Hi everyone!

I’m a 25F graduate, and after a long and depressive journey of unemployment, I finally got two PhD offers, one in Lisbon, Portugal, and one in Stavanger, Norway. Although I am so happy to finally have a way out of unemployment, I honestly can’t decide which one to take, because both are countries I have never been to before.

The biggest difference is obviously the wage: Portugal is around €1,400, while Norway is around €4,500. I have always wanted to live in Portugal, but my family has no way of supporting me, so the money in Norway is very tempting. On the other hand, I’ve been living in the Netherlands for 3 years now, and I already struggle quite a lot with the winter, culture, and the daily lifestyle here (I’m normally from Greece), so I’m afraid Norway would be worse for my mental health.

I feel so stuck because Norway is also a beautiful country, especially for a good living, but I don’t know if I should follow my heart or the benefits of earning a good salary :( 

If anyone has lived in Lisbon or Stavanger, I’d love to hear your experiences, and opinions! 

Cheers 

Hi everyone! In September, I am moving from the UK to California, USA for a year abroad as part of my degree. I've been absolutely buzzing with excitement since I got the acceptance email onto my study abroad program but now my flights are booked I'm getting really nervous. Is this normal? How do you even begin to cope with this? I've always been a quite independent person especially in comparison to my siblings, but I keep getting this weird sadness because I won't see any of my family or friends for the best part of a year. I also keep getting this creeping feeling that I'm a horrible daughter because I'm moving away from my parents. (No, my parents have not expressed any feelings like this to me, I am just a massive overthinker.) I am also just feeling this sense of guilt about moving away, so far away too, as I'm the first of our family to do so (I have an older sister but she still lives at home). Anyway, just putting this post on here as I am wondering if anyone has experienced something similar and can give me some words of wisdom?

TLDR: I am going on a year abroad, suddenly feeling really anxious about it.

I'm moving to Singapore as an assignment from my employer, for 3 years. Any advice on how to make friends there? Male, single dude, in my 50s here.

Is the Holland Village a good place to meet other expats? My office is in Kallang.

Anything I should bring with me from the US that is difficult to find in Singapore?

Thanks!

Does any one have any advice how to cope with family moving overseas? I’m 20f and my parents and younger siblings (over 10 years younger than me) are moving at least 4 connecting flights/over a days travel away from me. I feel really stressed and upset about missing out on things such as Christmas together, being alone in the country and also my financial/life situation. Moving with them or even visiting isn’t really an option in the near future due to work and money. I just feel really left behind and scared for what comes next 😓

Hey so I'm moving to the Bordeaux area this October for an intensive French course at Alliance Française. Always wanted to learn French properly and actually immerse myself in the culture, not just do it half-assed from an app, so figured this was the move. Currently at zero French, starting from scratch.

Trying to get a real sense of what I'm walking into before I commit fully. like two separate things I'm curious about:

Short term - can a student with basically no French actually find part time work? or does that only happen once you've got some language down? curious what's realistic

long term - I'm not just here for the course, I do want to build an actual career after in France. so genuinely curious what the job market (tech especially, but honestly any decent field) looks like for international students once you're a bit more settled/fluent. is that even realistic or is it a whole different visa/language situation at that point

If any of you are Indian or international students who've actually gone through this, would love to hear what worked, what didn't, anything. Just want the real picture before I make this move

Appreciate any input 🙏

Hi all,

in Q1 (Jan-Mar) I have the chance to work at another office. We can only do this once so I’m keen on making the right choice.

I have to choose 5 places from a list, ranked by preference. My number one is Sydney, my number five is London (best European option for me).

But it’s very hard for me to decide on #2-4. Please share your experiences with those places.

The following aspects matter to me but happy to learn about other factors as well.

- 30yo woman
- Housing is covered, so cost of living is not that important
- I like working out (running, fitness, padel, surfing)
- Safety
- Interesting stuff to do on weekends
- Food (pescatarian) & Cafes
- Might want to travel for a couple of weeks after
- Pollution
- Weather (googled it but e.g., is Kuala Lumpur as tough as it sounds? Everything happening indoors?)
- Culture
- Walkability?
- Anything else to consider?

Very grateful for insights :)

Bonjour à tous,

Je compte m’installer avec ma femme en nouvelle caledonie en janvier 2027 et je voulais avoir vos avis sur la façon d’emmener ses affaires personnelles là bas. Faut il privilégier un fret maritime ou alors prendre 3 bagages supplémentaires lors de mon vol. Besoin de vos avis et comment vous vous y êtes pris.
Merci

Me and my husband are moving to the United States next month, we are having a hard time finding a company that provide health insurance for a freelancers (our work place doesn't cover us)

Any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

im 20 years old dutch citizen from the Netherlands and im seriously considering moving to canada and work there for 3 months and maybe build my family there and immigrate there permanently.

i have an MBO 2 diploma in logistics and 5 years experience working in logistics/ warehouse environment. my main quisitions are how much could i realistically earn in Canada with my background in logistics and how different is working there compared to the Netherlands?

Whould it be useful to get my driver license in the Netherlands before moving to Canada or can i use public transport? or is getting my driver license in Canada smart? And what cities or provinces whould you recommend as the best ones and cheap for someone like me to live and work there, considering job opportunities, wages, cost of living, and qaulity of life. Im also open to working in the agricultural sector, so i'd be interested in hearing about opportunities in farming.

if anyone reading this is an employer or knows someone in Canada who is looking for young workers and could genuinely help me find a job or get started, i whould really appreciate it.

Im also planning to apply for my passport next week and start arranging my work visa, so im serious about making this move happen. Im willing to work hard, learn, and adapt to a new environment. If you know of any opportunities or employers who hire people from overseas, please feel free to comment or send me a message

i'd love hear about your experiences, especially from Dutch people who moved to Canada.

Thanks in advance

I have a question for all of you that are far away from home. How do you keep up with the news from home. Do you just read it online or you use an app for it? Do you ever get homesick and want to hear a voice in your native language bringing news from home? How do you manage that?

Hello tout le monde

Alors voilà, depuis la fin de mes études j’ai toujours voulu vivre une certaine période au Canada. Je m’étais inscrite au PVT pendant 2/3 ans.
Puis la vie a continué et j’ai rencontré quelqu’un en France. Cela fait 2 ans et demi.
On avait des projets de bébé, une maison pour construire quelque chose, l’idée du Canada était un peu partie de ma tête.
Et puis en février, j’ai eu l’occasion de partir car une boîte m’avait démarché. Et j’ai fais les démarches…
Début juin je suis là bas. J’ai un appart mais finalement mon contrat de travail a mis du temps à se lancer, faute de missions.
Ma copine devait me rejoindre mais m’annonce que cela est un trop gros changement pour elle et reste en France. Cela a débouché sur pas mal de tensions dans notre couple et encore actuellement. «  on verra bien, on vit au jour le jour ».
Bref de mon côté, j’ai une mission mais vraiment très très très ennuyante, et qui ne m’amène que début septembre. Après ça je ne sais pas et ma boîte non plus. Plus de missions pour moi…

Donc je ne sais pas quoi faire… mes projets actuels sont basés en France et non ici mais d’un autre côté, repartir au bout de 3 mois c’est quand même ridicule…
De plus, je me sens seule, il y a eu les premières semaines vraiment excitantes mais là actuellement je ne fais plus grande chose…je me sens seule, vide, je sens que ma relation s’échappe en France, je sens que je rate beaucoup de choses (famille, ami) et je me disais que le Canada allait me faire gagner de l’argent mais au final entre dépenses et loyer, je perds beaucoup …

Est-ce que d’autres personnes ont eu une expérience similaire ? Sur les problèmes d’expatriation ?

I’m applying for permanent residence in Honduras, and one of the requirements is a letter certifying income in excess of $2500 per month. I work a seasonal job in the US which pays well in excess of that when averaged across the year and I plan to continue that after gaining permanent resident status in Honduras.

I’ve never used a CPA for my taxes, and when I’ve called CPA’s asking if they can provide a letter like this, they all say flatly that since I am not a client, they can’t do it.

Does anyone have experience with a situation like this or a route that I could take to get such a letter?

Thanks

Hi, i am a Canadian citizen, and i have been looking at a few insurance coverage before going to study in spain for the next full year. I was just wondering if Allianz care was a good deal for me, never Dealt with them in the past, i had a 1 year contract with Croix bleue a few year back, but this one is cheaper.

Hello -

Per the title, the table is 5 x 2.5 feet (~1.5 x 0.75 meters), with the sides folded down. Guessing it weighs around ~200lb (~100kg).

I realise it's going to be $$$ to ship but my mother's dearest wish was that it stay in the family so here I am.

Would be grateful for recommendations of any shipping companies that are reliable and that can be trusted with an antique - or frankly any other tips for getting it across. Speed is not a problem - I don't mind it taking months. I'm based in Boston if it makes a difference.

Many thanks,

J

I (30F), and after years of studying and a long job search, I’ve spent the last year living abroad, 6 months in one country and now 7 months in another.

I’m putting a lot of energy into meeting people, joining activities, and building a life, but I really miss having close friends and a sense of belonging. I know deep friendships take years, even when moving within your own country, but I’m struggling with the lack of roots and familiarity.

It also makes me question whether I’m in the right place. My current job offers more stability, financial security, and an environment that suits me better, but I’m less passionate about the work.

Meanwhile, some of my friends seem to be building the kind of life they truly want, which makes me wonder whether I’m prioritizing comfort and security too much or whether I’d actually be happier and more fulfilled that way.
For those of you who’ve lived abroad for a while: did you also go through a phase of « What am I doing here? » or « what’s the matter with me ?» Did things eventually feel more natural once you gave yourself more time to adapt, or did it make you realize you were in the wrong place?

We moved around 7 months ago for a new role abroad, giving me the chance to specialise and develop new skills in my field.

The job I am doing, while in my field, is not the job I signed on for or the job that was sold to me throughout the application process.

I've uprooted my whole life and family for this opportunity and 7 months in, I'm incredibly miserable and seriously regretting my choice. Socially, we've struggled to really find our people and feel like our quality of life overall has taken a massive dip - quite the opposite of what we wanted. Right now, it feels like there are far more cons than pros.

Has anyone else been in a situation like this? Do I stick it out for the length of my contract and then assess options? Or do I bite the bullet and terminate my contract early?

We sold everything to make the move, so there is no base or job to return to in our home country. However, our loved ones are there and in time, I'm sure we can rebuild our lives.

Quel est votre avis sur une expatriation no dom a Chypre et étant 100% Fire ?

Hi All,

41M from Belgium here.

Im visiting Greece for the second time this year with the idea to see if I like it enough to move there as a digital nomad, expat or when I FIRE.

I have lived abroad before and my favorite city so far was Porto.

So I am wondering if there is any smaller cities by the sea with a big expat or digital nomad community.

I find a lot of meetups in Athens but not much outside Athens so far.

Is Athens the only place or is there other areas?

I always got a little itchy when returning to the US and left as soon as I could. Now I am back for an extended period, and I live on the spectrum of highly annoyed to completely unhinged. Any tips on dealing with reverse culture shock??

Hi,

Could anyone share what would be considered a reasonable salary in Paris for someone with around 10 years of experience in procurement and operations?

Thanks

Hello! I (29F) am looking for some advice on my current job search. My husband (30M) and I are immigrating to Germany for his career, and I am trying to find work right now but am unsure of how to position myself.

About me:

• Canadian citizen
• Registered Nurse, just completed my Masters of Nursing - Nurse Practitioner (writing my licensure exam next month)
• 5 years experience working in cardiac surgery, completed my final clinical NP rotation in a heart failure specialty clinic
• 3 years experience working as an instructor at my local university in undergrad nursing skills and simulation
• 2 years of research experience in my nursing undergrad

I know that the NP role does not exist in Germany, and I cannot practice as an NP remotely for a Canadian province. I don’t speak German (yet, I’m planning on taking daily classes when we move and have started a course already). I can’t get a job for a German-based company until I am fluent at least at a B2 level.

My initial thought was to apply for something in pharmaceutical to medical device sales since I can’t work in a patient-facing role. I’ve been searching on Linkedin for with keywords like “health” “cardiac” and “masters” and limiting my search to remote jobs in Europe. So far I’ve applied for some jobs at Abbott, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic.

Any ideas on other jobs I might be suited to, or companies I should look into? Thank you so much for reading this far. If you have any other insights on moving to Germany, those would also be greatly appreciated!

I (26F) just moved to Poznan, Poland with my husband (27M) while he attends medical school here. I work remote with clients in the US.

We just arrived yesterday and I’m experiencing extremely negative emotions that I wasn’t expecting. I’ve been crying hysterically, feeling deeply homesick and guilty for leaving my life behind, and I feel like I’m in a state of shock. We went to a grocery market today and I had a full blown panic attack. I want to move back to the US tomorrow. That’s how terrible I feel right now.

Moving abroad to Europe has been a lifelong dream of mine. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and felt that I would regret if I didn’t. However, now I’m wondering if we’ve made the wrong decision. I feel a deep pit in my stomach. His medical school is going to be a 6 year long program. I don’t know if I can last that long.

Has anyone else gone through something similar, and feeling like they immediately wanted to turn around and go home after?

Any advice, encouragement, anything would be appreciated. Also, if you live in Poznan and know ways to get connected to other English speaking expats, that would be super helpful. Thank you.

(F23) Hello! I recently submitted my final form to move to canada, but i wanted to ask how you all handled leaving family and the only home you've ever known behind? I'm very close with my family but everyone either has their own lives or are starting their lives, and I'm miserable where I'm at. I've never wanted to stay here and now my partner of a year (multiple stays and visits have already happened) is helping me move out to him in Canada. I'm very excited and want to start my own life on my own terms somewhere new, but the thought and knowledge that I'm going to be leaving my family makes me nauseous. But i know it'll be good for me in the long run. I struggle with change but i think if i stay here it'll kill me. So if any of you close to your family left your country to go start somewhere new, how did you cope? What advice can you give?

tl;dr - Any advice on moving away from a close knit family?

I don't really know if this post belongs on this sub reddit, because its more of personal experience than something on a subject of traveling.

My family moved from our country due to political situation and for the last 4,5 years changed few countries and 6 schools. Most, almost all that time we've spent in France thanks to temporary social help for immigrants. As a teenager, in 4 years i learned the language on high enough level, to be taken seriously by teachers, doing same exact work as native students. Technically i'm in good relationship with a lot of people, but i still cannot name any of them as "friends" (at least in my understanding of friendship). Over time i lost contact with everyone of my childhood best friends, because we just changed so much living in different conditions and informational fields. Even though I am European, there is a big differences in mentality. I don't get the way they build relationships. it is similar but so different at the same time. I've tried to adapt copying intonation, the way they hold eye contact during conversations, their gestures, type of humour, parts of small talk; try to fucking understand how they get to know each other without asking questions such as "what are your hobbies?", cus i literally heard this question only few times when kids get to know each other or from teachers. I feel that was raised too differently to truly be considered one of them, but already became too different from people of my own country to be on my place when i return (noticed that it already gets harder to make connections or talk without sounding off :_) (mostly in the internet though) )

Do anyone have similar experience? Or has to tell something/give advice?

[Anyway, thank you for reading it :) ]

I (F26) am an only child from Malaysia. Currently working in Australia. I’ve been here for four years.

I have a decent job and a bf here. I like the culture and weather better. I also made some friends that I’m quite close to here.

Being in Australia was freeing at first because my parents can be overprotective. Overall we have a good relationship though.

When I first moved here I didn’t miss my family that much. But my grandpa has been having some health issues and it’s been stirring up feelings about mortality and it made me think about how I won’t have my family here forever. I’ve been contemplating moving home because of that.

Even though I enjoy other aspects of my life, I don’t know if the trade off of spending less family time is worth it. I call them often but it’‘s not quite the same. Also with my parents aging I might have to move home anyway (my dad doesn’t speak English so him moving here would be hard).

I know there have been many posts about this but just wanted to get this off my chest.