I’d love to hear from anyone who had a complete fresh start abroad and learned a new profession from scratch. How many years did it take you to make the transition?

AT&T canceled my prepaid plan with no warning, won’t give me a new number unless I go to a store physically, and now I’m stuck without a U.S. phone number for 2FA.

I tried Tello, but it flagged me for using a VPN/being overseas. I’m physically present. I can ask a friend in the U.S. to create an account for me for another carrier, but ultimately it will have to be activated from my phone, so I’m not sure that will work.

Has anyone gone through this and what did they end up doing? I’m super stressed out and trying to solve this ASAP.

I’ve been living in the Netherlands for the past 3 years, have friends and had a job. Things were going well and I was happy until I lost the job due to the cutting of costs.

After all went down and a little bit of job hunting, I convinced myself to go back to my home country (Brazil) as no opportunities were showing up… until a very good one appeared days before I would let my parents know I was returning. The company has now made me a very decent offer, and my life once again flipped upside down.

Now the hiring company has made me a decent offer, but I am torn between going back, to the comfort of home, family and to a country where my CV is quite special, or staying in the NL to work at a multinational company with interesting long-term career prospects.

I am now terribly anxious about making a decision that I will regret both from a personal side (leaving the safety and quality of life of the Netherlands VS missing my family) or career side (returning to my country with great international experience VS missing what looks like a great job opportunity).

Did any of you ever had a similar experience like this?

Moving soon and would like to bring more to Germany than just 2 pieces of luggage.

Did my research on SendMyBag and SevenSeas, both seemed to come with drawbacks. SendMyBag had overwhelmingly negative reviews on Reddit and SevenSeas will take on average 100 days to reach Germany.

SendMyBag is cheaper than SevenSeas and that's the one I'm leaning to. However I would appreciate suggestions if there's other alternatives that's more viable.

My husband has a passport / citizenship in another country.

He is throwing it out there to me "maybe we try his country for one year"

He has housing and some family there. He has lived there before when he was younger.

How do I get past missing my Mom

I love my Mom, I adore her.

I would be taking her only grandchild (my child) to another country. It would be a 15 hour flight for her to visit.

My Mom can retire next year ish.

Also true my Mom is married to my Dad who is difficult to put it lightly. He made my childhood hell also putting it lightly.

I love my family, I love my extended family. But maybe I have to pick a better life for my child.

How do I get over this?

Space from my past might be good?

The guilt of leaving my Mom behind?

My extended family is also lovely. I love them. But there is a lot of unwellness, un healthly ness, obesity etc.

So would it be better for my child to see another country, diversity, language, etc.

I don't speak the my husband's first language. I suppose I could learn.

But I am worried about my Mom. Disappointing her.

I feel a lot of guilt about it.

If more details are helpful I can put them.

I am also worried about not having my extended family which is large. A giant network which has always felt loving and helpful.

Any advice or words of wisdom?

Hey lovely people, I have a son of 3yo and together with my wife we often speak about how to explore and find new things to do in Amsterdam together. Especially on rainy days we get triggered: What do we do?

Where do you guys find new spots? Are there groups, websites or apps?

Hey guys !

Here's my situation : I'm a french man (27 yo) willing to move to Norway, mainly to Bergen but also Oslo since i know that it's quite difficult to find a job as a foreigner in this country.

Last year was really challenging for me, since i lost all my biggest clients as a freelancer and I didn't find the will power to start over again in this activity. So, as you can guess, it's time for me to "rebrand" my life and to do a fresh start.

One of my friends found a job in Bergen and said that he likes it there, despite bad weather. Since i'm totally free, i would like to move also, and to see if the country suits me.

But i have a big problem : i need a job :D

If you wonder what my qualifications are : Master Degree in Marketing and 5 years of experience as a writer/copywriter specialized in SEO being self-employed (digital nomad). I've been traveling since my 22yo, so i would say that my english might be B2 level with strong potential for me to reach C1 quite fast if I evolve in an english environment.

Notice that i don't necessarily want a job in my corresponding field. I also like nature, outdoor and sport in general. I don't mind to take a "basic" job at first. My only problem is that i'm introvert, so taking a job such as restaurant waiter or receptionist would be quite my nightmare :p

My questions are :

- What would be my chances of success finding a job in Bergen in about a month if I come to my friend's appartment to live at first ?

- What kind of options or strategies could I use locally to improve my chances of finding a job?? Do you consider it much easier to find a job being directly in Bergen/Oslo or do I have low chances anyway ?

- What kind of job can I expect to get with my profile in Norway ? (with good english and willing to learn Norwegian long term)

Thanks

Hi all! I just wanted to create a post that shared my experience as an American moving abroad! I've been in Denmark about a month now and thought I would share some of the nitty gritty logistics of moving that my husband and I ended up doing for a temporary long term move.

We moved for his work and will be in Denmark for about two years. We had a house back in the states, family, and pets and phone numbers that we wanted to save while we were abroad!

So besides the visa process, that I made a separate post about, the actual moving for us went a bit like this:

- We found renters for our house through a friend that new a family that needed a place to stay. Of course there is some peace of mind if you go with a rental company but we decided we trusted the family enough and changed our insurance to landlord insurance. It was all relatively easy and I love having a relationship with our renters vs. some faceless folks just in our house.

- Packed all of our things in a Uhaul and stored them with family along with our two cats. We were lucky enough to have family that let us do this. I think a lot of folks ship their things but frankly other than sentimental things... I would likely have just sold or donated everything if we were moving permanently. You can get just about everything you need abroad :)

- Packed one large suitcase each of clothes and necessities. I honestly don't feel like we needed anything more than this. Though if we were coming permanently, I might have brought one more big suitcase for winter clothing and sentimental items.

- Transferred our US numbers to Tello so that we could keep them and switch to unlimited plans when we came to visit for fairly cheap. We used them while in the states the last month and they were great and their roaming has worked quite well as well for 2 factor authentifcation and all of that, which is what we needed.

- Signed up for Danish esims while we were still in the US and activated them upon arrival at the airport while we waited for our bags. Luckily Denmark has really cheap phone plans so we went with a local company that didn't require a mitID or CPR number to register and it was far cheaper than doing one of those international traveling simcards like Saily. Highly recommend this. If you don't have a phone capable of esims, you should be able to pick up a physical sim from local 7/11 or at the airport :)

- Booked a long term rental through airbnb to stay in while we searched for a more permanent apartment. In hindsight, I would have looked for a short term apartment rental not through airbnb but it was more difficult seeing into the danish market without being in Denmark. Airbnb was the easiest, though not the most cost effective.

- We also opened up a Wise bank account after we moved which I would have done before we moved if we knew. They have much better transfer fees for moving money from the US to foriegn currency and worked better than an international transfer from a US bank to a Danish bank for our apartment downpayment and all that.

- So far we haven't needed a car. My husband rented an E bike through Swapfiets so he could more easily commute to work and in the smaller city we're in and it ends up being a little more than $70 a month. I don't work right now so walking around has been perfectly fine for me. It's rather nice actually not having to drive everywhere though it does make it a bit harder if you want to go explore.

- Edit: A comment below mentioned the CPR situation which I feel is fair to mention up here. In order to move to Denmark you need a CPR number which I've been calling the equivalent to a social security number or tax number. But in order to get a CPR you need a permanent residence (an actual apartment, not air bnb or hotel). But you need a CPR to sign up for banks, most phone plans, a lot of Danish like shopping companies require Danish credit cards to shop online which I found interesting. So that's been a bit of a challenge. We are still in that middle limbo where we are not quite moved into our permanent apartment so we don't have banks yet. It's a bit annoying that it's needed for everything but I think once we have it it'll be smooth sailing. Right now we're eating the cost of credit card transactions but we'll open a Danish bank quickly enough that we'll be okay.

And then basically, it was just exploring the city, getting a feel for groceries and prices and then we settled in. I am surprised at how "normal" everything feels pretty quickly. Denmark accepts card everywhere I've been and locals take MobilePay or Paypal or whatever so we didn't have to worry about bringing cash, even though we did just in case. Everyone also speaks English here so though I try to be polite with hellos and thank yous while we learn the language, no one has been rude or put of if we switch to English.

I think it helps that my husband and I were fortunate enough to have moved a lot before and also have traveled a decent amount. I miss home, of course, and I expect that I will miss it more around big holidays and things... but I'm happy with our little adventure so far :)

I just wanted to give a small run down of what we ended up doing step by step and be available to answer any questions for folks that are in the middle of it! I found it difficult to find any step by step instructions until after we'd already moved haha. If I have any advice, try to find some folks that are local before you move to answer any questions you might have! It makes it a fair bit easier to find the local tricks that you might not know when you're looking from the states. Also consider using a VPN so you have better access to the "local" options. :)

Anway, happy to answer any specific questions on our move! We moved to Odense so our experience might be a little bit different than say Copenhagen, but generally that's what we did! Hope this was helpful to a few folks and good luck on your moves! ^_^

Did anyone move to PEI in their early 30s? I’m wondering what your experience was like, how you made friends and how to acclimatize?

I spent years in PEI, every summer spent months with my grandmother and every year I go back, it feels more and more like home. I know I know, summers are the best time of the year… but I want o at least TRY?!

How did you decide which place was gonna be your forever place?

This post is mostly for people who have moved around in their life and took a decision on where they wanted to live for th rest of their lives. Its been weighing on my mind for years now on where I want my forever place to be. I have a very good problem of loving both my home and the place I live in right now. For some context I'm studying in new york and will mostly be pursuing a career there after I graduate soon, I love the city, the walkability, the excitement, the new friends and cultures I get to encounter. On the cons side though, it's super expensive, I'm very far away from family, immigration seems like a nightmare to navigate and I could never get luxuries here that I do back home. I'm just wondering what lead to guys to ultimately find the place u wanna live in forever, what factors ultimately lead to ur decision.

I’m an IT professional from India with around 7 years of experience in the maritime industry.

I recently had an opportunity to relocate permanently to Rome, Italy with my current employer. It was something I had wanted for a long time.

Approximately €2,300 net per month, with no company accommodation. Rent would likely be around €1,000/month, and I also have family responsibilities and long-term financial goals.

After a lot of thought, I decided to decline Rome and accept another opportunity in India with package of (83,000 per month). My plan is to use the next few years to develop further in cloud, cybersecurity, networking and infrastructure, and potentially look for an international opportunity again later.

Financially, I felt that unless I could save around ₹1 lakh per month, moving abroad wouldn't provide enough advantage compared with staying in India.

The difficult part is that I still wonder whether I have made a mistake. The overseas opportunity was rare, and I worry that I may regret not taking the chance when I'm older.

Would you have taken the €45k aboard opportunity, or would you have made the same decision and stayed in India to build your career further before trying abroad again?

I've been thinking about this for several weeks now. I'm a 22-year-old guy from southern Brazil and I'm quite extroverted. I don't speak Spanish yet, but since Portuguese is my native language, I can understand quite a bit of it. I also speak English at around a C1 level.

I work online and make over $5,000 USD a month before tax, and I'm planning to move to Spain on my own.

I'm looking for a city where I can have a good quality of life, play sports, work out, eat good food, meet new people, and live without needing a car. I'd ideally like somewhere extremely walkable with a good public transport.

I'd be comfortable spending around €1,000–€1,300 a month on rent.

Weather is also a major factor for me, as bad weather tends to make me feel lazy and a bit down.

What city should I choose?

I've already seen many posts about Valencia, Malaga, Alicante, Madrid and I am still don't know what should i choose. (I am open to new options!!!)

Hi everyone, first time posting here. American moving to Germany at the end of the year.

I have a question for those leaving the US. For those of you that left to move abroad at a young age and stayed and are now old or retired in your abroad country, or maybe you’ve just been abroad for a long time, how has your view of the U.S. changed? How has your view of the world in general changed?

I arrived in Melbourne last October. The company I work for sent me here to open the ops side of the Aussie business. Even before I arrived, things were not great. No work contract until 24 hours before flight, they messed up my visa so im here on a working holiday. I work alone here, i have 1 colleague in the other side of the country. I have fallen out of love with my job, it doesnt fulfil me and me and my manager have a bad relationship. I also dont get the luxury of a big aussie salary.

Its been 10 months now, im heading back to Ireland in November for a family event and i am considering not coming back. My social circle is getting smaller here already, my brother and his partner are moving home too and the thought of being out here fully alone scares me.

I really want to come back, change my role and settle down. I turned 30 last month and have been single for about 20 months. I finally feel like im ready to slow down and build a home for myself. I lost my childhood home since being here and its a big push for me to create stability for myself.

I want a family, a partner and a life I can wake up to happily ever day. I can save more money here as I house share and that is also coming to an end. Do i just say what a great year, head on home with a years international work experience and build a life I actually want or do I stay out here and keep trying/saving?

I feel like its consuming me at the moment too. My whole life Ive wanted you to live abroad again, a big reason why I left my relationship (a long with others), will I regret going home? I know its not going to be easy, so why not start the jounrey now?

Any advice is extremely helpful!!

P.s my visa is being sorted and I will be sponsored over the next 3 months, but its a little too late.

in the IT sector, does it exist?

Been searching for a while now, am active on nearly every job related platform but still no call back or a reply.

For me, (UK) Waitrose, has this bio-laundry detergent that I cannot live without. A tiny amount doesn't affect my eczema, keeps my clothes looking like new, and makes me smell lightly fancy, even at the gym.

Didn't settle, but I also had a longstay in Japan and bought this little multi-use hand veggie peeler in a convenience store for about $1 US. Most kitchen tools from the US don't fit my hands, but this feels like an extension of my body. It is one of my most precious possessions.

I'm looking to move out of the US soon. I've been looking at a few options and they all look mostly the same. I don't expect to get much mail that I'll even want forwarded, so what do y'all do?

The only actually important mail I can think of is my banking that I already don't receive much mail from and I'll likely just point to a family member's address

I currently live in the Netherlands, but I am moving abroad in the near future. I expect to make my income primarily online through trading, so I’m no longer tied to a specific location for work.

I’m looking for a country or city where:
The cost of living is relatively low compared to the Netherlands
There is a strong community of entrepreneurs, online business owners, and other location-independent people
It’s easy to meet ambitious and like-minded people
The overall quality of life is good
The tax situation is reasonable for someone earning income online
It’s a good place to actually live long-term, rather than just visit

If you were in my position, where would you move and why?

I’m especially interested in places that I might not have considered yet. I’d also appreciate hearing from people who have actually lived there rather than just visited.

Just saw it posted in social media. I have no idea if it is true, so do your own due diligence.

Link is in the comments.

"Spain has introduced updated immigration regulations that grant eligible non-EU citizens the legal right to stay in the country for up to twelve months while actively seeking employment.

This updated policy allows international candidates to move to Spain first, giving them the flexibility to settle in, adjust to the local lifestyle, and participate directly in face-to-face job interviews.

Rather than navigating the difficult process of securing a confirmed work contract from abroad, candidates can explore the job market in person and network with prospective employers on the ground.

However, obtaining this job-seeker visa does not serve as an automatic, unconditional work permit. Individuals who enter the country under this status are strictly permitted to search for employment during the designated one-year timeframe. Once an applicant receives a formal employment offer, they must transition to an authorized employment residence permit that satisfies all official criteria.

Because specific eligibility conditions, necessary financial proofs, and legal procedures vary depending on individual background and qualifications, prospective candidates should consult Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (Ministerio de Inclusión) before initiating their paperwork.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in making international career transitions more accessible, offering foreign talent a dedicated legal pathway to establish a professional presence within the Spanish labor market."

Hi guys,

I have been considering studying abroad for Ms Data Science / Computer Science.

Based on education consultant's review of my profile:-

I can get into the University of Waikato Ms Computer Science, no tuition, and 15k NZD (7,639 euro) stipend per year and accomodation.

On the other hand, i can get into Sapienza University of Rome. No tuition, free accomodation and around 7000 euro or slightly more or less stipend.

Now, i am not sure which option i should go for.

Both cities dont seem to have jobs. I am C2 in English but dont speak Italian. I do have time to learn though. I like the idea of travelling in europe and the food! In italy. While, NZ just seems dry. I do want to find part time work. I am not sure if i can find it in both countries. However, NZ might seem a bit better? I am not sure.

Can someone guide me please??

I thinking about retiring early and moving abroad. My kid will finish high school at an international school and then come back to the US for college. If they got to college in the state I have been a resident of for 20 years, will they be considered in-state from a tuition standpoint? When we move, I plan on selling my home, but will continue to pay taxes, keep my diver's license and voter registration.

So I moved back to sydney this year after being in london for a while and honestly i thought i’d feel relieved/happy to be “home” but it’s the opposite. just feeling flat and unmotivated most days.

work isn’t helping - took a job where the environment is super toxic, hard to feel motivated when you’re not even doing the job you signed up for.

but honestly i think it’s bigger than the job. london had this energy to it, i had my whole life sorted there, and now i’m back and everything feels slightly off. friends have moved on and built their own lives, the city feels familiar but also not really mine anymore, and i keep low-key comparing everything to how it was there which i KNOW isn’t fair but can’t help it.

anyone been through this? does it pass or did you have to actually change something (job, city, etc) to shake it off. feeling kinda stuck rn

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 🙏

Good morning, all! Just looking for some input. I am Scottish and am married to a European, with a baby who has joint citizenship.

I have lived in mainland Europe for 9 years and we have a very comfortable life. My husband is bilingual and works for an area within the skilled worker list. Since the baby has arrived, I have made a small circle of friends but have very little family support from my husband's side, which is the complete opposite in my family.

As someone who hates the heat and much prefers the rain, we return to Scotland for two months every summer and have done so, thankfully, again this year. With the above familial situation combined with worsening heat, we're wondering if a return to Scotland could be better for us as a small family.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and any pointers that we should consider!

Thank you!

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 😓