You Are Thinking Of Making The Leap

If you are contemplating leaving the United States for good then you are not alone. I can assure you that many people are having the same thoughts as you. Everyone has their own reasoning and unique set of circumstances for wanting to leave. Maybe they are dissatisfied with how their government is run. Maybe they don’t like the idea of slaving away at a job for years on end only to feel like they haven’t gotten any further in life. Or maybe they just want a fresh start elsewhere, away from everyone that they know and who knows them. No matter what their reason is, just know that many people are like you. Having a United States passport opens you up to 184 countries that you can travel to without a VISA, or obtain a VISA upon arrival. What that means is that you can get on a plane and go to 184 countries without worrying about if you will be denied entry. Other citizens of many countries don’t have the same luxury. When it comes to deciding the best countries for you to expatriate that will ultimately be left up to you. This is why going out and visiting countries is so crucial. If you move to a place that you have never been before and you hate it, you will have a very difficult time packing up and moving to a different country rapidly. And it will be the exact same thing as before, you have never been so you don’t know what to expect. You may hate it, or you may love it. Before you decide to permanently move to a new country I would suggest living there for 6 months. The “rose-colored glasses” usually fall off after the first 1-2 months and you get to see the good and the bad that your potential country has to offer. So far, I’ve only been to Mexico and Colombia.

What To Do After You’ve Picked Your Country

Now, you may only need to visit 1 country and stay there to know that it’s for you. For example, Mexico receives about 50 million visitors every year and many of those visitors end up staying permanently in the country. They simply fall in love with the weather, the land, and the culture. Now that you have your desired country you need to determine what is required for you to live there permanently. The reason that Mexico is so attractive is because it offers temporary and permanent residency visas for reasonable requirements. Meaning that you don’t have to make tons of money to become a temporary resident and then a permanent resident. Other countries make it much more difficult to obtain not only residency VISAS, but also entry VISAS. This is why it is imperative that you do your own research. Don’t base your future on where you will live the rest of your life on what’s in a YouTube video, or what someone wrote in an article online. Consult with officials from other countries and see exactly what you need to do. Unless you are able to get a retirement VISA, the best way to stay in your desired country long term is with a work VISA. This will pretty much allow you to live in the desired country for as long as your work for the company. This isn’t the only way, but it’s one of the most straightforward ways to live in another country almost indefinitely.

Preparing To Leave Mentally

Now that you have your country selected and you have figured out how to stay there long term now all you need to do is prepare to leave. This can honestly be the most difficult part. You will be preparing to leave family, friends, and a way of life that you are accustomed to living. And depending on where you are going it may be a huge culture adjustment. For example, moving from the United States to the UK may be far distance-wise, but culture-wise it’s not that much of a shift. However, going from the United States to Mexico won’t be much of a change in distance, but in terms of culture it’s enormous. Mexicans have their own unique culture and food and lifestyle that many in the US may have trouble adjusting to. Going to a place like Thailand from the United States will be extremely far in distance and very huge in culture difference. You will have many people try to stop you and dissuade you. They will tell you that you are crazy for leaving. You will hear that the place you are going to is very dangerous and that it’s safe at home where you are. Many people will try to put doubt and fear into your head. They are placing their insecurities onto you. They want to do what you are doing, but they don’t have the courage to make the leap. It doesn’t matter how many YouTube videos that you watch, or how many books you read. Nothing can prepare you for leaving the United States. When you decide to leave the United States you decide to take complete control of your destiny. You cease to be a rat in the race and you become a glitch in the Matrix.

Preparing To Leave Physically

If you know that you desire to leave the United States one thing that you can start doing before you ever decide where you want to live is start downsizing. Most people own too many items. Look in your closet and ask yourself. How many times have you worn that jacket, or those shoes. Look in your living room and ask yourself do you use the furniture that you have. It’s much easier to move across the world with a backpack and a suitcase instead of a U-Haul truck. If you have a family, then it’s understandable why you will have many items, but if you are by yourself then there is no need to have more than 2-3 suitcases max of all your personal belongings. All of my personal belongings can fit into a 2 suitcases and 1 backpack. This allows me to be extremely mobile and move wherever I desire. If I owned furniture and lots of clothing items I would be limited in the locations that I can move. Next, I suggest that you start saving money. Running into financial trouble in a foreign country can be a nightmare. Especially, if you don’t know anyone living there. You need to have as much money saved as possible. There is no such thing as having too much savings when traveling overseas. You may see a lot of videos about people living in certain countries for less that $1500 a month, but unless you are prepared to live like a local then you will use much more than that. Going out to eat everyday, catching Ubers, and general shopping can add up, even if you are in a country with amazing US dollar exchange rates. I don’t have a dollar amount because I don’t know where you are going, but from my research most countries in the world where people are moving (Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, etc.) you need at least $2000 USD per month in order to live comfortably. Anything less than that and you can really be struggling, unless you adjust your lifestyle. And $2000 per month is only $24k per year, so that’s definitely possible if you put your mind to it. If you go thinking that you can live on a budget of $1000 per month because you saw some YouTuber say it then you will be upset when you blow through your budget in the first 2 weeks. Not to mention medical procedures and other unforeseen costs can really add up. So always have more than you think you will need. And of course, live below your means. It will be tempting to live high and mighty because of what you can get for your money in a foreign country, but you don’t want to end up paying US prices in a non-us country. Half of your preparation will be physical (paperwork, savings, jobs, etc.), but the other half will be mental. Believing that you can do it and then actually doing it. However, if you plan accordingly you can succeed anywhere in the world.