I have looked extensively in Central America (Costa Rica, southern Pacific Coast of Nicaragua and Panama) as well as Spain and Portugal for a second home. Each has its positives and negatives but at the end of the day, I haven't been able to reconcile my concern over potential property rights in some of the Central American countries or the immigration trends in Europe, although it doesn't seem to be as bad in Portugal. Spain, which I love to visit, seems to be going down a bad path with the current PM.....In any case, a rural area in the US may end up to be a better option....
On the issue of "fair weather Americans", Renee Good and her lover apparently moved to Canada for a while, since Trump was going to imprison all gay people or something. Why they came back I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they discovered living and working in another country is pretty hard. I worked in Holland for a couple of years; ex-pat life is harder than most realize, even temporarily.
As for the proliferation of crazy in America. Robert Kennedy wants it to be about vaccines and processed food; I have my doubts. I wonder if it's more basic: lack of guardrails. America has always been a less guardrailed society than Europe or Asia (esp the latter.) We pride ourselves on our Horatio Alger myth. John Stuart Mill lives larger here than in his native Britain. A wide open society works for about 30% of the population; another 50% can function with difficulty, but the rest really struggle. They need those social and legal guardrails to not drive their lives off a cliff. This depresses me, since it means our crazy is the flip side of the dynamism that characterizes America.
Unless you're an actual refugee, switching countries over political differences is dumb. There's more to life than politics. Anyone who thinks life will be better in another country just because it's more liberal or conservative is an idiot. This phenomenon is far more pervasive on the Left than the Right, but a few on the latter moved to Russia of all places because it was less Woke. The man in the family ended up being drafted to fight in Ukraine.
It's funny because, depending on whom you ask, America either has too many rules or too few. I think America has too many rules, but they're also enforced against the wrong people. Anarcho-tyranny, as it were. Every society is, to some extent, held captive by the bottom, but America has turned it into an art form. That's who the rules are for, that's who the rules need to be enforced against. But we instead enforce it against the people who are inclined to follow the rules to start. It's what I call "low-hanging fruit governance."
We live in Madrid and. NEither our 21 year old nor our 18 year old were at all interested in doing university in the USA though we have family there.
And that’s been good. 21 finished his degree with no student debt at all though he worked part time and had some money set aside by parents and grandparents. Enough for one year at a cheap American university—not counting housing. 18 paid about $900 in tuition for her first year of university.
I’m an American who has taught in American higher ed so I know the world. But no, here it really doesn’t matter and there are sports but they’re just sports and no one knows the teams or mascots at all. Once you’re done with university it’s just in the past and hopefully you’ve learned good skills. It is valuable for forming relationships for later in life though.
The cost of American universities is something of a third rail in U.S. discourse, though it shouldn't be. The only way to get liberals to talk about it is if they can somehow blame it on capitalism.
IMO, not only should college not be so damn expensive, it shouldn't be this totalizing experience, either. American universities become literal identities for students. Do people identify themselves in Spain on the basis of what schools they attended?
Fun article and break from the war and economic bad news. Some random comments:
1. I’ve been to Merida a number of years ago. Wonderful little city, highly recommended. Felt very safe walking around, fun Caribbean Cuban vibe, people dancing outside in squares, pretty city centre, great archaeological sites and cenotes nearby…
2. Traditional expat life has been for oddballs and people running away from things. Normies aren’t necessarily meant for it.
3. A lot of places can be deceptively safe. Mexico or Dubai can be stable until they’re not.
4. Foreigners in developing countries are a target. Staying longer increases your odds and local spouses are a danger. Many sad stories. For example, a Canadian ex-boxer died in Brazil and his wife was charged but not convicted of murder. Still a murky story.
5. Americans get a raw deal with global taxation. Canadians and most nationals can work a few years in places like Dubai tax free (although there are pitfalls).
6. We knew folks who returned to their homelands during Covid times. Even with language and cultural advantages, only half stayed. It worked better if they were in urban areas and had work that used their language and technical skills. Otherwise it’s a lot more expensive than you think and can be financially devastating if it doesn’t work out.
7. Life in Canada sucks right now and we fantasize about moving to the US. At least during Covid you folks could move to Florida or Georgia or Texas for a normal life. We had to stay home and resist as best we could.
1. Merida is a reminder of how big Mexico is and how even the most violent countries have an oasis or two.
2. Living a rootless existence is at odds with being human. Even nomad societies had families and clans, they just moved everywhere together. We all need a "base" of some kind.
3. I doubt anyone's going to Dubai anytime soon. I'm sure not.
4. There's a certain type of young woman who specifically travels to the most "exotic" destinations in the world, as if to prove a point. I saw a social media post about how women need to worry about men back home (I'm assuming America) but they blindly trust some man in a Third World country and nothing bad happens. All I can say is until they actually live there, they don't know what a country is really like. Last year, I mentioned a story from 2023 or 2024 about a young Vermont man who married a Filipino woman from a dangerous part of the Philippines, moved there, and was later killed during a botched kidnapping attempt. When he was a temporary visitor, everything was fine. It was when he decided to stay, in an area where they said was bad news, that it wasn't.
5. Taxes are virtually inescapable. LOL
6. Another world war or something of that scale would definitely end the "Donald Dash" overnight. Nobody really hates living in America.
7. It's really strange - Americans talk about moving to Canada all the time, yet I've yet to know anyone who actually did. I always thought I eventually would because Canada is at least a bordering country. Same with Mexico. The one person I know who intends to move to Mexico is a U.S. citizen, but German.
There was a big trend for a while of young Canadians teaching English for a few years post university in Korea or Taiwan. You could make good money at low local tax rates and pay off student loans. You can’t pull off the same trick as well if you are middle aged and established, for boring tax law reasons.
I think it’s great for young people to spend some time abroad in their twenties if they can. It’s a life highlight and you can learn a lot. The funny thing is that you don’t have to go anywhere that exotic. The UK or ANZ are surprisingly different from North America and you can immerse yourself better.
There are a surprising number of Americans in Canada. They come either for family reasons or because they have better career opportunities in certain prestige jobs such as academics, media, entertainment, etc. Many Canadian institutions feel it’s more prestigious to hire an American from a top university than a local.
However, on the other hand a lot of skilled jobs pay better in the US and have lower tax rates. Furthermore the cost of living is significantly higher in Canada as long as you have employer health insurance in the US. And there is less consumer choice here. It’s a country of oligarchies and monopolies ripping you off.
I also think Americans should spend more time abroad and not just in hot vacation spots. Part of the problem is that traveling isn't cheap. No wonder it's a market cornered by affluent liberals. Though I also think Americans should see more of their own country also. Maybe then they won't feel so cynical about it.
Your insights about Canada are very interesting. It's definitely not the paradise the Left portrays it has.
I do wish suburban America was more walkable. If they could change zoning in residential neighborhoods to include a small Main Street carve out that sits inside or adjacent to a community, then that could replicate something of a walkable neighborhood. That’s just one of the urban design solutions that I think future generations will want for quality of life issues. I agree, why drive when you just need one onion or a can of soup?
But, I’ve thought of having a backup country. Then I realized that as hectic as things may be in the US, the more rural suburbs are just a-okay. So that’s what we did. Even Merida, nice as it is, is still in Mexico. And being an expat will always stick with you, no matter how friendly the locals are.
I think part of the problem is that Americans are too house-centric. The idea is that you buy one and you basically stay there, do almost everything there. Home gyms are quite common in America, but are virtually unknown in most parts of the world. If you can go as far as to have a gym in your home, you have little reason to leave home to go exercise. Yet going to a gym affords social interaction opportunities.
Obviously it's become a political lightning rod, but one of the nice things about America is that it's easier being a foreigner here than anywhere else in the world. Such a fascist country!
What you are describing that you desire is what most of the small towns used to be in the Empire. The Fed Gov killed much of that with various policies.
Yeah, I lived in a college town which had a Main Street. It was the 80’s and going through hard times. We have an old town here… but, still a drive to get there, and then walk🤷🏻♂️
"It’s not all about crime and physical violence. Our reliance on motor vehicles means we have to travel relatively long distances for the simplest of needs. In America, if you need to go to the pharmacy, you need to drive five to ten minutes one way, expending fuel in the process. That all adds up. In Europe? It’s a five to ten minute walk."
All fair points, but this is like comparing America to New Jersey. Sure it's a short walk to the drug store because the entire country is the size a small American state. European's live in smaller apartments in smaller towns and have a much harder time finding a place to live that they were not born in.
Great article!
I have looked extensively in Central America (Costa Rica, southern Pacific Coast of Nicaragua and Panama) as well as Spain and Portugal for a second home. Each has its positives and negatives but at the end of the day, I haven't been able to reconcile my concern over potential property rights in some of the Central American countries or the immigration trends in Europe, although it doesn't seem to be as bad in Portugal. Spain, which I love to visit, seems to be going down a bad path with the current PM.....In any case, a rural area in the US may end up to be a better option....
On the issue of "fair weather Americans", Renee Good and her lover apparently moved to Canada for a while, since Trump was going to imprison all gay people or something. Why they came back I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they discovered living and working in another country is pretty hard. I worked in Holland for a couple of years; ex-pat life is harder than most realize, even temporarily.
As for the proliferation of crazy in America. Robert Kennedy wants it to be about vaccines and processed food; I have my doubts. I wonder if it's more basic: lack of guardrails. America has always been a less guardrailed society than Europe or Asia (esp the latter.) We pride ourselves on our Horatio Alger myth. John Stuart Mill lives larger here than in his native Britain. A wide open society works for about 30% of the population; another 50% can function with difficulty, but the rest really struggle. They need those social and legal guardrails to not drive their lives off a cliff. This depresses me, since it means our crazy is the flip side of the dynamism that characterizes America.
Unless you're an actual refugee, switching countries over political differences is dumb. There's more to life than politics. Anyone who thinks life will be better in another country just because it's more liberal or conservative is an idiot. This phenomenon is far more pervasive on the Left than the Right, but a few on the latter moved to Russia of all places because it was less Woke. The man in the family ended up being drafted to fight in Ukraine.
It's funny because, depending on whom you ask, America either has too many rules or too few. I think America has too many rules, but they're also enforced against the wrong people. Anarcho-tyranny, as it were. Every society is, to some extent, held captive by the bottom, but America has turned it into an art form. That's who the rules are for, that's who the rules need to be enforced against. But we instead enforce it against the people who are inclined to follow the rules to start. It's what I call "low-hanging fruit governance."
We live in Madrid and. NEither our 21 year old nor our 18 year old were at all interested in doing university in the USA though we have family there.
And that’s been good. 21 finished his degree with no student debt at all though he worked part time and had some money set aside by parents and grandparents. Enough for one year at a cheap American university—not counting housing. 18 paid about $900 in tuition for her first year of university.
I’m an American who has taught in American higher ed so I know the world. But no, here it really doesn’t matter and there are sports but they’re just sports and no one knows the teams or mascots at all. Once you’re done with university it’s just in the past and hopefully you’ve learned good skills. It is valuable for forming relationships for later in life though.
The cost of American universities is something of a third rail in U.S. discourse, though it shouldn't be. The only way to get liberals to talk about it is if they can somehow blame it on capitalism.
IMO, not only should college not be so damn expensive, it shouldn't be this totalizing experience, either. American universities become literal identities for students. Do people identify themselves in Spain on the basis of what schools they attended?
Fun article and break from the war and economic bad news. Some random comments:
1. I’ve been to Merida a number of years ago. Wonderful little city, highly recommended. Felt very safe walking around, fun Caribbean Cuban vibe, people dancing outside in squares, pretty city centre, great archaeological sites and cenotes nearby…
2. Traditional expat life has been for oddballs and people running away from things. Normies aren’t necessarily meant for it.
3. A lot of places can be deceptively safe. Mexico or Dubai can be stable until they’re not.
4. Foreigners in developing countries are a target. Staying longer increases your odds and local spouses are a danger. Many sad stories. For example, a Canadian ex-boxer died in Brazil and his wife was charged but not convicted of murder. Still a murky story.
5. Americans get a raw deal with global taxation. Canadians and most nationals can work a few years in places like Dubai tax free (although there are pitfalls).
6. We knew folks who returned to their homelands during Covid times. Even with language and cultural advantages, only half stayed. It worked better if they were in urban areas and had work that used their language and technical skills. Otherwise it’s a lot more expensive than you think and can be financially devastating if it doesn’t work out.
7. Life in Canada sucks right now and we fantasize about moving to the US. At least during Covid you folks could move to Florida or Georgia or Texas for a normal life. We had to stay home and resist as best we could.
1. Merida is a reminder of how big Mexico is and how even the most violent countries have an oasis or two.
2. Living a rootless existence is at odds with being human. Even nomad societies had families and clans, they just moved everywhere together. We all need a "base" of some kind.
3. I doubt anyone's going to Dubai anytime soon. I'm sure not.
4. There's a certain type of young woman who specifically travels to the most "exotic" destinations in the world, as if to prove a point. I saw a social media post about how women need to worry about men back home (I'm assuming America) but they blindly trust some man in a Third World country and nothing bad happens. All I can say is until they actually live there, they don't know what a country is really like. Last year, I mentioned a story from 2023 or 2024 about a young Vermont man who married a Filipino woman from a dangerous part of the Philippines, moved there, and was later killed during a botched kidnapping attempt. When he was a temporary visitor, everything was fine. It was when he decided to stay, in an area where they said was bad news, that it wasn't.
5. Taxes are virtually inescapable. LOL
6. Another world war or something of that scale would definitely end the "Donald Dash" overnight. Nobody really hates living in America.
7. It's really strange - Americans talk about moving to Canada all the time, yet I've yet to know anyone who actually did. I always thought I eventually would because Canada is at least a bordering country. Same with Mexico. The one person I know who intends to move to Mexico is a U.S. citizen, but German.
There was a big trend for a while of young Canadians teaching English for a few years post university in Korea or Taiwan. You could make good money at low local tax rates and pay off student loans. You can’t pull off the same trick as well if you are middle aged and established, for boring tax law reasons.
I think it’s great for young people to spend some time abroad in their twenties if they can. It’s a life highlight and you can learn a lot. The funny thing is that you don’t have to go anywhere that exotic. The UK or ANZ are surprisingly different from North America and you can immerse yourself better.
There are a surprising number of Americans in Canada. They come either for family reasons or because they have better career opportunities in certain prestige jobs such as academics, media, entertainment, etc. Many Canadian institutions feel it’s more prestigious to hire an American from a top university than a local.
However, on the other hand a lot of skilled jobs pay better in the US and have lower tax rates. Furthermore the cost of living is significantly higher in Canada as long as you have employer health insurance in the US. And there is less consumer choice here. It’s a country of oligarchies and monopolies ripping you off.
I also think Americans should spend more time abroad and not just in hot vacation spots. Part of the problem is that traveling isn't cheap. No wonder it's a market cornered by affluent liberals. Though I also think Americans should see more of their own country also. Maybe then they won't feel so cynical about it.
Your insights about Canada are very interesting. It's definitely not the paradise the Left portrays it has.
I do wish suburban America was more walkable. If they could change zoning in residential neighborhoods to include a small Main Street carve out that sits inside or adjacent to a community, then that could replicate something of a walkable neighborhood. That’s just one of the urban design solutions that I think future generations will want for quality of life issues. I agree, why drive when you just need one onion or a can of soup?
But, I’ve thought of having a backup country. Then I realized that as hectic as things may be in the US, the more rural suburbs are just a-okay. So that’s what we did. Even Merida, nice as it is, is still in Mexico. And being an expat will always stick with you, no matter how friendly the locals are.
I think part of the problem is that Americans are too house-centric. The idea is that you buy one and you basically stay there, do almost everything there. Home gyms are quite common in America, but are virtually unknown in most parts of the world. If you can go as far as to have a gym in your home, you have little reason to leave home to go exercise. Yet going to a gym affords social interaction opportunities.
Obviously it's become a political lightning rod, but one of the nice things about America is that it's easier being a foreigner here than anywhere else in the world. Such a fascist country!
What you are describing that you desire is what most of the small towns used to be in the Empire. The Fed Gov killed much of that with various policies.
Yeah, I lived in a college town which had a Main Street. It was the 80’s and going through hard times. We have an old town here… but, still a drive to get there, and then walk🤷🏻♂️
"It’s not all about crime and physical violence. Our reliance on motor vehicles means we have to travel relatively long distances for the simplest of needs. In America, if you need to go to the pharmacy, you need to drive five to ten minutes one way, expending fuel in the process. That all adds up. In Europe? It’s a five to ten minute walk."
All fair points, but this is like comparing America to New Jersey. Sure it's a short walk to the drug store because the entire country is the size a small American state. European's live in smaller apartments in smaller towns and have a much harder time finding a place to live that they were not born in.