Exactly this. I mean, I know I qualify for the golden visa or equivalent in a number of countries in which I'd like to live. But that's *very* different from it making sense for me to turn on a dime and move there. And that's before I consider things like moving away from elderly family, leaving friends, and more.
But I've shifted from "it sounds nice to have an expat retirement in one of these places 10-15 years from now" to "I should start looking into what this would look like as the chance I'd want or need to do this sooner is no longer 0%". And that's a huge indictment on the state of affairs here in my mind.
You get it lol. I just want to be in a position where if I need to start making hard decisions I not only can but can quickly.
I know you probably know all of this, yet your response is vastly oversimplifying the issue. You would’ve just quit your job, packed up your family and belongings, sold your house if you own one, uprooted your kid(s) if you’re a parent, said goodbye to any friends/family here, and left weeks into the administration for a country you aren’t a citizen of? Just like that?
If it was just moving to another state, even though that is also not without its challenges, I could see an argument for that. That’s probably more akin to what it’s like moving around Western Europe/the EU. But permanently leaving the US is no small matter.