Time to Peace Out (Relocate Overseas)?

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

12 minutes ago, Pimphand said:

We are about 4 weeks out from this virus burning through the population.

Relocating overseas to avoid it seems extreme.

Just go rent a summah house up in the north east.

when all of this started i was talking to a buddy that is a personal wealth advisor. we don't agree on much, and my overarching view on this pandemic is that it would exacerbate structural problems in our society and that we, as a society, would not choose to take this horrible event and re-think our approach to building an equitable society. watching what has unfolded since then has only reinforced that belief for me.

i long ago started to dismiss the notion of american exceptionalism...but covid has fast-tracked my belief that we are a decaying society. i think there are other societies that align better with what i believe in as a person.   

[RoundRobin 828]

4 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

when all of this started i was talking to a buddy that is a personal wealth advisor. we don't agree on much, and my overarching view on this pandemic is that it would exacerbate structural problems in our society and that we, as a society, would not choose to take this horrible event and re-think our approach to building an equitable society. watching what has unfolded since then has only reinforced that belief for me.

i long ago started to dismiss the notion of american exceptionalism...but covid has fast-tracked my belief that we are a decaying society. i think there are other societies that align better with what i believe in as a person.   

[DaysOff 7951]

I can't imagine any of those countries letting an American in to ride out the rona unless you have Tom Cruise money. Are you Tom Cruise?

[Incredulity 11674]

1 minute ago, DaysOff said:

I can't imagine any of those countries letting an American in to ride out the rona unless you have Tom Cruise money. Are you Tom Cruise?

There is no reason to get nasty

[RDCanecutter 26443]

1 minute ago, DaysOff said:

I can't imagine any of those countries letting an American in to ride out the rona unless you have Tom Cruise money. Are you Tom Cruise?

Pish-- nobody on Surly is as poor as Tom Cruise.

[Guest Lobo]

There are still several dozen active monarchies in the world, which just blows my fucking mind.  I don't think I could ever live in any of them, even though several of them are places where I'd be able to speak either Spanish or English.  But I can't live in a place, that even in a celebratory fashion, looks up to people simply because they were born.  That'd be hard to do.  

Ideologically though, there are other places that fit more of a libertarian bent-New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, et. al.  But very expensive to live.  

But I guess now that we're going through this thread, I'm just wholly opposed to living somewhere that still pays credence, however symbolic, to people who were born in a particular place and time.  It annoys the living shit out of me when somebody introduces themselves at a meeting, "Uh, Bob Smith here.  7th generation Texan."  Super job Bob, let me know precisely what you did to earn that title.  Gaped your mom's vagina?  Well, alright...you wanna be Vice Chair?

[Js1 85338]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

There are still several dozen active monarchies in the world, which just blows my fucking mind.  I don't think I could ever live in any of them, even though several of them are places where I'd be able to speak either Spanish or English.  But I can't live in a place, that even in a celebratory fashion, looks up to people simply because they were born.  That'd be hard to do.  

Ideologically though, there are other places that fit more of a libertarian bent-New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, et. al.  But very expensive to live.  

But I guess now that we're going through this thread, I'm just wholly opposed to living somewhere that still pays credence, however symbolic, to people who were born in a particular place and time.  It annoys the living shit out of me when somebody introduces themselves at a meeting, "Uh, Bob Smith here.  7th generation Texan."  Super job Bob, let me know precisely what you did to earn that title.  Gaped your mom's vagina?  Well, alright...you wanna be Vice Chair?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

1 hour ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

Yeah, but there's this other Thing that's sometimes a problem there... 

I'm pretty sure the opportunity to wear a kickass hat like this outweighs that Thing.

[StruggleBus 3922]

25 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

i'm considering moving overseas because i'm realizing i live in failed state at this point and when i weigh the benefits of living here versus the benefits of living elsewhere, it's becoming more and more difficult to convince myself that the best move is staying here. 

Hyperbole much?

If you think this is bad, you'd really hate an actual failed state. 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

1 hour ago, Fred Willard said:

I guess the downside is at the first sign of trouble you abandoned your country. The worst that could happen is your forever known as a gigantic twat.

Uh, how many decades have you been quarantined?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

4 minutes ago, Casual Encounter said:

Uh, how many decades have you been quarantined?

[GRHorn 105]

2 hours ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

been plotting costa rica with my wife.  no time zone issues. dollar goes muy far.  good schools.

Any expat wanting to go to Costa Rica is interested in the drugs and prostitutes. 

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, if Covid-19, global pandemics, quarantines, horrible racial injustice, police murdering innocent civilians, riots, mayhem, murder hornets, once-in-a-century saharan dust storms, economic calamity, manipulating elections, and a sperm whale calf found in the middle of the fucking Amazon Basin.....if that's "the First Sign of Trouble" to Fred Willard, what in the fuck does the actual trouble look like?  

I mean, it was cool and all in "No Country for Old Men" when TLJ said, "If it ain't, it'll do until the mess gets here."  But holy fuck, what does the actual mess look like to you, man?  I ain't saying it's time for me to expatriate.  But I'm sure as hell gonna look seriously at getting out of the U.S. between November and February.  There's going to be a dramatic spike in the virus and there's going to be serious citizen-on-citizen violence.  And I don't want my children to be here for it.  My record of work to improve my community and nation has warranted me to do this ten-fold.  I'll take the Pepsi Challenge on that anytime.

[GRHorn 105]

3 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

So as we are about to enter our fourth month of lockdown with no end in sight, and as we look around at the rest of the world that has the virus more or less under control, I'm thinking of biting the bullet, doing the 14-day quarantine, and relocating elsewhere.

A few considerations on this:

1) I can really do my job from anywhere in the world at this point.  All court hearings are remote.  All client meetings are remote.  I can ship my workstation anywhere and get my shit done, whether I'm in Austin or Australia (though the hours in Australia might be a challenge).

2) If the TEA says that all kids need to go back to school in person--fuck that noise.  At the same time they're saying that, the state doesn't provide any funding for a safe return to in-class school.  We'll do remote private school before we do that.  And that's going to cost a metric fuckton.

So at this point, isn't it a viable alternative to relocate to Canada or Europe, get a residency visa for a year, enroll the kids in school (either public school or the American school wherever we are), and work from Toronto/Paris/Berlin?

What's the downside of this plan?

There’s websites devoted to just this. There’s ways to obtain a second passport in other countries. You can spend like 200k and get St Kitts citizenship. Then move your assets offshore. Travel wherever you want. 
 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18549]

I'm not moving but I've never been more disillusioned and disappointed with this country than I am today. The politics (on both sides of the aisle) are disgusting enough, but the general populace and its extraordinary level of ignorance, selfishness and irresponsibility is just shocking. I mean, this isn't that fucking difficult. Wear a mask, stay the fuck away from people outside of your household as much as possible, and this shit will subside into something manageable in just a few weeks. Instead, we are going to keep repeatedly shooting ourselves in the dick for the foreseeable future, prolonging the pain and agony while compounding the damage to the economy, the overall mental health of the citizenry, the healthcare system and our educational system/kids.

It's fucking embarrassing how poorly our country has failed at addressing this virus. Literally every industrialized nation in the world has handled this better than we have. We should be the leaders in this. We should have heeded the warnings from China, then Italy, then Spain... and for sure in our own backyard in New York. We had a headstart on all those assholes and instead, we drove the car right into the ditch while ignoring science and basic common sense. It's really hard for me to fathom how badly we, as a country, have fucked this thing up.

[Fred Willard 115]

Lobo, get some help dude. You’re claiming your grandfathers credentials and posting nonsense about gaping vaginas. You’re a longhorn and I will do whatever I can for you. 

[gmr548 16580]

We have jokingly but somewhat seriously are considering our options to move abroad. SO is a founder and her team is fully remote. My job is mostly int'l, and I can switch jobs fairly easily so have looked into the Nordic countries. I think most countries only require $250k -$500k investment locally for special visa....Obviously, not viable for all people....

humblebrag game strong to quite strong

[Guest Lobo]

Fred Willard---------Yeah, I'll listen on the help thing.  but when did I claim my grandfather's credentials?  Or what are his credentials, I guess?  That part you lost me on.  Well, you lost me on a lot of shit, but I usually don't bring grandpa's  "credentials" into any post.  Whah happened?  

(and much to Rex Kramer's delight, I don't know if I'm truly a Longhorn---only attended UT for 2.5 years).  But thanks?  I guess.  

Edited July 8, 2020 by Lobo

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

26 minutes ago, StruggleBus said:

Hyperbole much?

If you think this is bad, you'd really hate an actual failed state. 

yeah that's not the proper term. maybe 'completely morally bankrupt society' is a better descriptor for it for me.

[Sawbonz 27562]

1 hour ago, mdmost said:

Of all the people I thought would crack under this pandemic, OP was not at the top of my list. 

TEA said this morning they were going to offer funding for both remote learning and in-person learning this fall. 

I think the pretzels were the last straw

[Fred Willard 115]

3 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Fred Willard---------Yeah, I'll listen on the help thing.  but when did I claim my grandfather's credentials?  Or what are his credentials, I guess?  That part you lost me on.  Well, you lost me on a lot of shit, but I usually don't bring grandpa's  "credentials" into any post.  Whah happened?  

(and much to Rex Kramer's delight, I don't know if I'm truly a Longhorn---only attended UT for 2.5 years).  But thanks?  I guess.  

Something about being a submariner. I’ll pm you and we can take it off the main board if you want.

[gmr548 16580]

Scratch Norway off the list.
them be mosquitoes, 6 days worth of trapping at one dude's house.

Well I think we clearly need to nuke Norway.

[Js1 85338]

2 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

Scratch Norway off the list.
them be mosquitoes, 6 days worth of trapping at one dude's house.

Well I think we clearly need to nuke Norway.

Looks like Houston after a hurricane. 

[Guest Lobo]

Fred Willard-------It's my uncle.  I wasn't 'stolen valor' his credentials.  I brought up his service record because he spends a lot of time overseas and your post way up there seemed to indicate that people that leave their country aren't patriotic, and he leaves his country frequently. but that his service record should indicate he's more than been of assistance to his nation.  Many prominent patriots and elected officials and thought leaders of your portion of the political spectrum spend a lot of time outside our borders.  They are not "cutting and running at the first sign of trouble", rather they are enjoying the liberty and personal freedoms they have been afforded that is commensurate with what they've given the nation of themselves.  He wasn't born on a submarine and I wasn't born in Texas.  But we both bust our ass to make the place we find ourselves to be a little bit better. 

[Bevo 13577]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

We ain't leaving for the weather.  I'm leaning towards Costa Rica because I speak the language.  

English?

[El Diablo 4232]

8 minutes ago, Fred Willard said:

Something about being a submariner. I’ll pm you and we can take it off the main board if you want.

He brings it up from time to time, an uncle I think it is. That and bank branches. Cherishes one, despises the other.

[Guest Lobo]

2 minutes ago, Bevo said:

English?

Nah man, Costa Rican.  I'm an American dammit!  I speak American!, Canadians speak that pussy Canadian shit.  Iraq speaks Iraqi.  Damn Mexico speaks Mexican.  Brazil speaks Brazilian.  

[Blotto 23512]

1 hour ago, BradInATX said:

 

I hear you can have lots of girlfriends in the Phillipines.

Just looked up Raydog's profile and it appears he hasn't posted since the end of May. Wonder if the 'rona or a hungry ex girlfriend got him. 

[Js1 85338]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

Nah man, Costa Rican.  I'm an American dammit!  I speak American!, Canadians speak that pussy Canadian shit.  Iraq speaks Iraqi.  Damn Mexico speaks Mexican.  Brazil speaks Brazilian.  

[Bevo 13577]

1 hour ago, bolverk said:

OP doesn't live in Antarctica yet.

I was thinkin' after crossing the Arctic Circle he would eventually get to Asia and then Antarctica then it is only a hop skip and a jump to Patagonia.

[Guest Lobo]

1 minute ago, El Diablo said:

He brings it up from time to time, an uncle I think it is. That and bank branches. Cherishes one, despises the other.

You have a better memory than I do, I think on one Navy thread, I mentioned his service.  Glad you remember random shit, you'd make a great second wife for me  

Yeah, I've written on the death of the physical bank branch on some threads on real estate and business where it's very pertinent.  I wonder if you remember this much detail for people you actually like?   

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to look busy so i get that promotion.  

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

4 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Just looked up Raydog's profile and it appears he hasn't posted since the end of May. Wonder if the 'rona or a hungry ex girlfriend got him. 

@RayDog, too much raw-dog?

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

2 hours ago, bolverk said:

OP doesn't live in Antarctica yet.

Everything is north if you're Magellan. 

[hornbri 1398]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Maybe less "because of" and more "as a result of." 

The newfound ability by US employers that physical office space is not required and WFH is a viable option certainly does make it intriguing for employees to relocate without having to find new jobs.

I'd say there's a lot of tax law he needs to do a lot of research into or pay someone. 

The tax issue is a big one and actually even applies to different states. For example if you WFH in say NY or CA guess what, you owe state income tax.

[Brew 3049]

1 hour ago, BradInATX said:

 

You came into the thread, added absolutely nothing to it, and called LL a twat because he's considering moving his family out of harm's way for a few months and you're going to try to complain about the thread getting shitted up? K.

You should probably go back and reread your first few posts and then find a mirror just for the record.

Ghost of LL, if overseas will not work there are plenty of options in the US to hole up and offer something different to the kids. Mine have been at the beach since the beginning of May and aren’t coming home until they have to start school back. A place in CO or even along the NE coast would be higher up my list than another country if I wanted to go hole up somewhere for a while. If you’re willing to drop the coin on going overseas temporarily and the costs of it, then finding a nice place in the mountains or in one of the private beach towns for $$$$ shouldn’t be an issue.

[GabrielsHorn 2183]

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

No sarcasm: I visited some relatives in Monterrey a couple years ago and thought it was pretty nice. Beautiful mountains around it, and the Garza Garcia district is fancy as hell. Just about a 2 hour drive from the US. Reasonably safe if you’re not a criminal and you stay inside once the sun sets. 

AMLO doesn't exactly inspire too much confidence in his ability to either run the country or prevent the spread of this virus fwiw. Family in Mexico are pretty furious with him over all of this.

As for the OP, I would first look into places like the Rockies or Durango in CO or Montanta as leaving to go to Canada is quite the investment. However, Canada will be your best bet during all of this and in terms of an easy transition. Vancouver would be pricey, but my friends who have gone to the east or Calgary/Edmonton have enjoyed it. Alaska is beautiful, but the change in the day time and the potential for some of the worst earthquakes in the world really hurt it.

[clapclapclap 9000]

Maybe pm Snacks, I think he's moving to Austria.

"We are going to Wien."

[crash_davis 23113]

this thread went as expected.

I would love the opportunity to live in another country. I'm absolutely looking forward to it when I retire. People do it all the time for all sorts of reasons, jobs, bitches, cost of live, better quality of life, etc. Why is moving because of the rona any different?

I want to see if the America Fuck Yea people have ever really traveled abroad. Going to Cancun/Cabo is not traveling abroad. Neither is traveling to a foreign country and bitching the whole time because it's not America. America is great place to live, but so are many other countries.

Edited July 8, 2020 by crash_davis

[Sgt Hulk 13716]

Seeing as we are going to be italy in 2 weeks, maybe wait and learn italian. 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

3 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

Seeing as we are going to be italy in 2 weeks, maybe wait and learn italian. 

[tx 3 putt 76958]

1 hour ago, DaysOff said:

I can't imagine any of those countries letting an American in to ride out the rona unless you have Tom Cruise money. Are you Tom Cruise?

Has anyone ever seen Tom cruise and LL in the same room ????

[Samson's Wig 3192]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

There are still several dozen active monarchies in the world, which just blows my fucking mind.  I don't think I could ever live in any of them, even though several of them are places where I'd be able to speak either Spanish or English.  But I can't live in a place, that even in a celebratory fashion, looks up to people simply because they were born.  That'd be hard to do.  

Ideologically though, there are other places that fit more of a libertarian bent-New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, et. al.  But very expensive to live.  

But I guess now that we're going through this thread, I'm just wholly opposed to living somewhere that still pays credence, however symbolic, to people who were born in a particular place and time.  It annoys the living shit out of me when somebody introduces themselves at a meeting, "Uh, Bob Smith here.  7th generation Texan."  Super job Bob, let me know precisely what you did to earn that title.  Gaped your mom's vagina?  Well, alright...you wanna be Vice Chair?

Didn't you post upthread that you're considering a move to Canada?  lol

[swraith 346]

Honestly was thinking about just packing up some shit and moving to Colorado for 6 months.  Parents have a condo in Steamboat that has been vacant for the last 3 months.  Would be a nice getaway as I can do all of my work remotely.

We did this...to Estes Park Colorado.

[gmr548 16580]

Looks like Houston all the goddamn time

Fify

[crash_davis 23113]

My Jewish next door neighbors are retired. Shortly after the 2017 UVA white nationalists march, they decided that the US under Trump was not for them. They rented out their house and moved to Montreal. Haven't spoken to them since 2018 but at that time they really enjoyed Montreal. They haven't moved back so I guess they still like it.

[Fred Willard 115]

Are you trying to say the Jews did this?

[crash_davis 23113]

1 minute ago, swraith said:

We did this...to Estes Park Colorado.

Este.  (pun intented)

This is what I would do if I had access to a place in Colorado. Would be a great place to "hide out" for a few months.

[mdmost 43001]

6 minutes ago, swraith said:

Honestly was thinking about just packing up some shit and moving to Colorado for 6 months.  Parents have a condo in Steamboat that has been vacant for the last 3 months.  Would be a nice getaway as I can do all of my work remotely.

Why the fuck haven't you done this already? If this were an option, there is no reason to not be there. 

[Guest Lobo]

13 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

Didn't you post upthread that you're considering a move to Canada?  lol

Not moving, an 11-week extended vacation.  Big difference.  I can visit any place with a monarchy, or commonwealth-adjacent relationship...I could just never LIVE there.  As in residence.  Not that difficult a concept to grasp.  I stayed in Spain for about 75 days once, but would never live there as a resident.  

[Samson's Wig 3192]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

Not moving, an 11-week extended vacation.  Big difference.  I can visit any place with a monarchy, or commonwealth-adjacent relationship...I could just never LIVE there.  As in residence.  Not that difficult a concept to grasp.  I stayed in Spain for about 75 days once, but would never live there as a resident.  

Fair enough.