What the hell?!? What are you doing? Why haven’t you done something about it already?
Yes, I’m talking to you! Dammit, man – pay attention!
Pull your seat a little closer, sit up straight, close your gaping mouth and listen.
Really. Focus. Pay attention…
You’re sitting there, behind your desk, in front of your computer screen. It’s Tuesday today, but that isn’t really important. It could be Monday, it could be Wednesday, it could be any work day of the week.
This week, next week, next month. It’s all the same. Same desk, same PC. Same Tuesday. Same, same, same.
Wouldn’t you like a little change in your life?
Couldn’t you use a little change in your life?
I received a comment today. Some guy asking about getting a Czech driving license on my Czech driving license post.
Then it hit me – I haven’t received a comment in a long while.
No one asking “But what about…?” or “How would I…?”
Well, what about you? Why haven’t You written that question?
Am I writing this for my health? No. Sure, writing this blog gives me a smile.
But more importantly, it should be giving you ideas, motivation, the “ah-ha” moment to start a plan, screaming “By God, I’m going to Do It!”.
It’s okay. I see now you need steps. A Step-by-Step plan. Tell me if I’m right or comment below.
Before I dive into creating some all-encompassing how-to guide…let me ask some beginner questions:
1. Do you have a passport?
May seem simple, but it’s important, so I’ll repeat it. Get a passport. Caution: when you hold it in your hand, you may experience a little tingle. It’s normal.
2. Do you have your shit in order?
I mean, no $30,000 credit card debt, no summons in the mailbox, no parole officer hassling you… If none apply, you’re good to go.
3. Are you generally a happy person?
The answer is likely yes. However, if you feel like slicing your wrists after watching a sad TV commercial, then culture shock may not sit well with you. If you are a generally happy person, then you’re good to go.
Can You Do It? – Yes!
Deciding to just pack it all up and experience life elsewhere ….it’s not a hard decision.
It’s a very easy one. The hard part is in doing it.
They did it.
But it can be done. Most recently, just this past weekend, a couple I know (through this blog) did it. (Damn, I can almost hear the Dora the Explorer end theme song: “We Did It – Hooray!”)
Just a few months ago, I got a “What if…?” question from a sweet, young couple from Arizona. Now they live and are teaching in Prague, Czech Republic.
They did it. And so can You.
I look forward to hearing from you.
-Jeff
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Jeff, thanks for the kick in the pants
I’m definitely working on it, got #1 and #3 covered, but it’s that pesky #2 that is holding me back right now. I need a few more months of saving – can’t put my family at risk until I have a bit more cushion to handle the unexpected.
Mike, you rock. Thanks for commenting.
Great to hear you’re a happy passport holder. Those are two, very important steps.
But as for stinky #2 (…got shit together?), let me give a quick disclaimer (disclaimer in a good way): living abroad can be much cheaper than living in the States. I don’t know your situ, but when you say couple more months’ savings, do you mean as if you’re living there? – Or say, Thailand, Panama, Bali, -because there, you need less than half to be super comfortable.
Just food for thought.
God, I gotta get my own ‘shit together’ and collect some thoughts. I think what folks need is a concise, practical book or something to set some facts straight.
Til later, hope to hear more from ya, -Jeff
Jeff, thanks for the encouragement. As you say, living abroad can indeed be much less expensive. My situation is that I’m married to a Filipina and intend to expat/relocate to the Philippines, but I provide housing to my elderly parents so I need to have enough saved up to meet their housing needs and to get us initially established there. I figure we can definitely live nicely for 30-50% of our US living expenses even if we allow enough for a trip or two per year back to the US to see family. There really aren’t any jobs available there, so I have to either find a telecommute type gig or get my own business going. It’s a challenge, but I’m up for it
There are a ton of great people blogging about living abroad including yourself. I make the rounds to keep myself inspired as I work through building enough reserve to pull off the move.
I’m sure there’s room for a guidebook – I know the folks at http://locationindependentprofessionals.com/ have done well with their info products, so I’d take that as an indication that there’s definitely interest and a market out there for that sort of information. Your experiences are enough different from theirs that I’m sure you could offer a unique perspective.
Excellent link Mike, I wrote to Lea and her husband shortly after seeing their site.
For now, I thought I’d offer you this ebook: InfoBook for Foreigners (right-click and save the PDF to your computer)
It’s a 96 page PDF file for expats coming to Prague. While providing answers for Prague, it may help you think of more information to get about the Philippines.
All the best,
-Jeff
It’s #2 for me as well. My wife finishes her PhD in 2012. After that, she may choose to get a second one, which she would finish in 2016. Either way, once she’s done with school, we’re outta here. Not sure to where yet – currently our requirements are: 1) big city, 2) good public transportation, 3) opportunity for immersion in a language other than English, 4) at least one of us needs to be able to find a job. Mountains and/or ocean would be nice, too. So that could be Milan, Seoul, or anywhere.
I find myself taking that into account more and more when considering purchases. My car may be about to die, but I’m thinking it wouldn’t be worthwhile to replace it with a brand new car. The coffee table’s legs fell off the other day – if I were staying in the US indefinitely I would have paid someone to weld it back together, or run to the store to buy a new one. Instead, I just brought a table from the spare room into the main room, and now our spare room just doesn’t have a table anymore. I find it’s better to do that, than to buy something new that I’ll just have to sell at a huge loss at a yard sale in not too long.
Jeff, I hope all goes well with your upcoming transition!
Great to hear Jon!
I especially like how already you’re minimizing what you accumulate. That’s really great.
Most people don’t ‘get’ it until years after they’ve moved to a country where consumerism isn’t so pushed.
Hmmm, with a PhD in the family, consider that a stronger asset in some countries than in others. German for example. And you got (very cold) coast and mountains.
Thanks for the well wishes and I look forward to hearing more from you.
Just got Simon Black’s latest article:
http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/tell-me-whats-holding-you-back/
Gotta say, I like his style. And smart advice, too.
Any advice for those of us who will be burdened with student loan debt for the rest of our lives? My husband & I have both 1 & 3, but #2 is never going away. That being said, we don’t have ANY other debts besides $60,000+ in student loans. Our car is paid for, we rent a townhome, we don’t have cable tv, we barely go out, and save, save, save all that we can while paying huge monthly payments to loans. We love to travel, but it takes us years to save up for a single trip. Is there any hope of us ever being able to make this expat transistion with this student loan debt?
Sarah, it depends on your skillsets. If you and/or your husband have skills that are in demand, then you may actually be able to improve your situation by becoming an expat. If you go to an area with high wages and/or lower taxes, you may be able to take home significantly more.
In my case, even though I am working in a third world country (Philippines), I was able to negotiate an increase based on my US salary because they were unable to staff the position with a local. The increased salary combined with a flat 15% income tax and around $700 per YEAR in medical insurance costs pushed up my take home quite a bit.
If I were you I’d look into going somewhere like Dubai where there are no income taxes and high wages. You may find that if you’re willing to continue your minimal lifestyle that you’re able to knock out that 60k faster than you ever thought. I’m planning to be completely out of debt of any kind by the first of next year. And I can hardly wait.
Thanks for responding. I have a BFA in photography, which often isn’t exactly a high demand skill set. I have been working as an executive assistant for about 10 years now to pay the bills. My husband does SEO (Search Engine Optimization) currently. We aren’t doctors or lawyers, just some creative people who want to start a family and make a change. I should also mention that we are both in our early thirties. We do want to continue to live simple lives. I don’t have the desire to own fancy things or spend lots of money. I just want to be able to work a job that I don’t hate, grow some of my own vegetables in a garden and well live la dolce vita. But somehow, in the U.S., that seems like to much to ask. I have started thinking that forming an internet business will be the only way for me to live wherever I want, now I just need to make that happen. I am not sure how I feel about moving to Dubai. My brother was in the military and spent some time there. He came back with stories that don’t exactly make me feel warm & fuzzy inside. Any other location suggestions? I love Scotland & Italy, but I am also aware that those would not be easy or cheap transistions. Costa Rica? Argentina? Croatia?
Hi Sarah,
Mike beat me!
Yes, as Mike said, you might find a better life abroad.
If you or the husband have experience in finance, IT, nursing for example, there is strong demand in many countries, particularly for native English speakers.
Bear in mind you will not pay US income tax on salary earned abroad on the first ~92k earned. That income, after covering expenses abroad could be used toward the loans. As Mike suggested, working in the mid-east can be pretty lucrative (e.g. high salary, room & board paid for, paid annual trips home).
Also, look into loan deferment. It’s not very likely, but worth a call to your lender. They might offer, while outside the country, i.e. earning below a threshold in the US, you could put the loan payments on pause. I know that’s the case if say, you went back to being a student.
That all said, I’m highly against carrying debt abroad, whether on pause or not. And in my opinion, $60k is too great to carry with you. Unless you both are super high earners, my suggestion is to knock it down to a more manageable level, like ….zero.
From your remark about saving for trips, I’d say $60k is as significant to you as it would be to me.
I applaud you both for the (very) uncommon sacrifices you’re making to pay it down. You both could launch a class on that as “case studies.” Honestly, you two are doing well. Yes, you have debt, but I’m guessing that once it’s paid off, you two are on a fast track to being wealthy.
“Any hope of us ever being able to make this expat transition?” – YES! Look how un-rooted you are. No mortgage, no cars, good budgeting, committed to the transition. Yes, you two are both willing and able. But I’d just strongly recommend getting the debt down further. Keep up the great payments.
Here’s an off-the-wall suggestion. Make a reasonable date for yourselves, say one year out. Continue to slam the student loan down. Then, when it’s time to honour your dream, have an amenable payment plan for whatever balance remains. Perhaps you could easily continue to pay off the loans with a much less monthly payment (possible through refinancing?) while abroad. The time abroad is your reward.
But I know from experience (from others mostly), coming back to debt can make anyone’s return very bittersweet. So, just plan a couple steps ahead, and you should be at peace with the decisions you make.
Sorry if that seems long-winded. Hope it was helpful.
Best to you and the hubby,
-Jeff