BootsnAll Travel Community

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone - this is a really good thread. Almost anyone who loves to travel will probably eventually think of moving into another country and so this information is very handy. It doesn't sound as easy as I'd hope, but still plausible. Thanks again!

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I've been researching for several years on the retirement aspect, and I'm not opposed to "freelancing" a bit on the side for something to do, and make a bit of extra money.

Based on all of your research so far, braslvr, which countries are at the top of your list and for what reasons? I'm not opposed to "freelancing" either to make a bit of money on the side! Which countries seem easiest to do this in? Are you eventually thinking of buying a home in your chosen country or renting?

Well, that's one of the problems. A lot of places will not let you buy land. Maybe a condo or such, but not real property. I would like to buy, and so far Northeast Brazil looks to be one of the better options. Still looking though, and if everything else fit just right, I may be willing to rent.

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Originally posted by braslvr:
Well, that's one of the problems. A lot of places will not let you buy land. Maybe a condo or such, but not real property.

Chile and Argentina make it very easy for foreigners to buy land and obtain residency. Might want to give those options a gander if you haven't already.

HA, Ha! Expat? What does that mean?

I think I have been totally Expated!
<__>

OK, coming in late here (read about the controversy in this thread, heh).

I've been living in Oz since March 2005 (also lived in NYC for a while). My experience with being an expat is basically this: be positive, keep trying, be flexible, keep trying, be open to new things, keep trying, don't be scared, keep trying, don't expect things to work the way you are used to, keep trying.

Obviously it's always easiest to move to a foreign country with a job in hand. But that is a) not always easy and b) personally I don't want to end up in expat ghettos. I've turned down jobs that included living in expat cities.
Generally, you always have to look how you could get a foot in the door. In Oz, I recommend to enroll at a Uni. That will guarantee you a Student Visa. Once you are here, you can apply for a 'working extension' to the Student Visa. This will allow you to work 20 hours a week during semester and full time when there's no school. This has a monumental advantage once it comes down to finding a 'real' job. Often employers are reluctant to sponsor foreigners, simply because it takes too long. Out here, it might take up to 3 months for your visa to get processed. Obviously, most employers can't wait that long. However, if you apply for another visa in Oz, you are granted 'bridging visa' status. This bridging visa takes over the regulations of the last visa you held. If that was a Student visa, it basically means you can start working immediately (remember: full-time when there's not classes...and if Uni is over, there are no classes! Hehe.). That's how I found an employer who was willing to sponsor me for a 457 (Temp Long Stay Working) visa. Chances that it would have worked out trying from a tourist visa, would have been slim (plus illegal anyhow). I signed the contract 2 days before I would have been deported. You may call it luck. But there was also determination and a positive outlook involved in it (plus obviously, you need the skills and experience as well).

This much for Oz.

As for Expat vs Traveler: I love traveling. Probably always will. But, I will have to admit that you don't really 'understand' a country just from travelling. You get a glimps. You get a taste. You get a feeling. But you don't really KNOW/UNDERSTAND the country and it's culture. Only when living in a foreign country, you really start to get there. I have a completely different (and not necessarily better) opinion of Australia now than I had after traveling around Oz the first time. I think, if you 'fall in love' with a country during travling, you should give it a go and try to live there for a while, as opposed to go back to travel there again.

As stoo pointed out: before you go. Read about the countries legislation concerning immigration. Read about its economy, what skills are in demand, etc. Then decide if it makes sense for you to go there to 'wing it' or if you need a different approach. Always make sure you have some cash in a bank account that would buy you some time if it doesn't go according to plan in the beginning.

Hm. Yeah, I guess these would be my 'tips' concerning this topic.

All excellent points, elAdi. Thanks for all of the information. Becomming an expat is a lot harder than I thought! What exactly is a expat ghetto? Where are they? I sure don't want to end up in one so fill me in!

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Originally posted by bigmaude:
What exactly is a expat ghetto? Where are they?

A cluster of neighborhoods in Paris and Prague, Trastevere, Valencia, etc. Thankfully, there are few drive-by shootings, but there are a handful of gang initiations.

The one I've been 'invited' to was in Brazil. I was working for a global player and they have factories in Brazil. They offered me a job - which would have included accommodation. The accommodation was in a 'secure zone' and 90% of my neighbors would have been non-Brazilians. That's what I consider a Expat Ghetto. And something that doesn't attract me at all. That's why I turned the job down.

I'm sure you find them in many places that a) attract a lot of foreign employees of foreign companies and b) where living in the 'normal' parts of the cities is considered dangerous or inappropriate. One place that comes to mind is Dubai. Could be wrong on that one though.

There are Expat communities most everywhere. I think the "ghetto" portion in this context is mostly referring to isolated (secure?) neighborhoods, mostly in non-Western countries, for people who are employed by foreign corporations on the Expat plans that we talked about earlier. To greatly oversimplify, a bunch of foreigners who are there to make money who live next to each other and are trying to live a similar lifestyle to what they would back home as best they can.

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Originally posted by halfnine:
There are Expat communities most everywhere. I think the "ghetto" portion in this context is mostly referring to isolated (secure?) neighborhoods, mostly in non-Western countries, for people who are employed by foreign corporations on the Expat plans that we talked about earlier. To greatly oversimplify, a bunch of foreigners who are there to make money who live next to each other and are trying to live a similar lifestyle to what they would back home as best they can.

Like China town is Frisco?

Frisco, TX has a Chinatown?

I am confused by the use of the word "ghetto." To me that would imply unsafe areas. We have a ton of smaller communities here, but I wouldn't call them ghettos, necessarily.

Sorry, I am just confused about the use of that word.

I agree with halfnine's description.

The term is sarcastic and does not seem to be used in the context of permanent immigrant communities, poor or otherwise, such as the slums of Paris.

I'm curious about the possibility of an expat (especially an American) opening a business. I ran into an English woman in Turkey recently who owns a small secondhand bookshop. This would be a wonderful job - living in a foreign country and selling books! However, I was wondering if there were a lot of restrictions in place about owning a business.

As is with residence permits, the ability to own/run a business in a foreign country various wildly from nation to nation. Variables include initial cash required, local ownership/directorship, # of locals hired, and type of biz.

WRA, maybe you could narrow it down to a country/region and type of biz for us?

Oh gosh, I'm so far away from being an expat that I hate to narrow it down - but if I HAD to, it would be something like an English-language used bookstore in either Turkey or Italy (my 2 favorite countries).

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Originally posted by WhereForArt:
Oh gosh, I'm so far away from being an expat that I hate to narrow it down - but if I HAD to, it would be something like an English-language used bookstore in either Turkey or Italy (my 2 favorite countries).

Marry a local.

Often countries are interested in people who can invest money. I don't know about Turkey and Italy, but the U.S., Australia, Thailand, the Philippines (and possibly dozens more) have a visa for people who invest in a business in that country. The minimum amount required differs. If you have money to invest and would be interested in doing so - check out the countries immigration laws.

The owner of Hotel Empress Zoe in Istanbul is an American woman. I asked her how she got the place and she said something to the effect that it was before the money went bad, referring to the hyperinflation that the Turkish lira was experiencing for a long while.

It's not cheap (75 euro for a single) but a good value considering the location and the fabulous ambience Hotel Empress Zoe

I have been looking into obtaining Irish citizenship and found a site that has a lot of interesting info on becoming an expat or as I think of it, a "repat".

Living abroad