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Started By
Message
Any expats? Looking for recommendations
Posted on 10/10/25 at 8:52 am
Posted on 10/10/25 at 8:52 am
I'm considering living overseas for a year or so but don't really know where to start. My company is open to letting me work remotely but they also do have some projects internationally. The international work is mostly in Australia, but Australia doesn't seem to be very open to hiring outsiders for those positions anymore. If I were to work remotely, I would need to be online for work during eastern time work hours. That pretty much limits me to American timezones or the most western part of Europe (Portugal, UK, Iceland). We only speak English but I'm certainly willing to take the challenge of trying a Spanish or Portuguese country. Married but no kids so not worried about education. Healthcare - while always important - we have no issues so would only need it in an emergency. Safety is a priority. We will be alone in a foreign country uncertain of which neighborhoods to avoid and without our guns for self defense. It's unfortunately very difficult to get a good gauge for this because the US likes to tell us everywhere is unsafe
I've just scratched the surface of researching some of these places and the first ones that stood out were Portugal, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.
Does anyone here have any experience with this or any advice to offer?
I've just scratched the surface of researching some of these places and the first ones that stood out were Portugal, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.
Does anyone here have any experience with this or any advice to offer?
This post was edited on 10/10/25 at 8:57 am
15
Posted on 10/10/25 at 9:16 am to Yeti_Chaser
Belize seems like the obvious answer to me 
Posted on 10/10/25 at 9:26 am to Yeti_Chaser
My wife and I have considered it for a while and I have done a lot of research. Lisbon seems to be one of the best places for Expats to live in Europe and would be my number 1 choice.
Posted on 10/10/25 at 9:47 am to weagle1999
quote:
Belize
How are the people there? Is it similar to what you would find in a lot of carribbean islands?
This post was edited on 10/10/25 at 9:49 am
Posted on 10/10/25 at 9:56 am to Yeti_Chaser
They are mostly all mestizo / hispanic. Very few (if any) blacks or asians.
English is the official language because they are a former British colony.
2hr-ish flight from Atlanta.
English is the official language because they are a former British colony.
2hr-ish flight from Atlanta.
This post was edited on 10/10/25 at 9:59 am
Posted on 10/10/25 at 10:02 am to weagle1999
quote:
Very few (if any) blacks
This is not what I expected to read
Posted on 10/10/25 at 10:44 am to Yeti_Chaser
I was seconded (transferred) to Belgium for about five months. Everyone speaks English in the major cities. I was based out of Brussels, but traveled around Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Poland while I was there. Poland is sketchy on English; younger people will speak it, older people will stare at you blankly.
The cities are safe beyond the usual petty theft, as long as you stay away from the neighborhoods that are predominantly Muslim. I had an Indian co-worker get off at the wrong station (Merode, in Brussels,) and the cops snatched him up and brought him to the hotel for his safety. But I also got my hair cut and walked around in the predominantly Congolese section of Brussels late at night, etc. I had to get a medical certification for my work permit at a clinic in Brussels, it was perfectly fine. It may have been $100.
You probably have a better chance getting a job with a multinational like Shell, etc. You also left out Ireland (Republic of, meaning the South.) To me, Portuguese is harder than Spanish or French. When people speak Portuguese, I hear bits of Spanish, Italian, and some French all at the same time and it's confusing as shite. If you chose Belgium, get used to seeing road signs in French, and Flemish, lol.
The cities are safe beyond the usual petty theft, as long as you stay away from the neighborhoods that are predominantly Muslim. I had an Indian co-worker get off at the wrong station (Merode, in Brussels,) and the cops snatched him up and brought him to the hotel for his safety. But I also got my hair cut and walked around in the predominantly Congolese section of Brussels late at night, etc. I had to get a medical certification for my work permit at a clinic in Brussels, it was perfectly fine. It may have been $100.
You probably have a better chance getting a job with a multinational like Shell, etc. You also left out Ireland (Republic of, meaning the South.) To me, Portuguese is harder than Spanish or French. When people speak Portuguese, I hear bits of Spanish, Italian, and some French all at the same time and it's confusing as shite. If you chose Belgium, get used to seeing road signs in French, and Flemish, lol.
Posted on 10/10/25 at 11:41 am to Yeti_Chaser
Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona or anywhere else in Spain. Almost everyone speaks English.In.the cities.
This post was edited on 10/10/25 at 11:42 am
Posted on 10/10/25 at 12:16 pm to Yeti_Chaser
If it wasn't for the time zone, I would suggest Mauritius. No "official language" but they do require their assembly to speak in English. English and French are the "de facto languages". 53% of the islanders speak Creole. Religion is an issue...but it could be worse. Population is ~ 52% Hindu, ~28% Christian (26% Catholic, 2% Protestant) and ~16% Muslim.
The island has 100% fiber network availability with gigabit speed available. The only issue is, it's 8-hours ahead of Eastern Time.
The island has 100% fiber network availability with gigabit speed available. The only issue is, it's 8-hours ahead of Eastern Time.
Posted on 10/10/25 at 12:29 pm to ForeverLSU5
quote:
Lisbon
I was told by someone who moved back from Portugal that the locals do not like expats. FWIW
Posted on 10/10/25 at 2:27 pm to weagle1999
quote:
I was told by someone who moved back from Portugal that the locals do not like expats. FWIW
I don't know what OP is looking for, but if he is just looking for a place for a year or so I don't think that's a huge concern anywhere. Assuming he will be busy traveling on many weekends and what not?
The real question for the OP is how strict does his work schedule need to be? Working from 2pm to 10pm (8-4 CT) really is very doable if he wants to but not really ideal.
But if he is only doing it for 6-12 months its really not a major issue IMO. Then most of western Europe is available OP. You could also do Ireland and have cheap flights available but it does still add up.
Again I'm not sure what you are looking for, but just going for a couple of months and bee bopping around you'd have tons of options OP. I'm not sure I'd live in Brazil for a year but just for 2-3 months I'd live almost anywhere in South America
Posted on 10/10/25 at 6:37 pm to baldona
quote:
how strict does his work schedule need to be? Working from 2pm to 10pm (8-4 CT) really is very doable if he wants to but not really ideal.
It's going to be pretty strict 7-4:30 ET with every other friday off. I could shift it one hour earlier but it's going to be pretty strict for the most part. Working until 10:30 pm is probably fine but it's going to be hard to sit at a computer on a Friday night instead of going out. Also a lot of the appeal of Europe is lost in knowing that I can't hop on a short flight Thursday evening after work for a weekend trip bc I gotta work late
I don't know why but I hadn't even considered the idea of staying in different countries throughout the year. That would probably eliminate a lot of the visa headaches
This post was edited on 10/10/25 at 6:44 pm
Posted on 10/10/25 at 10:30 pm to Yeti_Chaser
The kind of visa I was on, I just had to leave th EU for 24 hours before I’d been there 30 days. I flew to Liverpool for a weekend, back home for LSU/UF the next month, etc.
Posted on 10/10/25 at 11:03 pm to Yeti_Chaser
quote:
Portugal
English is compulsory starting in 3rd grade.
All of the people below ~45 speak very good English and it gets more and more fluent the younger they are.
Posted on 10/11/25 at 6:00 am to weagle1999
quote:
They are mostly all mestizo / hispanic. Very few (if any) blacks
What???!!!! This is why you shouldn't trust random people on this website.
Please spend five minutes walking around Belize City, where a quarter of the population lives. You'll see very few hispanic faces.
Now, if you go to San Ignacio, of course, it's a different story.
Posted on 10/11/25 at 6:30 am to Yeti_Chaser
If it were me, I'd live in the Azores for a year. These islands are 870 miles west of Lisbon, so you're much closer to the EST that would make life easier.
Azorean people are Portuguese, of course, but everyone speaks English. The ties of the islands to the US are very strong. They go back 150 years when the whaling trade meant that Azorean communities were first established in the US, such as Fall River, Massachusetts. Another big immigration wave to the US happened after the 1957 explosion of Capelinhos volcano devastated the islands and Congress passed a special immigration exemption allowing unlimited Azoreans to come to the US.
As a result, everyone has relatives in the US, and everyone speaks English.
You'd also be happy to know that the major transatlantic cables connect on the islands, so the internet speeds are elite.
I've traveled to 44 countries and don't often return to places I've visited, because the world's a big place, but the Azores are an exception. I've spent two weeks there now, and I'll go back again at some point. It blows my mind that the islands are still largely undiscovered by American tourists.
If you want a book from an American who recently (published 2018) lived there for a year, I would recommend: The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores.
Azorean people are Portuguese, of course, but everyone speaks English. The ties of the islands to the US are very strong. They go back 150 years when the whaling trade meant that Azorean communities were first established in the US, such as Fall River, Massachusetts. Another big immigration wave to the US happened after the 1957 explosion of Capelinhos volcano devastated the islands and Congress passed a special immigration exemption allowing unlimited Azoreans to come to the US.
As a result, everyone has relatives in the US, and everyone speaks English.
You'd also be happy to know that the major transatlantic cables connect on the islands, so the internet speeds are elite.
I've traveled to 44 countries and don't often return to places I've visited, because the world's a big place, but the Azores are an exception. I've spent two weeks there now, and I'll go back again at some point. It blows my mind that the islands are still largely undiscovered by American tourists.
If you want a book from an American who recently (published 2018) lived there for a year, I would recommend: The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores.
Posted on 10/11/25 at 8:06 am to GOP_Tiger
quote:
Azores
Sounds great. It looks surprisingly cheap too, i assume due to the weather. Sounds similar to Costa Rica as far as climate? A bit colder and rainier than I'd like but I could get past that.
This suggestion also has me looking at Madeira and the Canary Islands now too. Seems more expensive though of course
Posted on 10/11/25 at 8:38 am to Yeti_Chaser
quote:
It looks surprisingly cheap too
The Azores are cheap even by the standards of mainland Portugal.
quote:
Sounds similar to Costa Rica as far as climate? A bit colder and rainier than I'd like but I could get past that.
Like Ireland, everything is a beautiful, dazzling green, but yeah, that's 'cuz it rains a whole lot. I will concede that the winter might get a bit dreary, with the rain and the colder temps (I've never been in the winter), but summer weather is very nice. In that regard, the Azores are like most of Europe -- not really pleasant winter weather.
This post was edited on 10/11/25 at 8:47 am
Posted on 10/11/25 at 11:29 am to ForeverLSU5
quote:
Lisbon
A good friend (British/Polish citizen) moved from London to Lisbon last year due to its lower cost of living.
He’s told me numerous times that there’s definitely growing tension from natives about immigration and tourism to the area. Cost of living even in his relatively short time there has increased particularly on rent. His place doubled in price after the first year.
Overall; he’s enjoying it there; but, has said it’s been quite an adjustment and he worries that eventually Portugal will be forced to curb immigration and tourism amid rising protests.
Posted on 10/11/25 at 12:12 pm to Yeti_Chaser
(no message)
This post was edited on 10/18/25 at 1:59 am
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