Where To Flee
Social Security Screening Tool for foreign residency | The US State Dept Travel Advisory (interactive map)

Last update: October 30, 2024

THIS WEB SITE COMPILES INFORMATION FROM ACROSS THE INTERNET AND BOOKS ABOUT THE BEST (and worst) PLACES TO MOVE TO.


Retiring to GreeceMSN Money Talk

Brief (38 second!) video report that explains in a succinct way how $1500 per month makes for a comfortable retirement on some of the Hellenic islands.


Europe's nine best places for expatsAOL News

Article gives a concise overview of costs and other requirements for living in nine European countries. Mentioned are: Crete (Greece), Bordeaux (France), Sofia (Bulgaria), Kenmare (Ireland), Tuscany (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic), Braga (Portugal), The Hague (Netherlands), Valencia (Spain)


How a robbery gang focused on expat victims in SpainSomething


Tax responsibilities for USA expats in PortugalPortugal News


Election year focus on expat voting

Story at Marketplace


How to get a Golden Visa

Story at UK The Times 

The discussed countries: Malta, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Cyprus, Turkey, Hungary, Monaco, Caribbean, Thailand and Australia.


Financial planning for expats in SwitzerlandBM Magazine


The top cities for transitioning from USA to Mexico

Story at MSN Mexico Solo


Living on $73K in Reykjavik as an expatNBC New York


Where Americans can obtain legal foreign residency relatively easily

Story at Forbes

Brief overviews of Indonesia, Montenegro, Panama, Portugal, Colombia, Greece and Philippines



How Antigua and Barbuda are attracting expat workersForbes

Antigua Beach

Article emphasizes the role of the UN program "Small Island Developing States."


How Portugal is remaining a favorite expat destination

Story at Invezz


How an American couple searching for a new home found one in Kritsa on Crete

Story at CNN MSN – a main feature of this article is the purchase of the home for $150,000.


Expats flowing back to Australia due to strong jobs marketAFR


With a massive expat community of more than 300,000 people from all around the globe Barcelona is an "expat magnet" – UK Express

Map of Barcelona


The ups and downs of an American expat in Hong KongD Journal

Map of Hong Kong


Successful expat moving and living tips from a veteran

Story at MSN Money GO Banking Rates

Figuring out how to retire abroad can be a mess, but it’s the dream of so many people. Over 450,000 Social Security recipients live outside of the United States. In a 2024 Monmouth poll, Americans are more interested in settling abroad than fifty years ago..."

One of the suggestions in the article is to find like-minded people already in the location you want to go to by looking at all the Expat groups on Facebook, then after joining the group, to "not be shy about asking questions" of the people who are already there.


The American expat community in Jaco, Costa RicaThe Costa Rica Rews

The promotional-style language of this article is strong, but it still provides an interesting overview of the location and the expat possibilities.

Map of Jaco in Costa Rica


Zakynthos Greece

The island of Zakynthos, Greece (also called Zante) - see photo expanded and larger


Expat novel The AnthropologistsReview of the book at MSN The Atlantic

It is the idea of a "complex whole" that characterizes the Turkish writer Aysegul Savas’s latest novel, appropriately titled The Anthropologists. The book follows a young married couple, Asya and Manu, as they drift through an unnamed city, mingle with their fellow expatriates, attend apartment showings, and otherwise indulge in dreams about the arc of their futures. It is a novel that takes as its subject the texture, routines, and rituals of a particular lifestyle—itinerant and youthful, or at least untethered by children—and serves as sort of a field guide to its participants: those who live "without a shared native tongue, without religion, without the web of family and its obligations to keep us in place." As such, Savas has written a book that reads like a fictional ethnography...."


Expat pension risk due to "maze" of regulationsBloomberg

For the millions of expats who leave pension pots behind as they job-hop through the world’s financial hubs, retrieving that money has become a costly experience fraught with peril..."


Mint's look at best and worst countries for affordability

Story at Live Mint


Mumbai remains most expensive location in India for expatsZeebiz

Map of Mumbai


Again this year: Hong Kong and Singapore top global list of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriatesBusiness Times

And Swiss destinations also remain high.


World's "most expensive" cities for expats

Story at CNN News

The report examined 226 cities based on the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location. Transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment costs examined.


Expat Secrets of Mexico

Is Mexico a land of enchantment and easy living or a dangerous nightmare best avoided at all costs? Misinformation abounds about Mexico.... 223 pages, Amazon

Written in an easy-to-read manner by an international bestselling author and Mexican resident of 16 years. It reveals eight of the best locations for expat living on virtually any budget, and comprehensively describes everything you've ever wondered about relocating but were afraid to ask. "


Since 2020, Americans taking up residence in other countries has skyrocketed

Story at Barrons MSN

This is more in the nature of a statement of fact versus an analysis from Barrons which requires a longer article behind their paywall in order to see the actual story on the subject. But, the rise of Americans shopping their residency worldwide has grown during the 21st century.


The changing (and ending) of the Golden Visa in Europe – Euroweeklynews

June 8, 2024

Italy, Greece, Malta and Hungary are changing their plans while Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands have ended theirs. The Greek Golden Visa plan doesn't currently require actual residency in Greece while holding a "Golden Visa."

About the Golden Visa and the Ellinikon Development in Greece


Taverna Restaurant in Greece

The most "stress free" cities of Europe for expats Forbes

Forbes talks about Munich, Vienna, the Nordic countries and Portugal.


Writers who fall in love with Greece

"Ready to quit your job, move abroad and write a book? Go to Greece"

Story at Sydney Morning Herald 


Spending an afternoon in Austria "like a local"The Local AT and is Vienna a "happy city?" – The Local AT


Living in Europe for less than £1,000 [approximately $1,250 USD]UK Express MSN

Article discusses location costs in the country of Romania, the city of Lisbon (Portugal), Bucharest and the country of Bulgaria.


Why are so many Americans moving to Southern USA cities?Yahoo Lifestyle

The main two locations are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.


So you want to live in Mexico? This is how much it will costMSN Travel Mexico Solo

I moved to Mexico in 2018. Back then, I got tons of "but it’s so unsafe" warnings... however, after the you-know-what in 2020, many of those same people were able to work remotely, and they traveled to Mexico in droves to do so..."


Escaping "suffocating health care" costs and divisive politics, Americans move to ItalyBusiness Insider

Article talks about Europe's expensive rents, that Americans who moved to Europe have told BI that their quality of life has improved. They also talk about the cost of living in 13 cities from Helsinki to Berlin.

There used to be a seemingly clear-cut path to retirement in the United States. People worked until 65, then left the workforce with the help of Social Security and personal savings. That began shifting in the 1980s when Americans gravitated toward defined-contribution plans — like 401(k)s — instead of defined-benefit plans like pensions. This has shifted more responsibility onto employees to determine how much to invest and save. "Put simply, the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution has been, for most people, a shift from financial certainty to financial uncertainty," BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote in a 2024 letter to investors..."

The article then talks about how Italy has a "top twenty" in the world retirement system, though this would mean not just moving to Italy, but expatriating, and of having some time to plan ahead to achieve it. Another article about Americans going to Italy, with anecdotal stories, is "Two teachers bought a $25,000 Italian lake house instead of spending more to move back to the US. Take a look" – Business Insider.


Italy Don't Do It Guide

What Not to do in Italy Guide Book - 209 pages, published September 2023 – Amazon. I am an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a commission on any sales of items sold.


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