How I see the US after living abroad as an expat for so many years – pros, cons, and reverse culture shock. What’s your opinion on living in the US vs Europe or abroad? Join the conversation in the comments.
Resources mentioned in this video:
* Global Peace Index: https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/
* Hofstede Cultural Dimensions: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/
Living Abroad Cost-of-Living and Travel Guides: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsTStwiO7jmpT1XPSR45R3sJv_I6vJ4Oc
❤️ Subscribe to this Channel: http://bit.ly/TravelwithKristin
Music: Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/
Promoted by MrSnooze https://youtu.be/ioi_-5sAuXQ
Creative Commons — CC BY 3.0 I https://goo.gl/Yibru5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
👱🏻♀️ About: Kristin Wilson is a digital nomad, online entrepreneur, and expat relocation consultant who has lived, worked, or traveled in 60 countries over the last 15+ years and helped 1,000’s of people move abroad or travel full-time.
Kristin is also a writer, public speaker, podcaster, and TV host who has been featured on The Today Show, HGTV’s House Hunters International, Huffpost, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, Business Insider, ESPN, and more.
🎧 Subscribe to Badass Digital Nomads Podcast: https://www.badassdigitalnomads.com
🛍 Amazon Travel and Technology Store:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/travelingwithkristin
➡️ Download Free Remote Work and Travel Resources for Help Becoming a Digital Nomad: https://www.digitalnomadbootcamp.com/
WORK WITH KRISTIN:
📞 Book a private consulting call: https://calendly.com/travelingwithkristin/digital-nomad-consultation
🗺 Get help traveling or moving abroad: https://www.orbisrelocation.com/
💡 Inquire about sponsorship or collaboration opportunities at: hello [at] travelingwithkristin.com
💻 Website: http://www.travelingwithkristin.com/
Connect on Social Media:
📸 Instagram: http://bit.ly/TWKinstagram
❤️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/travelingwithkristin
💛 Clubhouse: @ KristinWilson
💙 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitalnomadsuccess/
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
NOTE: This video is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not individual consulting or advice.
#howiseetheus #livingabroad #cultureshock
Source
The USA is going through a cultural change not for the best!
If you have a feeling about leaving you must do so!
Although almost everyone you have said it is true, however your accent doesn’t convince me.
Love my slow lifestyle here in France and looking to move to Lisbon very soon!! Cannot imagine moving back to the states at this point!
Omg… I concur with the topics you have touched upon on in this video. From the health care, to the propaganda placed on us in the media…straight thru to how our food is cultivated and sold here in the U.S. You didn't ramble. I totally enjoyed this. Continue the good works.
Antoinette
Great retrospective…..thank you for the thought provoking video…..I too am from America, and have been living internationally for 18 years.
I'm headed back to the USA this year, and will probably have a lot of the same feelings you expressed. For that, I thank you for sharing.
what you are describing about people being petty( or hyper sensitive) over stupid little things is the snowflake mentality that exists in the US today, sadly.
i would say rent, health care, cell phone plan and college education are way more in usa compare to the rest of the world. but i heard in other part of the world, electronic such as iPhone or laptop are way more than the usa. Also gas prices for cars are also way more than the usa.
What I miss about the EU is the amount of walking you do. We almost never rent a car and you have to carry what you buy. Amazon has had a negative impact on small businesses in Italy. The one negative I have noticed in the EU is the lack of bike helmets on daily bike riders. Those who are long distance serious riders wear them but riding to work or school – no.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I'm a second generation American who's spent their entire life here. I feel incongruities between how we do things here in America vs. elsewhere. Well, my life is set up here and for now I'll continue to live here. But I've decided, especially after seeing how difficult things have gotten in the US in the past year, that I'll just continue focusing on being the change I want to see in my environment. Trying to act with humanity in my daily life. It's another reason why I'm pursuing a career change after 8 years in finance to working in healthcare.
Bulgarian here. NO offence but the MAIN reason i dont emigrate in the USA (or Canada too) is the FOOD. Even if in the US they are more oportunities i simply dont want to live with that food and can not imagine myself eat ,,food'' with taste of plastic. Plastic tomatoes, plastic cucumbers, plastic potatoes. Plastoc fruits. No offence, the american people are not guilty, the us food corporations are CRIMINALS. GMO with taste of plastic. No thanks. And the big tragedy for the american people is if they dont leave the us and simply taste the greatest food OUT of the North America… You are lucky, but the tragedy is that many american people are not…
Interesting comments from all,
I feel completely opposite as I travel Internationally for my job during non COVID times .
I can hardly wait to return back to the US.
Also interesting that there are tens of millions of people living outside the US who want to live here.
Guess grass is always greener ……
Thank you for sharing this. We will experience this starting this week when we move abroad to Portugal.
Ive left the USA for extended periods a few times and every time I come back I feel these exact same things. Especially with the price of food and cell phone data.
I just was in usa for 9 months and had enough. I was in china 10 years and came back because of the pandemic. Now I'm in Macedona. I'm way happier here than the usa.
I think it should be a requirement for every Americans to travel to other countries in high school or college age. Not just for a week vacation but as school credits for a semester or longer. I feel Americans have so much and they definitely worked for it… but they don't appreciate what they have. It really does change a person to see the poorest in other countries and yet, they are simply happy. Americans never have enough but wastes so much and never satisfied. I didn't get to travel until later in life but always and still want to see more of this world. Thanks for your honest video.
I appreciate your insights and thoughts on this. You have confirmed a lot of the reasons why I wish to move abroad and potentially give up my US citizenship once I have a 2nd and 3rd residence. Keep up the travels.
This video was very interesting for me, since I've spent so much time, living and vacationing overseas. I'm glad to know there are other people, that think like me, about America. I've spent a total, of about 1 1/2 years, living in Ukraine, and a total of 3 months, living in Moscow. Coincidently, I live in Miami, and I know what you mean, about the high cost of rentals here. Now, I'm living in a trailer home, where I pay only $500., per month rent. However, I have to also work 20 hours per month, doing yardwork, as even this place, usually rents for $700. per month. I'm looking forward to going to Kiev, next summer. There, I can rent a nice, big, one room apartment, for $500. Then, get better quality food, for about 2/3 rd, the cost as here. And in Miami, we have better produce, than most places in the U.S. Also, next summer, I'll be looking to buy a house in Ukraine, which is next to Bulgaria, and quite similiar, from what I've seen. I would like to go to Varna, on the Black Sea, next summer. But in Ukraine, I can buy a small cottage, or house, in the countryside, for only a few thousand dollars. But If I splurge, and spent 5 or 6 thousand, I can get about 1/2 acre, with several varieties of fruit trees, and well water. Places cost much more in the city, tho still quiet cheap, in comparison to this country. After saying all this, I would like to mention, the draw backs. At least in Ukraine, most people don't speak Englig, and the ones, only basic. That's fine, for only a few months, but after awhile, you become more and more withdrawn. I'm learning to speak Russian, but after 10 years, haven't gotten so good at it. Also, your an attractive, young woman, and me, a middle aged man. We are treated much differently. There are countries you mentioned, I would never even consider going, Mexico, and Costa Rica, to name two. I just came back from a month, in the Dominican Republic. I was suppose to go, for 6 weeks, but someone broke into my hotel room, stole my cell phone, $150., and two credit cards. They used the cards, separately, then put them back into the room. Their culture depends so much on tourist money, they will take it, anyway they can, it seems. And America, is the worlds policemen. If it wasn't for us, all these countries you mention, that are so nice, and better, would be under Chinese, Russian, and Iranian control, mostly. They would become like slaves, to the very rich in those countries. European countries, don't contribute their fare share, to the U.N., also. Basically, as bad as the worlds situation in now, it would be much worse, without us. And as I tell my Russian friends, here, we have a lot of problems, but we can talk about them, and try to make things better. But in most countries, that's not possible, especially Russia. Even Drs., and people trying to improve the situation there, can't complain, or they will disappear, so to speak. I've only gone to Ukraine, Russia, and London, tho the latter, for only one week, Canada, for a few days, and various Caribbean and Mexican islands. So you know much more than me, about what life is like in so many countries I only know what I've learned and studies online. I would like to travel to other countries, but it takes a lot of time, to study the languages, and culture. After 1 1/2 years in Ukraine, I feel like I'm only just getting started ! And when you are overseas, they emphasize the bad, and negative things in this country. It seems they try to discourage people from immigrating here, if that is even possible. I was shocked, the first time I saw BBC, world news, in Ukraine, and what they were saying about Americans. I thought they were our allies, they sounded like we were a country of dumb people, that have Nazis. I was also shocked, to hear what Canadians were saying, on their news stations. I always considered those countries, our friends. In my whole life, I have never heard any negative comment on Canada. So a lot, is propaganda, in this country too, which you have pointed out. Here, I grew up only hearing our side of the situation in the world, that we are so much better off, than really, all other countries. And as bad as things are in the world now, when I grew up, during the cold war with Russia, we were taught, the Russian could drop an atomic weapon on us, at any time, and for no reason at all ! So this is the world we live in, and have to do the best we can, to make it better. Good luck, you are helping a lot, I think. You are telling things, from both sides, as best you can.
Well done ! Thank you. From a Dutch woman living in California who misses her country and so much more !
Thank you for this VERY thoughtful piece. I liked how you looked at the US and compared us to other countries from a whole variety of angles. The Hofstede Index sounds fascinating, regarding Americans’ level of individualissm vs. collectivism. What a beautiful heart and mind you have!
No society is perfect. It would take a dictatorship to create utopia. You make trade offs depending on what your priorities are. It should be noted that some of these countries have free healthcare is because the US is defending them and they don't as big a military because of this. The US also buys a lot of their goods as well and that helps.
Do you have facebook?? Going to live in Eastern Europe
Very interesting. You are a world changer… and like someone said « if you just change one heart, maybe even just your own , you have changed part of the world, and you have proven that it can be done ✅ »
you forgot to talk about cosmetic surgery!
I am a 75 year old expat who moved to beautiful Mexico almost 3 years ago because I could no longer afford to live in CA and I couldn't stand tRump as president. I have been so happy here and have met many lovely people who are sweet, honest, helpful and caring and generous, and fun. The weather here is great and I can afford to eat the best organic food which I cook myself. I will never return to the USA because I actually feel safer here than there. I am also appalled that so many people in the USA have not travelled AT ALL and if they did, they wouldn't feel so superior.