Not long ago, an e-mail plea for "move overseas" help came from a reader. “We love the International Living information, but the bottom line is that we are ‘scared stiff’ of giving it a go. We’re not sophisticated, not wealthy, not bilingual, and have never traveled abroad.”
She continued: “Everything we read in International Living makes so much sense and it sounds like a tremendous opportunity to make the money we earn go so much further and perhaps we could, at some point in the future, retire…but the fear factor is high. Do you have any suggestions for overcoming this? And is there anywhere we could find information on great opportunities in English-speaking countries?”
You may be in the same situation as this reader–most of the countries that are high on our list (because of their high quality of life and low cost of living) aren’t places where English is the official language. But you’d be surprised how many people all over the world do speak English.
All I can say is "take the plunge"…or at least the first step. Plan a trip to the destination that really isn’t all that different from the U.S….like the Lake Chapala area–San Miguel de Allende or Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Try them out and you’ll see what I mean…you’ll need no (or very little) Spanish in either of those places.
Even here in little Cotacachi, Ecuador, in the heart of the Andes where we’re spending the summer, you will find English speakers. We’ve just met one young man, in fact, an Ecuadorian who was born and raised in the U.S. He moved here to start a business, helping expats get visas, facilitating things like home furnishings and Internet hook-ups, and so on. Another English-speaking Ecuadorian owns one of the town hardware stores.
If you’re still apprehensive, though, and really want to ease into this, I’d suggest you start by attending one of our conferences. In fact, start in the U.S.–we’ll be hosting our Live Overseas Conference in Las Vegas, Oct. 1-2. Think of this as an "entry-level" conference for anyone thinking about moving overseas. You’ll get to meet those of us who have done it…in many different countries. You can learn from our experience and I think I can guarantee that you’ll walk away with confidence. If we can do it, so can you!
Suzan Haskins
For International Living
P.S. Find out more about our Live Overseas Conference in Las Vegas Oct. 1-2 here. Join us there and get detailed information about our favorite countries (and more). These conferences are truly eye-opening experiences…you’ll walk away full of optimism about the future…and with many more ideas and strategies about where to go and what to do. And you’ll have a lot of fun, too. If you register now you’ll save $200.
To read more IL articles about moving overseas, see:
Moving Overseas: How Winton and Debi Did it
Moving Overseas 101
