Why Move To Another Country? 4 Must-Read Reasons.
Intro
If you were born in North America, chances are you never had to worry about emigrating to another country.
In fact, up to about 30 years ago, most immigrants moved to the US and Canada in search of a job and better quality of life.
Then something interesting happened.
As more and more people started feeling the pressure of long days at the office, working on monotone projects they were not interested in, a small part of that workforce started looking for an alternative.
Read this: How to move to another country
Enter expats!
Expats (short for expatriates) are generally described as people who moved from their country of origin, not in search of a better job but to live a better quality of life.
Many expats used to have "great jobs" back home.
But when good pay and a lovely house down the street from the office don't cut it anymore, the next logical step is to pack up and start exploring the world.
In this article, I'll show you the four main reasons expats move abroad and why you should do the same.
Better Weather
Whether you like that or not, living in a cold country takes a toll on you.
One day, when my wife and I started working from home in Toronto in early 2018, we realized that we had spent more than two weeks indoors without ever going out.
Life seemed comfortable.
We had a gym, a sauna, and a pool right in our condo.
The grocery store was in the building, and we also had a Subway and three restaurants right inside our lobby.
To someone looking in, we had it all, but deep down, we felt like worker bees living inside a hive.
When you spend so much time indoors, you start missing the basic pleasures of life, like smelling fresh-cut grass or feeling the sun (or even the rain) on your skin.
As a result, your energy levels dip, and you start feeling disconnected from your environment.
During one of my podcast interviews, one of my guests put it beautifully when he said, "When I spend too much time indoors, I start feeling like I'm in a reality show - a social experiment. [...] 'How long can humans survive outside their natural habitat?'"
More Balanced Work Culture.
Aside from the local weather (which is totally out of your control), working conditions are also a big reason why many expats that the leap.
Working full-time in North America often means you don't get much time off.
For example, when I started my corporate career in 2011, I had ten days off a year and less than five sick days.
Compare that to many European countries, which get about 28 days off a year, and you can see why many people would choose to relocate.
But on top of having more days off, many workers outside of North America don't feel the pressure of staying late at work.
Cities are also designed to accommodate this lifestyle, as you can find many outdoor hangout spots for workers having epic lunch breaks or "aperitivo" between 5 and 7 pm.
Proximity to other countries
Another big reason expats relocate to Europe or other places in Asia or South America is that they can travel to many other countries within a few hours.
For example, let's pretend you moved to Berlin and wanted to visit a few other countries on your time off.
Even if you decide to cap your travel time to three hours by plane, you'd be able to visit all the European countries, some middle eastern ones, and part of North Africa.
Also, keep in mind that when you travel outside North America, every country has its language, its own food, history, and culture.
That means you are just a couple of hours away from immersing yourself in a completely different environment.
A sense of community
If you come from a very big city, you know you could be surrounded by people yet feel isolated.
But living as an expat gives you the best of both worlds.
On one end, you could live in a buzzing city that never sleeps, but on the other, you get to build lifelong relationships with people living the same experience.
If you have Facebook or Instagram, you can easily find interest groups or pages where thousands of expats congregate to help each other out.
They organize events; they share valuable information about jobs, entertainment venues, restaurants, and anything in between.
So if you want to relocate but are afraid to do it alone or as a couple, don't sweat! You'll make long-lasting friendships in no time.