8 Places To Move Abroad After the U.S. Elections

Sneak Peek:

Kristin:    00:00:00    There's many things between Republicans and Democrats that we all agree on as far as policies, but sometimes the people, sometimes, most of the time, the people that represent those policies can be more polarizing and controversial. So regardless of who you voted for, you, you might find interest in countries and both sides.

Introduction: Welcome to the Traveling with Kristin Podcast, your destination for travel tips, living abroad, advice and insights that help you experience life in foreign cultures. If you're interested in slow travel, living abroad or a digital nomad lifestyle, you're in the right place. I'm your host, Kristin Wilson, the author of Digital Nomads for Dummies and the host of Traveling with Kristin on YouTube. Thank you for traveling with me today and let's see where our journey takes us.

Kristin:    00:00:59    Hey there, Kristin Wilson from Traveling with Kristin here, and welcome to episode 274 of The Traveling with Kristin Podcast. I am recording live today from FinCon 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. And big shout out to llcattorney.com for setting up this podcast recording booth. So if you're looking for a lawyer to help, if you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, then definitely check them out, not sponsor. Just wanted to give them a shout out. So I just got back from an amazing trip, a little vacation to Belgium for the week, and it was so nice to be back in Europe. I got perfect weather. It was so mild it didn't rain at all, which is so surprising for this time of year. Maybe it's climate change, who knows. But I had a lot of fun. I went to Brussels, I went to US end, which is a beach town on the north coast.  

Kristin:    00:02:00    I went down west to something called the Atlantikwall at Raversyde, which was so extremely wow. It was just, I don't even know how to describe it. It's basically you get to walk through the bunkers and tunnels from World War I and World War II, so you can just imagine what that's like. This was the German defense post for both wars, uh, during their occupation of Belgium. So I would say that was definitely a highlight of the trip, as well as strolling through the medieval town of Ghent, which is one of my favorites. And yeah, you know, it didn't feel like I was ready to come back to the United States, but I do have a lot planned for the next few months. So I couldn't stay in Europe, but just going there was a reminder of how much I love it, how much it feels like a home away from home.  

Kristin:    00:02:53    And I'm sure you probably feel the same if there's a certain country or region of the world that you love going to and going back to and, uh, that you see yourself living there someday, or maybe you do live there part-time. So in the last two episodes, actually, I was talking about an upcoming episode we have about moving to Italy, but I forgot about the elections this week, and so I wanted to just, uh, share with you a few countries that you might want to move to depending on the outcome of the election, if you are a US citizen. But I think that this information will also be helpful for you if, if you are from outside of the US as well as these are just nice countries to live in, regardless of what your political views are or what side of the aisle you're on.  

Kristin:    00:03:39    Now, I did this research for two YouTube videos on where to move if Trump wins and where to move if Kamala wins. And so I won't give you all of them away in this podcast. I'll just give a couple from each side, and then you can also watch the full videos on my channel at youtube.com/travelingwithKristin. The reason I felt inspired to make this podcast and these videos is because of all of the people who have been contacting me in the past year expressing to me that they want to move abroad, specifically motivated for political reasons. So I don't want this to come across as being, you know, anything to do with my personal political views. This is just to answer a lot of your questions that, that you guys have been sending me through my website, uh, travelingwithKristin.com/relocation. And you know, during, I've been helping people move abroad for 20 years, and there's a lot of different reasons that people wanna move abroad for cost of living, quality of life, so many personal reasons, you know, just to enjoy life and have fun and experience life in, in other cultures.  

Kristin:    00:04:46    But I have noticed in recent years that politics has definitely played a big, big role in that and how comfortable people feel in their home country, even if, even if you're not directly impacted by the political decisions that are being made regardless of which country you're from. I think that there's still a feeling of being in, in the borders of a culture and, and not identifying with the, the larger political climate that can make people feel uneasy and, and want to just leave, whether it's permanently or temporarily. I found a lot of statistics in the United States that says anywhere between 15 and 34% of people are interested in leaving the country specifically for political reasons. So I do think that this is relevant and I am based my outlook over, you know, places to move if, if Trump wins from a perspective of, okay, so if people are moving because Trump won, then that means that they probably voted Democratic or they voted for somebody else.  

Kristin:    00:05:52    And so the places that they would wanna go would be countries that have, you know, more of those kind of socially progressive values versus if, uh, Kamala wins the election and he voted for Trump, then you probably wanna go to a place that has more values that are aligned with the Republican party. Things like low income taxes, strong national security, and, um, you know, strong borders and immigration policies. So we don't know at the moment who, who wins. And of course, a lot of people threatened to move out of the country if their candidate doesn't win, and not everybody does. But there was definitely a spike during, um, you know, recent elections where especially after Trump's inauguration, people going to Canada, for example, spiked compared to the previous year. So there's definitely a certain percentage of people that, that actually do leave for these reasons and take it very seriously. But even if you're not, these kids still give you some interesting places that you could go.  

Kristin:    00:06:57    So if Kamala wins and you are, you know, voting for the other side, then one place you could go is Nicaragua. This is a place that's often overlooked, but really has a lot to offer. It's one of the most affordable countries to live in in Latin America. I believe it's the second most affordable after Haiti, and that is partially because it, it doesn't have the best political situation there. So maybe you're leaving no one political situation you don't like for another one that's not, uh, the most stable. But Nicaragua has generally been a socially stable country, despite Danielle Ortega, uh, being in power for quite a few years now. I actually lived in Nicaragua in 2008 and I spent a lot of time there when I was living in Costa Rica. And it's really an amazing country that doesn't get a lot of press. It's a place that has a lot of nature.  

Kristin:    00:07:54    It has really, really friendly people, and it has a lot of different micro climates from, uh, the southwest to the center of the country, the rainforest, the the islands in the Caribbean, and the, uh, northwest, uh, from Chinandega area, which has gotten a lot more popular and more developed in recent years. Nicaragua also has extremely affordable medical care and largely English speaking doctors. I remember when I got an ear infection there once my receipt for the prescription that I got was for 1 cent. When I converted it to US currency, I thought there was a mistake, but it was basically free. And the tests that I got in the hospital in Managua were all less than, I mean some of them were $10, $20 less than a hundred dollars. Now this was back in 2008, but you can still get really affordable medical care there and you can pay out of pocket.  

Kristin:    00:08:52    And it is more of a, you know, socially conservative country. Panama is another interesting country to consider attractive for its low cost of living favorable tax environment and proximity to the United States. The US is one of 50 countries that have friendly relations with Panama, with an estimated 25 to 30,000 US citizens living there. The country's especially popular for its Pensionado visa for retirees that you can qualify for with a pension of at least a thousand dollars per month for a single person. Panama also has what's called a friendly nations program, which offers multiple paths to permanent residency through an investment or business formation. If you're not ready to apply for a residency, US citizens can stay in Panama for up to 180 days with a valid passport. As far as places to live, Panama City is a popular choice for its developed infrastructure, nightlife and amenities.  

Kristin:    00:09:50    However, many foreigners choose to live in the beaches of Coronado and Playa Venao or the islands of Bocas del Toro. In Coronado, you can find short-term rentals on Airbnb from about a thousand dollars per month and long-term apartments from 600 to 750. If you're looking for a more temperate climate, check out Boquete, which has average temperatures of 55 to 75 degrees year round Panama's dollarized economy. Well-established banking sector and strong privacy laws add to its allure. Poland is another underrated destination in Europe where you can live on less than Portugal, which is one of the cheapest countries in Western Europe. This is a very conservative country with socially conservative policies favoring traditional family values, strict immigration laws, and it's also 90% Catholic. There's a definitely a mutual affinity between President Duda of Poland and President Trump, who are, are quite friendly during meetings and press conferences.  

Kristin:    00:10:53    And overall, I feel like Poland's culture and natural values align really closely with Western norms. So this can provide a, a real feeling of familiarity if you're moving there from the United States. Krakow is the place that I spent the most time and it's a nice place for history, nightlife. There's also a lot of World War two culture, museums, galleries, neighborhoods, things like that to explore. And then you're really well connected by train to the rest of Poland and also the rest of Europe. And the cost of living is quite low there. I was staying there on around $1500 to $2,000 per month with my Airbnb, but I think if you live there long term, you can definitely get your costs lower. Bulgaria is another interesting option located in Eastern Europe on the Black Sea, also very close to Romania, Serbia, Greece and Turkey. Bulgaria is known for having low taxes.  

Kristin:    00:11:54    They have a 15% flat tax, a personal and business tax. They have conservative social policies and a real focus on national sovereignty, but it's also a place that offers a great quality of life. You have hiking in the spring and summer, you have the beaches of Varona and sunny beach. And then in the winter the town of Bansko is one of the best ski resorts in the region. And people go there from Greece, from Turkey, from North Macedonia, from all over, uh, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. A lot of European digital nomads and expats moved to Bulgaria to get residency there and lower their taxes. Basically change their tax domicile from high tax European countries to a low tax European country like Bulgaria. And while that is a little bit different, if you're coming from the United States and you continue to pay taxes in the US it could be a really interesting place to relocate to and also to move your business to on the other side, buying real estate there can be extremely affordable compared to what you're probably used to in your home country, especially the United States.  

Kristin:    00:13:07    There are houses in rural areas as low as 10 or 20,000 euro. Uh, there's even, uh, the, the head of coworking Bansko and that team they have created, I think believe it's co-living Semkovo. There's a few different types of co-living places where you can buy apartments or you can buy, uh, a, a space to live there and and invest there. So that's quite interesting as well. Now, there's four other countries or regions that I included in my video, so you can watch that on my channel. And let's move on to places to move if Trump wins. Now from the other side of the aisle, if you voted for Kamala Harris and Trump wins and you really want to go somewhere that is more aligned with democratic policies, that doesn't mean necessarily that you're not interested in the same things as people who voted for Trump, like, uh, independent free countries that have low taxes.  

Kristin:    00:14:06    Of course there there's many things between Republicans and Democrats that we all agree on as far as policies, but sometimes the people, sometimes most of the time the people that represent those policies can be more, uh, divisive and and polarizing and controversial. So regardless of who you voted for, you, you might find interest in countries in both of these videos and both sides. But, um, for this section I focused on places that are, you know, have strong welfare systems, have progressive social policies, have a strong focus on being green countries with environmental protection and so on. So I have to include Canada on this list because this is the first place that many Americans think about moving to during an election year. And I, I've noticed this going back decades with no matter who was running for office, everybody's saying, you know, I'm moving to Canada and, and it used to be on Twitter a lot or X and you know, that's because Canada is the closest country.  

Kristin:    00:15:11    I don't know why people don't say more that they're moving to Mexico, which is also a good option. But the US and Canada have a really long history of being allies and friends. You know, it's right over the border as a progressive government at the moment. They offer universal healthcare and a strong social safety net and just a lot of cultural similarities with the us. So I think that's why so many people say that they're moving there. In 2017, the number of US citizens moving to Canada increased by 17% after Trump's inauguration. So this is a viable place for many people to go where they feel like they can be happy and and more in a place with, uh, policies that, that resonate with them. Now, of course, Canada's not perfect and neither is any country. There's, uh, been a lot more political and other types of tension between the citizens and the government in recent years.  

Kristin:    00:16:05    There's also been a lot of environmental concerns, especially with, you know, oil and drilling and, and things like that. But Canada, you know, does offer a high quality of life. There's a lot of different long-term immigration programs that you could look into, such as startup visas for entrepreneurs. They also have a study permit that's quite straightforward to get if you're thinking of going back to school or if you're young enough that you're starting a school or you're switching schools. And if you have a very strong skill in medical or technology fields, you could qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker program. And there's also one in Quebec, so there's a lot of places to live there outside of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. You've got Ottawa, which is a, a mid-size city. You have Simcoe, Ontario, a good place to go if you wanna be in a place with less people and more space.  

Kristin:    00:16:58    There's also Edmonton, Alberta, which is Canada's fifth largest city, and Halifax Nova Scotia, which was voted one of the best places to live in Canada. France is another place that's high on my list. It has one of the strongest capitalist economies in the world, but also a very strong focus on balance and quality of life. And also a social safety net. If you move to France, then after three months you can opt into their healthcare system. You can also get unemployment benefits, pensions, you can work there if you get temporary or permanent residency there. And just overall, the French government is known for pr providing a lot of support to its residents and citizens. Now that does come with a cost because France has a higher tax rate, but you do get a lot in return. And the long state V says quite popular for US citizens that want to live there.  

Kristin:    00:17:55    And it's flexible whether you're retired or whether you are working. Now, of course, the French president, Emmanuel Macron has been, you know, quite public with his admiration of people like President Obama, his support of Joe Biden, his friendship with Kamala Harris. And so, you know, this could be a place that you know, you might feel at home in this, in with these policies and in this environment. Germany is another country that's a strong welfare state. And the former and current chancellors, both Angela Merkel and Olaf Schultz were close allies of President Obama and President Biden, Germany. You know, it's not the most exotic place to move if you're looking for beaches and things like that, but there is a coastline there. And, um, you know, places like Rose Dock Germany have a very high quality of life as well as Munich. Hamburg, Berlin is such a cool city as well.  

Kristin:    00:18:54    And depending on your immigration category and how long you've lived there, it is possible to opt into Germany's public welfare system, which can include healthcare benefits, unemployment benefits, pensions, and family benefits as well. So if you're interested in that, then look into the long stay visa for Germany or the freelancer visa, which I can't really pronounce, but uh, just Google that and you'll find it. And that's very popular among digital nomads. New Zealand could be a good option for you. It's quite far from the United States. It's about as far away as you can get. So if you're looking to just forget about the political situation altogether, then consider New Zealand. You'll find clean air, blue skies, expansive nature, and very friendly local kiwi. Now New Zealand's an interesting country because it's very safe, it has all the nice nature and everything, but it's also a very socially progressive country.  

Kristin:    00:19:51    It was the first country with universal suffrage. So women got the right to vote there back in 1893. And it's a country where the local people have many of the same freedoms that US citizens can relate to. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and more. So if you are into nature, the country is 30% national reserve. It's a place you can experience all four seasons. You have the northern island and the southern island. Great place for hiking, trekking, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, and um, you know, a place with not so many people. If you're looking for a larger cities, you could look at places like Auckland and Wellington, but there's also a lot of smaller towns and villages like Dunedin and Queenstown. Portugal is another country that I had to add to this list because it's one of the more affordable countries in western Europe.  

Kristin:    00:20:45    It's one of the more welcoming countries, especially to US citizens. There are at least 10 or 15,000 US citizens living in Portugal permanently or, or with residency, but there's also probably many, many more tens of thousands more who are digital nomads or tourists that are slow traveling through Portugal. So this is a place with high quality of life, very safe, and a place that people tend to feel at home. It's quite easy to integrate with the community there because the Portuguese people are quite nice. And English is spoken in a lot of the more popular areas, especially around Lisbon, the Algarve, Porto, the Silver Coast, where you can, uh, likely run into a few other expats and especially people from the US many US citizens move there using the D7 visa, which is available to both retirees and working people alike, whether you're working remotely or you want to work there in person.  

Kristin:    00:21:44    And this is one that can be renewed after the first couple years and you can renew it again and eventually apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship if you stay there. I also have a video on the best places to live in Portugal and the cost of living in Portugal for 2024. So I will link to those videos in the show notes as well. And then there are four other countries on this list that I cover in my video about where to move if Trump wins. So time will tell who wins the election and who actually decides to move and who decides to stay. You know, when I was growing up, my dad always told me not to rely on the government. He said to be self-sufficient and just almost kind of pretend that it's not there in as far as your dependency on government programs.  

Kristin:    00:22:37    He said to create your own social safety net, as it were. And if you do end up getting help from the government, that's great, and if not, then you're still prepared. And I'm really glad that he told me that because I feel like the media perspective that we are shown on a regular basis is to be very cognizant and dependent on what the government's policies are and how they are affecting us. And I don't know what the right answer is. I just know, I just remember from being a little kid that I always had this outlook of like, the government's not going to help me, so I need to help myself for better or worse. And that's been my outlook ever since. But of course, when I go to Europe and, and talk to people who get, you know, free education and free healthcare and, and free government services and all other sorts of things, free maternity leave and things that they're paying for through their taxes, but that they're actually getting back, that definitely changes my perspective a bit.  

Kristin:    00:23:37    And I wonder what it would be like if I truly felt that I could depend on my government to, you know, fill in those blanks and, and provide some support when you need it the most. So I hope that this podcast gives you some ideas of places that you can live abroad, or even just the perspective and concept that you can choose a place to live abroad partially or wholly based on your political values. You can find countries that, like Sweden and Norway and Denmark that have equal L-G-B-T-Q-I-A rights. You can find countries that provide a lot of equality for women and any, any sort of issue that is really important to you, you can find a country where that is important in the the broader societal culture as well. So when you're considering a place to move abroad, don't just think about the location and the climate and the cost of living and the language, but also consider, you know, things that you like to do, things that you're personally interested in, goals that you have, and even the political systems. So I hope this was helpful, and if you're thinking of moving abroad in the next year for political or other reasons and you'd like some help from me, then feel free to contact me at travelingwithKristin.com/relocation. I have a short form there that you can fill out and my team and I will reach out and see how we can help with your relocation plans. I've helped more than 1200 people move to 37 different countries and I would love to help you two. That's at travelingwithKristin.com/relocation.