r/movingabroad

** immediately sorry for the heading typo

All throughout my 20s and early 30s I ran a successful photography business in the states making 6 figures. I got burned out, tired of the overconsumption, and faking enthusiasm at weddings while my first marriage fell apart.

I met my now husband a few years later and collectively we decided to move to Scotland where he was from.

We bought an affordable house, moved my pets over, and in 3 weeks I secured a decently paid job with very little stress and great coworkers that I genuinely enjoy hanging out with even outside of work. We sell dessert catering so I eat artisanal chocolate every day. Like heaven.

That hustle that carried me throughout my US life is gone. I see my friends exceeding in high-stress, high-paying careers but my soul is so beyond content with where I am at right now. I have slow mornings, walk to work past the beach, and go home to eat with my husband on breaks. We spend our off time walking into town where we’ve grown a community and visit new towns in Fife. I will even go down the road and paint by the seaside castle near us (I’m not making this up—Scotland is unreal). I’ve never felt or looked better. I can also work my UK office job remotely while I’m in the US visiting family because I’m working with US clients. I can’t make myself start the hustle again by becoming self-employed. I also cannot fathom going back to school for a position that’s more high-achieving.

Could I just be… happy? Is it so wrong at 33 to just slow down and settle in?

Maybe my soul is tired from so many changes in 4 years.

Is it so bad to just coast and enjoy the little things this early in my life? I truly want for nothing right now and it makes me feel like something is wrong. I fear that may be the American conditioning.

I am working on my third emigration lol (this time it’s personal). Off in a few months for the final time I hope. Anyone else thinking of it and if so, where and why?

EDIT: Positive reasons for where you’re going please. UK bashing gets boring and those countries deserve positive cases for them not just to be a life raft.

Greetings Reddit,

I hate America.

I'm a 25 yr old man born and raised in Southern California by Russian parents.

After spending my entire life in America, I've started to really understand America, its' people, society, potential, and future.

To be honest, I never liked Russia because of my parents' mindset which they based off of living in the Soviet Union their whole lives. I also never wanted to even travel out of state, let alone of the country. I thought I was perfectly fine where I was because "everybody wants to move to America, "everybody wants to move to California". Well, I certainly don't feel the same.

I'm beyond disgusted with the "new norms" the progressiveness, the liberalism, the modern western life. No, it's not just a "you're in liberal California- move to a conservative state" issue. The problems go very deep within; like I said, the entire "west".
If I were to live in the west, I think the 50's would've been peak western life.

Since I was a subject of being raised in the woke California lifestyle, I tried to become it and live like the modern man they want you to be. Chasing money, fancy lifestyle, women- the "red pill". And even that, being the red pill, and not the blue normie pill, I still find too absurd in my personal beliefs.

Ideally, I would like to move somewhere more old school, very natural, perhaps even "soviet" design and style. From the research and intel I have gathered so far, I believe Belarus would be my best choice as of now. I would go to Russia since I'm sure I'd be able to find what I am looking for there, and I speak Russian; but, they're at war. And from what I've seen and heard, even if I got into Russia, there's a high chance I would be grabbed and thrown to fight in the war. So the plan is to move to somewhere near Russia where I would enjoy and be happy, and maybe even stay instead of moving to Russia later on.

I plan on making the move sometime this year, hopefully by August 2026. I plan on only taking necessities which will fit in a backpack and maybe a dufflebag. I will also only bring a few thousand dollars. I do not know how I will be able to use/get a bank account, phone service, stuff like that there, and how/if it's even possible to link any of that with my American systems.

I heavily romanticize living in a little village house (which I would own), having a nice old school car like a Lada, meeting a pure untainted traditional woman, and raising a family. Unfortunately I cannot sustain that since I don't have the financial means to. So, I would definitely somehow need to find any sort of income whether it's near my residency, or a bit of a travel (if it makes financial sense). Surely being an American, having professional work experience as high-end security/body-guarding, doing social media content with large brands like Lamborghini, Ducati, McLaren, etc. would be useful in someway or another... I don't think I would prefer to live in a big city, especially since I'd imagine it'd be much more expensive; but, if that makes the most financial, and future sense, I don't mind sacrificing until I can get what I truly want.

As I said, I've never really traveled, so I have no idea what/if I need anything to legally travel- like visas? Would I even be allowed to permanently stay? All I know is, I have a U.S. Passport.

If you don't have anything useful to say, please refrain from commenting.

If you'd like to ask me questions to better assist me, please do so. Or if you know anyone in that region who may be able to assist me in any way, I'd really appreciate any and all useful insight and travel suggestions and destinations for my case.

Thank you!!

I am in my late 20s, and I thought that by 20, I'd be engaged but that didn't happen, and I thought by 25 I'd be married however I was just starting my masters degree in Computer Engineering at that time, and now I am 29, still single never had a relationship and I've lived in the same country for the last 25 years. I did get my degree and now live with my lovely cat.

Since now I have my masters degree, I was thinking about moving to another country and working there. I was thinking Netherlands but honestly I could never do it because I held myself back, I am not sure why. Maybe because I was doing so well in my career, it would have been stupid for me to leave my job and find another one and it would have been hard in this economy.

I feel so lost in my life now and I'm getting old and I've never had the opportunity to live my life because I just studied and worked and honestly I really want to move to the Netherlands and start fresh for myself but I think I would be holding myself back because I want a long term relationship and if I delay finding someone then I feel like it will be too late.

I honestly don't know what to do with my life now.

Hi, I’m a 24F from India planning to move to Canada next year for higher studies. Lately I’ve been feeling really stuck in the work → home → repeat kind of life here, and I think a big part of me wants a life with more freedom, balance, safety and just… room to live a little.

I know Canada isn’t perfect and I’m not expecting a movie-like life, but I’d really love to hear from girls/women who moved there from countries like India. Did life actually feel different after moving? Was it easier to make friends, go out alone, date, explore, feel independent etc? Or was it lonelier than expected?

Would genuinely appreciate honest experiences :)

hi, f26 here from new zealand. i’m at the point in life where going overseas for an extended period of time is looking super appealing. i visited london last year and really enjoyed the city, so if i were to go ahead w this, that would be the place. but i have been fed horror stories about the job market and high living costs and weather (i visited in summer) so there is an element of caution. the alternative is to stay in nz and take lots of overseas trips to get my travel fix. all i know is i want to explore more of the world. does anyone have any advice about how they made the decision to move, and if it’s worth it?

I’m at the stage where I know I want to move, just not sure where yet.

There are so many factors - job opportunities, cost of living, language, lifestyle…

I keep going back and forth between a few countries and not making a decision.

How did you narrow it down and finally pick one place?

My husband (25M) and I (25F) really want to start a family in the next five years or so. We are from northern Canada and starting to think where would be the best place to raise children and we can never decide and was hoping to get insight from people that where raised in either of these places and what your opinion is.
I have a UK passport but only speak English. He has an EU passport and can speak Spanish and English. Neither of us know Swedish but we have some close friends that live there and say it is amazing for having a family.
I love the culture in Spain and think it is very family oriented. I love the UK in general because that is where my family is from and it feels like home when I go there. And Sweden sounds like a very calm people oriented country to be in which I love.

Hello, I’m a 2027 HS graduate planning to leave my family and home next year to Hungary. I’m graduating next year at 17 years old, and even if i was 18 it would still be impossible to leave without a guardian’s approval (you have to be 21 to travel freely.) I’m planning on getting a scholarship in Hungary, Austria, or Germany, but Hungary is my first choice because I would have a stable life there. I’m struggling a lot with understanding the legal implications of it, and if theres a possibility to do it without my parents finding me, because if they did i don’t think i would be able to handle it.

Just to be clear, I’m not doing this for no reason. I dont identify with my families religion, nor do i have a good relationship with anyone but my siblings due to things that deeply affected me in my childhood that are too much to talk about. I’ve always wanted to do this. At first i was planning on going to America, because i would have a stable home there too, but the current environment with the president and ice is too uncertain for me. I feel more comfortable going to Hungary, especially because the prime minister has changed and became more progressive than the previous one. I dont think i can wait until i’m 21, waiting till next year has already taken a deep mental toll on me and my mental well being, I think if i stay here any longer I’ll just go crazy.

My friend and I had a plan about me and my family traveling to a nearby European country where i could slip away and take a train to Hungary. Her family is very open to me coming to Hungary and supporting the both of us. My only issue is not understanding the legal implications with this situation. I want to do this in a very clean and quiet way so that they dont even realize until i’m gone for good. I don’t want them to find me or track me, I just want to disappear from that life.

Please please give me any kind of tips, advice, legal information, a platform where i can find information regarding the legal aspect, or even a completely new method of escape.

thank you.

Hey everyone,

I’m hoping to move abroad sometime next year and have been trying to figure out all the practical things before making such a big change. One thing that’s been confusing me a lot is how people usually handle coverage and paperwork when relocating internationally.

For those who’ve already gone through it, what do you wish you knew before moving? Any advice or personal experiences would really help

I am seeking employment opportunities in Europe, specifically in France or Spain, though I am open to other locations. I am particularly interested in positions that offer a pathway to immigration.

I hold a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and have 10–11 years of experience in client communication. I am looking to leverage this background into a role in human resources or higher education.

Additionally, I am interested in roles that I can begin without fluency in the local language. Teaching English is one area I have been considering. As I approach 40, I understand that age can be a factor in some roles, and I am open to guidance on this.

I would appreciate any feedback or advice.

The biggest mistake I made when I first moved was waiting for friendships to just happen naturally. I'd go to one event, feel awkward, and leave. Nothing stuck.

What actually worked was something much simpler:

1. Find 3 places where the same people show up regularly (café, gym class, library) 2. Show up consistently — same time, same place, weekly 3. Start tiny conversations — not to make friends, just to be remembered 4. Follow up within 72 hours — most friendships die because nobody follows up

That's it. No huge social events. No apps. No forcing anything.

What's been the hardest part of making friends after moving for you?

I’m currently trying to move to Germany and I didn’t expect this part to be so frustrating.

Not the visa or paperwork — that’s manageable.
It’s the fact that I don’t know a single person there.

I keep searching everything online, reading random posts, watching videos… but it still feels very surface level. I just want to talk to someone who’s already there and ask normal questions like:
“how hard was it actually?”
“are you doing okay financially?”
“would you do it again?”

There’s no easy way to do that though. Everything is either too formal or just not meant for this kind of thing.

So I had this thought — what if there was a simple app/web
where you could:
pick the country you’re moving to
and just connect with people who already made that move

Not like content or influencers… just normal people you can talk to.

I don’t know if this is actually useful or if I’m just overthinking because I’m in that phase right now.

Would you have used something like this when you were moving abroad?

For people that have moved abroad for a masters degree, was it worth and did it make you happy? Also what are some tricks and tips that you wished you knew before hand? Also if you could make changes to past decisions with no repercussions what is the biggest thing you would change?

Looking at making a move to Canada early next year from Australia. I've done plenty of pre work for the arrival into Canada but just wanted to see if anyone has a good checklist or something similar to use to ensure they don't miss anything that needs to be done in the country they're leaving? I believe I've found everything I need to do but just again making sure I don't miss anything.

TIA