NGL, not asking for a friend. Given the current trends in US politics, it seems prudent to at least look into it.

Most of the online content on the topic seems to be by immigration attorneys hustling ultra rich people. I’m not ultra rich. I have a job in tech, could work remotely, also have enough assets to not desperately need money if the cost of living were low enough.

I am a native English speaker, fluent enough in Spanish to survive in a Spanish speaking country. I am old, male, cis, hetero, basically asexual at this point. I am outgoing, comfortable among strangers.

What’s good and bad about where you live? Would it be OK for a outsider, newcomer?

  • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    57
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    1 month ago

    Ive usually seen “Expat” defined as someone working in another country, but explicitly with the intent to be there temporarily and leave once their time at that job ends, rather than moving there with an intent to stay and join that society. Which, granted, doesnt seem to be what OP is actually talking about in this case.

    • MeldrikA
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 month ago

      Yea, I always thought an “expat” was someone who was temporarily sent to another country to work for their company there.

      • Troubleinmind
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        36
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        1 month ago

        Americans don’t want to be grouped in with “dirty non-white immigrants” so they consider themselves expats even if they intend the move abroad permanently.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 month ago

      What OP is talking about has been a thing since the 90s and even 80s and earlier with ex-military.

      Move to a cheap country where your pension/disability/passive income/whatever makes you wealthy.

      Originally places liked it because it was an influx in cash. But then it became too popular and they were gentrifying places to the point locals couldn’t afford to live and these leeches never worked.

      It became big again with the internet when people became able to work and American job while overseas remotely. But by now most American companies just won’t pay American wages. If they wanted someone overseas they’d pay them the low wage they always do.

      With those younger people they added the “temporary” because they say they’ll move back someday.

      What you’re talking about (if the job is in that country) would be a migrant worker.

      But they also don’t like that label, they think they’re better than it.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 month ago

        I’d argue we should call all migrant workers expats. Unless they’re literally working in a migratory fashion, spring here, summer there, fall somewhere else, etc.

    • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      That’s what it means but some people use it wrong and some people complain about it being used wrong, wrongly