WHERE TO FLEE
Last update: January 15, 2021
THIS WEB SITE COMPILES INFORMATION FROM ACROSS THE INTERNET AND BOOKS ABOUT THE BEST (and worst) PLACES TO MOVE TO.
Why expats are coming to Athens
Foreigners long overlooked the Greek capital in favor of the islands. But since the worst years of the Greek economic crisis, Athens has seen an ever-growing stream of foreigners drawn here.
Story at Protothema
The expat experience under Covid
Story at MSN News
"Shock" for German expat moving to Australia
The differences between Germany and Australia vary, but increases in regard to recreatonal life. Story at UK Daily Mail
The end of "passporting" after Brexit
Story at UK Express
And more: fees for international money movement going up after Brexit - story at This is Money
No citizenship path despite residency
List of countries where there's no way forward or the procedure is "problematic." Discussed in a frank way at Nomad Capitalist. (Countries discussed are Malaysia, Panama, Latvia, Singapore, Montenegro, Malta, Greece, Peru, Uruguay, and Dominican Republic.)
American expat in Australia
18-year old woman's experiences at UK Daily Mail
Brexit problems: banks closing expat accounts
Accidental procedural issues described at UK Times
How To Move Abroad And Why It's The Best Thing You'll Do - AMAZON
Switzerland at the top of this Top Ten List
Living and working abroad comparison - story at MSN News
The campaign to capture "digital nomads"
Story at Forbes Magazine
How we retired to Greece
She and her husband, Americans in their 60s, moved here without speaking Greek and only weeks after she retired from her job in Arkansas. They settled on Athens after considering Tampa, Fla., Barcelona and Venice and say it’s a great fit for what they want: easy travel and an affordable place to live.
December 3, 2020: Story at MSN News
Moving internationally while black
"Moving Abroad Doesn't Mean Leaving Racism Behind, Say Black American Expats"
Story at CN traveler
Related: "How racism and discrimination affect black people in China and Hong Kong" - SCMP
"What It Means to Be a New Yorker in Exile"
Story at Town and Country
Tax reduction benefits for foreigner workers moving to Greece
November 25, 2020: Article at Daily Hellas [in Greek - to read in translation, use Google translate tool]
The changing fortunes of the formerly highly-sought expat cities around the world
Take a pandemic, combine it with a global recession and add a sprinkle of pent-up nationalism. For skilled foreign workers around the globe it’s an increasingly bitter cocktail. From financial-powerhouse Singapore to the U.S.’s tech hubs to oil-rich Kuwait, life has gotten much tougher for workers living abroad who until recently were courted for their expertise."
Other countries (for example Greece) are noticing these changing patterns and are creating packages to lure them. Story at Bloomberg
Best places in Europe for American expats 2021
"The 20 finalists were chosen from a first selection of 120 destinations."
Story at Forbes Magazine
Locked down in Paris
An expat talks about "reconfinement" - Story at Vogue
It’s a strange and ongoing reality. Been there, done that. Or, more accurately, not going there, not doing that. Reconfinement is like the movie sequel that didn’t need to get made; and already, people are wondering whether these next few weeks aren’t actually the means to an end, but the confirmation of a periodic, nationwide new routine. If other countries across Europe are also imposing strict measures to battle this second wave, confinement in France is among the most extreme. Once again, there is a permission form we must fill out in order to go out, and it stipulates the same limits on duration and distance for exercise."
Philippines stops retirement VISA program
Suspended temporarily due to huge jump in applicants from China - story at MSN News
For more about expat Philippines, see our page on The Philippines.
October 24, 2020
USA stops American citizen and visa services in Turkey
Fears over kidnapping and terror plots
Story at CBS News
The problem of Expat depression
Living abroad has its rigors - story at Daily Sabah
Scandinavia dominates polling for expat "environment and sustainability ranking"
September 30, 2020 - Information gathered by InterNations.
"Finland, Sweden, Norway fill the top three places in the environment & sustainability ranking, with Denmark placing 6th. The U.K. placed 28th while the U.S. placed 30th. InterNations asked over 15,000 expats representing 173 nationalities and living in 181 countries to rate 65 different aspects of life abroad."
Arrticle at Forbes Magazine
The retraction of expat community in Singapore due to the pandemic
The worldwide pandemic has forced major changes in many places, and Singapore, a longtime magnet for expat living, has created impediments to hiring outside of the country.
...In the first 5 months of this year alone, 60,000 foreigners lost their jobs in Singapore. Foreign employment fell by 5.7% in the first half of 2020, compared to 2.7% in the local workforce. And for the first time since 2003, Singapore has seen a shrink in the population...
"Why It Sucks to Be An Expat In Singapore Now" by Edoardo Liotta - article at MSN News
Japan re-opening doors
"Labor-starved Japan welcomes return of foreign workers. Tokyo will open borders to non-tourists next week"
Article at NHK News Japan
Completion of Brexit means major changes for Expat community
With the coming end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, changes are impacting financial systems where expat Brits live.
Article at Yahoo News
Related article at UK Telegraph – "Banks must give customers 'fair warning' before closing expat accounts, MPs warn"
Voting and the estimated nine million Americans living outside of the USA
In Hong Kong, home to about 85,000 Americans, postal workers said in August that standard mail to the United States would take two to three months to arrive. For voters registering to vote in New York state, where even if you register by email you still must sign and mail in your paperwork, standard mail is now out of the question to make the Oct. 9 deadline by which voting forms need to have been sent.
Story at Yahoo News
September 12, 2020
Kiwi expats go home
The "brain-drain-gain" benefits New Zealand - story at BBC News
Expat in the South of France
About the writer James Baldwin and a profile of him from Architectural Digest. Story at MSN News
Expats stuck outside of Kuwait
Unable to enter due to expired residency permits - story at Zawya News
Expat families exiting from Hong Kong
Hong Kong traditionally ranks in the top ten (if not number #1) in appreciation by expats for this Chinese city, but the coronavirus has had a major and significant impact.
Story at MSN News
AMAZON: The Expert Expat: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroad