I recently saw a post on Quora from someone wanting to leave the United States. He said something like “I can’t stay here forever, where should I move”. Well, that’s a tall order. If you can pick anywhere in the world, where would you relocate? Well, the world is a tad big. So let’s narrow that down.
Passion. The first question should be to ask yourself if you have a passion for any particular place? Most people seem to have a particular place that speaks to them. Some people I think are even better suited to cultures that they were not born into. I had a friend in my study abroad program that I thought fit better into the Austrian culture then she did her own native American culture. Now is your chance to experiment.
Cost of Living. Seriously check this out before moving to another country. Below is a list of the ten most expensive places to be an expat/expatriate. You should, however, be wary of deals that are too good to be true. For example, is it a great cost of living but you’ll have to put your kids in private school. Check here for further details
1. Hong Kong (China)
2. Tokyo (Japan)
3. Singapore
4. Seoul (South Korea)
5. Zurich (Switzerland)
6. Shanghai (China)
7. Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)
8. Beijing (China)
9. New York City (USA)
10. Shenzhen (China)
Weather. This seems like a silly one but consider the weather about it before moving. If you are a beach person and move to Germany those long winters might be hard on you. How much rain does your new home country have per year, will that depress you? Please take this advice from someone who moved from Texas to Germany. I had a Vitamin D deficiency and depression during the first year.
Standard of Living. Will you maintain the same standard of living in your new home? Perhaps you could have a higher standard of living? For us, on our move, I would say we lowered our standard of living but improved our work-life balance. That was a win in my book.Family. If you have a family take their needs into account also, or you will have an unsuccessful venture. Schooling, work opportunities and socialization all have to be considered before deciding to move overseas.
Family. If you have a family take their needs into account also, or you will have an unsuccessful venture. Schooling, work opportunities and socialization all have to be considered before deciding to move overseas.
For more specific ideas check out my book on Amazon.
Moving Overseas 