Is it time to emigrate?

[Eel Snave]

I figured out a path that would get my family to Mexico. I speak fluent Spanish. Is it time to get out of this country? Anyone else having the same questions?

[Grifman]

I figured out a path that would get my family to Mexico. I speak fluent Spanish. Is it time to get out of this country? Anyone else having the same questions?

Whatever our problems are, I don’t think Mexico is the solution. And no, I am not thinking about getting out of the country.

[Skinypupy]

I have a friend in New Zealand who has offered for us to come live there.

It's tempting.

[Brian]

We've been researching Belize.
We aren't quite in a position to do it at this point but it's definitely a consideration.

We have also looked at Mexico. I don't speak fluent Spanish but have been working on it with Duolingo.
I'd still have to find work somewhere which would be a challenge for me.
My wife would likely have an easier time since she is a licensed veterinary technician but I have no idea what the IT environment looks like outside of the US.

I hate how stupid this sounds but I will likely go from buying a lottery ticket once in a blue moon to maybe twice a month in the hopes of getting lucky enough to get the fuck out of here.

[YellowKing]

My buddy and his wife had a contingency plan to move to the Azores near her family. I don't have the means to go anywhere, so I'll suffer through along with millions of others.

[Zarathud]

When Trump tanks the U.S. based economic order, there’s nowhere far enough to hide.

[LordMortis]

I hate how stupid this sounds but I will likely go from buying a lottery ticket once in a blue moon to maybe twice a month in the hopes of getting lucky enough to get the fuck out of here.

Not sure where I'd go but it also might give me some sort of irrational hope to look for

When Trump tanks the U.S. based economic order, there’s nowhere far enough to hide.

That's is part of what I'm thinking. Where do you end up? What's better as we falter? Canada seems like the best bet, but we've been having a way of dragging them with us and what would make them take me anyway?

[geezer]

I'm thinking smaller - just hoping this might be the push to get my wife to move out of TX and back to CA (lifornia, not nada) .

:/

[Brian]

I hate how stupid this sounds but I will likely go from buying a lottery ticket once in a blue moon to maybe twice a month in the hopes of getting lucky enough to get the fuck out of here.

Not sure where I'd go but it also might give me some sort of irrational hope to look for

My workplace is doing their Veterans Day events today. This includes catered breakfast and special treats and gifts for prior service members.
I'm sure to face a flood of "Thank you for your service" when I pick up my packet.

I'll have to bite back any bitter responses.
The country I served doesn't exist any more.
Or maybe it always did?

Either way, for the second time in my life, I'm ashamed of the country I served.

[Madmarcus]

4-5 years ago I thought about it. Many things were going on in my life and it wasn't the time to make the move but it was a thought. The thought came back last night. If we picked the right country and did our planning we could afford it. If I was single I'd probably do it even knowing that if I stayed abroad I'd probably never build up a good social network. But I'm not single - I have a wife, two kids, and family ties that matter.

Now the only way I could see doing it is if our daughter (trans and in a same sex marriage) managed to move to somewhere else and we could move to be close to her.

[Blackhawk]

It's not even a possibility for me. Being disabled, no country would accept me.

I'd settle for moving out of North Florida (Indiana) and to somewhere my family (which includes a trans woman) is less likely to be targeted , but money makes that impossible. I'm stuck here, likely for the rest of my life.

I'm just going to keep my head down.

[Eel Snave]

I figured out a path that would get my family to Mexico. I speak fluent Spanish. Is it time to get out of this country? Anyone else having the same questions?

Whatever our problems are, I don’t think Mexico is the solution. And no, I am not thinking about getting out of the country.

Honestly, they're doing better than they have in a long time. They've elected a socialist to the presidency twice now, and things seem to be trending in the right direction down there.

[Lassr]

We've been researching Belize.
We aren't quite in a position to do it at this point but it's definitely a consideration.

I was in Belize last year and tour guide said there were a lot of Americans that move there in retirement. No weapons, if you are caught with a bullet, you get 15 years in prison. A lot of land and cheap.

But as much as I thought about moving, I plan on sticking around and doing what I can for the people I care for.

[WYBaugh]

My wife is a UK citizen. I'd move there in a heartbeat but really don't think we could afford to retire there.

No England on Florida money.

[hitbyambulance]

i do have the means to move elsewhere internationally, but i absolutely figure it's my responsibility/duty/right as a US citizen to stay and continue to do what good i can here.

(it doesn't mean i don't continue to despair about binary belief systems....)

[LawBeefaroni]

We've been researching Belize.
We aren't quite in a position to do it at this point but it's definitely a consideration.

No weapons, if you are caught with a bullet, you get 15 years in prison.

Unless you're a rich ex-pat like John McAfee.

[El Guapo]

The thought has crossed my mind. One question as a federal employee is what they will do to the federal workforce. I work for the SEC so not as directly in the line of fire as DOJ (for example), and theoretically we get additional insulation from the commission structure (though I'm not counting on that), and Trump himself doesn't care as much about the SEC from what I can tell.

If I get purged, or if Trump appointees make life unbearable, then I may give more serious thought to it.

Of course, the question then becomes the destination. The one country that I know for sure I could move to is Israel, but that has obvious downsides in the form of periodic rocket fire. England would otherwise probably be my top choice. I assume I could relocate there on a long-term basis, though I don't know for sure.

[ImLawBoy]

Relocation is a practical issue for my family because of my son's disabilities. Not only would a country be reluctant to take us in, it would also be quite the challenge to manage the transfer of his care from his ~20 specialists to equivalents in another country. Of course, we may have no choice if ACA gets repealed and we go back to pre-existing conditions and yearly and lifetime maximums. It'll either be find someone to take us or go broke.

[Smoove_B]

I do not think it will be possible to go anywhere and still not be affected in some way by what's about to happen. I had been making plans to relocate to Canada, but that feels just as problematic now. Even if I could figure it all out for my family (and we could all find work), I do understand that things are not sunshine and lollipops their either; I'd expect they're going to trend worse in the days and months to come being directly in America's splash zone.

I don't know what the plan is, but "endure' feels like a bridge too far. I did that in 2016-2020 and then COVID-19; my battery is empty.

[Brian]

To be fair, we've been discussing retiring to Belize (or Mexico, Panama, etc) for quite some time.
This just drives home the need to take it seriously.

I'm sure we'd still feel effects but it would certainly lessen the amount of interacting with MAGATs on a daily basis and that alone is worth the price of admission.

[Alefroth]

After several years of hunting down the necessary paperwork, my application for Canadian citizenship was submitted last month. I'm not sure how I'd take advantage of it when I get it, but it's nice to know it's there.

As for Canada's own problems, I think a parliamentary system would help alleviate some of the problems our system faces.

I drove into BC today and was listening to the CBC who were obviously talking about the results and taking calls from local listeners. Most expressed dismay and horror and called it a disaster, but there were two full-blown MAGA repeating the same old talking points and saying how great a transition team Trump was putting together.

[Kraken]

We sort-of did emigrate. Well, migrate, anyway.

We started shopping for a house in the Berkshires in March '23, and finally had our offer on this one accepted on Memorial Day of this year. Our goal was to renovate, move in, and sell the old house before the election -- I thought we'd have plenty of time, but we hit a lot of obstacles and only moved in two weeks ago (and got the money for the old house the next day). Mission accomplished with two weeks to spare.

The Berkshires are a very liberal part of a very blue state -- Pittsfield went for Harris 70/30 yesterday and the more liberal surrounding towns were all 80-85% Harris. The town we left only went blue by 52%. So there's a whole lot less MAGA here than where we were. Our house is set back in the woods, not visible from the road. Today we had all of the locks changed. In case of violence, it's kind of defensible, and we have enough room to temporarily house refugees should trump set up his deportation camps -- our finished basement is almost a separate apartment already. Yes, we had that discussion today.

'Course, what we sought to escape was right-wing violence following a trump loss, so hooray for avoiding that?

Anyway, we're in just about the safest place in the USA and we poured a great deal of time and effort and money into getting here. We ain't going nowhere.

[Madmarcus]

I'm sure we'd still feel effects but it would certainly lessen the amount of interacting with MAGATs on a daily basis and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Moving to a solidly blue area did that for me. Do expat destinations in Central and South America tend to lean blue? My guess is that there might be a fairly hefty boomer and early Gen X crowd with libertarian and MAGA leanings.

[Brian]

There aren't that many solidly blue areas that we would likely want to retire in.
Our preferences would be tropical (Belize, Mexico, Panama) or desert (Arizona, New Mexico)
AZ swings back and forth but leans mostly red, NM is more blue than AZ but not solidly so.
Nevada is the same as AZ.

My continuing efforts to learn Spanish would help in pretty much all of these options.

Island options are too expensive and put us in the path of hurricane weather where coastal spots on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean are less likely to be hit.

Maybe one of the Dutch holdings like Curaçao. I'll have to look into that one.

[hepcat]

If I were to move out of the country, it would probably be somewhere in California.

[Holman]

If I were relocating for retirement, climate collapse would be my number one concern. I guess I would aim for Scandinavia, but I don't think those countries are interested in adding middle-class 50/60-something Americans to their social safety nets.

Sticking to our house on very high ground in PA is probably best for now.

[raydude]

I'm headed to Japan on a work trip this Friday for a week and my family decided to tag along. We half-jokingly wondered whether we could seek asylum while we're there. Truth be told, we probably won't do it. We have a few safeguards - living in a liberal city in northern Virginia, both my wife and I work white collar jobs that aren't going away anytime soon (crosses fingers), and we have friends and neighbors who we get along with really well and whose kids get along well with ours.

My wife and I felt a responsibility to help others during the Trump years, which meant volunteering and donating to food drives and such. And during the pandemic I signed up to be a member of the Virginia Volunteer Health System where I was put to work directing traffic in the parking lots for vaccination clinics. It felt good and was a way to fight against the crushing feeling of having an incompetent narcissistic idiot as President. If we have another pandemic I'll direct traffic again and do the other odd jobs for vaccination clinics.

As for long term plans, because of my engineering background I have always seriously considered teaching math and/or science at the local high school once I retire from APL. So, assuming we don't completely abolish the public school system by that time, I'm going to try doing the Virginia Career Switcher program and try to become a teacher. So, I'm staying here.

[gilraen]

Colorado is about as good as it gets, for now, anyway.

[Kraken]

Federalism can be a PITA, but blue states are relying on it now. Disgusted and appalled yes we certainly are, but maybe a tad less threatened. It can't happen here.

[Lagom Lite]

If I were relocating for retirement, climate collapse would be my number one concern. I guess I would aim for Scandinavia, but I don't think those countries are interested in adding middle-class 50/60-something Americans to their social safety nets.

Sticking to our house on very high ground in PA is probably best for now.

I'd invite y'all to Sweden, but unfortunately we've halted all immigration from shithole countries.

[hepcat]

As my reply to your other post mentions, that would be a lateral move, as even Sweden is having issues with far right, fascist and racist politics. Sadly, I fear the problem isn’t limited to the U.S..

[Lagom Lite]

As my reply to your other post mentions, that would be a lateral move, as even Sweden is having issues with far right, fascist and racist politics. Sadly, I fear the problem isn’t limited to the U.S..

Yes, that's what I was saying.

[Max Peck]

If I were to move out of the country, it would probably be somewhere in California.

#ThisForumNeedsLikes

[hepcat]

Ah, got it. I misunderstood.

[Max Peck]

If I were relocating for retirement, climate collapse would be my number one concern. I guess I would aim for Scandinavia, but I don't think those countries are interested in adding middle-class 50/60-something Americans to their social safety nets.

Sticking to our house on very high ground in PA is probably best for now.

I'd invite y'all to Sweden, but unfortunately we've halted all immigration from shithole countries.

#ThisForumNeedsLikes

You guys are on fire today!

[Max Peck]

When considering where to emigrate, if the goal is to escape fascist/authoritarian America, I would caution against considering Canada in the long term. If America really has reached the tipping point and becomes a postliberal paradise, then sooner or later they will look to the north for lebensraum. All those those natural resources and farm land will be irresistible to an isolationist regime seeking complete economic self-sufficiency, and as climate change inexorably renders more and more of the continental United States unsuitable for human habitation, God's JD Vance's chosen people will need someplace new to call home.

[Carpet_pissr]

When considering where to emigrate, if the goal is to escape fascist/authoritarian America, I would caution against considering Canada in the long term. If America really has reached the tipping point and becomes a postliberal paradise, then sooner or later they will look to the north for lebensraum. All those those natural resources and farm land will be irresistible to an isolationist regime seeking complete economic self-sufficiency, and as climate change inexorably renders more and more of the continental United States unsuitable for human habitation, God's JD Vance's chosen people will need someplace new to call home.

Have you read The Handmaid's Tale? Canada becomes the Promised Land!

[Max Peck]

When considering where to emigrate, if the goal is to escape fascist/authoritarian America, I would caution against considering Canada in the long term. If America really has reached the tipping point and becomes a postliberal paradise, then sooner or later they will look to the north for lebensraum. All those those natural resources and farm land will be irresistible to an isolationist regime seeking complete economic self-sufficiency, and as climate change inexorably renders more and more of the continental United States unsuitable for human habitation, God's JD Vance's chosen people will need someplace new to call home.

Have you read The Handmaid's Tale? Canada becomes the Promised Land!

Canada has plot armor solely because Margaret Atwood is Canadian.

[Exodor]

My wife's mother has Dutch citizenship and looks like my wife can claim citizenship through that connection. Spouses of citizens can get a work permit so I'd at least be able to work. The complication is the kid - we never had my wife formally adopt them because the process is cumbersome and now that they're 19 there didn't seem to be much point. That laziness might bite us in the ass now.

[Montag]

So your party lost and rather stick around and work to try to gain seats in the House or Senate in 2026, you are seriously considering to run away like a little pissant? You want to help further entrench the far right? How do think that would be viewed at the local VFW? You get a purple wrist rubber band for your paper cut?

I am hitting hard here because I hope this is just venting vs reality. I have no issues with people retiring elsewhere to strech their retirment savings. Cost Rica was supposed to be a good place, but I think there are too many exPats and the costs were driven up.

Edit: Replaced misogynistic insult with a neutral insult. This is not being done flippantly or intended mockingly. Previous language used has been quoted and is preserved in subsequent posts.