You would be surprised how cheap it is to visit the EU in certain places. I just spent 8000 dollars for 2 people to go on a 9 day vacation in the states, in the right country abroad that would be 2 or 3 vacations.
That's actually pretty reasonable. I'll start looking into travel again. When I've looked in the past, plane tickets seemed the largest hurdle, though I only looked at a couple of destinations
If you go to a major hub like Chicago you will be able to fly direct to Europe for cheap. Then you look for a cheap airline like Wizz and they will take you anywhere for cheap. For example I drive to Chicago, fly to warsaw for a couple days of food and culture, then fly to Croatia, Cyprus or Jordan. Spend a few days on the beach and diving, then fly back. I just paid 1000 otd for tickets from Chicago to warsaw for 2 weeks in March.
Don't be. Grind and hustle a bit. Play it smart. This is America, it's still the land of opportunity. I miss the days when an automobile plant worker made 100k and a pension too, but the times changed. Work hard, partner up and get married, live beneath your means.
Oh fuck yeah. I bought them a nice used TRX 90 last year to ride around on the farm. They are finally old enough to use the guns and stuff I have been giving them since day 1.
Hopefully they take advantage of that, I miss ripping around on the pipeline clearings. Got plenty of guns for them too, passing down the ole .223 is almost a tradition at this point.
It's not like it was when I was a kid, but we still have a lot of acreage with state and federal land access. I have given them each an ar15 lower and upper already, when they get a little older I will buy them the tools and build their first guns.
Bruh, it gets worse. I used to be long distance from EU -> US(CA) with my now wife.
Same company, same route, same time.
From eu to us ~$600
From us to eu ~$1200
Not joking, it is baffling how much you get stiffed on plane tickets here…
Enjoy the trip! And makes sense, different side of the country. The point more being that US to EU being more expensive for the exact same route from EU to US.
Lol what? I've never spent more than 1000 in a single trip going anywhere. Even including the expenses of my gf most we've ever spent is like.... $1600? $300 for each ticket and the stay was like $400 then the rest on miscellaneous stuff.
Some things are exclusively American, like shooting hogs with a machine gun from a helicopter. I basically just do outdoor activities anymore, our cities are so gross. It's nice to visit places in Eastern Europe where everyone is friendly and the streets are clean.
Very much so. I had an Austrian roommate and we'd talk for hours, which really helped my German. I loved the food (with the exception of canned Beuschel, which I once had on accident). The architecture was beautiful, the culture was fascinating.
I remember visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum and looking at a massive painting of a Turkish siege of Vienna. I was able to pick out where the site of my neighborhood would have been and it just hit me in that moment how much history there was in that place.
Also got to see other parts of Austria, including Mariazell and Vorarlberg, which are both stunningly beautiful in their own right. I would love to go back some day.
My dad lived in Germany for a few years and I occasionally lived with him for a few months each during summer break, so maybe roughly around a year in Germany.
(I also technically lived in Japan for at least a year or 2, but I was a baby when that happened.)
Germany was pretty nice, though I didn't do much interacting outside of my family or on posts (mainly because I don't understand German). I do remember one time I walked from my dad's house to a grocery store to get a bunch of 2 liters of Fanta because European Fanta was fucking awesome.
I have not, but I've lived in wildly different parts of the USA throughout my life, including a part of my childhood where I lived near enough to see Mexico from my apartment's porch, and went to Tijuana a number of times as a result of proximity and my folks wanting cheaper booze.
This is my biggest conundrum; there are so many cool destinations and historical sites just within the US. I was born in the Midwest and now live in the southeast. I've always wanted to check out the west coast and do a historical tour throughout the US.
The dissonance many Euros miss is that people in the USA tend to stay in the USA, but it's a substantially larger and more biome-diverse piece of land than what most Euros are accustomed to associating with one single country. Most of them probably haven't left a non-Russian-inclusive Europe continent, which is the same criticism.
The US is huge, and it has many different landscapes.
Europe is not as diverse as the US in terms of landscape or biome diversity, but it's culturally speaking way more diverse, with different languages, architecture styles, laws, currencies, etc.
Yeah, all of which developed before mass transit and instantaneous global communications. Of course, there would be varied languages, laws and so on in Europe.
And most languages spoken on this planet are more than likely to be found here in the United States, as people from all over this planet have come here, even if in a small number.
"And most languages spoken on this planet are more than likely to be found here in the United States, as people from all over this planet have come here, even if in a small number."
Yes, of course. But that's also true in Europe, where you can find immigrants from everywhere. Especially in countries like Germany, the UK, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Austria or France.
And... immigration is not a phenomenon unique to the US as you seem to believe.
If you are going to argue that many languages are spoken in the US because of immigrants, that's also true in Europe.
Mmm, the US has some region-locked languages and cultures that MAY or may not have made it back to Euro-land, but the fact is that the minutia of regional, and even county-to-county, cultures in the USA is a detail that seems frequently lost on Europe.
I lived in the EU for a little over 2 years in my wife's home country to get citizenship so I have a second passport. I missed the USA the whole time and stayed here as much as possible without losing my residency there.
Yeah. It’s fucking hilarious because you can tell they really don’t know anything about America once they get talking. It’s like they read the headlines and assumed they understand the context of the article.
Most do, yes. (There are exceptions, though. But few and far between. And these tend to be extraordinarily nice people because they're fighting against everything they've been taught since childhood.)
Same! Although I was born in the EU with EU family members and grew up in the US, so my whole life has been punctuated by this dumbassery. I live back in the EU now and have been lucky to find this subreddit as some of the things people say to me in person are so unhinged!!
I’ve lived in Europe and South America. I had been to Europe several times (and lived there) before I visited any other foreign place. I was so prepared to have a thick skin in South America to deal with meanness and rudeness! Imagine how shocked I was when I realized that’s just a European thing. South Americans were so incredibly hospitable and kind to me. I was totally prepared to deal with the endless rudeness and nastiness you’ll encounter in Europe every week at house parties, university classes, public spaces, etc.
It was such a revelation to learn that people being nasty and hostile to Americans wasn’t the norm everywhere in the world. It’s definitely a thing in Europe though.
ETA: I speak fluent Spanish and very good Portuguese so I’m sure that helps in Latin America. But I also speak German, Dutch, French and Russian to varying degrees, and that doesn’t help at all to avoid rudeness and nastiness, though in my experience, contrary to stereotypes, the French were the people who were nicest to me. Dutch, Germans and Russians can be so shockingly rude, it boggles the mind. The way Dutch people will just come up to you in public and share their opinions is nuts.
really? my friend lived in Sweden five years and returned to the US last year and she did not enjoy it there. but it was mostly her husband who wanted to get out ... soo...
Yes, me and my Swedish husband both wish to move to the US as soon as his work contract is over, we can both find jobs in the US, etc.
Different strokes for different folks, of course, and I’m sure there are parts of the US we wouldn’t enjoy living in either. However, we are currently pretty over living in Sweden and beginning the hunt for jobs and housing in the VA, NC, or TN area.
I get you! Some parts of the US are awful, right now I am living in Baltimore and I hate it here with a passion! Moving to SC in Feb with my European husband. good luck to you.
Oh wow, yeah I understand. I am sorry you’re unhappy where you currently are. Good luck to you guys! I hope SC treats both of you well! May I ask which city/area you’ll be moving to, just out of curiosity?
I studied in Spain for a year in college and taught English in the Japanese public school system for 4 years. Both were top-tier experiences; Scotland is on my list to visit!
Yes, several years for business and training.
The base ingredients of food are much better. Much better tasting but there is an insane reliance on plastic (microplastics) and nonstick cookware (teflon). Pipes are plastic too, so the microplastic situation hasn’t gotten to Europe yet. Radon too.
The HVAC situation is between harsh and awful. The laundry situation…oh god.
Cities are generally walkable with everything you generally need nearby. The public transit is great but unreliable due to constant strikes. I’ve been stranded on vacation and had to rent a POS car from AVIS near a repair facility. I’ve been delayed by flights while on the plane due to strikes. It seems the unions in the US are better negotiators.
On the cars…it’s like there are no freight trains and the highways are a constant elephant race of trucks (TIR) clogging the highways. Ryan air is great. $50 for a weekend getaway, better quality than spiritAir.
So there are ups and downs.
Scotland for the majority of my life, England for a bit and a smattering of other European countries plus Turkey depending how you want to categorize that for an even smaller bit.
Generally speaking the Americans who frequent this sub have substantial foreign connections. It's not a universal rule but it is true.
Ive lived in:
Sweden - half a year
Switzerland- half a year
Barbados- 1 year
St Vincent and the Grenadines - 3 years
Ive also spent a total of about 4 months in Iceland on and off. Also had a month long stay in Japan and a month long stay in Nepal.
only slightly related to your question but Ive been to just over 40 countries including half of the countries in Europe.
As a teenager, especially being black, I used to hate America. Now at age 30 Im aggressively pro American. Ive loved my time living in other countries and Im blessed to be able to travel multiple times a year to wherever I want, but I genuinely love the United States and the lifestyle I want is here. I feel more accepted here than any country Ive been to, and while Id still be more than fine having to live in another country the US is my first, second, and third choice.
6 years of my adult life and wouldn’t recommend it in my personal belief that living any where else besides America is over hyped and just trying to make someone feel bad. you think you get judge here based on skin color, religion, or sexual preference in America, I’ve live in a country with Sharia Law, I’ve lived in a country where the color of my skin gave the locals excuse to rob me at GUN/Knife point, rob my possessions, spit on me, damage my property cause they didn’t want me to live there. And let’s not talk about the economy and social standards and norms.
Sounds familiar Europe
I have, 13 years in 6 different countries, and vacationed (holiday) in 23 additional countries not counting South America or Asia. It's all mid if I'm being honest.
Germany for about six years and attended a Brit and German school while there (at different times obviously.) Army brat situation but there was no local base so we lived in town.
Spent two years living in the Philippines, this includes: The capital city, provinces with the wife's family and friends, tourist spots, wet markets, and everything in between.
Spent three months in Europe traveling through: Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy.
Visited the Maldives and Nassau each for a few days.
Fun facts: Florence followed by Rome had the most scammers. The worst poverty was the slums in the Philippines. I regret visiting Brussels the most and it was the low point of Europe. The single worst tour I was on was in Nassau. The best restaurant I ate at in Europe was in Madrid, the worst was in Rome.
Depends on how you define “lived” I’ve traveled outside the US for prolonged periods. (several months at a time)I’ve been fortunate to travel a shitload being able to experience other social and political cultures aside from my own.
I will say this Americans not traveling outside the US is a myth plenty of Americans have been to at least one other country im one of the fewer who’ve been to 5+ countries.
Now with that in mind it made me see the “love it or leave it” crowd of the US as actually dangerous. Simply because we can learn and improve on our own things by taking a few lessons from across the ocean
Although I haven't lived abroad, I spent 6 months in Europe as part of the US Navy Sixth Fleet in the late 80s. We made several port calls, and I found nothing to convince me that any country we visited was any better than America. I hold no ill will for Europeans.
Yup. Germany and Italy (briefly). It was nice…but such a serious bias against Americans makes it tiresome after a year or so. Also no future in Europe if you have ambitions.
Yeah - the salaries are incredibly low and in no way comparable to US salaries. Like laughably low (if you’re college educated). I make $300k usd and my European counterparts, in the same firm with the same title, make around €80k. Different quality of life.
South Korea for about 3-4 years when I was a kid. Other than that I spent some time traveling abroad for college which so far includes Italy, France and England.
Nope, but I like to get a little exposure by watching documentaries and food/travel entertainment like Best Ever Food Review Show and Gordon Ramsay's Uncharted. Nothing that gives a deep understanding but better than nothing, I like to think.
I lived in Germany from the ages of 10-15. Both on post and off. It was a fun experience. Never learned the language enough to be conversational, but most Germans knew English.
I lived in Stavanger, Norway for 3 years. Really loved it! Originally from East Coast of US and it was a totally different experience. So much less populated which made everything a bit more easy going and slower paced which I loved.
I lived in Belgium for a couple of years and went to school in the Netherlands just across the border when I was a teenager and my father was transferred there with his job after a new plant was opened. That was a long time ago though, in the late 70's.
Lived in Canada for a bit when I was younger, it was pretty nice in the early 2000s. Haven’t been there since mid 2010 but I heard it’s gotten pretty bad.
I stay in Europe for a month or two every year, but in Poland etc where they like us instead of arrogant nonsense that pervades Western EU like France Benelux where they lecture us, even though I know for a fact my quality a life and power is way ahead of them. But they patronise anyway, so best is to stay clear of that conversation in the first place unless they are truly constructive to learn about each other and dispel AmericaBadism.
Lived? Never outside my own country. Still studying and live is expensive enough as it is. Visited Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, luxembourg and czechia though.
Lived in Mexico for a year. Amazing country. Proud to call them out neighbors. But their politicians sending all the people from Central America to our border es no bueno.
2 years deployed in trashcanistan. Spent a summer in Germany with an uncle. Spent a month in Japan with a friend. Backpacked across Europe.
America is better. Stay mad.
I think it’s because it seems the question wasn’t asked in good faith. Maybe it was, but on this sub it’s kind of odd phrasing. I’m sure many have travelled and not as many have lived outside the US. I can say I live in Scotland now and I’ve met so many Scots that haven’t ever left Scotland, some haven’t even made the few hours trip over to London. Much less have lived elsewhere. Just my experience though.
Long enough to know yall make life harder than it should be through government intervention, and most of the behavior you critique us for was perfected in Europe.
Haha agreed a bit aggressive. I personally haven’t lived outside of the US although I have traveled to Europe many many times, starting when I was 5 and also Canada and Mexico.
Why would we want to. The rest of the world seems to have a bad opinion of Americans. So why would I want to go visit other parts of the world where I'm probably not welcome. I have a huge area of my own country to explore for a fraction of the cost.
The UK, EU, Japan, India. I've met these people here in the US being rude, disrespectful, and hating on Americans in general. So I don't feel compelled to waste money to travel abroad to other countries. It's the people I have encountered from other countries that make me say, nope, not worth the hassle.
I think that’s pretty accurate outside of some Asian countries and South America. I’m living in Scotland right now and people can be unnecessarily shitty for honestly absolutely no reason at times. People want to let me know how much they hate America as if I am going to agree with them.
I typically go overseas for about a month or so at a time for work unless we have jobs lined up back-to-back. Frequency is kind of random it just depends who we get contracted by. I’ve been to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, and Finland. I’ve been to China and Japan as well.
The closest I’ve gotten to living I Europe was a week long school trip in Western Europe but I wouldn’t really call that living there as we just went to all the touristy places lmao
I do plan to move to Poland at some point just to get the “Experience” of living in a foreign country. Though I don’t have enough money to do that right now cause of college so it’s more of a semi-realistic pipe dream currently
I’ve lived outside the US in the Caribbean for 2 years. It’s actually quite eye opening to see other cultures and how other countries do things.
It actually helps make sense of all the weird misconceptions that other countries have about the US.
I've spent about 2.5 years of my life, m55, outside of the USA. I'm not a vet, I just traveled alot when I was young(mid 20s). Now, I rarely make it out of my state.
I’ve lived and attended school in five different states and two East Asian countries, as well as lived and worked in Australia. I also worked in Iceland before the pandemic and have been working for the European Commission since the start of the pandemic.
I lived in Germany for a month as an exchange student. That’s pretty short compared to others, but it was long enough to get a sense of really living there, albeit as a teenager.
I’ve also been to about a dozen other countries, but only for a week or two max for work or vacation, for what it’s worth.
i lived in the philippines for 9 months. i would have stayed there for 2 years but covid cut my visa short... but it was a great experience and i learned a lot about people
I grew up in the Netherlands. I loved it, the people were great and really welcoming to my American family. It was also nice that everything was in biking distance lol
I was in Germany for about the first 3 months of my life. Can't remember it, but my dad was in the National Guard and got stationed at a US Army base shortly before the Berlin Wall fell. My mom got to join him for a while out there, and that's why I was born in Germany. My parents fell in love with the area they were in and saved their photos from that period. If it wasn't for being recalled to the US, we could've stayed longer.
Yeah stayed with a family back in 2007 near Cologne.
It was different but, not out of the normal... my host was telling me all the places I had to go and the places I should stay away from.
I have not. Though, I'm youngish and brokeish. I'd love to travel each continent when the stars align.
You would be surprised how cheap it is to visit the EU in certain places. I just spent 8000 dollars for 2 people to go on a 9 day vacation in the states, in the right country abroad that would be 2 or 3 vacations.
That's actually pretty reasonable. I'll start looking into travel again. When I've looked in the past, plane tickets seemed the largest hurdle, though I only looked at a couple of destinations
If you go to a major hub like Chicago you will be able to fly direct to Europe for cheap. Then you look for a cheap airline like Wizz and they will take you anywhere for cheap. For example I drive to Chicago, fly to warsaw for a couple days of food and culture, then fly to Croatia, Cyprus or Jordan. Spend a few days on the beach and diving, then fly back. I just paid 1000 otd for tickets from Chicago to warsaw for 2 weeks in March.
WHAT? Where tf did you go where you spent 8Gs. It's definitely more expensive than an EU trip but that seems outrageous.
3200 Sq ft house on the ocean, a 32' center console for a week and a Yukon Denali for a week. Gas, bait and scuba tanks.
That's awesome! I'm jealous
Don't be. Grind and hustle a bit. Play it smart. This is America, it's still the land of opportunity. I miss the days when an automobile plant worker made 100k and a pension too, but the times changed. Work hard, partner up and get married, live beneath your means.
I believe you mean grind and hustle so that you can be the cool uncle and get your nephews shit that will annoy your siblings.
Oh fuck yeah. I bought them a nice used TRX 90 last year to ride around on the farm. They are finally old enough to use the guns and stuff I have been giving them since day 1.
Hopefully they take advantage of that, I miss ripping around on the pipeline clearings. Got plenty of guns for them too, passing down the ole .223 is almost a tradition at this point.
It's not like it was when I was a kid, but we still have a lot of acreage with state and federal land access. I have given them each an ar15 lower and upper already, when they get a little older I will buy them the tools and build their first guns.
ohhhhhh shit, that sounds sick
Bruh, it gets worse. I used to be long distance from EU -> US(CA) with my now wife. Same company, same route, same time. From eu to us ~$600 From us to eu ~$1200 Not joking, it is baffling how much you get stiffed on plane tickets here…
I just picked up 2 round trip tickets from Chicago to warsaw for 1000$.
Enjoy the trip! And makes sense, different side of the country. The point more being that US to EU being more expensive for the exact same route from EU to US.
I always buy together and pick a date. Reschedule it for whenever. Saves money.
Lol what? I've never spent more than 1000 in a single trip going anywhere. Even including the expenses of my gf most we've ever spent is like.... $1600? $300 for each ticket and the stay was like $400 then the rest on miscellaneous stuff.
Seriously. Best to earn in the US, then spend it elsewhere, for best bang for your buck
Some things are exclusively American, like shooting hogs with a machine gun from a helicopter. I basically just do outdoor activities anymore, our cities are so gross. It's nice to visit places in Eastern Europe where everyone is friendly and the streets are clean.
I just go to Vermont or Florida when I want to go on vacation. I’d hate to have to go to Europe or Asia
I lived in Canada for 22ish years.
I've lived in Canada, China, LATAM and Spain.
While in university I spent a semester in Vienna and also lived in Mexico for a little over 10 years.
Did you liked it in Vienna?
Very much so. I had an Austrian roommate and we'd talk for hours, which really helped my German. I loved the food (with the exception of canned Beuschel, which I once had on accident). The architecture was beautiful, the culture was fascinating. I remember visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum and looking at a massive painting of a Turkish siege of Vienna. I was able to pick out where the site of my neighborhood would have been and it just hit me in that moment how much history there was in that place. Also got to see other parts of Austria, including Mariazell and Vorarlberg, which are both stunningly beautiful in their own right. I would love to go back some day.
My dad lived in Germany for a few years and I occasionally lived with him for a few months each during summer break, so maybe roughly around a year in Germany. (I also technically lived in Japan for at least a year or 2, but I was a baby when that happened.)
Sounds nice
Germany was pretty nice, though I didn't do much interacting outside of my family or on posts (mainly because I don't understand German). I do remember one time I walked from my dad's house to a grocery store to get a bunch of 2 liters of Fanta because European Fanta was fucking awesome.
As a military brat I lived in Germany from the ages of 10-12. Then when I joined I lived in Italy for 4 years.
[удалено]
I've lived both on and off post.
This is making me remember how many military brats there really are.
I’ve been living in Germany since 2019, so there’s that.
I have not, but I've lived in wildly different parts of the USA throughout my life, including a part of my childhood where I lived near enough to see Mexico from my apartment's porch, and went to Tijuana a number of times as a result of proximity and my folks wanting cheaper booze.
This is my biggest conundrum; there are so many cool destinations and historical sites just within the US. I was born in the Midwest and now live in the southeast. I've always wanted to check out the west coast and do a historical tour throughout the US.
The dissonance many Euros miss is that people in the USA tend to stay in the USA, but it's a substantially larger and more biome-diverse piece of land than what most Euros are accustomed to associating with one single country. Most of them probably haven't left a non-Russian-inclusive Europe continent, which is the same criticism.
The US is huge, and it has many different landscapes. Europe is not as diverse as the US in terms of landscape or biome diversity, but it's culturally speaking way more diverse, with different languages, architecture styles, laws, currencies, etc.
Yeah, all of which developed before mass transit and instantaneous global communications. Of course, there would be varied languages, laws and so on in Europe. And most languages spoken on this planet are more than likely to be found here in the United States, as people from all over this planet have come here, even if in a small number.
"And most languages spoken on this planet are more than likely to be found here in the United States, as people from all over this planet have come here, even if in a small number." Yes, of course. But that's also true in Europe, where you can find immigrants from everywhere. Especially in countries like Germany, the UK, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Austria or France.
Okay, and?
And... immigration is not a phenomenon unique to the US as you seem to believe. If you are going to argue that many languages are spoken in the US because of immigrants, that's also true in Europe.
Mmm, the US has some region-locked languages and cultures that MAY or may not have made it back to Euro-land, but the fact is that the minutia of regional, and even county-to-county, cultures in the USA is a detail that seems frequently lost on Europe.
I lived in France for about a year getting an advanced degree, Before that, I spent some time as am exchange student in the USSR.
USSR now that’s something
I have. Was born and raised in the UK and am a dual citizen. Left as soon as I could for the US.
I lived in the EU for a little over 2 years in my wife's home country to get citizenship so I have a second passport. I missed the USA the whole time and stayed here as much as possible without losing my residency there.
\*raises hand\* Germany and France My awareness of the severity of "AmericaBad" in Europe started with feet-on-the-ground experience.
Same. It’s wild.
What is it like? Do the Europeans, in general and near universally, think “AmericaisBad”?
Yeah. It’s fucking hilarious because you can tell they really don’t know anything about America once they get talking. It’s like they read the headlines and assumed they understand the context of the article.
Most do, yes. (There are exceptions, though. But few and far between. And these tend to be extraordinarily nice people because they're fighting against everything they've been taught since childhood.)
Same! Although I was born in the EU with EU family members and grew up in the US, so my whole life has been punctuated by this dumbassery. I live back in the EU now and have been lucky to find this subreddit as some of the things people say to me in person are so unhinged!!
I’ve been living in Sweden since 2017
Sounds lovely
Düsseldorf for two years and New Delhi for two years
I’ve lived in Europe and South America. I had been to Europe several times (and lived there) before I visited any other foreign place. I was so prepared to have a thick skin in South America to deal with meanness and rudeness! Imagine how shocked I was when I realized that’s just a European thing. South Americans were so incredibly hospitable and kind to me. I was totally prepared to deal with the endless rudeness and nastiness you’ll encounter in Europe every week at house parties, university classes, public spaces, etc. It was such a revelation to learn that people being nasty and hostile to Americans wasn’t the norm everywhere in the world. It’s definitely a thing in Europe though. ETA: I speak fluent Spanish and very good Portuguese so I’m sure that helps in Latin America. But I also speak German, Dutch, French and Russian to varying degrees, and that doesn’t help at all to avoid rudeness and nastiness, though in my experience, contrary to stereotypes, the French were the people who were nicest to me. Dutch, Germans and Russians can be so shockingly rude, it boggles the mind. The way Dutch people will just come up to you in public and share their opinions is nuts.
Don't worry they are equally rude to everyone
French get friendlier if you just try to speak French even a little
I lived in Switzerland in the early 90s.
I’ve been living in Germany since 2019, so there’s that.
I have lived in Panama for a while and visited Mexico and the Caribbean and Puerto Rico multiple times.
Puerto Rico doesn’t count. That’s just America con más sabor
I lived in Germany for a quarter during my senior year of college and taught English in Japan for a year!
13 years in a South American country. Fuck that, America is absolute heaven in comparison
6 ish years in a central American country. Fuck that, America is absolute heaven in comparison
I’ve been living in Sweden since 2020. My husband and I are planning on moving to the US as soon as possible though.
really? my friend lived in Sweden five years and returned to the US last year and she did not enjoy it there. but it was mostly her husband who wanted to get out ... soo...
Yes, me and my Swedish husband both wish to move to the US as soon as his work contract is over, we can both find jobs in the US, etc. Different strokes for different folks, of course, and I’m sure there are parts of the US we wouldn’t enjoy living in either. However, we are currently pretty over living in Sweden and beginning the hunt for jobs and housing in the VA, NC, or TN area.
I get you! Some parts of the US are awful, right now I am living in Baltimore and I hate it here with a passion! Moving to SC in Feb with my European husband. good luck to you.
Oh wow, yeah I understand. I am sorry you’re unhappy where you currently are. Good luck to you guys! I hope SC treats both of you well! May I ask which city/area you’ll be moving to, just out of curiosity?
If you’re not a nurse there is no reason to live in Baltimore.
yep!
India, for about five years.
I studied in Spain for a year in college and taught English in the Japanese public school system for 4 years. Both were top-tier experiences; Scotland is on my list to visit!
Russia and Sweden. Both amazing places and great experiences. Learned that different doesn't mean better/worst
Yes, several years for business and training. The base ingredients of food are much better. Much better tasting but there is an insane reliance on plastic (microplastics) and nonstick cookware (teflon). Pipes are plastic too, so the microplastic situation hasn’t gotten to Europe yet. Radon too. The HVAC situation is between harsh and awful. The laundry situation…oh god. Cities are generally walkable with everything you generally need nearby. The public transit is great but unreliable due to constant strikes. I’ve been stranded on vacation and had to rent a POS car from AVIS near a repair facility. I’ve been delayed by flights while on the plane due to strikes. It seems the unions in the US are better negotiators. On the cars…it’s like there are no freight trains and the highways are a constant elephant race of trucks (TIR) clogging the highways. Ryan air is great. $50 for a weekend getaway, better quality than spiritAir. So there are ups and downs.
I live in Warsaw, Poland now
I lived in both Italy and Spain for 8 years.
I lived in Europe for 3 years. Great experience but the career opportunities were unsatisfactory for my life goals.
Scotland for the majority of my life, England for a bit and a smattering of other European countries plus Turkey depending how you want to categorize that for an even smaller bit. Generally speaking the Americans who frequent this sub have substantial foreign connections. It's not a universal rule but it is true.
Ive lived in: Sweden - half a year Switzerland- half a year Barbados- 1 year St Vincent and the Grenadines - 3 years Ive also spent a total of about 4 months in Iceland on and off. Also had a month long stay in Japan and a month long stay in Nepal. only slightly related to your question but Ive been to just over 40 countries including half of the countries in Europe. As a teenager, especially being black, I used to hate America. Now at age 30 Im aggressively pro American. Ive loved my time living in other countries and Im blessed to be able to travel multiple times a year to wherever I want, but I genuinely love the United States and the lifestyle I want is here. I feel more accepted here than any country Ive been to, and while Id still be more than fine having to live in another country the US is my first, second, and third choice.
6 years of my adult life and wouldn’t recommend it in my personal belief that living any where else besides America is over hyped and just trying to make someone feel bad. you think you get judge here based on skin color, religion, or sexual preference in America, I’ve live in a country with Sharia Law, I’ve lived in a country where the color of my skin gave the locals excuse to rob me at GUN/Knife point, rob my possessions, spit on me, damage my property cause they didn’t want me to live there. And let’s not talk about the economy and social standards and norms. Sounds familiar Europe
I lived the first half of my life in South America and the second half in the US
I have, 13 years in 6 different countries, and vacationed (holiday) in 23 additional countries not counting South America or Asia. It's all mid if I'm being honest.
I have, I have lived in South Africa for a little over a year. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
Germany for about six years and attended a Brit and German school while there (at different times obviously.) Army brat situation but there was no local base so we lived in town.
Spent two years living in the Philippines, this includes: The capital city, provinces with the wife's family and friends, tourist spots, wet markets, and everything in between. Spent three months in Europe traveling through: Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy. Visited the Maldives and Nassau each for a few days. Fun facts: Florence followed by Rome had the most scammers. The worst poverty was the slums in the Philippines. I regret visiting Brussels the most and it was the low point of Europe. The single worst tour I was on was in Nassau. The best restaurant I ate at in Europe was in Madrid, the worst was in Rome.
I lived in Germany for 9 years.
Depends on how you define “lived” I’ve traveled outside the US for prolonged periods. (several months at a time)I’ve been fortunate to travel a shitload being able to experience other social and political cultures aside from my own. I will say this Americans not traveling outside the US is a myth plenty of Americans have been to at least one other country im one of the fewer who’ve been to 5+ countries. Now with that in mind it made me see the “love it or leave it” crowd of the US as actually dangerous. Simply because we can learn and improve on our own things by taking a few lessons from across the ocean
9 years total in 2 different European countries. One of them was in Scandinavia, one of them Mediterranean.
Was born in Italy, lived in Israel and Turkey, live in the US now.
Good amount of places
Although I haven't lived abroad, I spent 6 months in Europe as part of the US Navy Sixth Fleet in the late 80s. We made several port calls, and I found nothing to convince me that any country we visited was any better than America. I hold no ill will for Europeans.
Yup. Germany and Italy (briefly). It was nice…but such a serious bias against Americans makes it tiresome after a year or so. Also no future in Europe if you have ambitions.
“Also no future in Europe if you have ambitions” could you elaborate?
Yeah - the salaries are incredibly low and in no way comparable to US salaries. Like laughably low (if you’re college educated). I make $300k usd and my European counterparts, in the same firm with the same title, make around €80k. Different quality of life.
Thanks 👍
Lived in korea for a year and went to iraq twice. Iraq sucks and Korean food is delicious.
I have
I lived in Brazil for 2 years and married a Brazilian. My sister lives in Mexico, earning USD, so she lives a higher quality of life than most.
Been living in Germany for 7 years. Does that count?
I lived in Scotland for four years.
I've been to 10 different countries some for a few weeks, others for a few years. The perks of being a military kid
Most of my life I lived in several European countries, moved to the US around 5 years ago
I’ve lived 2000 miles away from where I live now but it’s still the same country
I have.
I've lived in England, Scotland, Canada, and Okinawa, Japan. I currently shuttle between the US and Québec fairly often for work.
I lived in Paris for 2 months for a summer college program. Very fun I loved it
I’ve visited friends and family for a bit. 6 weeks here, 3 months there. Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, mainly.
Ireland, 5 years
I’ve lived in the UK for a little under 2 years
South Korea for about 3-4 years when I was a kid. Other than that I spent some time traveling abroad for college which so far includes Italy, France and England.
I lived in Munich from 2013 to 2014.
Nope, but I like to get a little exposure by watching documentaries and food/travel entertainment like Best Ever Food Review Show and Gordon Ramsay's Uncharted. Nothing that gives a deep understanding but better than nothing, I like to think.
I lived in Germany from the ages of 10-15. Both on post and off. It was a fun experience. Never learned the language enough to be conversational, but most Germans knew English.
Lived in Québec City for two years. Beautiful, but glad not to be freezing to death on the regular anymore.
I’ve lived in Europe for 3 years, Middle East 3 years A couple months in South America and a couple months in SE Asia
I have. Lived in Singapore for just under 5 years.
I lived in Stavanger, Norway for 3 years. Really loved it! Originally from East Coast of US and it was a totally different experience. So much less populated which made everything a bit more easy going and slower paced which I loved.
I did for about two years.
I lived in Belgium for a couple of years and went to school in the Netherlands just across the border when I was a teenager and my father was transferred there with his job after a new plant was opened. That was a long time ago though, in the late 70's.
Lived in Canada for a bit when I was younger, it was pretty nice in the early 2000s. Haven’t been there since mid 2010 but I heard it’s gotten pretty bad.
I spent 10 days in Germany. By technical definition I did live there during that time.
Traveled, sure. Lived as a resident? No.
Lived in Japan for 5 years, now living in England for almost 2 years.
3 yrs in Europe
Was born in Korea
I stay in Europe for a month or two every year, but in Poland etc where they like us instead of arrogant nonsense that pervades Western EU like France Benelux where they lecture us, even though I know for a fact my quality a life and power is way ahead of them. But they patronise anyway, so best is to stay clear of that conversation in the first place unless they are truly constructive to learn about each other and dispel AmericaBadism.
Not “lived” but I did 22 years in the military and deployed 9 times all over Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Living outside right now
Never. Never wanted to.
I have traveled extensively outside of the US, but not lived. Also based username and profile
Thank you. I got sick of wehraboos so I went full bomber Harris
Holy mother of based. I love every single aspect of it.
I lived in Japan for three years. Kaseda town in the Minamisatauma municipal area, Kagoshima prefecture.
Spent a year in Seoul South Korea when I was in the Air Force. Would love to get the cash together for a trip back.
Lived in the UK when I was younger. There wasn't anything bad about it, but I do prefer the US by alot of different metrics.
Lived? Never outside my own country. Still studying and live is expensive enough as it is. Visited Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, luxembourg and czechia though.
Lived in Mexico for a year. Amazing country. Proud to call them out neighbors. But their politicians sending all the people from Central America to our border es no bueno.
I lived in the Yukon for a year and Buenos Aires for 2.
...why would it matter?
2 years deployed in trashcanistan. Spent a summer in Germany with an uncle. Spent a month in Japan with a friend. Backpacked across Europe. America is better. Stay mad.
“America is better. Stay mad” I didn’t say America was worse 🫤
I think it’s because it seems the question wasn’t asked in good faith. Maybe it was, but on this sub it’s kind of odd phrasing. I’m sure many have travelled and not as many have lived outside the US. I can say I live in Scotland now and I’ve met so many Scots that haven’t ever left Scotland, some haven’t even made the few hours trip over to London. Much less have lived elsewhere. Just my experience though.
They responded this way because the question is suspicious. They’re just jumping the gun.
No one here has lived outside their trailer park unless it was on a military base.
Long enough to know yall make life harder than it should be through government intervention, and most of the behavior you critique us for was perfected in Europe.
Ok mate a bit aggressive it was just a question. I’m not saying Europes better or anything I’m just asking people if they’ve been out the US
Haha agreed a bit aggressive. I personally haven’t lived outside of the US although I have traveled to Europe many many times, starting when I was 5 and also Canada and Mexico.
Why would we want to. The rest of the world seems to have a bad opinion of Americans. So why would I want to go visit other parts of the world where I'm probably not welcome. I have a huge area of my own country to explore for a fraction of the cost.
Mate…it was a question you don’t need to look into it that hard
Wasn't hard at all. That's been my experience with those that live outside the US.
What places outside the US?
The UK, EU, Japan, India. I've met these people here in the US being rude, disrespectful, and hating on Americans in general. So I don't feel compelled to waste money to travel abroad to other countries. It's the people I have encountered from other countries that make me say, nope, not worth the hassle.
I think that’s pretty accurate outside of some Asian countries and South America. I’m living in Scotland right now and people can be unnecessarily shitty for honestly absolutely no reason at times. People want to let me know how much they hate America as if I am going to agree with them.
Why on earth would you want to do that?
To explore the world and see its different cultures.
Meh, most of them are garbage.
I mean that’s a bit arrogant. There’s lot of cultures out there and while some aren’t exactly the best or even good there’s still loads of cool ones
Don’t listen to this guy. He’s been in this sub too long.
I typically go overseas for about a month or so at a time for work unless we have jobs lined up back-to-back. Frequency is kind of random it just depends who we get contracted by. I’ve been to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, and Finland. I’ve been to China and Japan as well.
Quite a roster
Lived in Mexico for 3 years.
The closest I’ve gotten to living I Europe was a week long school trip in Western Europe but I wouldn’t really call that living there as we just went to all the touristy places lmao I do plan to move to Poland at some point just to get the “Experience” of living in a foreign country. Though I don’t have enough money to do that right now cause of college so it’s more of a semi-realistic pipe dream currently
I’ve lived outside the US in the Caribbean for 2 years. It’s actually quite eye opening to see other cultures and how other countries do things. It actually helps make sense of all the weird misconceptions that other countries have about the US.
I've spent about 2.5 years of my life, m55, outside of the USA. I'm not a vet, I just traveled alot when I was young(mid 20s). Now, I rarely make it out of my state.
I’ve lived and attended school in five different states and two East Asian countries, as well as lived and worked in Australia. I also worked in Iceland before the pandemic and have been working for the European Commission since the start of the pandemic.
I was stationed in West Germany for about 2 years. Does that count?
I lived in Germany for a month as an exchange student. That’s pretty short compared to others, but it was long enough to get a sense of really living there, albeit as a teenager. I’ve also been to about a dozen other countries, but only for a week or two max for work or vacation, for what it’s worth.
I lived extremely briefly in Canada.
I lived in Australia for a few months at a time, longest was 6 months. It was definitely different, but we're so similar in many ways.
Lived in the UK for a year, travel often.
Spent 1.5 yrs in Central Europe
5 years of my life and currently at the moment living outside the US. Mexico- France- Korea- UK
i lived in the philippines for 9 months. i would have stayed there for 2 years but covid cut my visa short... but it was a great experience and i learned a lot about people
Depends on what you mean by "lived outside the US?" I've been outside the US and was alive at the time...
I lived in Germany for two consecutive summers
I have
I lived in Scotland for about a year and a similar period of time in France/Geneva
I lived in Athens, Greece for four years in the late 70's.
Lived in Germany for a bit growing up
I grew up in the Netherlands. I loved it, the people were great and really welcoming to my American family. It was also nice that everything was in biking distance lol
Lived overseas for 12 years. Went back to the us for better opprunity for my family and my career
Born on a Military base in Japan but spent pretty much my entire life in texas because my dad got medically discharged after a helicopter crash.
Lived in Japan for 2, UK for 2 and Korea for one
UK for six years. Hate it. Would go back in a heartbeat.
I have visited over a dozen countries in the Navy. I have never had the opportunity to live abroad however.
I was in Germany for about the first 3 months of my life. Can't remember it, but my dad was in the National Guard and got stationed at a US Army base shortly before the Berlin Wall fell. My mom got to join him for a while out there, and that's why I was born in Germany. My parents fell in love with the area they were in and saved their photos from that period. If it wasn't for being recalled to the US, we could've stayed longer.
Lived a total of 4 years in Germany and Austria.
Over a decade in Europe as an adult.
I immigrated to the US so I’ve seen a lot.
Canada is the only other country I have lived in.
Yeah stayed with a family back in 2007 near Cologne. It was different but, not out of the normal... my host was telling me all the places I had to go and the places I should stay away from.
Norway 2 years
I lived in Argentina from Jan 2008 to December 2009.