 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com |
Had enough?
Whether you find the government oppressive, the economy spiraling out of control, or if you simply want adventure, you’re not alone. In increasing numbers, the idea is talked about openly: Expatriate.
Over three hundred thousand Americans emigrate each year, and more than a million go to foreign lands for lengthy stays.
But picking up and moving to another country feels like a step into the void. Where to go? How to begin? What to do?
Volume 2 of the Process Self-Reliance Series, this smartly designed two-color guidebook walks you through the world of the expat: the reasons, the rules, the resources, and the tricks of the trade, along with compelling stories and expertise from expatriate Americans on every continent.
Getting Out shows you where you can most easily gain residence, citizenship, or work permits; where can you live for a fraction of the cost of where you’re living now; and what countries would be most compatible with your lifestyle, gender, age, or political beliefs.
So if you’ve had enough of what they’re selling here and want to take your life elsewhere—well, isn’t that the American way? At any rate, it’s not illegal. Not yet, anyway.
|
Average Customer Rating:   Great overview of things to consider and places to go This book was very helpful in providing easy, organized information on various countries and what to consider in expatriating there. My only complaint is that many smaller countries (particularly in the Middle East)were not included but the book overall is invaluable. Informative, but poorly written. This book is filled with information, and the quality of the paper, printing, and binding is top notch. Unfortunately, the writer could have used a good editor. Writing is awkward, clumsy, and at time borders on illiterate. If you're searching for this type of information though, I wouldn't let that stop you from buying it. Pretty good, but more like an appetizer instead of a meal I'm surprised this book has been rated so highly. It's quite decent, but five out of five stars? Not in my opinion. Giving it three was a bit charitable, but 2.5 wasn't an option.
The author has some nice little diatribes, not even really thinly disguised, against the current administration. I firmly agree with them, but that's not really why I read this book. Those considering moving abroad for such reasons will definitely enjoy the subtle rants, though. There are some good little mini-bios from current expats, including a lengthy one from a young Los Angeles woman in Chengdu, right in the heart of the earthquake mess in Sichuan province, China, so I couldn't help but wonder, "Is she still there?" and "I wonder if she made it through okay?"
For me, it didn't include anything whatsoever on the country to which I am moving (Malaysia), apart from a blurb on how strict it is about drug trafficking. There actually wasn't very much substance on ANY country in SE Asia. Witness this fascinating insight into Thailand: "Infrastructure: Needs improvement." Seriously, that's all it says. I also took slight issue with it referring to Bali, Indonesia as a "Pacific paradise." Bali is in the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific. You can expect this sort of information "bullet point" treatment of all nations covered, which is only fifty to begin with.
The book definitely has some value, and is at least enjoyable to read for, if nothing else, the personal anecdotes compiled from expats around the world. There is some very useful information scattered throughout the book, but again, most of it is in abbreviated "bullet point" style. The book is probably most useful for its compilation of various websites, but I had hoped for a meatier compendium with more substance and less fluff. Even though it's a bit over 300 pages, discounting the website references, you can quite literally exhaust every scrap of this book's usefulness in a couple of hours' time. It's long on cute formatting and tables and lists (and in fairness, is presented appealingly), but short on depth and clarity.
I think this is a decent book, but a not great book, and it may well be more useful for others than it was for me. Malaysia is admittedly not the most popular destination for expats. (Yet the book includes countries such as Estonia, Cambodia, and Morocco, so go figure.) This is definitely one to look for at the library before plunking down any real money on it. A great concept - but shallow and bland! Here is a book that claims to give you the material to leave the country (USA) and live somewhere else in the world. First, lots of countries are missing. There are some mini-narratives from people who have moved to a specific location, but there isn't much meat on the bones.
There is plenty of general data about working, housing, cost of living and integrating into the culture, but it is really superficial.
I wanted greater insight and more depth.
If you want an overview, then give it a read. If you are looking for what it is really like and steps to make it happen, then don't waste your time or money. Good resource, but I have a couple issues This book is pretty interesting. As an American who has lived abroad for over eight years (Germany), I find it interesting. The book has all kinds of information. The only point I would make is, I find the idea of "fleeing" the U.S. a bit much. The U.S. is not exactly collapsing, economically (if it were, the net immigration would be reversed and more people would leave than enter our country).
Regarding Germany, to me, the chapter on that country reflects typical thoughts one has in the first 5 years of living there. It personally took me about 5 years to lose the "Germany is more social than the U.S." thing. After 5 years, at least for me personally, some of the negatives began to come through: I got sick of the overcast, drizzly days. I got tired of people smoking absolutely everywhere (when I returned to Dallas, I marvelled at how clean the air inside the Dallas airport was, compared to Frankfurt). Unless you like cigarette smoke, don't move to Germany. I thought it was interesting that the woman mentioned that German restaurants are not as sugary-friendly as in the U.S. On the other hand, in the bars I used to frequent in Germany, you can go in there for 10 years in a row, and the bartender will pretend he hardly knows you. In the U.S., on the third visit, you have a new friend. It is much easier to meet people in the U.S. than in Germany. I also got sick of paying 47 % tax (I pay 27 % in the U.S.), and paying things like: radio tax, East German solidarity tax, church tax, etc. German store hours are horrible (they used to close at 4 PM on Saturday and stay shut all weekend). I remember being sick and attempting to find the one lone open pharmacy in Heidelberg. It took me about an hour to find the one that was open. Get the picture ? Yes, Germany does have its nice side: landscape, nice biking paths, great infrastructure, great architecture. You can walk or take the tram almost anywhere. Older people bike (unlike in the U.S.).
I kind of question some of the crime stats in the book. They list the U.S. as the nation with the 5th highest violent crime (assault) rate. I highly doubt that. We are above Columbia, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela ? I highly doubt it. Not sure where those stats come from. I personally saw more interpersonal violence in Europe in 8 years, than I have in 25 years in the U.S. The book has a table with terrorism rates, and they list Nepal higher than Pakistan or the West Bank. I personally have not read a lot about those Nepalese terrorists who supposedly are running around.
I still think the book is very interesting and useful, and despite these minor criticisms, will be a very good resource to anyone wanting to travel and live abroad. |  |
Select button not working? 
