As of September 2025, over 350 “move abroad” stories have been entered into this ongoing annotated bibliography. As explained in Part 1 and Part 2, about 2/3ds of the subjects of these stories obtained their residency either by:
- pre-existing dual citizenship
- right of descent ancestry (because parents, grandparents or great grandparents have citizenship in the destination country)
- by marriage – this is the largest single category – and 90+% of those in the stories are highly educated, privileged, attractive young American woman who moved abroad and married a foreigner to obtain residency. <1% involve males moving abroad and marrying a foreigner.
If we leave out those in the stories that were actually on tourist visas, and the “unknown” or not specified visa category, 75% of all who moved abroad either had an immigration privilege or married into the foreign country. Most stories leave out these critical details and create a false impression that anyone in the U.S. can easily move abroad; in fact, most cannot.
Most of the marriages involve young American women who work as freelance writers, authors or content creators. I have never seen a story featuring someone who worked as a blue-collar worker, truck driver, factory worker, or engineer. The field is dominated by people with degrees in English lit writing stories about themselves. Here is another example – Married a Man I’d Known for 6 Months to Be With Him in the US – Business Insider – but before marriage, she was turned away at the airport and returned to Switzerland (she had no visa to move to the US). After consulting with immigration lawyers, she and her boyfriend married 2 weeks later so she could obtain a MRS visa and then entering the US on a spousal visa. Yes, that phrasing is considered rude but features prominently in so many of the “I moved abroad” stories. Of the 350+ stories annotated here, perhaps 2 or 3 stories (<1%) involve an American male obtaining residency through marriage – versus nearly 33% of the stories involving women moving abroad.
Fewer than 5% of the stories involve straight/single males of any race or ethnicity. The androgyny in the travel sector is intense – often coming from publications that boast of their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Related: As most stories are written by women, those are the stories we see. Most are either writers, content creators and/or have become “relocation specialists” but specialized in helping women move to Europe (either singles or “Moms” with families). I asked AI if there are any relocation businesses that focus on men-only relocation to Europe – the AI said there are none. There is some gender-neutral relocation firms but none specialize as they do “for women only”.
I moved from Chicago to Spain. It’s harder to be an entrepreneur here, but I work less and still have a great life.
Visa: Digital nomad, dual citizenship, accelerated path to residency
Category: Married couple
I’m a dual citizen of Mexico and the US, so I used my Mexican passport when applying for the digital nomad visa. Because Mexico was once a Spanish colony, Mexican citizens can apply for Spanish citizenship after just two years of legal residency, compared to 10 years for US citizens.
I’m Canadian, and my husband is American. We chose to live in Canada even though salaries are often lower.
Visa: Marriage
Category: Married, BIPOC
The answer is in the title. Both were born in India, she has Canadian citizenship since 2017. He had lived in the U.S. and the title says he is an American. Marriage is not a guarantee of a residency visa in Canada but it opens doors to getting a residency visa.
I moved from the US to France. It took 4 years and one great piece of advice for the country to finally feel like home.
Visa: Marriage
Category: US female married a Frenchman
Oddly for this genre, she does not trash the U.S. and is grateful for growing up in the U.S.
Moved From US to Buenos Aires and Have No Regrets or Plans to Return – Business Insider
Visa: Unknown
Category: Single, gay male
He’s a freelance writer, of course and has done a number of interesting projects. Like many of the writers in this travel genre, it seems he probably does not like the U.S. government.
I was burned out at work, so I quit my job, sold my home, and moved to Spain. It was the best decision of my life.
Visa: Student visa
Category: Queer/lesbian single woman
The U.S. is awful, blah blah blah. So, she moved to Spain where she lives in a 900 sq ft apartment. Says she has Spanish ancestry so may qualify for accelerated residency/citizenship, but that is not known for sure.
31-year-old moved from the U.S. to Portugal and only works 20 hours a week: ‘I’m much happier in Lisbon’
Visa: D7 passive income visa (digital nomad)
Category: Single white woman
Attractive successful young American woman moves from the awful U.S. and works as a “digital marketeer”. She has a lot of international experience starting at age 18 onward.
I traveled to Toronto for a much-needed vacation from NYC and fell in love with it. I’m now moving to Canada for good.
Visa: Unknown
Category: White female
A global elitist who has traveled all over the world, she’s moving to Toronto. No idea what visa she is using – her business helps employers understand Gen Z and Millennial workers (hmmm… why didn’t we need these consultants for past generations?). Her PhD is in Leadership and Global Studies (a faith-based, theological perspective). Yet she failed with her own first Gen Z intern … She wants to live in a huge city but hates NYC and most American life – whereas, after a 2-month visit, Toronto is heaven on earth and Canada is much better than the U.S. and she plans to live in Canada forever.
She traveled to Italy to save her marriage. Here’s how she ended up falling for her Italian tour guide | CNN
Visa: Marriage
Category: Married or single woman, depending on the time point for the story
Attractive American woman divorces her husband, falls in love with her Italian tour guide and lives happily ever after. Another romance novel from CNN. They run a tour business in Italy …
I moved from San Diego to Southern Italy for a simpler, slower life, but the best part was that I fell in love
Visa: Marriage
Category: White woman
Another American woman marries her Italian tour guide. Yet another content manager and relocation coach.
After visiting every country in the world, I had a new perspective on life. I no longer wanted to be in the US and chose to live in Portugal.
Visa: Assuming the D7 visa
Category: Single white female
Legit story – an aviation industry consultant out of work during Covid, chose to travel. Now back working in the aviation industry, she has relocated to Portugal. She doesn’t entirely bash the U.S., but says Portugal is better across her metrics. Oh – it appears much of her global travel was free due to her airline industry connections. In that article, she says Iceland and Norway are among favorites because their equality for women – but then later lists Afghanistan as one of her favorite countries. Seriously?
I moved my family to Thailand, and it was surprisingly easy. I set up our new life in less than a week — without spending a lot of money.
Visa: Unknown.
I left Oregon heading to this beautiful country and it has been amazing: “Life is slower and more flexible”
Visa: Marriage
Category: Married, white, female
Attractive and educated American woman marries a Spaniard, does content creation, and runs a business to help “American mothers” migrate to Europe. Her business partner, Maggie Gavilan, is another American woman – with Spanish dual citizenship through her father.
The two struck up a friendship, and soon Gavilán, who has a background in private equity, a partner in finance, and Spanish citizenship thanks to her father, saw a business opportunity. She told San José she had been developing a business plan for a company for young, affluent American moms like herself who want to relocate to Europe.
One of their relocation clients:
Katherine, a new Mother Euro member, is planning her relocation from Texas to Europe with her husband and twin 4-year-olds. She hopes to arrive in early 2026. “Obviously, the political situation helped force our decision along,” she says. Her husband has German citizenship due to a special provision for people whose family members had their German citizenship revoked during the Holocaust.
Unless you are an attractive, educated American woman who marries a foreigner, or you have ancestral roots by direct descent or right of ancestry, moving abroad is going to be hard. Stories like this and the zillion other ones misrepresent the ability to move abroad – as documented on this blog, the overwhelming majority of these fluffy fantasy stories involve people with prior citizenship or are attractive women who married a foreigner. These stories are not much different than selling a snake oil dream.
This headline says it all – “rich, progressive” and frankly, out of touch with reality – indeed, it costs US $1500 per year membership fee to access their services.
Oh, and of course, America is awful, Trump is in office, blah blah blah. America is the worst country in the history of the world: Why More American Mothers Are Choosing Europe For A Better Life
Same story, every time.
34-year-old American in Berlin: I earn 6 figures working from home—and I feel so ‘safe and secure’ here
Visa: Marriage
Category: White, female
Another American woman marries a foreigner:
I’m originally from Los Angeles, but I’ve lived in many places: I’ve gone to school in London, where I got my master’s degree, was an emergency aid worker in Turkey, and taught English in China, where I met my German husband, Marcus.
For the last five years, we’ve lived in Berlin, Germany.
Like most of these stories, she lives in a small apartment where life is wonderful. Many of these people could have found attractive living options elsewhere in the U.S. – but many have never been outside downtown SF, NYC, etc and apparently think that defines the U.S. Weird.
This couple dreamed of leaving the United States for a new life in France, but things didn’t turn out how they expected
Visa: Marriage to EU citizen
“As the wife of a European citizen, Jennie was able to enter on a Carte de Sejour, a French residence permit allowing foreign nationals to remain in the country.”
I Had Everything I Was Supposed To Want. I Gave It All Up To Travel The World In A Sailboat.
Visa: Working holiday visa for young people, likely, at first.
Highly attractive young American woman graduates from college, travels to Australia, meets a guy. She acknowledges she has a lot of privilege; they work hard and save up to now live on a sailboat. Mostly a legit story.
I quit my job as a lawyer and moved to Spain for a slower life. Now I run a business helping other Black women move abroad.
Visa: Unknown
Category: Single BIPOC woman
She moved for a sense of adventure after burning out on the long hours as a lawyer. She has many practical comments about the experience. Mostly legit.
This OpenAI engineer left her dream job and San Francisco home to move to Stockholm—all because of Trump 2.0
Visa: Triple citizenship
Category: Married, transgender (MtF), white, lesbian relationship
She was born in Poland so already has EU citizenship; she grew up in Australia, then worked in the U.S. Since she ran for CA Governor, (more here) it appears she has American citizenship. Has worked in the US for about 18 years. Her six-year-old daughter likely has US, Polish and Australian citizenship. She hates Trump and feels she must leave the U.S. “She” is also transgender. Just your typical “I moved abroad” story – in fact, it is your typical “I moved abroad” story -> Another elite, high income, highly educated, triple citizenship global elitist.
I moved to the US for the American dream, then decided to leave it behind. It’s too painful to stay.
Visa: Education, OPT
Category: White female
The reverse migration, a global elitist Brit returns to the UK because the U.S. is the worst country in the history of the world. “Alice Lassman is a policy expert with a focus on the global economy and gender. Her forthcoming book explores how AI’s influence on gender and emotions is reshaping economic life.“ She is an expert on men and tells us how men should be in 2025. [Imagine if a male studied gender studies and was an expert on women and told us how women should be?] “I think of my friends: one who can’t leave without fear of detainment on re-entry, another whose asylum application was voided, leaving him stateless. The century of the American dream is over. Now, not a single friend without a US citizenship remains in America by choice, all leaving quietly, with no fanfare.” America is, without question (in her mind and most of those on these pages) the worst country in the history of the world.
I Thought I Was a First-Gen American; at 58, I Learned I’m German – Business Insider
Visa: Right of descent dual citizenship – her Dad was a German citizen which gave her German citizenship at birth (and US citizenship as she was born in the U.S.)
Category: Married white woman
Another American with immigration privilege. She discovered at age 58 that she was already, technically, a dual US/German citizen and her own children are also, therefore dual German citizens. She has not moved to Germany, however, although she has a college degree in German.
‘I would not feel safe’: Americans on the sorrow – and relief – of leaving Trump’s US for Europe | US news | The Guardian
Visas: Various
Wealthy, privileged and highly educated Americans – hate America – yet benefited immensely from being American, now flee the US for other countries where everything is better (of course!)
Who these people are (very much not like most of us):
- Benjamin Gorman (he/him) – author in exile in Spain Benjamin Gorman — Not a Pipe Publishing. Has an “X” gender child which presumably means transgender.
- Lisa – university academic anthropologist – moved to France – cannot verify anything here as they did not provide her name
- Deborah Harkness – former history professor author lesbian
- Monica Byrne – geochemist who now works as an author
These are far from regular people – all of them are writers. Note no blue-collar workers, factory workers, or engineers or businesspeople – it’s always writers. Reporters only talk to other people in their own field. In this case, the story itself is written by a Hungarian who lives in Madrid.
Why More Scientists Are Swapping the US for Europe and Finding a Healthier, Happier Research Life
Visas: Academic elite work visas
Scientists and academics say America is the worst country in the history of the world, and being elitists who can, they are leaving the U.S.
I’m an American who moved to the Czech Republic 5 years ago. It’s completely changed my definition of work-life balance.
Visa: Dual or triple citizenship.
Category: Married white, European female
Well, she and her husband just packed up and moved to Czechia. No big deal! You can do this too!
She left out critical facts – like she was already an EU citizen who has hardly ever lived in the U.S.!
- “My mother is Czech and my father is German-American, and both of them grew up in Europe. I was flying across the world to visit family before I could walk.” “She is a citizen of both the United States and European Union” – likely a citizen of Germany and Czechia and the U.S.
- She did not learn to speak English until she was 5 years old.
- She attended middle school in Brazil and then she went to high school at the American School in The Hague (Netherlands) – for all of her high school. This is an elite private school in the Netherlands.
- She barely lived in the United States and has spent almost her entire life living elsewhere. So now that she has left, she is qualified to bitch about the U.S.? She was hardly ever an American.
- None of these critical facts appears in her narcissistic essay about moving to the Czech Republic.
Samantha Tatro is a global elitist who left out most of the critical elements of her story, thus, coming across as a poor journalist. As a global elitist she could choose to pursue a career that, in the U.S., has poor pay prospects. Per BLS, the average reporter makes about $52,000/year, which is not much for someone with an elite education. As she documented, she has very little experience in America.
California Woman Left LA, Closed Business, Moved to Albania – Business Insider
Visa: Unknown
She owned and ran a multi-million-dollar furniture business in California. By 2023, she had already traveled to 40 countries and all seven continents before her decision to move. No longer married, she apparently had few connections back in the U.S. She is happy in Albania. Due to currency arbitrage – and the strong US dollar – Americans with American income can live very well in Albania. Americans can stay in Albania for up to 12 months without a visa, which is pretty unique. Mostly a legit story.
I Moved to Europe and Struggled for Months Until I Fell in Love – Business Insider
Visa: Marriage, eventually
Another romance novelette. She went to Spain to earn her MRS visa: “Over drinks, I told him I wasn’t happy and that I’d had enough of living abroad. He reminded me that I wasn’t so happy back home, either. When I lived in Los Angeles, I was looking for love and failing and constantly complaining about the high rents and the outrageously high price for a glass of wine.”
I help Americans move abroad – the number 1 overlooked land in Europe – Daily Expert News
Seems like every American woman who moves to Europe starts a business assisting other women move to Europe.
I quit my job, divorced my husband, and moved to Italy to retire. I miss my kids, but I’m happier and healthier here.
Visa: Right of descent dual citizenship
Category: Single white woman
She divorced her husband of 30 years, left her 4 kids behind in the U.S., traveled and then settled into a small apartment in Italy – everything is so much better than in the U.S. The article, like all of them, leaves out the critical ancestry connection:
The realization that I “already was” an Italian citizen was a stunning surprise to me back in 2020, and I began doing research using Ancestry.com, online census records, and ship manifestos to put together the puzzle pieces and create the timeline of my ancestral path. I even stopped at the Mormon Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City to do some sleuthing there.
I discovered that my great-grandfather sailed to Chicago in 1881 on the Antonio Florio, leaving his tiny medieval village near Naples, Italy, at the tender young age of 23 as part of the great diaspora of Italian immigrants. Between 1880 and 1920, nearly 4 million Italians left their country, the majority fleeing desperate poverty in Southern Italy and Sicily, seeking a better, safer, and higher quality of life in the US. At the age of five, my bisnonna (great-grandmother) traveled with her family to America and settled in Chicago. When she was 15, she married my great-grandfather, and they had 16 children together—my grandfather was their first son after 14 daughters!
….
I’m officially recognized as the Italian citizen I’ve always been since birth.
From Application to Acceptance: My Path to Italian Citizenship — InternationalLiving.com
In 2025, Italy restricted right of descent ancestry to grandparents only – no longer going back to great-grandparents or even great-great-grandparents – but she applied years ago.
She is your typical immigration privileged American. That’s why she could move to Italy and you probably cannot. No surprise this is Business Insider, which leaves out critical details from their crappy writing. Oh, and of course, she’s a freelance writer.
I moved our family of four from the US to France & pay just $2,235 for everything – but the grocery stores blew me away | The US Sun
Visa: Marriage
Category: Married white woman
Her husband is a French citizen and an academic. America is awful, blah blah blah. She works as a writer and content creator, of course.
I Moved to Be With My Husband; Then Convinced Him to Relocate for Me – Business Insider
Visa: Marriage
Category: White woman
Another MRS visa: “I was working full-time in Washington, DC, when I fell for an international student from France who was temporarily studying in the city. After six months together, he headed to Madrid to kick-start his career, and we began dating long-distance for about 18 months. We got married in 2017, and I moved to Spain to be with him.” She works as a …. writer.
Midwest Mom Moved to Belgium; Family Is Financially ‘Way Better Off’ – Business Insider
Visa: Marriage, EU citizenship
Category: Married white woman
“Her husband is from the Netherlands, and her oldest daughter — now in kindergarten — lived there for the first few years of her life before the family moved back to Minnesota.” and “The mom of two said that luckily, that wasn’t a major problem — her oldest daughter already had a background speaking Dutch”
I’m 26 and have traveled to nearly 100 countries. These 10 places should absolutely be on your radar.
Visa: Not applicable, this is a travel story – not a move abroad story
Category: BIPOC female
The title of being 26 and traveled to nearly 100 countries caught my eye. I agree with the idea of traveling when young (as someone who had to postpone to late in life only to be shut down by public health restrictions, including those that caused me physical harm, adding more delays). Some observations:
- From her LinkedIn page she is very smart and certainly hard working. She was a valedictorian and received many awards.
- She appears to come from a wealthy background, having attended Indian Hills HS in a community with a median household income of $163,000.
- She attended private NYU.
- While at NYU she did study abroad programs in Florence, Italy, Singapore, and NYU Abu Dhabi.
There’s a lot of privilege in that background – which leads to why she has expansive international experience, but most others will not have anything like that – unless they too come from a privileged background. This then is not so much a comment about her – she seems pretty cool to me! – but the bias present in these media stories that create false impressions and expectations for readers about how they too should be visiting dozens if not at least a hundred countries!
I moved from New York City to London. The job hunt was a culture shock but it was worth it for the healthcare and work-life balance.
Visa: Marriage to Brit
Category: BIPOC
“But in February 2023, I moved to London with my British husband to start a new chapter.”
Moved From the US to England 5 Years Ago; What Surprised Me – Business Insider
Visa: Marriage to Brit
Category: White female
“I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and went to college in Orange County, California. I lived abroad for a couple of years before meeting my British husband and settling down in the UK countryside.” LinkedIn background, including studying and living in Britain. Yet another MRS visa.
I lived in the UK for 4 years and am glad to be back in the US
Visa: Education
Category: Single female
Studied abroad in the UK, returned to the US, and notes a lot of issues she encountered in the UK where life was not perfect. This article must be a mistake to be published in Business Insider.
I grew up in the US and lived in England, but I later found my forever home on a completely different continent
Visa: DUAL CITIZEN
Category: White female
Rich kid life style: “I’d traveled to Europe numerous times in my teens and 20s and was curious about what it might be like to actually live there.” and as always, “Plus, since my mother was born in Queensland, I held Australian citizenship and could live and work there.”
Woman Quits Tech Job, Moves to Barcelona, Spain – Business Insider
Visa: Education
Category: Single white female
First world kid: “I considered a lot of different places to move abroad. I had already lived in Australia, so I checked that off the list. I’d also been to Asia,” “I had also visited Spain when I was 22,” She is looking to extend her visa past one year. From her IG page, she’s traveled all over the world.
I’m American and moved to Peru for love. I still travel to the US for medical appointments.
Visa: Marriage but she didn’t use that for her visa. Instead, she chose the Rentista Visa which requires demonstration of financial assets and can lead to permanent residency.
Category: American woman
She was an American and her husband is Peruvian. She has had to return to the U.S., at times, for medical care.
I’m an American Writer in Italy, and Here’s Exactly What I Pack for a Trip to Sicily—From $27
Visa: Unknown. Indicates she lives in both NYC and Italy.
Category: BIPOC woman
“Here is my experience on living in Paris as a young(ish) Black American woman. In the summer of 2017 as my mother booked our tickets for an August trip to France, I declared “Just get me a one way. After our 10 days around France, I’m going to stay in Europe.” For the previous 10 years, beginning with studying abroad in Milan in 2006, I spent a lot of time in Europe. ”
Being Black American in Paris – ‘N A Perfect World with Nneya Richards © 2015
She is a writer focusing on travel and fashion.