Back in 2006, when the first edition of this book came out, the bubbles were still inflating, the economy hadn’t yet crashed and despite the mounting evidence to the contrary, the mythology of America as the best of all possible worlds still lingered via some mysterious inertia. Those who were paying attention knew better, but sounding the alarm, saying that the USA was a place you wanted to leave, was a message that the public at large wasn’t yet ready to hear. Oh sure, moving abroad could be accepted as a delightful, purely elective and perhaps even frivolous lark. And of course, it can be that, as well. But there was a growing sense among people of “uh oh, maybe it’s time to get out.” Some of them never before imagined they would one day feel the need to flee. They didn’t know where to begin. “Leave? And go where? How? What would I do?”
My idea was to create an easy-to-use manual that could walk anyone through the process of looking for and finding a new life abroad. Regardless of whether a person was a fundamentalist Christian, left-wing radical or apolitical hedonist, the book would have to help them identify what they like and don’t like, need and don’t need, tolerate and can’t tolerate, and figure out how those applied to countries around the world and their respective costs of living, available employment and entry requirements. For such a thing to be useful for any American contemplating getting out, I needed to reach out beyond my own experience and research and tap into the expertise of Americans all around the world, from all walks of life, from every race, creed, color, age group, sexual preference and just about any other dimension that I could think of, and ask them to share their experiences moving and living abroad and their advice for others who wanted to do the same.
They were liberals creeped out by the Bush Adminstration’s sinister antics. Conservatives and libertarians alarmed by the soaring deficit. Muslims who no longer felt comfortable under the hostile and suspicious gaze of post-9/11 America, Jews who felt their Jewishness needed to be practiced in their ancestral homeland, and Christians who believed the U.S. didn’t allow them to freely invoke God whenever they had the urge. Some were lonelyhearts in search of love...or wanted to be united after they’d found it. Others sought adventure. Still others, jobs. Many could no longer “afford” America and moved to a place where their money would stretch further. More than likely, they were driven by a combination of factors. Each one was testament to the fact that there is no “typical American expat.” They operated under different, though often overlapping, criteria when evaluating where they should go. Likewise, they employed strategies both unique and tried-and-true for making it happen. Some were lucky. Others clever. And many simply persevered. Regardless of their level of education, expertise, or how articulate they might or might not be, each one offered, if only by their successful example, invaluable information as well as inspiration. Their suggestions and experiences could then be not only integrated into the general structure and focus areas of the book, but also shared directly with the readers themselves. Their support, encouragement and enthusiasm kept me going through the arduous days, weeks and months it took to put the whole thing together.
The result was Getting Out: Your Guide to Leaving America.
Upon release, Getting Out was pretty much either ignored or ridiculed by the mainstream media. Those who did deign to notice it found the material to be useful but thought the tone and attitude to be unnecessarily alarmist. Nevertheless, Getting Out found its audience. Independent bookstores all over the country displayed copies in their window...or it wound up in front of mega stores in the “Employee Picks.” Many blogs took notice. Word of mouth carried it the rest of the way. My inbox filled with countless emails from strangers, expressing their desire to leave the United States. For many of them, Getting Out represented the first affirmation that they were not alone—that what they were thinking and feeling was shared by a diffused and nearly invisible multitude.
That was then, as they say, and this is now. While our politicians played musical chairs, and pundits argued about what it all meant to the viewers at home, Getting Out has gone from being radically chic to desperately obvious. The State Department estimates that over five million of your fellow citizens (who are non-military or otherwise unaffiliated with the U.S. Government) have already made their exit, and the true figure is probably a lot higher given the huge numbers of Americans who leave and don’t bother to register their presence anywhere they can be counted. Network news and major newspapers now regularly report on how Americans by the droves are seeking opportunities in China or India, or moving to Canada and other countries with a saner healthcare system—or to Mexico, Costa Rica or the Philippines where decent lifestyles can still be led for pennies on the ever-shrinking dollar. Getting Out, as it were, had made it to prime time.
Needless to say, it was time for a facelift. We didn’t just replace old information with new, however. We also tweaked the format and cleaned up the design, making it easier to use. New countries have been added. In addition to presenting the most up-to-date visa, residency and citizenship information available, we’ve beefed up the information about taxes and finance, energy and employment, business and environmental policies, and food, drug and gun laws. We’ve located dozens of new contributors. This new edition of Getting Out: Your Guide to Leaving America is cleaner, meaner, more current and ready to help you meet the new realities. Many thanks to Cletus Nelson who researched, updated and sourced much of the information and data within.
Nowadays, it hardly needs to be pointed out anymore that the American Dream has been bankrupted—morally, politically and, without a doubt, economically. Our infrastructure rots, healthcare costs metastasize, and political discourse has turned into a World Wrestling Federation-like spectacle. Corruption has seeped into every capillary of our body politic. Powerful megabanks responsible for plunging the country into recession have been lavishly rewarded. Transnational corporations are given greater rights than a living, breathing U.S. citizen. Military adventurism marches ever onward while the fiat dollars that finance it are being Quantitatively Eased into oblivion.
The only question left is when is it all going to blow. And the answer is, it’s already started. And so should you.
All right, you had your little “fling” with hope. Now it’s time to get real.
Getting Out is a way for you to vote with your feet, outsource yourself or drop out of the rat race, off the grid or simply out of harm’s way. It’s the one power that still undeniably rests with every individual. Use it. Time is running out.
Mark Ehrman
Berlin, Germany