The Expat Escape Route: What These “Best Places to Move” Guides Aren’t Telling You
So, here we are. The 2024 election came and went, and once again, Donald Trump came out on top.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Well, maybe it’s time to look at that ‘Best Places to Move for Americans’ list again,” I don’t blame you. The frustration, the urge to escape to a place that feels less like…this, is real. But before we start packing our bags, let’s talk about some critical details that expat guides often leave out, especially for anyone who isn’t a straight, cisgender man.
It’s a lot more than a plane ticket and a new address; you need to know about reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and other legal and cultural landscapes that might not be friendly to everyone.
The Expat Checklist: Missing Some Key Items
Many articles on sites like Nomad Capitalist or Mirabello Consultancy throw out enticing recommendations for places like Uruguay, Portugal, or the UAE. They highlight affordable healthcare, great weather, and flexible residency options—basically all the ingredients of the “expat dream.” But what you won’t find is a detailed look at issues like abortion laws or LGBTQ+ rights. They’re selling an idealized vision without mentioning whether you can safely be yourself or access essential healthcare.
Reproductive Rights: Not Exactly a “Fun Fact”
If you’re considering a move, knowing where a country stands on reproductive rights is critical—especially for anyone who feels the squeeze of America’s increasingly restrictive policies. While some expat guides may casually mention healthcare, they often skip over specifics like abortion laws.
In many countries that make the expat lists, abortion access is either heavily restricted or outright criminalized. Moving abroad for the sake of greater freedom, only to find that your new home limits your healthcare options? That’s not exactly the liberation many people envision.
LGBTQ+ Rights: What “Friendly” Really Means
Now, let’s talk about what it means to be LGBTQ+ in some of these supposedly expat-friendly countries. Take the UAE, which occasionally makes these lists for its “tax benefits” and “vibrant expat scene.” What you might not know until you’re already knee-deep in relocation logistics is that homosexuality is illegal in the UAE, punishable by imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Even in countries where LGBTQ+ rights are legally recognized, cultural acceptance isn’t always a given. Latin American countries, like Uruguay, often have strong legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, but some regions in Latin America, and even in Europe, come with their own challenges.
You deserve to know if you’re moving to a place where the local culture may still not fully embrace you, regardless of what’s on paper. This matters especially if you want to live outside the city centers or tourist hot spots, hoping for a lower cost of living.
Quality of Life Means Freedom, Not Just Cheap Rent
These articles often talk about “quality of life” as though it’s just about the weather, cost of living, or a nice beach view. But if the quality of life is about living without fear and with freedom over your body and identity, then there’s a lot more that needs to be considered.
Moving abroad is more than just a form of escape. You’re making a choice about the kind of life you want to build. It’s easy to be seduced by lists of top destinations that tout affordable living and easy visa processes, but moving somewhere with fewer rights and protections doesn’t make sense if those are the very things you’re hoping to escape by leaving the U.S.
Why Expat Guides Need to Be Transparent About Rights and Freedoms
These expat articles could do a lot better by providing a full picture. How hard is it to add a section on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and other human rights issues? With the U.S. political landscape as charged as it is—and people actively looking for options to protect their freedoms—these issues are relevant, important, and downright necessary.
So next time you scroll through an expat list, remember to read between the lines. Do your own research and dig deeper into the actual lived experience you might face abroad. Because escaping America’s challenges doesn’t mean swapping them for a place with the same—or worse—issues.
Until these sites step up their game, we have to be our own advocates. Make sure that your next home respects you as much as you respect the decision to go there.
And for a little context, here’s a spreadsheet I put together using recommended countries for American expats.
Final Thoughts:
Moving abroad isn’t just about the here and now; it’s about the stability and trajectory of the place you’re choosing as your new home. Besides reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections, other essential factors often left unmentioned in expat guides are rates of gender-based violence, gender equality, and the political climate. In some countries that appear friendly on paper, gender-based violence remains a pervasive issue, with protections either lacking or poorly enforced. And then there’s the growing trend of right-wing political power in nations across Europe, Latin America, and beyond. Many of these countries are grappling with their own versions of populism and authoritarianism, creating the risk that you’ll uproot your life only to watch your new home elect their own Trump in a few years.