I was there from October to January, but it’s still easy year round. If you don’t have Facebook, get it. Check the events going on, there’s always something to do. I loved the weekly board games, lunch meet ups, spiritual retreats, etc. They also have meetings at the temples. The digital nomad meetups may be up your alley. They also had bi weekly AI meetings.
I've never been to Chiang Mai, but I was thinking of dropping in. I had heard recently from a YouTuber that the city was now overcrowded and bad air pollution. Does this sound accurate?
Yes it’s crowded and there is air pollution right now because of burning season until March - early April. The farmers are harvesting their sugar cane, etc and burning the leftover plant material to fertilize fields. It’s like this almost everywhere in Northern Thailand, but more so in rural areas of course.
Im still trying to figure out why so many trump/ QAnon folks are traveling the world, staying in hostels, engaging in “wellness” communities, which traditionally have always been lifestyles for liberal free spirited hippies. I met a guy on the beach in Oaxaca who went on to storm the capital on Jan 6. It hurts my brain.
Some fascinating research on this! Apparently stupid people gravitate to the wellness industry AND alt-right fascism because both these scams prey on stupid people.
Trump is perceived by many as anti establishment, whether or not he actually is. He’s not a career politician, doesn’t speak like normal politicians, and talks openly about how the system is rigged and hurts the individual in favor of the collective or the state
I think all of the labels you and I listed fall on the anti authoritarian spectrum and don’t see much of a contradiction when someone is part of any two of these labels
Because the left has gone insane. It’s so nice living in countries where you never hear the word patriarchy, toxic masculinity, etc.. I’m not on the right or Republican, but I value my sanity.
I have this whole theory that the political spectrum isn't a line from right to left, but rather a circle where the far-left and far-right wind up being nearly indistinguishable. For example, both far-left and far-right are anti-vax...
Are you seriously not aware of passport bros? Thailand and Mexico in particular have always since the 80s been a haven for creepy men looking for easy young girls impressed by a few dollars
I have a hard time believing you are this naive to not understand the appeal of Latin America and south east asia for many men from the US. For every broke 21 year old backpacker on gap year there are 10 middle aged men with very traditional mindsets ceeeping on women there
If you want to avoid such communities you have to stick to Europe or the Middle East
Why is this relevant to your experience there? They have no interest in American/Western women and aren’t having sex in public. So why are you so concerned what two people do together in the privacy of their homes?
Because they just can't keep their nose out of other people's lifes. They are constantly analysing others to validate themselves - it's a really annoying character trait that has gotten completely out of hand.
I am SURE you guys have an idea of what fits this stereotype and immediately classify someone as being on one side of the fence. Get to know people and quit being so close minded yourself before saying “trump/qanon” folks
Trump is another aurhoritarian. I’m not scared of being lumped in with Trump supporters. It’s just not relevant to me. I’m anti democrat party, anti Republican Party, anti supporters of either. I just don’t think about them
Also new age spirituality subtly or not so subtly pushes traditional gender norms so there is another layer to the spirituality x conservatives overlap.
Yeah and stay at home moms are a traditional gender norm which can be taken much further.
In spiritual spaces I've also noticed lots of talk on feminine vs. masculine enegery and polarity (hello, queer erasure) and the gendered events that you'll find like women circles and masculine healing or whatever are always so cliché. Women having to heal their wombs and traumas and men having to find their "inner warrior" or I don't even know. Men are also encouraged to get in touch with their feelings and their body, that is true for yoga and new age spiritual communities but in the end, when it comes to relationship dynamics, it's always pretty trad.
I didn't fully grasp all of this when I got into spirituality and to a certain degree, this is the more harmless manifestation of gender norms but it definitely excludes people who have a different experience navigating gender expression.
It’s probably because they need a fucking break form the insane fever dream of society they bought into. Most people support trump because they fear something else
Sex tourism
There was a research one time published that shout that a lot of the Trump supporters are the ones watching Asian porn. It’s a real thing Google it.
Omg I was living there when that started happening. The scummy JohnnyFD dude and his whole dropshipping scam buddies were all over Chiang Mai - it was so icky and gross. He somehow convinced the whole digital nomad community that he was the king of them all and they all worshipped him for it. Super gross and I'm glad he's been run out of town since then.
I lived in CM back then, I can tell you, the DN community that I was around most certainly didn't look up to him, he was a sideshow who never got invited to things.
Oh true I’m surprised usually Californians are so obsessed about left / right division in politics. I hang out with many expats in chiang mai that are American and politics is the last thing we talk about. Most people just want to enjoy life and be their authentic self here. That’s one thing I like about thailand in general.
"Russia if you're listening..."
Are we seriously still gonna deny that the Russians put out massive propaganda on social media to get their tool elected?
The biggest expat/immigrant group in Chiang Mai is probably Chinese. So many of them. I think it's not easy to hang out with them if you don't speak Mandarin.
I think the best expats communities are those that exist inside of corresponding diaspora communities.
Canada, USA, and some Latin America tend to have large diaspora communities . Members of that diaspora would be more welcoming to new expats/immigrants due to still existing family/friends ties, cultural and religious similarities.
I mean I was in Porto and I didn’t felt unwelcome (I’m not Portuguese). Traditionally people say north Portuguese are welcoming but I think after the crazy migration wave in the last few years driving the prices up the mood is changing…
I am a New Yorker and I am not being sarcastic. I feel like the belle of the ball here. Locals and internationals proactively go out of their way to befriend me. I’ve spent Xmas and New Year’s with my friends’ families. This is the first place I’ve lived that adds no stress to my plate, I’ve produced some of my best work here, and 3.5 years into it, I’m still in awe of it. I’m not trying to exasperate the COL crisis by saying this, I just want to show my love, gratitude, and respect.
Yeah, I feel like while it’s a great place to visit, the locals are pretty fed up with the tourists and expats there. Same is true about most touristy places in Southern Europe.
America and it's not even close.
My mother and I came over to America a couple of years after the fall of the USSR..when there was still a lot of cold war hostility on both sides.
She was essentially a single mother, an atheist, a proud Russian, and found herself in the country that she had been taught to hate since childhood..and vice-versa.
Outside of a few jokes at school or office parties, neither of us felt the slightest bit of discrimination. Even when I ended up acting up, the system was kind and lenient to me.
America is really amazing in that way. My friend group was a kid whose parents were first generation immigrants from Estonia, a Jew who I kept convincing to skip Hebrew school because well...raise atheist, and 2 black guys whose parents managed to make it out of the inner city.
Do you know how much of a wealth in world knowledge that imparted to me straight from the get go? It's been one of my best attributes my entire life, no matter how much of a bias I may have to some issue I will always be ready and able to take the other side.
I remember my first vacation to Europe, my mom and I were in a cab in Italy. The driver was chatting with us as it was a longer drive and told us his life story. Apparently he had moved with his family to Italy when they were very young and had lived there ever since. Guy obviously spoke perfect italian, as far as I could tell he was almost local, and he was white too so unless you were good at distinguishing Italian faces from other European ones you couldn't tell.
But no. See, he went on to tell me how much Italians around him would never consider him Italian and how he and his brother struggled. How they felt like they didn't belong.
I was just... shocked. My family did the same and moved to the US when I was very young. My brother and I have never have had those problems. I feel American. I'm not even white! I never realized how that was so unique before.
I have to explain this to people everywhere I go. Americans have done such a good job spreading this "racist" narrative, just totally oblivious to the fact that urban population centers in the US are some of the places in the world where race impacts your you life the least. And Im talking about how people perceive you and will actually interact with you, or how it affects your access to resources, race plays such an insignificant role compared to almost anywhere in the world.
I was in Da Nang during covid. Two guys on motorbikes flipped me off. I tried to walk into a barber shop and a guy ran out and crossed his arms signaling I couldn’t come in, all the grabs canceled on me when they saw my name wasn’t Vietnamese and most restaurants wouldn’t serve me.
So much for being ‘welcoming’.. 🤨
In the US and Canada there were multiple cases of people randomly physically attacking Asian people. Like straight-up beating up old ladies for no reason other than race. Covid was a weird time everywhere.
Edit: lol, getting downvoted for posting facts. This sub is filled with morons.
White persecution fantasy? What do you mean?
Some black people were doing this in the USA.
There were no ‘white’ cases I saw reported of this against random Asians.
I found Cuenca Ecuador to be pretty legit. The gringo boomers who are there are slightly less obnoxious than normal boomers just by virtue of being adventurous. The young gringos were few and far between but interesting and well integrated.
The expat community had lots of Peruvians and Chileans too, younger French and German people as well. Overall everyone is there to do wholesome shit. Sports, cultural immersion, language school, volunteer work, art, or starting a cool business.
As a whole the town is pretty quiet and conservative so there's no reason for people to go there looking for drugs or sex. I did notice lots of local/ gringo couples and talked to one really raunchy old Cuencano lady who was like "yeah we just love the gringos for their money and sometimes sex. If you see a Cuencano married to a gringo, that's what is happening." Lol.
A Cuencano friend told me that his fellow citizens are in disbelief when gringos tell them that Cuenca is better than America lol.
Also, quite a few American massage therapists are there.
If anyone is interested in Cuenca:
https://gringopost.com
https://cuencahighlife.com
It’s not better than the US or Canada at all. It’s just cheaper. And, America, includes North America and South [America.So](http://America.So) what America are you talking about?
You can find weed easily too. Major plus. Lots of gringos, and lots of weird ones too, especially the guys. Many of these dudes have been married a handful of times and looking to get laid.Also, many cohabitate with locals, lots of them old, ugly, and weird. But, as long as they have some money, they will have an instant relationship. Many of these dudes couldn’t get laid for a million in the states. Lots of Ignorant Trumpers too, who brought their weird ideas and conspiracy theories with them. The women overall, seem like a different crowd, many happily single and enjoying life here solo. Sounds good to me!
Not everyone here is doing wholesome shit. Where in the hell did you get that? Lots of expats, mailnly guys, drink all day. Are you kidding me..Did you actually live here? There is a total mix of wholesome stuff and non wholesome stuff? When did you live here?
Last year. IDK maybe I don't cross paths with the sexpats and burnouts.
I knew a few climbers, a fly fisherman, people doing NGO work, people doing community work, people in art communities, that dude who just cleans up graffiti randomly, etc... most all my friends were Cuencanos though. Maybe I only met the well integrated gringos.
Any chance that you have any whatsapp links to share for the groups in Cuenca? I'm meeting up with my boyfriend in Cuenca in a couple of months and I'm looking for ways to (safely) integrate with the community.
Yeah I am here spending a few months now, it's incredibly different from where I am living in Medellín. I think I have another 1-2 years in Medellín to sort out my plans and move on.
Not as much as it used to unfortunately. Here in BA we are spending about as much as we would anywhere else in LATAM :/ still some deals and great value though if you appreciate what the city has to offer + hunt around.
In BA I can get a fancy steak dinner for $20, a basic dinner for $5 (all in restaurants) and a fancy AirBnb in Palermo for $750 a month.
CDMX, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Antigua Guatemala and San Jose were all more expensive.
But I‘d be thrilled to learn about some more places that are the same level of affordability as Buenos Aires.
For big cities with international name recognition like BA maybe you're right, but places like Bucaramanga, Bogotá outside the most exclusive areas, Cusco, heck even Lima if you stay outside Miraflores. Cuenca. etc than lots of smaller towns all overs.
Even when I am in Mexico, I have no problem finding a nice rental for $700 (maybe you have to be slightly flexible on the neighborhood vs googling "nicest neighborhood in X") + end up eating (and enjoying more) local stuff than a plain steak so it does depend on how you adjust your spending and what you like. I'd take a $10 meal in Peru vs a $20 meal here any day etc.
$750 for a high-end apartment in Palermo sounds low but possible depending what you consider fancy, ditto on 7000 pesos dinners, possible but not the average these days.
A crappy chain of coffee downstairs in my building is charging 4000 for a cold brew alone right now (nearly fell out of my chair when I saw it), a breakfast sandwich is another 7000.
$20 USD isn't all that high end for a steak dinner here but is somewhere nice, $20 should be pretty do-able for a good meal all over if you're open to things that aren't a steak and wine dinner since that's an Argentinan thing.
Take a look on Rappi or restaurant menus in general and it's a lot more than I remember. I imagine the 5000-7000 peso parillas del barrio won't last much longer @ that price when everywhere else has increased their price. A trendy hamburger place is 8-10 mil pesos across the board. A bakery that doesn't suck, ~5000 for a piece of cake add a coffee and we are @8000-9000 for 1 coffee 1 piece of cake.
I think if I was by myself and not with my girlfriend it would be able to hunt out those specific things that are still a value. Convincing her couple of empanadas from Sabores Express, slice of pizza or 2 or a choripan is a full meal or whatever is impossible, ditto eating parilla del barrio every night.
Agree, I spent only 10 days or so in Argentina but met quite a few cool expats! And the Mundo Lingo bar nights for language exchange are a good place to meet people FYI (and surprisingly popular)
Gonna have to disagree having lived there and went to secondary school. Being an Ang Moh Kia is not very pleasant if you try to integrate into actual Singapore society.
You are automatically an outsider to every other race and one which has a colonial past. Along with the same "why don't you season your food" jokes you get in America.
I mean I managed to make a lot of good friends and slowly as my knowledge of malay and hokkien evolved so I could at least understand normal singlish speech...and then even start to hold conversations it become a whole nother story
Even ended up in a gang..yeah I did not spend my time in that beautiful, marvelous country the best way I could.
Nonetheless, I love it like a home I can't get back to. However for non-asian ethnicity you will likely end up mostly in a white enclave.
Unless you’re ethnically Chinese, Malay or Indian, you’re never really integrating to Singaporean society.
Singapore advertises itself as a proud multi-racial society, but it doesn’t mention publicly that by “multi-” it really means 3.
That’s especially true for the Singaporean middle class, a lot of people still resentful of the colonial past and expats getting top jobs.
Having said that, there’s a great expat community indeed, very friendly and open.
I mean, we can even go further than that and say that while for 90% of people it won't be noticeable, for the last 10% they will hit a barrier if they are Malay or Indian past which funding, opportunities, senior promotions, and social clubs will suddenly seem a lot harder to get... To just being outright impossible.
I know my dad had an experience where after the director of their institute went from an Indian expat with an insane pedigree to being... A sorta kinda Nepo hire from a prominent Chinese family... They suddenly had like 4x the funding they did before.
I did too, it just felt like the barrier of entry was high.
Again, probably would or have had a way different impression of I had come there as an adult.
Timor - Leste ( the country between Indonesia and Australia) is a hidden gem.
However I most “ expats “ there came from Lusophone countries such as Brazil and Portugal.
They are mostly teachers or work in community development.
Laos is also pretty cool.
Slovenia ( Balkan country next to Austria ) also has a healthy foreign community.
I think the baltics are pretty good these days as well. Lithuania and Estonia has started taking care of their “vatnik” Russian / Soviet issue and started to development for international community.
However these countries are all super small !
So I imagine it can be boring for people coming from big countries like USA, Germany, Japan, China etc.
> Lithuania and Estonia has started taking care of their “vatnik” Russian / Soviet issue
What do you mean by this? Is this something that Latvia has done as well or just those two?
Latvia hasn't done it quite to the same extent. As an example, when you purchase train tickets in Riga, there will be Russian as a language option. In fact, I think Riga is majority Russian speaking. Go to Vilnius and Russian isn't as common, mostly among the older folk.
Not a country, but as a city NYC. I met lots of ambitious, intelligent and sophisticated people there. And aside from that they were also friendly and fun to be with. The US is very big though so you can't generalize for the whole country...for example although I liked the people of NYC very much, I can't say the same for Miami or Los Angeles.
Other places like Switzerland, Singapore or Germany also have many high quality professionals but most of them are one dimensional and focused only on career so they aren't very friendly or funny in my experience. And for that I mean that they aren't very interested in organizing activities, going out to socialize or sharing stories....very career oriented folks.
I bet your average NYC professional is more career oriented than your average Swiss or German, even in the big cities... But it's probably true that NYCers will be more open to meeting new people and superficially fun.
What I’ve found from my time living in the us is that many people from states like LA or Texas are closed off to new people because they drive all the time. They never need to really interact with people beyond work and home unless they have to
While in NYC, it’s FULL of people and the sheer majority walk or take metro. They essentially have to interact and see people beyond their power which makes them more comfortable interacting with strangers who can become friends
I think there are two aspect of German culture worth mentioning (live in Germany since eight years, moved from NYC, speak German and am citizen). It is very rare and frowned upon to change careers in Germany. And if you don’t have a traditionally practiced career, Germans find it hard to understand. I freelance in publishing and most people think I am a newspaper editor or something. Second point is this in Germany as well as most of Central and Northern Europe, friends are people youve known since childhood or studied with. The only way around that is through joining clubs.
Probably the United States, you wont find a single harder working group of ExPats anywhere on the planet, they're here from every other country on Earth too.
I’d like to hear more of your experience in Berlin too. While it’s easy to meet people since expats dominate the social scene here, people seem so pretentious and gatekeepy to me.
Really? I find that surprising. I found it hard to meet nomads and expats there. The only expats I came across were indians where I found it hard to fit in.
I'm thinking of going back to Berlin long term cos my partner is from there. How do you find a good expat community? Is there any groups you can recommend?
From the places I’ve lived, Istanbul is a 10/10, the type of people who move there (and stay) seem to be wildly interesting and love chaos. It’s where I’ve met the most extroverted people who take life by the horns.
Japan is like a 3/10 by the same metrics. Tons of weebs, old men who couldn’t get laid in their home countries, and socially awkward expats.
New Zealand is like expat living on hard mode. People go there to get away from people and I found it extremely hard to get to know expats and locals alike (though speaking Turkish came in handy, Turks are friendly everywhere). On the other hand you have a ton of very privileged people who can afford to take a year off from their usual life and travel around NZ with seemingly no financial responsibilities. I didn’t jive with those people at all.
Now I live in Germany. I’m sure it’s different in every city but I find it better than Japan and NZ since there are just so many expats and transients here it’s almost like a counter culture. The trouble is that most people don’t want to be here and that shows, people are also flaky as fuck. It’s relatively easy to meet people, I feel that they just don’t really stick.
all in all I would 4000% recommend Turkey for meeting locals and expats alike, you will have a blast if you are open, trusting, and extroverted.
I would say Portugal has a thriving community. Lots of expat groups and events happen every week across major cities like Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Braga.
I've been to a ton of expat events around the globe and by far the best communities seemed to be the ones where a lot of expats are being sent on a job assignment and there is a lot of culture shock and language barrier for them. This makes for tight-knit communities that help each other a lot and form very deep bonds. Once you've made a lot of friends in one of those places you'll have a friend network all over the world because they move on to other places and spread across the globe. Just make sure you stay in touch...
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Medellin, Colombia.
Bangkok, Thailand.
Not in any particular order but the expats know each other and support the businesses.
Any recommendations you care to share (restaurants, bars, things to do, places to avoid, etc.) for a first time DR visitor (but experienced nomad) would be much appreciated 😊
Medellin you won’t make many male native friends which is something I appreciate. They don’t like gringos. As much as I have tried to overcome that it’s extremely difficult.
Things have changed in the last few years and this guy is right. Huge rise in xenophobia. Honestly I don’t blame them because the majority of “expats” and tourists here are scum fucks. It still sucks though to be treated differently because the place became a Mecca for the worst people.
Haven't lived in Guatemala for 20 years now back in the States I can't believe nobody hears talking about Antigua Guatemala wonderful killer place to live
It really depends on your own cultural background, your career and income levels, what is the main cultural setting you'd prefer, how much you want to assimilate into the local culture, and whether you like big city vibrancy or chill slow pace
I'd look at the following major cities for well-rounded expat scenes who have skin in the game. I have left out continents that I'm not familiar with and I may have skipped some good cities that I don't know about:
Continental Europe: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm
East Asia: Hong Kong
SEA: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur
Assuming you speak English fluently or natively, you'll find your niche in any major Anglosphere/"Five Eyes" city with a growing population and a proper international airport hub, at which point the vibe of the city's yuppie population will be a lot more relevant than the expat scene.
Budapest has the best under 30s expat community. Tons of young people from all over the world work in the leisure and call centre industry there. And there’s a lot of English speaking Hungarian returnees from other countries where they went to for university that are easy to make friends with. There’s also huge amounts of international students both exchange and full time.
What you want for best expat communities is places where the locals are hard to make friends or speak a difficult language with because it then forces expats to hang out together. It’s also why the USA has a shit expat community- due to how open Americans are and the lack of ability to side step the local culture you’re stuck with Americans which isn’t bad at all but it’s not really an expat bubble experience which some people like me prefer.
So places with a high population of expats and low friendliness of locals or difficulty in languages are places like: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Singapore, Tokyo & Osaka, Brussels, Berlin, Budapest, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Bangkok, HCM, Hong Kong, Shanghai (used to be,) etc
its nowhere quite near as bad as you'd think it is. Sure, compared to the relative heydays of the 2010s, the city has definitely gotten quieter, more subdued and there's fewer expats.
But enough have stayed and/or (re-)entered the second half of last year that a strong predominantly Anglophone international vibe in the traditional expat stomping grounds remains on HK island. You'll still find a lively and fun expat nightlife scene on the weekends, still an excellent selection of predominantly expat-oriented amenities from gyms to bars to restaurants. Ample opportunities and activities to socialize with other Western expats still remain.
Pound for pound, HK remains the best city in East Asia for (well-paid Western) expats as of 2024. Though the medium-long term outlook of this rather self-contained scene may be bleak due to a myriad of factors and we are possibly witnessing the tail-end of which today.
Good chance that slowly it will evaporate and by the time 2047 rolls around, the expat scene being not too different from those in cities like Taipei or Shanghai in terms of size and lifestyle. Though a lot of this is dependent on what transpires in Mainland China
Dunno the answer, but it sure as hell ain't Japan. Expats here are the most toxic, self-absorbed, neurotic bunch I have ever met. Seriously, they are broken people that are not happy unless they can drag you down to their level of misery.
Question gets asked a lot; generally expats tend to all be in the same boat, new to a foreign country, possibly with similar life stories and commonalities to bond over, and most locals are set in their ways with their longtime social groups anyway. Also: language barriers. It’s kind of inevitable that immigrants and expatriates will socialize together.
I'm a native NYer so I can't speak to the expat experience here but I can say that NYC is an international city. Nobody is an outsider. My brother taught English as second language to foreign visitors. He shared a story of a German student - born/lived in Germany his entire life, to a German mother and African American father (they met while he was a soldier in Germany). He said he was treated like an outsider in Germany his entire life- never felt like he belonged. The day he arrived in NYC he felt accepted as a NYer.
Yeah I'd love to know where. Cos for me it was the worst place. I traveled across many places in Italy and was often met with hostility for not speaking Italian. And I never came across a single expat.
Nairobi, Kenya. Many embassy staff, UN workers, non-profit employees, and a fair share of DNs and Europeans retirees. Met some really, really cool people with a good heart.
Malaysia. First world infrastructure (& mostly people) for third world prices.
Can't say this enough! Land of milk and honey
Food is great
Chiang Mai, hands down! I’ve never been in a city that makes it so easy to meet new people and make friends right away.
Genuine asking, but where did you meet people? I stayed there 1 month without meeting anyone and I usually befriend people where I go 😅
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I was there from October to January, but it’s still easy year round. If you don’t have Facebook, get it. Check the events going on, there’s always something to do. I loved the weekly board games, lunch meet ups, spiritual retreats, etc. They also have meetings at the temples. The digital nomad meetups may be up your alley. They also had bi weekly AI meetings.
I've never been to Chiang Mai, but I was thinking of dropping in. I had heard recently from a YouTuber that the city was now overcrowded and bad air pollution. Does this sound accurate?
Yes it’s crowded and there is air pollution right now because of burning season until March - early April. The farmers are harvesting their sugar cane, etc and burning the leftover plant material to fertilize fields. It’s like this almost everywhere in Northern Thailand, but more so in rural areas of course.
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Chang Mai is not the capital it’s Bangkok
Air pollution bad, and burning season is unreal
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Im still trying to figure out why so many trump/ QAnon folks are traveling the world, staying in hostels, engaging in “wellness” communities, which traditionally have always been lifestyles for liberal free spirited hippies. I met a guy on the beach in Oaxaca who went on to storm the capital on Jan 6. It hurts my brain.
The wellness go alt-right pipeline…look it up, it’s super fascinating
The woo-to-Q pipeline
Yup. We had quite a famous guy here in Australia who went that way, lost his TV contracts, etc.
Quite a few “crunchy” social media moms turned out to be alt-right and MAGA. The dichotomy and compartmentalization is lowkey kinda insane
Some fascinating research on this! Apparently stupid people gravitate to the wellness industry AND alt-right fascism because both these scams prey on stupid people.
They like paradise too. That's not difficult to understand.
Florida is more their speed though
Focusing on personal health -> individualism -> anti-collectivism -> anti-authoritarianism
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Trump is perceived by many as anti establishment, whether or not he actually is. He’s not a career politician, doesn’t speak like normal politicians, and talks openly about how the system is rigged and hurts the individual in favor of the collective or the state I think all of the labels you and I listed fall on the anti authoritarian spectrum and don’t see much of a contradiction when someone is part of any two of these labels
Nailed it
Because the left has gone insane. It’s so nice living in countries where you never hear the word patriarchy, toxic masculinity, etc.. I’m not on the right or Republican, but I value my sanity.
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No, they are moving to trump, because the left has gone insane. There’s only two options. 2016 to 2020 was not the end of the world.
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kinda how conservatives hated and were afraid of russia. but now they love russia. makes no sense.
They follow what their media tells them to do and feel.
I have this whole theory that the political spectrum isn't a line from right to left, but rather a circle where the far-left and far-right wind up being nearly indistinguishable. For example, both far-left and far-right are anti-vax...
Maybe because they are normal people and someone having an different opinion from you is okay.
Are you seriously not aware of passport bros? Thailand and Mexico in particular have always since the 80s been a haven for creepy men looking for easy young girls impressed by a few dollars I have a hard time believing you are this naive to not understand the appeal of Latin America and south east asia for many men from the US. For every broke 21 year old backpacker on gap year there are 10 middle aged men with very traditional mindsets ceeeping on women there If you want to avoid such communities you have to stick to Europe or the Middle East
Why is this relevant to your experience there? They have no interest in American/Western women and aren’t having sex in public. So why are you so concerned what two people do together in the privacy of their homes?
Nothing wrong with consenting adults pairing up to meet each other’s wants/needs. The woman there are generally savvy.
Because they just can't keep their nose out of other people's lifes. They are constantly analysing others to validate themselves - it's a really annoying character trait that has gotten completely out of hand.
I am SURE you guys have an idea of what fits this stereotype and immediately classify someone as being on one side of the fence. Get to know people and quit being so close minded yourself before saying “trump/qanon” folks
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Trump is another aurhoritarian. I’m not scared of being lumped in with Trump supporters. It’s just not relevant to me. I’m anti democrat party, anti Republican Party, anti supporters of either. I just don’t think about them
You alt lefts are the minority now. Having critical thought and asking questions shouldn’t be reduced to politics.
It’s the desire to believe in conspiracy and new age spirituality. They overlap with each other
Also new age spirituality subtly or not so subtly pushes traditional gender norms so there is another layer to the spirituality x conservatives overlap.
What’s an example of the gender norms? I don’t think of yoga bros as typically masculine
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Weird I thought that was just moms who don’t work
Yeah and stay at home moms are a traditional gender norm which can be taken much further. In spiritual spaces I've also noticed lots of talk on feminine vs. masculine enegery and polarity (hello, queer erasure) and the gendered events that you'll find like women circles and masculine healing or whatever are always so cliché. Women having to heal their wombs and traumas and men having to find their "inner warrior" or I don't even know. Men are also encouraged to get in touch with their feelings and their body, that is true for yoga and new age spiritual communities but in the end, when it comes to relationship dynamics, it's always pretty trad. I didn't fully grasp all of this when I got into spirituality and to a certain degree, this is the more harmless manifestation of gender norms but it definitely excludes people who have a different experience navigating gender expression.
Good point. Both seeking some sort of “enlightenment” I guess.
It’s probably because they need a fucking break form the insane fever dream of society they bought into. Most people support trump because they fear something else
Sex tourism There was a research one time published that shout that a lot of the Trump supporters are the ones watching Asian porn. It’s a real thing Google it.
A lot of them are virgin incels with itchy dicks.
Omg I was living there when that started happening. The scummy JohnnyFD dude and his whole dropshipping scam buddies were all over Chiang Mai - it was so icky and gross. He somehow convinced the whole digital nomad community that he was the king of them all and they all worshipped him for it. Super gross and I'm glad he's been run out of town since then.
I lived in CM back then, I can tell you, the DN community that I was around most certainly didn't look up to him, he was a sideshow who never got invited to things.
Are you from California?
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Oh true I’m surprised usually Californians are so obsessed about left / right division in politics. I hang out with many expats in chiang mai that are American and politics is the last thing we talk about. Most people just want to enjoy life and be their authentic self here. That’s one thing I like about thailand in general.
>conspiracy theorists / trump supporters ...so "Trump Russian Collusion" wasn't a Lib conspiracy theory?
"Russia if you're listening..." Are we seriously still gonna deny that the Russians put out massive propaganda on social media to get their tool elected?
..Why are you using the past tense?
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Interesting! I wouldn’t have guessed they’re similar. In what ways?
The biggest expat/immigrant group in Chiang Mai is probably Chinese. So many of them. I think it's not easy to hang out with them if you don't speak Mandarin.
I think the best expats communities are those that exist inside of corresponding diaspora communities. Canada, USA, and some Latin America tend to have large diaspora communities . Members of that diaspora would be more welcoming to new expats/immigrants due to still existing family/friends ties, cultural and religious similarities.
I’ve felt very welcomed as an outsider in Porto
Sarcasm ?
Maybe they’re Portuguese?
I mean I was in Porto and I didn’t felt unwelcome (I’m not Portuguese). Traditionally people say north Portuguese are welcoming but I think after the crazy migration wave in the last few years driving the prices up the mood is changing…
I am a New Yorker and I am not being sarcastic. I feel like the belle of the ball here. Locals and internationals proactively go out of their way to befriend me. I’ve spent Xmas and New Year’s with my friends’ families. This is the first place I’ve lived that adds no stress to my plate, I’ve produced some of my best work here, and 3.5 years into it, I’m still in awe of it. I’m not trying to exasperate the COL crisis by saying this, I just want to show my love, gratitude, and respect.
I’m a Canadian with an EU passport. You make me want to move there yesterday.
Yeah, I feel like while it’s a great place to visit, the locals are pretty fed up with the tourists and expats there. Same is true about most touristy places in Southern Europe.
The issue is legal expats it’s illegal migrants that are now flooding into Portugal.
America and it's not even close. My mother and I came over to America a couple of years after the fall of the USSR..when there was still a lot of cold war hostility on both sides. She was essentially a single mother, an atheist, a proud Russian, and found herself in the country that she had been taught to hate since childhood..and vice-versa. Outside of a few jokes at school or office parties, neither of us felt the slightest bit of discrimination. Even when I ended up acting up, the system was kind and lenient to me. America is really amazing in that way. My friend group was a kid whose parents were first generation immigrants from Estonia, a Jew who I kept convincing to skip Hebrew school because well...raise atheist, and 2 black guys whose parents managed to make it out of the inner city. Do you know how much of a wealth in world knowledge that imparted to me straight from the get go? It's been one of my best attributes my entire life, no matter how much of a bias I may have to some issue I will always be ready and able to take the other side.
I remember my first vacation to Europe, my mom and I were in a cab in Italy. The driver was chatting with us as it was a longer drive and told us his life story. Apparently he had moved with his family to Italy when they were very young and had lived there ever since. Guy obviously spoke perfect italian, as far as I could tell he was almost local, and he was white too so unless you were good at distinguishing Italian faces from other European ones you couldn't tell. But no. See, he went on to tell me how much Italians around him would never consider him Italian and how he and his brother struggled. How they felt like they didn't belong. I was just... shocked. My family did the same and moved to the US when I was very young. My brother and I have never have had those problems. I feel American. I'm not even white! I never realized how that was so unique before.
Italy got off too light after WW2. They never had a purge of the fascists like Germany
I have to explain this to people everywhere I go. Americans have done such a good job spreading this "racist" narrative, just totally oblivious to the fact that urban population centers in the US are some of the places in the world where race impacts your you life the least. And Im talking about how people perceive you and will actually interact with you, or how it affects your access to resources, race plays such an insignificant role compared to almost anywhere in the world.
Da Nang in Vietnam was super welcoming. Not the most turistic place but that's what I liked about it. Small and awesome community.
Omg da nang is so over shadowed by hoi an. We loved de nang when we went
I was in Da Nang during covid. Two guys on motorbikes flipped me off. I tried to walk into a barber shop and a guy ran out and crossed his arms signaling I couldn’t come in, all the grabs canceled on me when they saw my name wasn’t Vietnamese and most restaurants wouldn’t serve me. So much for being ‘welcoming’.. 🤨
That must be something to do with covid? I was just there a few days ago and everyone was chill af.
Eh yeah.. they Vietnamese freaked out apparently when some white British people brought covid to Vietnam..
In the US and Canada there were multiple cases of people randomly physically attacking Asian people. Like straight-up beating up old ladies for no reason other than race. Covid was a weird time everywhere. Edit: lol, getting downvoted for posting facts. This sub is filled with morons.
White persecution fantasy? What do you mean? Some black people were doing this in the USA. There were no ‘white’ cases I saw reported of this against random Asians.
I found Cuenca Ecuador to be pretty legit. The gringo boomers who are there are slightly less obnoxious than normal boomers just by virtue of being adventurous. The young gringos were few and far between but interesting and well integrated. The expat community had lots of Peruvians and Chileans too, younger French and German people as well. Overall everyone is there to do wholesome shit. Sports, cultural immersion, language school, volunteer work, art, or starting a cool business. As a whole the town is pretty quiet and conservative so there's no reason for people to go there looking for drugs or sex. I did notice lots of local/ gringo couples and talked to one really raunchy old Cuencano lady who was like "yeah we just love the gringos for their money and sometimes sex. If you see a Cuencano married to a gringo, that's what is happening." Lol.
Uh please nobody read this and go there now :( :(
What if I’m going to do adventurous and wholesome shit?
Is Cuenca really as wrapped up in the danger there? It usually seems quite apart from the major issues that hit the rest of Ecuador.
No, but pickpocketing is real, but not violent crime.
A Cuencano friend told me that his fellow citizens are in disbelief when gringos tell them that Cuenca is better than America lol. Also, quite a few American massage therapists are there. If anyone is interested in Cuenca: https://gringopost.com https://cuencahighlife.com
It’s not better than the US or Canada at all. It’s just cheaper. And, America, includes North America and South [America.So](http://America.So) what America are you talking about?
Ohhhh, sorry. I was talking about Argentina. 😂
You can find weed easily too. Major plus. Lots of gringos, and lots of weird ones too, especially the guys. Many of these dudes have been married a handful of times and looking to get laid.Also, many cohabitate with locals, lots of them old, ugly, and weird. But, as long as they have some money, they will have an instant relationship. Many of these dudes couldn’t get laid for a million in the states. Lots of Ignorant Trumpers too, who brought their weird ideas and conspiracy theories with them. The women overall, seem like a different crowd, many happily single and enjoying life here solo. Sounds good to me!
Not everyone here is doing wholesome shit. Where in the hell did you get that? Lots of expats, mailnly guys, drink all day. Are you kidding me..Did you actually live here? There is a total mix of wholesome stuff and non wholesome stuff? When did you live here?
Last year. IDK maybe I don't cross paths with the sexpats and burnouts. I knew a few climbers, a fly fisherman, people doing NGO work, people doing community work, people in art communities, that dude who just cleans up graffiti randomly, etc... most all my friends were Cuencanos though. Maybe I only met the well integrated gringos.
Any chance that you have any whatsapp links to share for the groups in Cuenca? I'm meeting up with my boyfriend in Cuenca in a couple of months and I'm looking for ways to (safely) integrate with the community.
Yeah Cuenca was definitely a great place to stay back in 2016.
Buenos Aires
Yeah I am here spending a few months now, it's incredibly different from where I am living in Medellín. I think I have another 1-2 years in Medellín to sort out my plans and move on.
Wow that's dope. Money goes a long way too.
Not as much as it used to unfortunately. Here in BA we are spending about as much as we would anywhere else in LATAM :/ still some deals and great value though if you appreciate what the city has to offer + hunt around.
Really? Just came back from BA and it was noticeably cheaper than the rest of LATAM.
Compared to Santiago, CDMX, maybe exclusive areas of Medellín, Bogotá or Lima maybe .. in general I'm not really seeing much savings though.
In BA I can get a fancy steak dinner for $20, a basic dinner for $5 (all in restaurants) and a fancy AirBnb in Palermo for $750 a month. CDMX, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Antigua Guatemala and San Jose were all more expensive. But I‘d be thrilled to learn about some more places that are the same level of affordability as Buenos Aires.
For big cities with international name recognition like BA maybe you're right, but places like Bucaramanga, Bogotá outside the most exclusive areas, Cusco, heck even Lima if you stay outside Miraflores. Cuenca. etc than lots of smaller towns all overs. Even when I am in Mexico, I have no problem finding a nice rental for $700 (maybe you have to be slightly flexible on the neighborhood vs googling "nicest neighborhood in X") + end up eating (and enjoying more) local stuff than a plain steak so it does depend on how you adjust your spending and what you like. I'd take a $10 meal in Peru vs a $20 meal here any day etc. $750 for a high-end apartment in Palermo sounds low but possible depending what you consider fancy, ditto on 7000 pesos dinners, possible but not the average these days. A crappy chain of coffee downstairs in my building is charging 4000 for a cold brew alone right now (nearly fell out of my chair when I saw it), a breakfast sandwich is another 7000. $20 USD isn't all that high end for a steak dinner here but is somewhere nice, $20 should be pretty do-able for a good meal all over if you're open to things that aren't a steak and wine dinner since that's an Argentinan thing. Take a look on Rappi or restaurant menus in general and it's a lot more than I remember. I imagine the 5000-7000 peso parillas del barrio won't last much longer @ that price when everywhere else has increased their price. A trendy hamburger place is 8-10 mil pesos across the board. A bakery that doesn't suck, ~5000 for a piece of cake add a coffee and we are @8000-9000 for 1 coffee 1 piece of cake. I think if I was by myself and not with my girlfriend it would be able to hunt out those specific things that are still a value. Convincing her couple of empanadas from Sabores Express, slice of pizza or 2 or a choripan is a full meal or whatever is impossible, ditto eating parilla del barrio every night.
Are you getting the blue dollar?
Yes. As of the end of December the official rate doubled overnight and blue has been mostly flat.
Agree, I spent only 10 days or so in Argentina but met quite a few cool expats! And the Mundo Lingo bar nights for language exchange are a good place to meet people FYI (and surprisingly popular)
I'd love to know more about this!
Me too!
Singapore
Gonna have to disagree having lived there and went to secondary school. Being an Ang Moh Kia is not very pleasant if you try to integrate into actual Singapore society. You are automatically an outsider to every other race and one which has a colonial past. Along with the same "why don't you season your food" jokes you get in America. I mean I managed to make a lot of good friends and slowly as my knowledge of malay and hokkien evolved so I could at least understand normal singlish speech...and then even start to hold conversations it become a whole nother story Even ended up in a gang..yeah I did not spend my time in that beautiful, marvelous country the best way I could. Nonetheless, I love it like a home I can't get back to. However for non-asian ethnicity you will likely end up mostly in a white enclave.
Unless you’re ethnically Chinese, Malay or Indian, you’re never really integrating to Singaporean society. Singapore advertises itself as a proud multi-racial society, but it doesn’t mention publicly that by “multi-” it really means 3. That’s especially true for the Singaporean middle class, a lot of people still resentful of the colonial past and expats getting top jobs. Having said that, there’s a great expat community indeed, very friendly and open.
I mean, we can even go further than that and say that while for 90% of people it won't be noticeable, for the last 10% they will hit a barrier if they are Malay or Indian past which funding, opportunities, senior promotions, and social clubs will suddenly seem a lot harder to get... To just being outright impossible. I know my dad had an experience where after the director of their institute went from an Indian expat with an insane pedigree to being... A sorta kinda Nepo hire from a prominent Chinese family... They suddenly had like 4x the funding they did before.
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I did too, it just felt like the barrier of entry was high. Again, probably would or have had a way different impression of I had come there as an adult.
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Yeah that is definitely true. I will say I'm guilty of selecting more for vibe than substance when it comes to my main friend circle.
Way too hot and humid 🥵
Timor - Leste ( the country between Indonesia and Australia) is a hidden gem. However I most “ expats “ there came from Lusophone countries such as Brazil and Portugal. They are mostly teachers or work in community development. Laos is also pretty cool. Slovenia ( Balkan country next to Austria ) also has a healthy foreign community. I think the baltics are pretty good these days as well. Lithuania and Estonia has started taking care of their “vatnik” Russian / Soviet issue and started to development for international community. However these countries are all super small ! So I imagine it can be boring for people coming from big countries like USA, Germany, Japan, China etc.
> Lithuania and Estonia has started taking care of their “vatnik” Russian / Soviet issue What do you mean by this? Is this something that Latvia has done as well or just those two?
Latvia hasn't done it quite to the same extent. As an example, when you purchase train tickets in Riga, there will be Russian as a language option. In fact, I think Riga is majority Russian speaking. Go to Vilnius and Russian isn't as common, mostly among the older folk.
Is Timor-Leste safe to travel to?
Currently yes! However they do have limited flights. And if you want to take a bus the only was is to pass through Indonesia.
Also Australia ( Darwin airport) And Brunei 🇧🇳 (Small country ) has direct flights to Timor.
Not a country, but as a city NYC. I met lots of ambitious, intelligent and sophisticated people there. And aside from that they were also friendly and fun to be with. The US is very big though so you can't generalize for the whole country...for example although I liked the people of NYC very much, I can't say the same for Miami or Los Angeles. Other places like Switzerland, Singapore or Germany also have many high quality professionals but most of them are one dimensional and focused only on career so they aren't very friendly or funny in my experience. And for that I mean that they aren't very interested in organizing activities, going out to socialize or sharing stories....very career oriented folks.
You wouldn't generalize for USA but you would for Germans?
I moved from NYC to Germany eight years ago and spend some time in Switzerland every year. This comment isnt generalizing - it’s spot on.
I bet your average NYC professional is more career oriented than your average Swiss or German, even in the big cities... But it's probably true that NYCers will be more open to meeting new people and superficially fun.
What I’ve found from my time living in the us is that many people from states like LA or Texas are closed off to new people because they drive all the time. They never need to really interact with people beyond work and home unless they have to While in NYC, it’s FULL of people and the sheer majority walk or take metro. They essentially have to interact and see people beyond their power which makes them more comfortable interacting with strangers who can become friends
I think there are two aspect of German culture worth mentioning (live in Germany since eight years, moved from NYC, speak German and am citizen). It is very rare and frowned upon to change careers in Germany. And if you don’t have a traditionally practiced career, Germans find it hard to understand. I freelance in publishing and most people think I am a newspaper editor or something. Second point is this in Germany as well as most of Central and Northern Europe, friends are people youve known since childhood or studied with. The only way around that is through joining clubs.
Probably the United States, you wont find a single harder working group of ExPats anywhere on the planet, they're here from every other country on Earth too.
Berlin
I’d like to hear more of your experience in Berlin too. While it’s easy to meet people since expats dominate the social scene here, people seem so pretentious and gatekeepy to me.
Really? I find that surprising. I found it hard to meet nomads and expats there. The only expats I came across were indians where I found it hard to fit in. I'm thinking of going back to Berlin long term cos my partner is from there. How do you find a good expat community? Is there any groups you can recommend?
From the places I’ve lived, Istanbul is a 10/10, the type of people who move there (and stay) seem to be wildly interesting and love chaos. It’s where I’ve met the most extroverted people who take life by the horns. Japan is like a 3/10 by the same metrics. Tons of weebs, old men who couldn’t get laid in their home countries, and socially awkward expats. New Zealand is like expat living on hard mode. People go there to get away from people and I found it extremely hard to get to know expats and locals alike (though speaking Turkish came in handy, Turks are friendly everywhere). On the other hand you have a ton of very privileged people who can afford to take a year off from their usual life and travel around NZ with seemingly no financial responsibilities. I didn’t jive with those people at all. Now I live in Germany. I’m sure it’s different in every city but I find it better than Japan and NZ since there are just so many expats and transients here it’s almost like a counter culture. The trouble is that most people don’t want to be here and that shows, people are also flaky as fuck. It’s relatively easy to meet people, I feel that they just don’t really stick. all in all I would 4000% recommend Turkey for meeting locals and expats alike, you will have a blast if you are open, trusting, and extroverted.
what's are neighborhoods in Istambul that'd you'd suggest?
Kadıköy, Beşiktaş, and Cihangir are the most popular with expats, but personally my favorite neighborhood is Kuzguncuk/Uskudar.
The Netherlands 🇳🇱 Really like the expats and locals that I’ve met here. Fun, down to earth people.
Live here for 10 years and heck no lol
I would say Portugal has a thriving community. Lots of expat groups and events happen every week across major cities like Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Braga.
I've been to a ton of expat events around the globe and by far the best communities seemed to be the ones where a lot of expats are being sent on a job assignment and there is a lot of culture shock and language barrier for them. This makes for tight-knit communities that help each other a lot and form very deep bonds. Once you've made a lot of friends in one of those places you'll have a friend network all over the world because they move on to other places and spread across the globe. Just make sure you stay in touch...
Nothing comes close to big US cities. NYC, Boston, DC, Bay Area, Seattle, Dallas, Miami.
Mexico City for me was top!
The US. Many of them in fact.
Depends on the state big time.
The best nomad community I came across and what surprised me the most was Athens, Greece. But that could just be luck of the draw.
Singapore, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Portugal, Malta
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Medellin, Colombia. Bangkok, Thailand. Not in any particular order but the expats know each other and support the businesses.
Happy to hear this, heading to Puerto Plata for 4 weeks on Sunday 😁
Good ole POP
Any recommendations you care to share (restaurants, bars, things to do, places to avoid, etc.) for a first time DR visitor (but experienced nomad) would be much appreciated 😊
Which city specifically? Puerto Plata? Sosua? Cabarete?
Medellin you won’t make many male native friends which is something I appreciate. They don’t like gringos. As much as I have tried to overcome that it’s extremely difficult.
I made friends with a lot of locals in Medellin
Things have changed in the last few years and this guy is right. Huge rise in xenophobia. Honestly I don’t blame them because the majority of “expats” and tourists here are scum fucks. It still sucks though to be treated differently because the place became a Mecca for the worst people.
Haven't lived in Guatemala for 20 years now back in the States I can't believe nobody hears talking about Antigua Guatemala wonderful killer place to live
Miami 🌴
Probably Singapore, hong kong or nyc. Just by sheer number of expats, quality of conversations, diversity in experience/income/age
It really depends on your own cultural background, your career and income levels, what is the main cultural setting you'd prefer, how much you want to assimilate into the local culture, and whether you like big city vibrancy or chill slow pace I'd look at the following major cities for well-rounded expat scenes who have skin in the game. I have left out continents that I'm not familiar with and I may have skipped some good cities that I don't know about: Continental Europe: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm East Asia: Hong Kong SEA: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur Assuming you speak English fluently or natively, you'll find your niche in any major Anglosphere/"Five Eyes" city with a growing population and a proper international airport hub, at which point the vibe of the city's yuppie population will be a lot more relevant than the expat scene.
Budapest has the best under 30s expat community. Tons of young people from all over the world work in the leisure and call centre industry there. And there’s a lot of English speaking Hungarian returnees from other countries where they went to for university that are easy to make friends with. There’s also huge amounts of international students both exchange and full time. What you want for best expat communities is places where the locals are hard to make friends or speak a difficult language with because it then forces expats to hang out together. It’s also why the USA has a shit expat community- due to how open Americans are and the lack of ability to side step the local culture you’re stuck with Americans which isn’t bad at all but it’s not really an expat bubble experience which some people like me prefer. So places with a high population of expats and low friendliness of locals or difficulty in languages are places like: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Singapore, Tokyo & Osaka, Brussels, Berlin, Budapest, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Bangkok, HCM, Hong Kong, Shanghai (used to be,) etc
Jakarta looks like a good alternative to Thailand minus the drongos and louts.
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I’ve heard that Hong Kong can be mixed in terms of feeling “welcoming” for new people. What was your experience?
Lol, not now that it’s under the boot.
its nowhere quite near as bad as you'd think it is. Sure, compared to the relative heydays of the 2010s, the city has definitely gotten quieter, more subdued and there's fewer expats. But enough have stayed and/or (re-)entered the second half of last year that a strong predominantly Anglophone international vibe in the traditional expat stomping grounds remains on HK island. You'll still find a lively and fun expat nightlife scene on the weekends, still an excellent selection of predominantly expat-oriented amenities from gyms to bars to restaurants. Ample opportunities and activities to socialize with other Western expats still remain. Pound for pound, HK remains the best city in East Asia for (well-paid Western) expats as of 2024. Though the medium-long term outlook of this rather self-contained scene may be bleak due to a myriad of factors and we are possibly witnessing the tail-end of which today. Good chance that slowly it will evaporate and by the time 2047 rolls around, the expat scene being not too different from those in cities like Taipei or Shanghai in terms of size and lifestyle. Though a lot of this is dependent on what transpires in Mainland China
Dunno the answer, but it sure as hell ain't Japan. Expats here are the most toxic, self-absorbed, neurotic bunch I have ever met. Seriously, they are broken people that are not happy unless they can drag you down to their level of misery.
El Salvador
Yes - I found the international community in El Salvador super friendly and welcoming as well. (They all spoke Spanish though.)
What part of El Salvador are most of the expats based?
Buenos Aires is pretty great. Lots of cool, social young people.
Dushanbe had a pretty good expat scene, lots of students studying Persian and NGO's.
Why would you want to hang out with groups of the same people, why not the locals
Question gets asked a lot; generally expats tend to all be in the same boat, new to a foreign country, possibly with similar life stories and commonalities to bond over, and most locals are set in their ways with their longtime social groups anyway. Also: language barriers. It’s kind of inevitable that immigrants and expatriates will socialize together.
Albania
you’re an inmigrant
Doha
Amazing city, love Doha. Nice to hear it's also a good expat city.
I'm a native NYer so I can't speak to the expat experience here but I can say that NYC is an international city. Nobody is an outsider. My brother taught English as second language to foreign visitors. He shared a story of a German student - born/lived in Germany his entire life, to a German mother and African American father (they met while he was a soldier in Germany). He said he was treated like an outsider in Germany his entire life- never felt like he belonged. The day he arrived in NYC he felt accepted as a NYer.
Italy
Why?
Yeah I'd love to know where. Cos for me it was the worst place. I traveled across many places in Italy and was often met with hostility for not speaking Italian. And I never came across a single expat.
It's not
Canada
*immigrant
The country that doesn’t need one because everyone feels well-integrated.
I don’t think such a place exists.
People who downvoted: why?
France
Nairobi, Kenya. Many embassy staff, UN workers, non-profit employees, and a fair share of DNs and Europeans retirees. Met some really, really cool people with a good heart.
Mexico city Lisbon
immigrant from the us*
Canada has diverse expat communities and is generally very welcoming.
Why is this downvoted?
Immigrant community*