I'm Stac_y55 TOPICS TO RESEARCH WHEN YOU WANT TO MOVE ABROAD & DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
You've got that feelin' . . . you know . . . that, "I just don't feel at home here" feeling. . . or . . . "Why am I always looking at properties abroad?" feeling . . . or . . . "I just gotta get the hell outta here" feeling (in your Samuel L. Jackson voice in any of his movies).
If that's you, you are not alone.
I would advise that before you look at where you want to go, look at your reasons for leaving "These United States of America" (in my cynical voice while slowly and gently pressing my fingertips together ever so smugly). And no, I don't mean looking at Instagram photos of famous international locations that are just breath-taking photos (and yes, they truly are breath-taking photos), but that is not what's important.
I believe that finding out what you don't like, helps to determine what you do like. If you're anxious about "Getting Out" and you're feeling lost or overwhelmed about where to go, having a real talk with yourself (and yes......that's allowed) to better understand why you want to leave. That will help materialize the pathway beneath your feet that will give you the road map to planned actuality instead of just a fantasy.
But know that this happiness journey is a marathon that you'll have to learn to condition for.
This list is a concoction of resources from foreign consulates, books, articles, podcasts, YouTubers, and conversations with U.S. immigrants, people that already live abroad, and even people who were abroad, and for their reasons, came back to the U.S. This list is not in any particular order, it is certainly not exhaustive, and you are not required to research all of these things in order to plan your life abroad. Topics that can guide your moral and physical compass can include:
1. APPLY FOR OR RENEW YOUR U.S. PASSPORT
2. TYPES OF VISAS IN YOUR COUNTRY OF INTEREST
3. CURRENCY :: CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES & BANKING
4. PERMANENT RESIDENCY, SECOND CITIZENSHIP & RENUNCIATION
5. ITS HISTORY
6. REQUIRED VACCINATIONS BY NATIONS
7. TEACH ENGLISH (AND OTHER THINGS) ABROAD
8. WORKING HOLIDAY
9. INTERNSHIPS ABROAD
10. STUDY ABROAD (INCLUDING S.A.S)
11. U.S. GOVERNMENT JOBS (USAJOBS.GOV, DODEA.EDU, USAID.GOV)
12. PEACE CORPS