The country you're fixated on might be the worst option for your situation. Not because it's a bad country. Because it doesn't match your income level, family size, visa eligibility, or long-term goals. But you won't know that if you only research one place. Costa Rica might require more income than you have while Panama requires less. Portugal might have a 2-year visa waitlist while Spain processes in 3 months. Thailand might not accept your type of income while Malaysia does. Country fixation costs you time, money, and opportunities. Strategic planning shows you the full landscape first, then lets you choose from what's actually available to you. One approach wastes years. The other gets you moved. Link in bio for the strategic approach. 🆘🇺🇸 🆘🇺🇸 #TikTokEncyclopediaContest #creatorsearchinsights
@nomadveronicaTranscript
My biggest regret since moving abroad is getting tunnel vision on where we were living. And let me explain, because we left during COVID when almost every country had said you can't international travel. And so when we were deciding to leave, there was only something like 14 countries that were allowing American passport holders to enter that country. So the country we chose was from that extremely short list to begin with. And we picked Dominican Republic. We moved there and I immediately stopped looking for other options for where we could move. And we settled in and we had a nice life there and we lived there for an entire year. It wasn't until the very end of our time in Dominican Republic that we started looking for outside options. And that's when we applied for the Thailand visa and the Japanese visa. But looking back, I wish I would have cast a wider net of understanding where we were eligible to live right from the get go. And I know that was COVID times, but even after the COVID times, I should have started researching what was going to happen after that pandemic was over. And then I did the same thing. I repeated the same mistake. I went and lived in Japan for two and a half years and it wasn't really until the tail end of living in Japan that I started researching other places and ended up deciding on Portugal. The major motivation behind my business and doing exit planning with Americans is to help them not make that same mistake that I did because you all are basically doing the same tunnel vision that I did. You see an article or you see a video and you say, I want to move there. Everyone comes in my comment section. I want to move to Mexico. I want to move to the Netherlands. You have this idea of the country and you get tunnel vision on that specific place. Instead of what I now do is I show Americans where globally they could move. I take your situation, I analyze, what are your preferences, what is your income like? Your will take you and I give you the options of where you can live so that you can choose amongst that entire group. Instead of focusing on how can I force myself to live in this exact place that I just randomly saw a video about. That's what I did and I am trying to help other Americans not make that same mistake by doing global consulting on all of your options. I'd love if other expats or nomads or slowmads like myself could comment on this also. If you're seeing this video and you've already moved abroad, let me know what is your biggest regret since moving abroad. Was it something that you wish you could have changed in the past? That's what I would have changed. I'm curious what you would have changed.
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You don't actually need anyone's permission to move abroad. Not your parents. Not your friends. Not your coworkers. Not even your spouse if they're using guilt instead of having real conversations. But you keep waiting for them to be okay with it. You keep trying to make them understand. You keep softening your plans so they feel less threatening. Meanwhile, you're still stuck. Still unhappy. Still living a life designed around everyone else's comfort except your own. Here's what changed for me. I stopped asking for approval and started making announcements. I'm moving in six weeks. Here's the plan. You can support me or you can process your feelings on your own time. But I'm going. The people who loved me figured it out. The people who didn't were never going to be happy for me anyway. Your freedom matters more than their comfort. Act like it. Ready to build your exit plan? Link in bio. 🆘🇺🇸
The reason you keep "researching" instead of applying for a visa is because research feels safe. As long as you're still learning, you don't have to make the scary calls. You don't have to tell your boss. You don't have to face your family's reaction. You don't have to sell your stuff or figure out what to do with your car. Research is comfortable. Execution is nerve wracking. But here's what nobody tells you. The nerves lasts about 6 weeks. Then you're on the other side and you wonder why you waited so long. The fantasy lasted years and got you nowhere. The tension lasts weeks and gets you everything. If you're ready to trade comfortable fantasy for uncomfortable action, I'll help you figure out the logistics. Link in bio for exit plan consultations. 🆘🇺🇸
Replying to @vivalavalkyrieb Here's what nobody tells you about moving abroad with a criminal record. Different countries have different rules. Some require a clean background check. Some don't ask at all. Some only check for specific offenses like violent crimes or trafficking. And even the countries that do require one upfront might not care about misdemeanors from 10 years ago. Context matters. Timing matters. The type of offense matters. But if you've been sitting in the US thinking you're stuck here forever because of something in your past, you're probably wrong. I keep the specific list private because visa requirements change and I'm not about to accidentally mislead someone. But in a one on one consultation, I can tell you exactly which visa paths are open to you based on your actual record. You deserve a second chance. Let's find you one. Link in bio. 🆘🇺🇸
What if everything you think is stable is actually just chaos you've gotten used to? You're grinding to pay bills. Your healthcare is a scam. Your kids aren't safe at school. You haven't slept well in years. But because everyone around you is doing the same thing, you call it normal. Moving abroad showed me the difference between grinding to stay afloat and actually living a stable life. If you want help figuring out where you CAN move based on your actual income and visa options, link in bio. 🆘🇺🇸