Fantasy time; Stay or go, and why?

[rdrr]

If you had no barriers to pick up you and your family and live somewhere else, where would you go or would you rather ride this to the end, and why?

If I could convince my wife and her kids/grandkids and my children I would go to Finland. Yeah I know about that pesky border with Russia, but this is my fantasy.

Should I Move to Finland?

Finland Why Finland? If you're looking for wide-open wilderness in a democratic utopia, Finland might be your best expat destination. Their high tax rate funds a robust education program, keeps their environment pristine, and supports world-class universal healthcare. The Nordic...

expatsi.com

 

[Cmaier]

If you had no barriers to pick up you and your family and live somewhere else, where would you go or would you rather ride this to the end, and why?

If I could convince my wife and her kids/grandkids and my children I would go to Finland. Yeah I know about that pesky border with Russia, but this is my fantasy.

Should I Move to Finland?

Finland Why Finland? If you're looking for wide-open wilderness in a democratic utopia, Finland might be your best expat destination. Their high tax rate funds a robust education program, keeps their environment pristine, and supports world-class universal healthcare. The Nordic...

expatsi.com

I’m not going anywhere, but i am trying to get citizenship in Austria so that the EU would be a possibility.

 

[Yoused]

but i am trying to get citizenship in Austria

You know who else was from Austria.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I don’t really have the means to leave and honestly I have no big plans anyway. So if my time is up as a result of all this so be it. But I am grateful to have our family cabin about 3 hours south of SF if I need to escape some big city chaos temporarily or permanently.

 

[Citysnaps]

I have a good friend (originally from San Francisco) who has been living in Portugal for the last six years - and loves it. Another friend will be moving there in a couple of months.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area I'm not planning to move. If I were looking to move I'd probably strongly consider Portugal.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Big take away from American veteran who has lived abroad and liked it - American culture is selfishness.

 

[rdrr]

I don’t really have the means to leave and honestly I have no big plans anyway. So if my time is up as a result of all this so be it. But I am grateful to have our family cabin about 3 hours south of SF if I need to escape some big city chaos temporarily or permanently.

We all need a place to get away, and that sounds fabulous. What if there wasn't any barriers to your means? Where would you go or would you still stay?

Big take away from American veteran who has lived abroad and liked it - American culture is selfishness.

I have also heard it the other way around, a lot of Americans that regret moving abroad. Mostly because they vacation somewhere and think that life 24/7/365 there is exactly like their vacation. When you move somewhere, you need to bend to their culture and language, not expect that the culture and language will change for you.

 

[rdrr]

I have a good friend (originally from San Francisco) who has been living in Portugal for the last six years - and loves it. Another friend will be moving there in a couple of months.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area I'm not planning to move. If I were looking to move I'd probably strongly consider Portugal.

My sister-in-law was trying to get us to invest in a build in the Azores, which I know is beautiful. For me thought the Azores is a bit too remote, and I don't like idea of moving to an Island.

I have heard about Portugal a lot, but I have also heard it's becoming expensive and there is some push back from the locals about all the Americans moving over there. I think I also read that Spain is giving a path to permanent residency if you invest in Spain and move there. I don't know how much of an "investment" you are giving.

I do have a pathway to Finland, since I have cousins over there I can apply for a family reunification Visa.

 

[Alli]

I'm still working on my husband to move to Belize. It checks all the boxes. It wasn't easy finding somewhere where English is the official language - just for him. I just don't want to go back to anywhere cold. Money is not the issue. Hubby has lived between two counties his entire life, has done little traveling outside a few cruises, and doesn't want to fly.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

We all need a place to get away, and that sounds fabulous. What if there wasn't any barriers to your means? Where would you go or would you still stay?


I have also heard it the other way around, a lot of Americans that regret moving abroad. Mostly because they vacation somewhere and think that life 24/7/365 there is exactly like their vacation. When you move somewhere, you need to bend to their culture and language, not expect that the culture and language will change for you.

I think I said in another thread I would move to Costa Rica for the diversity of nature. Since we're going full fantasy, I find the thought of living out my days living in and constantly adding to a steampunk type tree house appealing.

I've also heard there's a big difference between vacationing somewhere and living there, but I think people would be more willing to make lifestyle and expectation adjustments when the other option is a dystopian hellscape. But there is likely to be a big growth in expat communities. I'd say expect there to be America Town neighborhoods to popup in cities across the globe but thanks to Trump they would probably quickly get burnt to the ground, at least in the short term.

 

[Nycturne]

If you had no barriers to pick up you and your family and live somewhere else, where would you go or would you rather ride this to the end, and why?

I don’t really know. The thing is, there are places I’d consider, but there’s basically two issues that make show down on the idea. First is that for some places, I’d either be (or feel like) an outsider no matter how much I integrate. Japan for example. Visit? Sure. Live? Probably not.

Second is that as we see the rise of authoritarian movements across various parts of the globe, the question becomes, are you moving to somewhere that will hold out or not? Germany, Italy, and France are all having issues with the far-right surging, and Italy seems to be having similar problems as the US when it comes to the far-right wanting to entrench themselves now that they have a foot in the door. So I wonder if the places I would want to move to would actually be better long term, or would I just be setting myself up for "same problems, different scenery"?

But beyond that? I am honestly at a place where I’ve never been more disconnected from the work that I do, and the culture I grew up in. So if it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t even know how much time my mother has, and a cat that needs regular chemo, I’d probably be off traveling right now to see if I’m just being a bit paranoid and that there is someplace that is worth the upheaval, but also to try to shake off some of this malaise.

I have also heard it the other way around, a lot of Americans that regret moving abroad. Mostly because they vacation somewhere and think that life 24/7/365 there is exactly like their vacation. When you move somewhere, you need to bend to their culture and language, not expect that the culture and language will change for you.

Yup. I’d want to be somewhere I can actually integrate into. It seems a waste to move to a place with actual third places and not be able to benefit from them.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Second is that as we see the rise of authoritarian movements across various parts of the globe, the question becomes, are you moving to somewhere that will hold out or not?

I have a friend who was considering moving to Europe about 4 years ago and decided not to for this exact reason. His wife is Swedish so he has more direct information than just what the news puts out.

Even if there is a mass movement towards the left in Europe you're still going to have to contend with growing tension with Russia, and by European leaders' own admission if they have to ramp up military spending that means less public services and safety nets for their citizens.

 

[rdrr]

I don’t really know. The thing is, there are places I’d consider, but there’s basically two issues that make show down on the idea. First is that for some places, I’d either be (or feel like) an outsider no matter how much I integrate. Japan for example. Visit? Sure. Live? Probably not.

Second is that as we see the rise of authoritarian movements across various parts of the globe, the question becomes, are you moving to somewhere that will hold out or not? Germany, Italy, and France are all having issues with the far-right surging, and Italy seems to be having similar problems as the US when it comes to the far-right wanting to entrench themselves now that they have a foot in the door. So I wonder if the places I would want to move to would actually be better long term, or would I just be setting myself up for "same problems, different scenery"?

But beyond that? I am honestly at a place where I’ve never been more disconnected from the work that I do, and the culture I grew up in. So if it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t even know how much time my mother has, and a cat that needs regular chemo, I’d probably be off traveling right now to see if I’m just being a bit paranoid and that there is someplace that is worth the upheaval, but also to try to shake off some of this malaise.



Yup. I’d want to be somewhere I can actually integrate into. It seems a waste to move to a place with actual third places and not be able to benefit from them.

I imaging if I actually were to pull it off and move to Finland, that the integration part wouldn't be as easy. In Finland they make it too easy for English speakers, usually everything (signage, menus, etc) is in three languages English, Swedish, and Finnish. I know a few words, but to fully integrate speaking and reading/writing the language is key.

 

[Nycturne]

Even if there is a mass movement towards the left in Europe you're still going to have to contend with growing tension with Russia, and by European leaders' own admission if they have to ramp up military spending that means less public services and safety nets for their citizens.

I’d rather deal with tension with Russia while holding to some sort of values, rather than just rolling over and showing Putin our belly. But much like the far-right here is seemingly Russia-aligned, so are other far-right movements like AfD. So if you don’t like the GOP’s current Putin fetish, is Germany that much better if it turns out it’s only 5-10 years behind us?

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it seems like we are seeing more global left vs right movements rather than geographical movements in the last decade or two. That’s one of my current concerns.

I imaging if I actually were to pull it off and move to Finland, that the integration part wouldn't be as easy. In Finland they make it too easy for English speakers, usually everything (signage, menus, etc) is in three languages English, Swedish, and Finnish. I know a few words, but to fully integrate speaking and reading/writing the language is key.

Yeah, this type of accessibility is a double-edged sword. It helps you get settled faster, but can make it take longer to fully assimilate.

But I definitely wouldn’t want to move to a place where I am just failing to grasp the language, or the like, as it means being stuck at the periphery of the local community. If I wanted that, I could just stay home. Places like Japan are a bit different as they are the "nice, but exclusionary" type of culture, so it’s more that while you’ll have friends and the like, you’ll always be the gaijin. Even if you learn the language and customs.

 

[cbum]

After 45 y in the US, we are moving back to Switzerland.
I am also telling my (dual nat) son it's time to marry his GF of many years so she can follow him if he wants to do the same...

 

[rdrr]

After 45 y in the US, we are moving back to Switzerland.
I am also telling my (dual nat) son it's time to marry his GF of many years so she can follow him if he wants to do the same...

Have never been to Switzerland, but it's on my bucket list. That is if we are still going to be allowed to travel to Europe anymore.

 

[Yoused]

I heard that ArgoDuck has a spare room. I would just go to Kiwiland, if I had a sailboat to get me there.

 

[Buntschwalbe]

After 45 y in the US, we are moving back to Switzerland.
I am also telling my (dual nat) son it's time to marry his GF of many years so she can follow him if he wants to do the same...

welcome back.

 

[Buntschwalbe]

I heard that ArgoDuck has a spare room. I would just go to Kiwiland, if I had a sailboat to get me there.

That sounds like a super idea. I actually happen to know somebody, who has done exactly that.

 

[Nycturne]

I heard that ArgoDuck has a spare room. I would just go to Kiwiland, if I had a sailboat to get me there.

I'd love to be able to do some astrophotography from there. Haven't seen any of the southern sky yet.