Fed Up With Your Country? Where Is Left to Go?

[ivmarkov1992@gma]

I was just thinking the same thing, the level of disdain and hatred for world governments is at an all time high and people are getting fed up, from AU, to CAN, to Malyasia, to Italy, to the US -- people are tired of being managed like cattle.

When people say they want to leave, I say, where? Georgia? Estonia? Costa Rica? Mexico?

Who appreciates entrepreneurs and job providers?

Right now it appears the lessor-developed countries have more appeal.

Can't wait to get started on the new book!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Deleted70138]

I'm not a fan of learning languages that are limited to one country

Learning Georgian or Armenian language is probably the worst investment of time, as you need to learn new language with totally unrelated alphabet, which can cover less than 4 million people with low GDP.

 

[Timmy C]

Lockdown just got extended for another 2 weeks...


Also, ACT just got ONE case of Covid. First time in forever and guess what?
Can't administer Vaccines that are only authorised under emergency use without a state of emergency in place right!

Guess when the state of emergency powers ends in ACT? 4 days LMAO, that way they can extend it.
State of emergency to end 16 August 2021: ACT - National Retail Association

 

[Robbi]

Sorry, I almost forgot!

The previous Socialist Government implemented a Law, still active of course, that if you're a man and a woman sue you for abuse, you will be the one responsible to give proof that you haven't done anything and police will arrest you by default.

And if there's nobody at your house, squatters can traspass it, change the entrance locks while you're out and you can't take them out. Not only that if you defend yourself from intruders and harm them, they can sue you for damages!


You know? I understand why it happens, Spain was until 2020 a top 1/2 tourism destination and locals treat foreigner betters than our own, there's a lot of endophobia here.

And Spanish workers are held in very high regard in other countries, so the perception of Spain and people is good, so the day by day experiences remain hidden and could fool people who doesn't do any research.

If it wasn't for the Union, Spain would be in deep shit, poverty everywhere and our currency would have zero value. We would be without any doubt the Argentina at this side of the Atlantic.

And professionals are well regarded because there's a massive flight of talent, so everyone who's good at something runs away looking for a better life.


I'm from the North. My top destinations are Estonia (without discarding the neighbours), Czech Republic, Andorra, Hungary and if I make a lot of money Switzerland. My biggest and most challenging desire would be becoming a perpetual traveler for a couple of years to not pay any personal taxes for a while, jumping around the mentioned countries every 3 months or so. Let's see how things evolve this year, even if I was a zillionaire I need to stay longer here. Any Eastern European country is valid right now for me.

The Canary Islands are in deep shit, with no tourism, increasing separatism and an on-going migrant crisis I wouldn't want to be there. Is very sad how things can change for worse in just a couple of years.


Yes, believe it or not the first months of our lockdown were very distopian, is no surprise that there's people wearing mask in stupid places because of mass brainwashing.

There are videos of people on the beach, forests and open places being arrested for not wearing a mask even if the were alone in kilometers.

It's embarrasing, but don't feel bad because there's a very high chance they voted for this, so just enjoy the show

Thanks for the reality check. It's easy to see somewhere with rose coloured glasses as an outsider, who doesn't follow any news, or has a great understanding of the language. I feel my time is coming to a close with Spain (relationship has failed), so maybe for the best I haven't fully integrated.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Robbi]

Thanks for the reality check. It's easy to see somewhere with rose coloured glasses as an outsider, who doesn't follow any news, or has a great understanding of the language. I feel my time is coming to a close with Spain (relationship has failed), so maybe for the best I haven't fully integrated.

Although I do wonder if it's still worth while to get the 5year visa still, as it could be used as a stepping stone to the rest of Europe? I'm from the UK.

 

[Timmy C]

Things are going downhill at an alarming rate.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425416976826994690

View: https://twitter.com/CaldronPool/status/1425416976826994690?s=19

 

[GPM]

Wow, change rules to work for the police and not those literally funding them. Makes sense right, what can go wrong there?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Timmy C]

Wow, change rules to work for the police and not those literally funding them. Makes sense right, what can go wrong there?

A literal prison police state island.

I'm going to move far out of the city areas now.

I'm 40km from the CBD but it ain't far enough lol.

 

[Visionary96]

Head to Revolver on chapel and wait for all this to blow over lol

@Timmy C

 

[MitchC]

A literal prison police state island.

I'm going to move far out of the city areas now.

I'm 40km from the CBD but it ain't far enough lol.

Move to a state with mines they aren’t ever going to close us down

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Itizn]

Haven't read through the entire thread but Mexico, Estonia, and Singapore seems like countries that have been praised by numerous people.

 

[Mammoth]

Another question worth discussing: HOW do you diversify yourself across different countries? I think we're past a world where you could have 100% of your life in one country.

As the recent months have shown, a country can turn into a complete shithole very, very fast. Or as they say, slowly, slowly, then all at once. So even if you're fed up with your country and move elsewhere, there's no guarantee it won't turn into another shitty place within the next few years.

So here are some ideas how to spread your life among many countries (brainstorming in no particular order):

• Own a business that is easy to incorporate elsewhere if needed. Offline businesses are terrible in this aspect. Meanwhile, I can move my publishing business virtually overnight.
• Own an international business. If you have clients in one country, you're at its mercy.
• Invest globally. The fact that you were born in a given country doesn't mean you need to invest all of your money there. Spread it geographically, ideally by investing in countries with different cultures, laws, sizes, economic development level, etc. So, for example, it's better to diversify between Lithuania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Mexico, Singapore, and Taiwan than invest in the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the UK.
• If investing in just one market (most likely the US for most people here), choose multinational companies that can move to a friendlier jurisdiction if threatened by the government.
• Keep precious metals in safe for wealth protection (neutral) jurisdictions (Switzerland, Singapore).
• Network globally. If you have friends, associates, etc. only in one country, your social life will take a hit if you have to move. It's also a good idea to make international friends to be able to better understand other cultures, know how to adapt quickly, and know what's really going on in these other countries.
• Travel to test-drive new places. Don't stay in a hotel. Rent a place at Airbnb that is located in an area where locals live so you can experience what it's like to live there. Rent a car to learn what it's like to drive one in another place (unless you don't own a car in your main country). Buy in the local supermarkets and eat local food. Pretend you're a local.
• If you can afford it, build a "part-time" life in another country (or several) so that if you have to move, you already understand the local culture, laws, tips and tricks, know how to get around, have your favorite places (supermarkets, gyms, restaurants, etc.). Thanks to my travels, I now have a few places around the world where I could live comfortably right away because I spent there at least a couple of weeks, and sometimes months.
• Speak at least one major foreign language. The more, the better. I strongly suggest Spanish because it's the national language of 20 countries plus Puerto Rico and is useful in several other countries and territories. If you speak Spanish, because of its similarity to other languages, you'll also have a basic understanding of Portuguese and a little bit of Italian and French. French could be also useful though most of the 34 French-speaking countries are in Africa. Russian could be useful if you're into Eastern Europe. Arabic is spoken in many countries, too but each country has a different dialect that is often so different from another country's dialect that it's not really that useful internationally.
• If English is your second language, never settle for "good enough." People who don't speak English well are at a huge disadvantage.
• Gain second residency in another country or perhaps apply for a digital nomad visa just in case. I guess this is a little less important for EU citizens as you have easy access to many countries.
• Gain second citizenship. Easier said than done and if you can't get one via ancestry, the only realistic way to get it without moving elsewhere for a few years is to buy one (legally).
• Be a minimalist and have few obligations. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to be flexible and move.
• Be open to new cultures, cuisines, different ways of doing things, etc. The more adaptable you are, the easier it is to thrive in life.
• Be interested in what's going on in other countries, and particularly those you'd like to visit or where possibly you'd want to live full-time or at least part-time. It's never a bad idea to have at least a basic understanding of your target country's history, politics, culture, inner problems, challenges, geography, etc.
• Embrace cosmopolitanism. Whatever it is, your country is not the greatest country in the world. You owe it nothing. You're its citizen simply because you happened to be born on this piece of dirt at this moment in time. The world is what it is because of people from all countries, all cultures, and all beliefs working together. Nationalism is a disease.

I'll add more in another post if I think of anything else.

Any thoughts? Experiences? Plans you'd like to share on how you want to approach this?

My plan now is to get citizenship here in Mexico. It's not that difficult; really just comes down to time spent here with temporary or permanent residence. Along with my Canadian passport, that allows visa free travel in much of the world. Taxes are much lower here and there's tons of opportunity.

Downside of doing business here is if you have a physical location and the mafia finds out, they're going to come around asking for protection money, use your business as a place for "storage", and other such benefits. (You can't have it all, maybe you don't like everything in your country, but there will always be other things you won't like in your new home)

Other countries that I could bug out to that are close by are Costa Rica and Colombia (both countries are some of the only in the world without scamdemic entry requirements: Countries Without Any Travel Restrictions Or Entry Requirements ) If I really had to, I could hop in my truck and drive to Costa Rica. I did my visa run there a few months ago and it's such a beautiful place. I could definitely live there. I'm learning Spanish so there's quite a few options not too far away.

My other backup would be Viet Nam as I got pretty comfortable there, still have friends there, and have a basic understanding of the language. They recently went into a Wuhan style lockdown where you get only a few days a week to leave your house to get groceries, police checkpoints everywhere. You have to do 2 different quarantines when entering the country and pay a ridiculous amount of money. But would you expect any less from communists?

I definitely disagree with you on being white in Asia. I felt like a celebrity there. Regularly in VN people would walk up to me on the street and grab my arm (no personal space boundaries there) and say "So white, so nice" (it's hard to find any skincare product there that doesn't have bleach in it) then ask for a selfie with me. A few times I met random guys and they were trying to hook me up with their sister showing me pictures.

TLDR: Central America seems to be the place to be at the moment. Learn Spanish, open up your options.

 

[MTF]

Downside of doing business here is if you have a physical location and the mafia finds out, they're going to come around asking for protection money, use your business as a place for "storage", and other such benefits. (You can't have it all, maybe you don't like everything in your country, but there will always be other things you won't like in your new home)

Lol I wouldn't really consider it a "you can't have it all" kind of a thing. Being able to conduct business and make money without fearing for your life is pretty much one of the pillars of a happy lifestyle.

I don't know anyone (except for @Kak LOL) who would enjoy being super rich in a super dangerous place or a war zone, something like Somalia, Haiti, or Venezuela. Pretty much everyone else, when forced to choose, would rather live in a rich country, even if said country had very high taxes and/or some tyranny (like Australia). There's a good reason why most HNWIs migrate to these countries from the poor or dangerous countries like India, Brazil, or Turkey.

But maybe I'm a coward. Either way, I'd definitely choose higher taxes and not having to constantly worry about my life (or the life of my loved ones, considering kidnapping) than lower taxes and constant stress and tons of money spent on security (which is sort of like a tax on living in such a place).

Having said that, I'm NOT saying that Mexico is a war zone where you're guaranteed to take it in the a$$ with a smile on your face when the cartel asks you to. But still, you have to be careful with your lifestyle and that for me doesn't make it a place where I personally could thrive.

I definitely disagree with you on being white in Asia. I felt like a celebrity there. Regularly in VN people would walk up to me on the street and grab my arm (no personal space boundaries there) and say "So white, so nice" (it's hard to find any skincare product there that doesn't have bleach in it) then ask for a selfie with me. A few times I met random guys and they were trying to hook me up with their sister showing me pictures.

This is exactly my point. No way to blend in and be left alone. I can travel pretty much anywhere in Europe (and many other places) and be considered a local. That's unlikely to happen in many Asian countries where you're always considered a foreigner which can attract all sorts of trouble.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mammoth]

Having said that, I'm NOT saying that Mexico is a war zone where you're guaranteed to take it in the a$$ with a smile on your face when the cartel asks you to. But still, you have to be careful with your lifestyle and that for me doesn't make it a place where I personally could thrive.

What exactly do you feel you'd need to be careful with regarding your lifestyle? Yes, the physical location business being harassed is one. I'm just curious because I believe a lot of the dangers here are over hyped by the media. When my friend first told me I should consider living here, I rattled off all the reasons why not to because of negative media coverage.

Now that I'm here, it's a different story. As long as you're a nice person to strangers, don't live near the USA border, or mess around with drugs, you should be just fine.
However, if you want to roll around in a Lambo with a solid gold Rolex then yeah, you're gonna draw some attention.

I'm willing to be here and have a small risk I've gotta deal with criminals vs 100% having to deal with government criminals back home locking me in my house and possibly forcing (or at least making life impossible without) experimental medical treatments.

 

[MTF]

What exactly do you feel you'd need to be careful with regarding your lifestyle?

Stuff like (all things I do in various places around the world):

• going surfing and leaving car keys somewhere by the car (since you can't take an electronic car key with you), not worrying that somebody will steal it or steal something from it,
• exploring remote places without worrying that the locals will take advantage of me just because we're in the middle of nowhere (I visited a place where a local person told me not to go on a certain hike because I might be robbed at knife point there; no such things happen ever in civilized places),
• driving an okay car (not a hugely expensive car but not a beater, either) without worrying it's attracting attention,
• getting lost somewhere and not worrying I got lost in a bad neighborhood where robberies are a common thing,
• being outside in the evening in public places (I know that all places in the world have bad areas but in some places even the most popular public places get dangerous after it gets dark),
• living in a nice house in the countryside without security—I was told by people who spent a lot of time in Mexico that you don't really do that as a foreigner, you either live in a condo or a gated community),
• living in a house without security bars on the windows, cameras, barbed wire fence, dogs, etc. (I find it funny how people in dangerous places say it's "normal" to have all that stuff),
• buying anything expensive, even if not for flashing but just for yourself (I was told that in certain places in Mexico a bank that knows you have a lot of cash and/or applied for mortgage for an expensive house will sell this information to the cartel).

Having said that, I lived for 3.5 months in Mexico a decade ago. But that was on a small island in Quintana Roo which was pretty safe back then (though I had suspicions someone wanted to break into my apartment once but didn't succeed).

Anyway, not hating on Mexico. I might visit it soon but probably won't consider it for living.

By the way, the issues in the last paragraph of your post will eventually end. No pandemic has ever gone on forever and it won't be any different with this one.

Will Mexico (and actually most of Central and South America) finally stop being so violent? I wouldn't count on that unless all drugs are legalized and corruption is wiped out (extremely unlikely).

 

[Mammoth]

Stuff like (all things I do in various places around the world):

• going surfing and leaving car keys somewhere by the car (since you can't take an electronic car key with you), not worrying that somebody will steal it or steal something from it,
• exploring remote places without worrying that the locals will take advantage of me just because we're in the middle of nowhere (I visited a place where a local person told me not to go on a certain hike because I might be robbed at knife point there; no such things happen ever in civilized places),
• driving an okay car (not a hugely expensive car but not a beater, either) without worrying it's attracting attention,
• getting lost somewhere and not worrying I got lost in a bad neighborhood where robberies are a common thing,
• being outside in the evening in public places (I know that all places in the world have bad areas but in some places even the most popular public places get dangerous after it gets dark),
• living in a nice house in the countryside without security—I was told by people who spent a lot of time in Mexico that you don't really do that as a foreigner, you either live in a condo or a gated community),
• living in a house without security bars on the windows, cameras, barbed wire fence, dogs, etc. (I find it funny how people in dangerous places say it's "normal" to have all that stuff),
• buying anything expensive, even if not for flashing but just for yourself (I was told that in certain places in Mexico a bank that knows you have a lot of cash and/or applied for mortgage for an expensive house will sell this information to the cartel).

Having said that, I lived for 3.5 months in Mexico a decade ago. But that was on a small island in Quintana Roo which was pretty safe back then (though I had suspicions someone wanted to break into my apartment once but didn't succeed).

Anyway, not hating on Mexico. I might visit it soon but probably won't consider it for living.

By the way, the issues in the last paragraph of your post will eventually end. No pandemic has ever gone on forever and it won't be any different with this one.

Will Mexico (and actually most of Central and South America) finally stop being so violent? I wouldn't count on that unless all drugs are legalized and corruption is wiped out (extremely unlikely).

All valid issues for sure. When it really comes down to it, it's a very personal decision for everyone. What they're willing to tolerate etc.

Have you found a place that ticks all the boxes for you? Or still searching?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kak]

I don't know anyone (except for @Kak LOL) who would enjoy being super rich in a super dangerous place or a war zone, something like Somalia, Haiti, or Venezuela.

War is what decides actual property rights. I’d love to own actual property some day. LOL!

Here’s the deal though. My list has mostly consisted of Caribbean islands that are all poorer than the area I live in now, but not exactly war torn shitholes either. I am looking a $1m+ homes, in nice developments.

I like that they are island nations. Their entire national governments are sometimes smaller than my city government. That’s a beautiful thing.

 

[Kak]

Stuff like (all things I do in various places around the world):

• going surfing and leaving car keys somewhere by the car (since you can't take an electronic car key with you), not worrying that somebody will steal it or steal something from it,
• exploring remote places without worrying that the locals will take advantage of me just because we're in the middle of nowhere (I visited a place where a local person told me not to go on a certain hike because I might be robbed at knife point there; no such things happen ever in civilized places),
• driving an okay car (not a hugely expensive car but not a beater, either) without worrying it's attracting attention,
• getting lost somewhere and not worrying I got lost in a bad neighborhood where robberies are a common thing,
• being outside in the evening in public places (I know that all places in the world have bad areas but in some places even the most popular public places get dangerous after it gets dark),
• living in a nice house in the countryside without security—I was told by people who spent a lot of time in Mexico that you don't really do that as a foreigner, you either live in a condo or a gated community),
• living in a house without security bars on the windows, cameras, barbed wire fence, dogs, etc. (I find it funny how people in dangerous places say it's "normal" to have all that stuff),
• buying anything expensive, even if not for flashing but just for yourself (I was told that in certain places in Mexico a bank that knows you have a lot of cash and/or applied for mortgage for an expensive house will sell this information to the cartel).

Notwithstanding the bars on the house and stuff... Try doing some of this in the USA and see how it works out for you.

Hell, I even live in an armed guard gated neighborhood here. They are a hell of a lot closer than the cops if I need the backup. But, I won't.

 

[MitchC]

By the way, the issues in the last paragraph of your post will eventually end. No pandemic has ever gone on forever and it won't be any different with this one.

I hope you are right but I think there is a bit more going on here than a pandemic, I don’t think this is going to end. As the media is now calling it, “new normal”.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Timmy C]

I hope you are right but I think there is a bit more going on here than a pandemic, I don’t think this is going to end. As the media is now calling it, “new normal”.

The pandemic will end, it basically has already.

It's endemic.

But the boot on your neck won't end.

 

[Antifragile]

Stuff like (all things I do in various places around the world):

• going surfing and leaving car keys somewhere by the car (since you can't take an electronic car key with you), not worrying that somebody will steal it or steal something from it,
• exploring remote places without worrying that the locals will take advantage of me just because we're in the middle of nowhere (I visited a place where a local person told me not to go on a certain hike because I might be robbed at knife point there; no such things happen ever in civilized places),
• driving an okay car (not a hugely expensive car but not a beater, either) without worrying it's attracting attention,
• getting lost somewhere and not worrying I got lost in a bad neighborhood where robberies are a common thing,
• being outside in the evening in public places (I know that all places in the world have bad areas but in some places even the most popular public places get dangerous after it gets dark),
• living in a nice house in the countryside without security—I was told by people who spent a lot of time in Mexico that you don't really do that as a foreigner, you either live in a condo or a gated community),
• living in a house without security bars on the windows, cameras, barbed wire fence, dogs, etc. (I find it funny how people in dangerous places say it's "normal" to have all that stuff),
• buying anything expensive, even if not for flashing but just for yourself (I was told that in certain places in Mexico a bank that knows you have a lot of cash and/or applied for mortgage for an expensive house will sell this information to the cartel).

Having said that, I lived for 3.5 months in Mexico a decade ago. But that was on a small island in Quintana Roo which was pretty safe back then (though I had suspicions someone wanted to break into my apartment once but didn't succeed).

Anyway, not hating on Mexico. I might visit it soon but probably won't consider it for living.

By the way, the issues in the last paragraph of your post will eventually end. No pandemic has ever gone on forever and it won't be any different with this one.

Will Mexico (and actually most of Central and South America) finally stop being so violent? I wouldn't count on that unless all drugs are legalized and corruption is wiped out (extremely unlikely).

Everything you said @MTF I totally agree.

I sometimes forget to lock my car or my house and it's fine. I can't imagine ever wanting to live in a place where I need to have armed gated community and carry a weapon on me. That's nuts to me. And accepting that on every 1st floor you must have metal cover on windows is one of those signs. Prison is a form of "gated community" LOL. How is that freedom? What's the point of entrepreneurship if you are locked in?

Money talks. Wealth should buy freedom.

 

[Kak]

Everything you said @MTF I totally agree.

I sometimes forget to lock my car or my house and it's fine. I can't imagine ever wanting to live in a place where I need to have armed gated community and carry a weapon on me. That's nuts to me. And accepting that on every 1st floor you must have metal cover on windows is one of those signs. Prison is a form of "gated community" LOL. How is that freedom? What's the point of entrepreneurship if you are locked in?

Money talks. Wealth should buy freedom.

I would say the point of the gate is more exclusivity and less actual danger LOL.

It is a lakeside country club community, not a survivalist compound.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Raja]

View: https://youtu.be/Yk1c7oGKmps


anybody from Finland???

 

[GIlman]

View: https://youtu.be/Yk1c7oGKmps


anybody from Finland???

Seems like their definition of happiness is a nanny state with lots of free stuff. The reality of that “Free” stuff will be a tax hell where the government gets to choose where your money is spent instead of you. Google claims a 56% income tax rate for all that free stuff.

Sadly the US is rapidly descending into that same silliness.

 

[Antti]

View: https://youtu.be/Yk1c7oGKmps


anybody from Finland???

There are many good things about Finland but I would never move here to start a business or pursue a career. This is a small market with extremely high taxes and lower salaries than Germany for example. If you want to come to this corner of the world, I think the Baltic states, for example, are much better options for an (online) entrepreneur.

Climate wise, winters are pretty brutal here. Here in southern Finland we don't often have snowy winters anymore, at least not for long periods of time. Instead it's British style rainy winter except colder and darker from late September/October until March/April. Summer is usually nice though. Before Covid I spent a couple of winters in South East Asia and came back to Finland for summer. I feel like that is pretty much the optimal arrangement for me.

Language can be another issue. You can easily get by with English but if you really want to integrate to the society you need to speak Finnish (or Swedish in certain areas). This is a not a clear cut issue though, in some ways it can be good if you don't speak the local language. That way you can stay oblivious to certain annoying things, for example you don't have to hear left wing politicians demanding "rich people" to pay their fair share when in reality they already pay world record taxes.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MTF]

Have you found a place that ticks all the boxes for you? Or still searching?

I don't think it's possible to find a place that ticks all the boxes. I still want to visit a few more places to compare them to the ones I've already visited.

I find it very easy to find a nice, safe place that doesn't have great weather year round and/or doesn't have surfing. It's much, much harder if you want a safe place with great weather and surf since such places tend to be poor and often unsafe.

I’d love to own actual property some day.

Why don't you buy property in one of the countries without property taxes?

Here’s the deal though. My list has mostly consisted of Caribbean islands that are all poorer than the area I live in now, but not exactly war torn shitholes either. I am looking a $1m+ homes, in nice developments.

I like that they are island nations. Their entire national governments are sometimes smaller than my city government. That’s a beautiful thing.

In theory it's all good but in practice even small governments can wreak havoc. Many of the Caribbean nations had some of the most stringent lockdowns in the world and they weren't particularly unforgiving to rule breakers (some went to jail for being outside past curfew). I know because I experienced a lockdown where almost everything was closed down, including supermarkets. And then shopping was restricted depending on the first letter of your surname with 2-hour long lines. Not fun.

Notwithstanding the bars on the house and stuff... Try doing some of this in the USA and see how it works out for you.

Hell, I even live in an armed guard gated neighborhood here. They are a hell of a lot closer than the cops if I need the backup. But, I won't.

Well, the rest of the world doesn't really see the US as a super safe country to be honest. I always laugh when I read articles in which they talk about some South or Central American cities and compare them safety-wise to American cities and conclude they're fine because they're just as violent as the US cities. As if it meant that a place is safe lol.

I've visited 31 countries until now (plus my home country) and I felt safe and comfortable in the great majority of them. The US definitely wouldn't be anywhere close to the top of the list. The sheer number of homeless people alone was terrifying.

Everything you said @MTF I totally agree.

I sometimes forget to lock my car or my house and it's fine. I can't imagine ever wanting to live in a place where I need to have armed gated community and carry a weapon on me. That's nuts to me. And accepting that on every 1st floor you must have metal cover on windows is one of those signs. Prison is a form of "gated community" LOL. How is that freedom? What's the point of entrepreneurship if you are locked in?

Money talks. Wealth should buy freedom.

Exactly. I understand that some people really don't mind it. For me personally, this is one of the priorities, probably even above weather. For example, I think that Brazil could be perfect for me in many aspects. But personal safety is almost non-existent there so it wouldn't work for me (I know, there are some exceptions but most of the country is unsafe).

I love places where I can trust strangers, for example something as simple as leaving your stuff at the beach while you're in the water or forgetting to roll up the window at the parking lot and not worrying someone would instantly take advantage of it. It would suck the energy out of me if I constantly had to worry about the bad intentions of strangers. Perhaps I'm spoiled in this aspect but it is what it is.

@Fox has experience living in some unsafe places and now living in one of the safest places in Poland (which is in general a safe country) and I'm sure he'd agree.

Seems like their definition of happiness is a nanny state with lots of free stuff. The reality of that “Free” stuff will be a tax hell where the government gets to choose where your money is spent instead of you. Google claims a 56% income tax rate for all that free stuff.

Sadly the US is rapidly descending into that same silliness.

Apart from this definition (which I guess is true for those who create these rankings—they can't poll every single person so they have to rely on numbers like income inequality), I'd say Finland is happy because it's a relatively rich country with low population density, a clean environment and good work/life balance. I've never been there personally except for a layover so maybe it's different when you're there but I imagine it's a good place if you want to be left alone (perfect for an introverted culture) and just enjoy peace out in or close to nature.

Climate wise, winters are pretty brutal here.

Ha I wanted to mention that in my post but it's way better to hear it from a local. It's not only cold, gray weather but there's also the problem of very, very short days. Most Americans (except for Alaska) due to their latitude can't probably even imagine the day starting past 9 am and ending at 3 pm as it does in Helsinki, let alone further north (how about 10-2 pm?).

This alone, for me personally, precludes a place from being a good choice year round for happiness (a part of the year, sure, just not the worst months).

 

[Timmy C]

Wow, just wow.

 

[GlobalWealth]

My plan now is to get citizenship here in Mexico. It's not that difficult; really just comes down to time spent here with temporary or permanent residence. Along with my Canadian passport, that allows visa free travel in much of the world. Taxes are much lower here and there's tons of opportunity.

Downside of doing business here is if you have a physical location and the mafia finds out, they're going to come around asking for protection money, use your business as a place for "storage", and other such benefits. (You can't have it all, maybe you don't like everything in your country, but there will always be other things you won't like in your new home)

Other countries that I could bug out to that are close by are Costa Rica and Colombia (both countries are some of the only in the world without scamdemic entry requirements: Countries Without Any Travel Restrictions Or Entry Requirements ) If I really had to, I could hop in my truck and drive to Costa Rica. I did my visa run there a few months ago and it's such a beautiful place. I could definitely live there. I'm learning Spanish so there's quite a few options not too far away.

My other backup would be Viet Nam as I got pretty comfortable there, still have friends there, and have a basic understanding of the language. They recently went into a Wuhan style lockdown where you get only a few days a week to leave your house to get groceries, police checkpoints everywhere. You have to do 2 different quarantines when entering the country and pay a ridiculous amount of money. But would you expect any less from communists?

I definitely disagree with you on being white in Asia. I felt like a celebrity there. Regularly in VN people would walk up to me on the street and grab my arm (no personal space boundaries there) and say "So white, so nice" (it's hard to find any skincare product there that doesn't have bleach in it) then ask for a selfie with me. A few times I met random guys and they were trying to hook me up with their sister showing me pictures.

TLDR: Central America seems to be the place to be at the moment. Learn Spanish, open up your options.

Where are you in Mexico?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mammoth]

Where are you in Mexico?

Playa del Carmen. Got here at the end of November before Canada banned flights here haha.

 

[Raja]

Seems like their definition of happiness is a nanny state with lots of free stuff. The reality of that “Free” stuff will be a tax hell where the government gets to choose where your money is spent instead of you. Google claims a 56% income tax rate for all that free stuff.

Sadly the US is rapidly descending into that same silliness.

Happiness index could be used for elemination if not selection.