Still have questions? Well, that’s not surprising. There is only so much information that can be packed into one book. This one has given you the lay of the land (actually, many lands) so that you can understand what is easy, difficult or impossible for you, what appeals to you and what doesn’t and what you might have to sacrifice along the way. You have an idea about your best options and dealbreakers. In other words, you know how to THINK about Getting Out.
As you put your plan into action, we encourage you to branch out further—find the mother lode of information for the exact country and topic that most interests you. There is a world of resources out there—informal networks of like-minded individuals, websites, organizations, agencies, as well as a host of books and other publications—to help you succeed. The trick is in knowing where to search.
Bottom line: this is a uniquely advantageous time to be living abroad. Thanks to the Internet, there is a wealth of information at your fingertips. There are countless blogs, websites, and other resources available to answer your questions or point you in the right direction. We’ve amassed some quality websites below which we hope you find helpful. Even more resources can be found at gettingoutofamerica.com.
And don’t forget that, ultimately, your most valuable resources are made of flesh and blood, not 1s and 0s. Many of the websites below offer user forums and other functions where you can connect with actual people who are already living where you want to live and doing what you want to do. And don’t forget your social network. Facebook (facebook.com), Twitter (twitter.com) and other social networking platforms can be indispensible in building a network that will help you get to where you’re going and make your life easier once you get there.
Ironically, two of the most helpful resources for Americans planning their escape are funded and operated by the same country you’re leaving behind—the CIA and the State Department. At www.state.gov and travel.state.gov, you’ll find a world of information regarding travel to and living in every country on the planet—courtesy of the government you’re saying goodbye to. Even more information and local resources can be found at the website of the U.S. Embassy in that country, a list of which (along with addresses, URLs, etc.) can be found at www.usembassy.gov.
For a detailed lowdown about any aspect of any country, check out the CIA World Factbook. Updated annually, you get the latest on the balance of trade, miles of coastline, incidence of AIDS, number of paved runways and any other wonky question you might have. It costs a little over 10 bucks on Amazon, and there is also a Kindle edition for a dollar less, but you can simply peruse it online and even download the book for free at www.cia.gov/library. We recommend the Central Intelligence Agency’s fine work to anyone who is planning to escape the U.S. You’ll never get a better chance to appreciate your tax dollars at work.
Also indispensable is the Portals to the World site which gives a country resource list compiled by the subject experts at the Library of Congress: www.loc.gov.
To obtain a country’s official immigration and visa policies and requirements beyond those of a casual tourist, navigate your way to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, though you may find they lead you to other, more dedicated, immigration sites. Most these days have an English version and generally provide a full list of that country’s embassies and consulates around the world, whose individual websites (particularly foreign embassies/consulates in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries) are also sources of similar, though often not identical, information. Look for the tab marked “consular affairs.” You can find a comprehensive list of official government websites at www.govspot.com and a specific embassy and consulate list at www.embassyworld.com.
You’ll also find that many of the most comprehensive reports and data compiled on countries are done by banks and other corporate institutions and associations. Generally, these focus on business and economics, but since there’s hardly an aspect of life in a nation that doesn’t impact the overall economy, the information collected tends to be pretty comprehensive.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development: An international organization dedicated to studying the interaction between policy and quality of life, compiles numerous in-depth reports, databases and statistics of a variety of variables affecting the quality of life in their member countries, comprising most of the developed world. www.oecd.org
New Economics Foundation: A refreshing antidote to the point of view of rapacious capitalism, this anti-globalism foundation publishes reports and compiles economic and other data “as if people and the planet matter.” www.neweconomics.org
World Bank: Data, resources, and publications about the performance of governments around the world. www.worldbank.org
World Economic Forum: WEF provides a wealth of economic data, reports, and analysis on countries around the world. www.weforum.org
And of course, if a country flies a U.N.-recognized flag, there’s plenty of info on it on the U.N.’s website (www.un.org). Navigating through it and those of its affiliated organizations, however, is not always easy, though the search engine should take you right to where you want to go.
Other good general sites include...
Convert It: A handy site to bookmark since it offers measurement, time zone and currency conversion plus international phone codes and a whole lot else. www.convertit.com
Countries of the World: A massive and searchable database compiling histories, data and other facts about every country in the world. www.theodora.com/wfb