I’m all up for hearing about making improvements in our lives.
With that, I recently read an article entitled “Considering a move? These are the best countries for Expats.”
The best countries to move to. For expats.
First of all, let’s clear up the terminology in that headline.
What exactly is an expat?
According to Webster, an expat is a noun that means a person who lives outside their native country.
Of course, the ability to move abroad is a privilege that extends only to people lucky enough to be in possession of the right passport, and the means by which to relocate.
CNN has reviewed some data on the subject. Because moving abroad means a deep dive into tax implications, work visas, health care and quality-of-life comparisons.
One especially helpful resource is the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations. The group, InterNations is an expat community with more than 5.1 million members.
And this little survey they have going has been running for a decade.
The data in this reflects input from nearly 12,000 expats representing 177 nationalities in 181 countries or territories. It talks about their satisfaction level with various aspects of expat life. All of this is on the basis of factors such as quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance, housing and language.
So, according to CNN, for all you roaming Americans seeking another country, here are the best ones.
(Item of note: This list has general advice for people making the move from anywhere in the world, but focuses chiefly on US citizens. )
Their list:
Mexico
Portugal
Spain
The Netherlands
Germany
Singapore
Costa Rica
Panama
Italy
France
Some of these are a no-go for me. Like Mexico. I would not move to Mexico if you paid me to do it. All of it. Too much crime. Their homicide rates are four times that of the United States, for one thing. People get dead in Mexico.
The other two places that don’t call out to me are Singapore and Panama. Costa Rica, not so much either. I’ve never been to Singapore or Panama, but I have visions of them. And my one trip to Costa Rica was not impressive. I’m in no hurry to go back.
All of the other places on this list seem like they’d be great to move to. I fell in love with both The Netherlands and Germany on my few visits there.
The article listed the pros and cons of each place. I’ll repost the link to the original article below. But for now, I’ll be staying in the United States. Unless the status of our government turns to a dictatorship. At that point, I’ll most likely head for Canada.
Link to article: https://www.cnn.com/travel/living-abroad-best-countries-for-expats/index.html?utm_term=1705318922461ad62488aff4d&utm_source=cnn_Five+Things+for+Monday%252C+January+15%252C+2024&utm_medium=email&bt_ee=1MZWhP62rHTI4OOls7HK3h%252B633H2HszuDnRKe5yWQpGeR7hXHMAFgJ2NjlA7kqHw&bt_ts=1705318922463
“”””””””””””
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” – J.P. Morgan
“”””””””””””
“Life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever.” – Peter Hagerty
“”””””””””””
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
“”””””””””””
You an expat? These are the places for you.
