How to become an expatatriate
When G.W. ran for president a second time, I swore I would leave the country if he won. Well, we all know how that election turned out and the train wreck that ensued for the next four years and beyond. Anyway, I didn’t follow through with my threat, save for checking a few job boards in foreign English-speaking countries such as Australia and the U.K.—I was too much of a wuss. Instead, I just sucked it up, drank more and bitched until I was blue in the face about the suckiness of the Bush administration.
But while I was searching for a way out, I found a few interesting Web sites dedicated specifically to expatriates, or rather those who soon hope to achieve that status. One in particular is specific to leaving the United States, but others apply to anyone wanting to relocate to another country.
www.expatriates.com: This site includes everything from job searches, housing and child care to language exchange programs. I haven’t made a thorough comparison with an Atlas, but it seems that most countries are included on the list.
EFAM: Escape From America Magazine is one of my favorites because not only is it specific to Americans, the articles are well written and informative. All of the contributors are people who’ve had first-hand experience relocating to another country, primarily because they sought the change and not because of work, etc. The Web site is easy to navigate and you can search for articles on specific countries and cities, which detail cost of living, job searches, visa information, etc. Also, you can sign up to receive the e-magazine for free.
www.easyexpat.com: The tag-line for this Web site is the International Relocation Portal. I think anything with “Portal” in the tag-line just sounds cool. Regardless, here resides a wealth of information with the bonus of the Cost-o-Matic interactive tool that will figure how much money you need to make in whatever given country based on your current salary. The only problem is that the number of cities available for comparison is limited.
www.expatify.com: I’m new to this site, so I don’t know it well. But, it does list the Top 10 best countries for Americans to become expats.
I hope these sites inspire you, at the very least, if not help you on your merry way.
Lake Como—home of Jorge Clooney...sometimes
