←back to thread

181 points feraligators | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.213s | source

I've long considered leaving this country for a multitude of reasons.

I'd be curious to hear some first hand experiences of those who've made the move to Europe and what you think of the process and considerations one should make.

A few questions to start the conversation:

- Where do you live?

- What's the biggest sacrifice you had to make (i.e. pay, housing, friends, etc.)

- What have you gained?

1. brobdingnagians ◴[] No.30073449[source]
- UK (but I also lived in Spain & Italy for a bit)

- Largest sacrifice is not visiting family as often

- Came here because my wife is English

The UK is close enough to the US that things seem almost normal, but lots of subtly different things. The biggest thing is the culture, the English tend to be quieter, more reserved, and that manifests in a lot of different ways.

I speak Spanish, but not Italian. Italy was very difficult to find housing and communicate, Spain was a bit easier, but Spanish culture is very different than US culture and had some very surprising things. It would be good to be familiar with any culture you dive into.

Northern Europe tends to have a larger percentage of English speakers, so basic day to day things are easier to do (like finding housing).

The most difficult thing is probably a bit of "outsider" feeling and the language barrier in other countries, but there are lots of Americans in the UK to help ease that, and UK culture is easier to get used to than some of the others, especially if you have an English partner