How many of you have moved to another country just because?

[Aspasia]

I mean, I know you have to have a job there first. But I wonder how many couples have just said, "Hey, it would be awesome to live in_______. Lets find a way to move there." Does that happen?

 

I'm kind of a dreamer. I tend to think there's no REAL reason not to do anything we want. Dh is the opposite--super practical. So maybe I do just have my head in the clouds. It wouldn't be the first time. :D

[Laura Corin]

Oh, any number of times. Set off for China to teach for a year (when single) just to see what it was. Moved (as a couple) from Taiwan to California because we felt like a change. Moved (with children) from Hong Kong to mainland China because we were tired and stressed out and needed a 'sabbatical'. Ended up staying four years.

 

Laura

[NotSoObvious]

We tried to make Colombia work this year, but couldn't. We definitely want to do it soon though.

 

We have those conversations all the time!

[Pawz4me]

DH and I play with the idea of moving to another country for retirement. Ecuador, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal and Ireland are all countries under consideration. And we're open to considering others. Whether it will happen or not . . . who knows? But it's fun to think about.

[Laura Corin]

DH and I play with the idea of moving to another country for retirement. Ecuador, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal and Ireland are all countries under consideration. And we're open to considering others. Whether it will happen or not . . . who knows? But it's fun to think about.

 

Husband and I thought about this. But then watching my mother ageing and having ourselves experienced illness/distress overseas, we decided that we wanted to be old in a familiar country, where there was less difference to cope with and more familiarity to enjoy.

 

ETA: I heard a radio programme about British people who moved to Spain twenty or so years ago for a sunny retirement. They moved there when it was a cheap country and their pensions went a long way. Then Spain became more expensive and as the Brits grew older/less well they started to yearn for the security of 'home'. But many barely had the money to move back and had a hard time selling their overseas properties.

 

I'm sure that some people retire abroad very happily, but it's important to really try to visualise life/support/health care into old age.

 

Laura

[Aspasia]

Yes, I did that four times. The fourth time, I met my husband and stayed :).

 

How romantic! Which countries did you live in?

[Pawz4me]

I'm sure that some people retire abroad very happily, but it's important to really try to visualise life/support/health care into old age.

 

Absolutely. We wouldn't do it if we didn't have a comfortable financial safety net to ensure that we could move back home if/when we wanted to. And for that reason I suspect we'd rent rather than buy.

[J-rap]

We've hopped around a bit, but always had a reason that pulled us there before we really even thought of it: schooling, a temporary job opportunity, etc. Next year (after our youngest graduates from high school), we plan to to look for a rental down south....way south! At least for the winter months. But then, it's not really "just because" -- we have a daughter who lives there. :)

[Amira]

We love to live in other countries. Going "just because" is great because you can choose where you live. Mostly. We really, really tried to move to Uzbekistan a few years ago, but we couldn't get visas. Still hoping.

[Heather in Neverland]

Yep. Moving to Malaysia was a bit of a whim. We really didn't know much about it but there was a job here that looked interesting so we said why not?

 

It started with a desire to live abroad. Then a narrowing down of regions based on certain factors. Then we looked for jobs.

 

We have been here four years and counting. We love it. It is the best decision we ever made!

[FaithManor]

We had it fairly well set up to move to Thailand. VERY EXCITED! All of us...well, one ds who is not as adventurous was a little reluctant, but I truly think he would have loved it. One of his hobbies is archaeology so it would not have taken him long to fall in love.

 

It back fired when MIL had a health problem and neither of dh's siblings would assist in any way. She's widow and well, it would have been left to my brother and my folks to watch over her since they bailed. (She's a lovely lady too. They bail because they are self-centered and irresponsible. NOT because she is a problem.) My parents already had some health issues so we chose to stay put.

 

Once my dad's lung surgery and recovery is over, if mom is still doing well, Dh is looking for a three month to one year overseas gig with his new job. He already does IT management work for Germany, France, UK, Poland, India, China, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Canada, a couple of Latin American countries that I can't remember. His company policy is that three consecutive weeks is the max the company can send an employee with out sending their family too. The apartment/house and utilities would be free and dh would have a meal allowance that is generous. We would need to pay for our plane tickets and other needs. With the additional stipend added to his salary for taking the overseas assigntment, I think we would be financially fine.

 

It's not the two-four years of immersion in a foreign culture that I would have liked. But, I'll take what I can get! Well, okay people...I love our dear, Canadian WTM'ers, but I'm not looking to move from Canada for a year. :D

 

My sister is working on a master's degree in French. When she's done, she's going to apply for jobs in France and she'd like to live there for five years at the least.

 

We just recently found out that when my dad got out of the Air Force, a company offered him a very lucrative position in Spain. He wanted to take that job very badly. However, my grandparents, the heavy handed, authoritarian, patriarchial, don't ever do anything that we could ever construe as you putting one toe out of line because our expectations are ridiculously huge, grandparents...those ones....HAD A COW! They went ape crazy on him about how he was the eldest son and a loser if left the country because he had a responsibility to them. Of course, they were in absolutely fine health at the time and all three of his grown siblings lived within 40 miles of my grandparents plus a huge ton of their nieces and nephews so these people were not going to be without assistance in a crisis. Sigh....they were horrible to him. He declined the position, moved home, took over his father's business, and was miserable for a long time.

 

I now resent, after the fact, that I was not raised in Spain...in my head, I am the little girl with train pass in hand, waiting at the station to take my next adventure....where will it be???? Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy....next stop nobody knows! My sister and I are having a delayed period of mourning! :sad:

 

If you get the opportunity, do it.

 

Faith

[Farrar]

Dh and I have talked about it. He could telecommute and since he works nights now, if we moved somewhere else, he might have a more normal schedule. We traveled in Africa last year and I sometimes get dreams of living in Namibia now. So beautiful. The exact opposite in every way of where we live now - desert instead of forest, empty instead of packed. But it's just a passing idea, I think. I admire when people really do it.

[freerange]

Dh and I have talked about it. He could telecommute and since he works nights now, if we moved somewhere else, he might have a more normal schedule. We traveled in Africa last year and I sometimes get dreams of living in Namibia now. So beautiful. The exact opposite in every way of where we live now - desert instead of forest, empty instead of packed. But it's just a passing idea, I think. I admire when people really do it.

 

You not the only ones to have that idea.

[ElizabethB]

We lived in Germany for 4 years and enjoyed it.

 

I recently read an interesting article about why living overseas was an especially profitable idea right now:

 

http://postmasculine.com/work-overseas

[Laura Corin]

Just as a side note: whilst there will always be jobs for people with exceptional skills, it's probably worth looking at worldwide unemployment data when thinking about which countries to target: Asia might be a better bet at present than Europe, for example.

 

Laura

[Melenie]

DH and I decided, on our one year wedding anniversary, to move to the USA from South Africa. We were both born in SA and neither of us had done much traveling outside of the country at this time. DH worked for an international freight forwarder with several offices around the world. The next day he asked if there was an opening anywhere in the US and within three months we were in North Carolina.

 

We have moved around a bit in the US since and have traveled a little in Europe. I would be open to living in Europe for a year or so now that we have kids, but I would want to come back to the US in our later years.

[Giraffe]

Moved to Turkey. Fell in love with the country and stayed.

 

(DH is Turkish; we met in the US.)

[Hannah]

I returned to South Africa after my gap year in the Netherlands as I had a work-back obligation to the company that paid my studies, but my brother and sisters all got 'stuck' where they went by marrying a local (Taiwanese, Irish and Canadian) :laugh:.

[Aspasia]

I returned to South Africa after my gap year in the Netherlands as I had a work-back obligation to the company that paid my studies, but my brother and sisters all got 'stuck' where they went by marrying a local (Taiwanese, Irish and Canadian) :laugh:.

 

 

Oh my gosh, your poor parents!

[mumto2]

A few years ago dh gave me a choice of west coast(we were in the midwest) or England. Well I picked England. We ended up in the perfect place logistically for him. I had never set foot in this part of the country although I had visited close to 20 times. So I moved site unseen with the promise of moving on in a couple of years. I should be in Ireland now having already lived in Scotland for 2 years. Somehow we have settled. We moved to a little village and I like it. Knowing everyone is somehow OK now. I left a small town at 18 without many regrets other than leaving my family. I am so grateful for all the modern communication advances we have.

 

Like Laura I worry about being settled for old age. I want to be somewhere I understand most things. Where we are the locals have lots of slang. Dh completely missed a big joke today. Right over his head -- I had to explain it at home.:lol: That is the one thing life here taught me -- foreign countries, even if you speak the language, present something new and interesting most days. Even after several years!

 

All that being said I suspect when the dc's are no longer at home we will have another foreign move or two. This village could end up being the new homebase. The dc's would pack and go tomorrow!

[IrishMum]

We moved to Australia. Hubby had a great job in Ireland, family were near but it rained a lot, and we felt we were spending too much time indoors with our kids. So we thought, where would we get better weather? Hmm, Australia! We applied for visas, got them, packed up the house and got on a plane with our 4 boys, and arrived in australia nearly 7 years ago. It was a great decision. We love Australia! Ireland is fantastic too, just wet ;)

[Melissa in Australia]

Dh did. he came from Canada to Australia. met me and is now stuck here :laugh: :rofl:

[Embassy]

I always had a reason for moving so I don't know if I'd fit in with just because. I moved to Scotland and worked for a year for a sort-of gap year in the middle of college. My husband and I moved to Canada from the US several years ago, but he is a Canadian so it wasn't something we had to figure out. We are looking at moving to Asia in the near future though :)

[jar7709]

I have not, but I would love to give it a shot. Unfortunately DH has already moved internationally a few times in his life and expresses no interest to do it again, he likes it here. The international traveler is the homebody!

[Corraleno]

DH and I moved to England a year after we married, so he could do a PhD at Cambridge. Then, after about 6 years, when I was about to lose my mind from the unrelenting grayness of it all, we bought an old farmhouse in southwestern France, where I was blissfully happy. We kept the house in England and divided our time between them for a while, but couldn't agree on a permanent settlement —I wanted to live in France, DH wanted to stay in the UK (where he was born & raised). So we compromised and moved to the US, lol. Once the kids are off to college, I'd love to go back to Europe for a while. DH would like to spend a couple of years in Germany; I'd prefer Spain. I'd happily spend a couple of years in Asia, too, but DH won't go anywhere that he can't take his horses (and continue to compete).

 

Jackie

[Lanny]

We tried to make Colombia work this year, but couldn't. We definitely want to do it soon though.

We have those conversations all the time!

 

Sorry you couldn't make it work at this time. I remember your thread(s), months ago. I have lived in Colombia for 18 years. Hopefully, in the near future, it will work out and you can come down here. There was a one hour Travel show, on CNN International (and possibly on CNN USA also), a week or so ago, devoted to Colombia. Possibly they will repeat it, if you didn't see the it the first time they showed it. Anthony Bourdain (sp?).

[Lanny]

We liced in Germany for 4 years and enjoyed it.

I recently read an interesting article about why living overseas was an especially profitable idea right now:

http://postmasculine.com/work-overseas

 

I did not read the article you linked to, but, I would like to point out a couple of things to you, that you need to know, if you are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States:

(1) The U.S. Dollar has been extremely weak, for a number of years. (Can't remember how many years, but it is killing Overseas Americans).

(2)The United States is one of two countries in the world (the other is an African country) that tax based on Citizenship, and not based on Residence.

 

You can read more, on the web site of American Citizens Abroad, about Taxation and other issues, faced by Overseas Americans. http://americansabroad.org/

[Aspasia]

 

 

I did not read the article you linked to, but, I would like to point out a couple of things to you, that you need to know, if you are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States:

(1) The U.S. Dollar has been extremely weak, for a number of years. (Can't remember how many years, but it is killing Overseas Americans).

(2)The United States is one of two countries in the world (the other is an African country) that tax based on Citizenship, and not based on Residence.

 

You can read more, on the web site of American Citizens Abroad, about Taxation and other issues, faced by Overseas Americans. http://americansabroad.org/

 

Wow. I did not know that. So, do they have to also pay taxes in their country of residence?

[Corraleno]

Wow. I did not know that. So, do they have to also pay taxes in their country of residence?

 

Yes, but the IRS credits you for the tax you pay overseas. If the country you live in has a higher tax rate than the US, you wouldn't end up paying much if anything to the IRS. Plus if you are a foreign resident, the US exempts a certain amount of foreign earned income from US taxation; all unearned income (investments, capital gains, etc.) is subject to US tax, minus whatever was already paid overseas.

 

Jackie

[Audrey]

Yep. Moving to Malaysia was a bit of a whim. We really didn't know much about it but there was a job here that looked interesting so we said why not?

 

It started with a desire to live abroad. Then a narrowing down of regions based on certain factors. Then we looked for jobs.

 

We have been here four years and counting. We love it. It is the best decision we ever made!

 

 

Heather, I remember when you applied for that job and how excited and nervous you were at the same time. It was kind of fun to "live through you" vicariously. :001_smile:

[Audrey]

I am not sure if I fit the OP's question or not. I married the farmer-of-my-dreams and, in fit of love, decided to toss my former life to the wind and settle here (his home) instead.

[Hannah]

Oh my gosh, your poor parents!

 

Mom died when we were children so I think that played into it. No 'home' to come to anymore.

[NotSoObvious]

 

 

Sorry you couldn't make it work at this time. I remember your thread(s), months ago. I have lived in Colombia for 18 years. Hopefully, in the near future, it will work out and you can come down here. There was a one hour Travel show, on CNN International (and possibly on CNN USA also), a week or so ago, devoted to Colombia. Possibly they will repeat it, if you didn't see the it the first time they showed it. Anthony Bourdain (sp?).

 

 

And thanks for all your advice Lanny! We got nervous about a job and visas and couldn't quite make it all work. Low and behold, my husband is now self employed and we are moving to Florida. We are at least going to Bucaramanga for a few months sometime in the next year or so. Maybe that will give us the confidence we need to pull the trigger next time!

[Laura Corin]

If we did, I would much prefer England to Scotland, however. All it did was rain except on my SIL wedding day. I think it would be nice for dh family to be close to us and the kids. IDK.

 

 

 

FWIW, it matters much more whether you are east or west in the UK, rather than whether you are north or south. The prevailing, wet wind is from the south west; most of the rain has already fallen by the time it gets to the east. Here's a rainfall map ( you might need to choose 'rainfall' and 'annual' from the side bar). I live in eastern Scotland and it's much dryer than western England where I grew up.

 

Laura