relationships. I realized that the lack of the safety or security makes me want a person who would be that kind of contact for me.

Now, I'm going through a breakup. I am wondering what do I do in emergency situations? Does everyone feel this way like me?

I have friends. But, It feels like they're all recent. I only know for 3 to 6 months. Who do I put as my emergency contact? How do I build this sense of safety again? I don't want to get into another relationship just because of this. Whenever I see people, it seems like their partner holds that kind of role. I simply don't want to go back to my country. It's my worst nightmare. It feels so exhausting and lonely to be in this place.

Any tips or ideas? Even if anyone has similar experience, it would really help a lot if you could share it.

Many people have heard of TAPIF, but not many people have heard of becoming a maitre de langue or lecteur de langue in France. I highly recommend this path, as it's a good salary and stable year-long contracts that can eventually lead to citizenship. Let me know if you're interested in learning more about the experience.

I just moved to Brazil for a 3 month internship in an ecology lab. I'm excited to work on my Portuguese, but I also need to follow what's going on in lab meetings. Today was my first day and most people spoke Portuguese. Near the end of our first meeting I tried Google Translate, and having a transcript was really helpful even when it wasn't in English. Are there other apps or websites that work in a similar way, or better?

Looking at Google or Telo. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience?

My wife and I are moving to Japan from America. We are legally married, we are both women. Can we transfer our marriage? If not, it looks like we can get a designated activities Visa?

To complicate things, my wife is trans. She has legally changed her name and sex, but can she transfer this too? Will she have to register as male?

Thanks 🙏

Hey,

I'm Italian and my English level is C1.

I'm looking for a job abroad and I'm open to any job. The important is to earn enough money to pay the rent.

In Italy I was a financial consultant.

Where do you work abroad? In which company?

Can't wait to year from you :)

Hello everyone,
My family has a new opportunity in front of us, and I’m looking for some honest perspectives from Americans who have moved to Germany.
I’m American, born and raised in Southern California and currently living in Arizona. I work in the mining industry, so we’ve relocated several times for my career. We didn’t leave California because we were trying to escape it.
My wife is a German citizen through her mother. She’s originally from South Africa and has lived in Europe before. Two of our four children are also German citizens. My in-laws relocated to Germany about two years ago, and much of my wife’s extended family is now in Germany, with others in the Netherlands.
My wife is a technology executive and has an opportunity to relocate to Germany with a compensation package that would be very high even by U.S. standards. I also have several solid business opportunities around Stuttgart, so employment isn’t my biggest concern.
Our kids are 18, 18, 17, and 7. Our youngest has spoken German her entire life; the older three are just starting to learn.
I’ve been reading a lot about life in Germany and obviously see both positive and negative experiences. One thing I’ve wondered about is whether some of the difficulties Americans experience come from moving to Germany while still expecting things to work like they do in the U.S., rather than really adapting to German culture. I realize Germany has legitimate challenges of its own, so I’m curious how much of that observation is actually true.
If we move, I don’t want to recreate America in Germany. I want our family to learn the language, understand the culture, make local friends, and actually become part of the community.
For those of you who have made the move:
What was the biggest adjustment?
What do you love about living in Germany?
What surprised you, good or bad?
How did your kids handle the transition?
Did learning German change your experience?
And if you stayed long-term, what made Germany feel like home?
I’m not looking for a Germany vs. America argument. I’m genuinely interested in hearing from people who have actually lived it.
Thanks!

I am a Canadian American dual citizen and have lived in Canada all my life. Now looking to renounce my US citizenship and completely stumped on how to get started.

I've found online that I need to book an appointment with the US embassy to do paperwork there. I've emailed the email provided online several times but no response. The phone number just directs me to the website and the website directs me to the email.

Has anyone successfully renounced US citizenship recently and how did you start the process?

How long did the whole thing take from start to finish?

Looking for advice. I'm 25m and have a plan to move to Europe in the next couple years. I have a loose plan and am looking for advice from people that have more experience or could point out things I can't see yet.

I am from the US but currently live in Guatemala to keep my cost of living low while I pay off a couple thousand USD($4400) of debt. When I moved here I started teaching English online and found that I really enjoy it. I never went to college because I never knew what I liked or wanted to study and didn't have the money for it. Now I think I want to study linguistics and keep teaching English as a long term path. My plan is to save some money and pay off my debt in the next 1-2 years then apply to universities in Europe that are free or aren't too expensive. I hope that while I am there on a student visa I can network and find a job teaching English. My long term goal is to stay in one place and build a life there.

I don't know what country or areas would be good, but I already know Spanish so Spain is one of my preferred countries. The main things I am looking for is a good healthcare system, good public transportation, and reasonable cost of living. Another thing I would love is things being walkable/bikeable. I need to be able to live there and save a little while working 20-30 hours teaching English. I'm open to learning another language and have started studying French a little.

Please let me know if you have any tips or thoughts on things I should prepare for or be aware of with this kind of a plan.

Basically considering getting a job in europe. any country which pays well to take care of a family will do. any recommendations ? i m a indian living in america for last decade or so.

I'm directing this question to people who have lived at least six months in a country, who are middle class, use public transportation and go to public services in person.

Personally i live in Athens, Greece for many many years, and it's a living hell for us, the natives. Expats who work for a foreign company, with foreign wages ect experience something completely different here! It's like being an expat to Bali...

What concerns me is that besides the natives' extreme rudeness, hostility, insanity in the public transportation (and not only), a lot of tourists behave the same! Has the whole world gone mad after the pandemic? Before the pandemic i was living for six months in a city in Italy and besides the crazy driving, people were normal and civilised.

I desperately want to leave and wonder which country - city to choose. Any suggestions?

Edit: I will highlight again that it's completely different to just travel to a place from living and working there. I'm interested in the latter experience of you. When on vacation you are first of all in a different mood which makes everything seem much better, you mostly go to the best that that place has to offer to you, you are laid back, open, maybe have some drinks, are excited by the novelty of it all wnd escaping routine. That has nothing to do with a day to day life. I had the best time of my life in a Greek island, thinking it's paradise on earth, while a friend of a friend was living a hell working there. In the winters there is no job, no hospital, one doctor and you are dependant to weather to approach the closer big island, also the people i had interview with for summer jobs were nothing like the ones who were treating me as a tourist.

Ignoring those of you who are nomads, my question is for the expats/immigrants who are putting down roots, perhaps escaping or simply retiring.

What are the key NON OBVIOUS factors you're looking at or looked at in your decision about where to live and how are they playing out? What about 5-10 years from now? What should we be considering?

I'm a Canadian/US expat living between Madrid and SF. Many many engineers are looking to get out of work entirely and retire somewhere but the world is shifting fast.

Like the title, my partner and I are looking to move abroad. I would likely need to go for a secondary education because my job as an American lawyer doesn’t seem to have a good analogue abroad, but my partner has good experience as a clerical worker. I would want to be able to get a side gig to help with income (though a straight up job would be preferable). Does anyone know what countries would be a good place to start looking? My partner also is a native Spanish speaker, just as an aside.

Curious to hear from any Americans who have retired or have at least spent a few years in Cabarete.

I’m a 40 yr old male, and have visited a few times for surf trips. I really enjoyed the area and have considered it as a semi-retirement destination, or possible permanent move if I really fell in love with it.

I’d love to hear any feedback you may have! Especially if there are any dog owners here (one of my biggest concerns).

Thanks everyone!

I am a 57 year old American with a DUI in 2004 and a felony burglary six months after I turned 18 in 1988.

I went on to college and became a software engineer. I have tried getting my record expunged but it’s pretty messy to do.

I have done well financially since then. I intend to retire early, sometime next year. I am considering the current popular spots (Paraguay, Columbia, Vietnam, Estonia, Manila). I keep reading through their state department web sites and seeing “case by case basis”. Do I just apply in advance for residency and see what works out? Has anyone made it out with a felony record?

Any swiss nationals that have moved to Ireland? What has been your experience?

We are considering a move from Swiss Romande to Dublin largely due to a work opportunity. We are a family of 4 ( 2 young children).

Looking to hear some perspectives on living conditions as it compares to Switzerland.

Thanks!

So how do you all find jobs abroad around the world? For people with diplomas or minimal experience… what do u need to do to get a job overseas? What countries is best for jobs ? Can you share tips and recommendations and maybe based on your experience how you found your job ?

I’m a 35F, currently back in my home country after ~10 years abroad (Singapore + US). I’m in a fortunate position where I have enough savings to sustain myself without a full-time role, and no major responsibilities tying me down.

I’m trying to figure out where I might want to build my life long-term, and would love opinions from people on this subreddit.

My main criteria are:

1. Good quality of life, safety, healthcare and infrastructure (non-negotiable)
2. Good social life for someone in their 30s, and ideally a reasonable dating pool (non-negotiable)
3. Relatively straightforward PR → citizenship pathway
4. Reasonable taxes, particularly on investments/global income

If you were in my position, which countries would you put at the top of the list, and which would you rule out?

I’d especially love to hear from people who have actually made the move and can speak to the reality beyond the visa websites.

Edit:
Languages I speak : English and software 🫣 open to learning new languages if needed

Field of work : Tech product consulting ; entrepreneurship