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zlatiah @lemmy.world

What are some of the things someone permanently relocating away from the US should be aware of?

Assume that this is not a wannabee, but someone who, for example, already has a solid job offer from an EU country, and some cash for the relocation.

81 comments

  • Welcome to Europe! I hope you'll have fun over here. Lots of things can or will be different, but not necessarily in a bad way.

    Laws are different. Sounds kind of obvious, until you learn that some countries have serious sentences for things like littering or chewing gum in public. Read up on the basics just in case. Knowing things like the fact that several EU countries demand that anyone can show ID at all times, so carrying an ID card or passport is mandatory, can save you from an awkward fine. Your foreign drivers license is NOT valid ID!

    The legal system may work differently. The "you have the right to remain silent" thing may not apply. Lawyers may work differently. The country you're relocating to may not have juries as part of the legal system. You're probably not going to need that information, but you're better off reading up on the basics just in case, you don't want to get surprised.

    Police violence and racism still exist in Europe, though it usually manifests in a different way. The difference will probably depend on your background and where exactly you're coming from, but there's no direct need to be nervous around police officers. Most of them don't have guns, and if they do, pulling them out at something as banal as a traffic stop will get them in trouble. However, if you're awfully nervous for no reason, they may start to get suspicious.

    Some countries offer some social benefits to only their citizens, not to legal migrants. Make sure you know what you are and aren't entitled to so you don't find yourself footing a massive medical bill. Also check for any mandatory insurances that may not apply to you now.

    Not every American credit card is widely accepted. They'll work in things like hotels, but maybe not for parking infrastructure. In some countries, credit cards barely work in grocery stores, for instance, especially in debit card-first countries. Taking out money abroad also costs quite a lot, so look into if you need to get a local banking account.

    Your driver's license is likely valid, but needs to be converted to an international driver's license for it to be recognized as such.

    If you get a mobile phone subscription from an EU country, mobile roaming charges are basically non-existent. However, if you're traveling, make sure you remember what countries are EU or not. Unexpected Swiss data charges from driving along the border can ruin your week.

    If you're between 18 and 21: the drinking age is lower. Please don't drink yourself into a coma. Additional alcohol laws may apply: some countries only allow selling alcohol at government run facilities, for instance.

    Smoking rules and practices differ per country and region. Some countries ban smoking in public outright, others still very much smoke everywhere.

    Some things will be a lot cheaper (healthcare), others will be a lot more expensive (alcohol, cigarettes, fuel). If you've planned ahead on your finances, make sure to use local prices.

    Many American brands have identical packaging for differently flavored products. We have coke and Fanta and Pepsi, but they may not taste like you expect. Same goes for a lot of food: many foodstuffs are still filled with sugar, but from what I've heard American food is even more sugary somehow, so food may taste a bit bland when you first get here. If you have a healthy diet, that should correct itself in a few weeks.

    I've never seen those mythical free soda refills mentioned in American movies in Europe. An expensive four euro glass of soda probably doesn't come with a free refill.

    Housing may work differently. Every country has their own rules for social housing and who can apply under what conditions. There are huge businesses out there that make money off scamming rich expats because of this. Make sure you're informed of the local housing situation ahead of moving, unless your company arranges (temporary) living arrangements for you. Some expats in cities like Amsterdam find themselves struggling for months to get a basic apartment, wasting a lot of money on hotels despite their lavish income.

    I'd recommend learning the local language, even if everyone you interact with at work will speak English. Quite a lot of expats find themselves socially isolated because the local populace doesn't want to speak English when hanging out with friends. Europeans, especially the younger half, generally understand English to the point where you can make yourself clear, so you have time, but if you want to make friends, you need to integrate.

    As you've probably heard, tipping is different. Tipping differs from "optional, but very welcome" to "insulting because of associations with bribes" depending on where you go. Read up on local customs if you're not going out with locals.

    Advertised pricing is almost always including tax. Don't add the 19-21% VAT in your head like you would with some American taxes, expect to pay the price as advertised. There are some exceptions (bottle deposits, for instance, but you can get that money back by handing in bottles at the right places) which will differ per country, but those shouldn't break the bank.

    Some countries are moving towards becoming cashless in practice. I use cash about five times a year, plus about a third of the times I visit Germany. Some stores may not accept cash. If you combine that with the "not all stores accept American credit cards", you may find yourself in a pickle. Luckily, things like Google Pay and Apple Pay use a universal protocol of sorts, so you can try setting that up as a backup.

    Check out how public transport works. Some countries let you travel for free, others will require paper tickets, and there are countries where your credit card can act like a travel pass. Some places sell tickets inside trains, others will demand you buy a ticket before entering.

    Traffic will work differently. Traffic signs are usually quite universal (stop signs even say STOP in France, unlike in French Canada!) but there are additional traffic indicators that probably work differently. Think painted lines on the ground to indicate right of way, special asphalt colours to indicate bicycle paths, but also traffic light placement. A quick read up before venturing into traffic would be wise. Some countries have a system where traffic coming from the right in an unmarked, unprioritised intersection will have right of way. If you're driving or taking a bike, better check up on when you need to stop! Also, crossing the road is generally not illegal ("jaywalking"), but use common sense when to use that freedom.

    Lastly, the tax thing: unless you earn serious bank, you're probably not paying extra taxes in the US. However, you are obligated to fill out tax forms. How the tax situation works depends on the country you move to. Some will have you pay American taxes and subtract them from local taxes, others will work the other way around. Either way, you're probably not paying extra; despite what some people claim, tax pressure within the EU and America is actually quite similar. You will end up with extra paperwork, though. Speaking of, check the pension situation for the job you're working for. If you don't check, you may end up paying into a foreign pension plan you won't have easy access to when you retire.

    Freedom of speech exists across the EU. However, it's not the rather absolutist freedom of speech Americans (think they) have. If you pull an Elon Musk hand wave in Germany, you may end up in a cell. Libel laws work differently, insults may work differently. You may not have the right to record police officers. Hate speech is generally not protected. Some countries have laws against blasphemy. If you take part in any protests, make sure you know what you can and can't say in public!

    Everything will be measured in metric. Kilometers, kilograms, liters. Some countries have local language equivalents for things like pounds or ounces, but they don't line up with your pounds or ounces. You'll hopefully pick up real quick that a meter is about three feet and a yard is about 100m and such.

  • If you go somewhere where the main language isn't English, you should make an effort to learn the local language. Yes, there are places like the Netherlands where virtually everybody speaks English well, but not putting in the effort means you'll always be an outsider.

    Things are smaller outside the US: vehicles, apartments, kitchens, refrigerators, etc. It can take a while to get used to not having the same space you're used to. Also, some devices like clothes driers are rare.

    Europeans take recycling seriously. In some places you have to pay to throw away garbage, while recycling is free. But, recycling is sometimes a real effort, like there's not a "glass and plastics" box, you have to take the clear glass to one place, the brown glass to another, etc.

    Tipping mostly doesn't exist. That means that if you go to a restaurant you don't normally have one assigned waiter. Whoever is free will help you, which tends to speed things up a lot. OTOH, since they're not working for tips, the waitstaff don't feel the need to fake a smile, pretend to be your friend, etc. Some Americans think that comes off as unfriendly.

    Electricity is more expensive (part of the reason for the smaller appliances) so sometimes will completely unplug things that an American would just turn off (like a TV).

    Businesses don't have the same convenient hours as in the US. In some places, like Switzerland, they almost completely shut down on Sunday. 24 hour places are much more rare.

    The European take on freedom of speech is different. You are simply not allowed to say certain things. Some things, like libel laws, are much more friendly to the person who is the target, rather than the "free speaker".

    Oh, and smoking is still much more common in Europe, and it can be pretty disgusting. In the US it has been largely eliminated from public spaces, and smokers are confined to small smoking areas. Even in private homes people will often smoke outdoors either to be considerate or because their landlord doesn't allow smoking indoors. In Europe, smoking is still common indoors in many places, and... ugh.

  • Well, as a European (i.e. good person), let me welcome you to the developed world. We're not snobby or greedy pigs like the Americans that invented Nazis. In fact, no country in Europe has ever looked down upon another country, continent, or people. We've also never colonized any countries nor do we conduct joint military exercises and operations with the US, and we definitely do not benefit from the US's foreign policy and interventions. All of our luxuries are home grown and have never been the result of our brutal exploitation of other countries that resulted in horrific dictatorships, genocides, and ongoing conflict. If I remember correctly from my free history class, we have never even been to war at all. Btw, we have real history over here. Yours only goes back 200 years and has nothing at all to do with ours. What do you guys even talk about in history classes? lol!

    There is absolutely no crime here in Europe, only healthcare. The other day on our superior mass-transit system, my friend was held at stethoscope-point by a criminal that alerted him that he had a heart murmur. I actually get a free diagnosis every morning. I have like 78 km of diagnoses written on superior A4 paper. We're also very cultured as we speak several languages, all European but still very cultured. There's absolutely no racism or oppression. All of my roommates have been Roma, Arabic, or African. My neighborhood has scheduled to protest for more minarets all week since the government makes sure we have enough vacation days to insist on diversity.

    Our food is so organic that it's composed of only carbon. That's it. When you go to a restaurant, the waiters pick their most European customers every metric hour and gives them money. That's right; our waiters tip us. We recycle everything and have never contributed in any fashion to climate change, and we have never supported Putin for decades by purchasing Russian gas. We're in no way upset that we contributed less to NATO than we agreed to, depended on the US to save our asses while we enriched Putin, and now are wondering wtf we're going to do since we don't have shit for a military nor our own fuel supply.

    It's about time you leave the US, who is 100% at fault for everything in the world and absolutely not an ally that serves as a scapegoat to compare ourselves against in order to distract from our bullshit.

    Edit: I forgot to mention that our chocolate is superior, and there is absolutely no child labor involved anywhere in the production line.

    • This depends on your destination, but you may need to unlearn the habit in tipping, as wait staff salaries are reasonable. Where I live it is common to enable the option for various services, but you're never really expected to. I might tip if something was far beyond expectations with staff going above and beyond what is expected of them, but I usually don't.
    • Extremely simplified/rounded metric: 1 meter = 1 yard or 3 feet
    • 1Kg = 2 pounds
    • 1 gallon = 4 liters (a standard serving of beer is 0.5 liters. Sometimes 0.33)
    • Almost everything carries some sort of tax. This is usually included in the price tag.
    • 50mph = 80kmh
    • most intersections don't have a stop sign. Yeld for anyone entering from your right hand side (unless you're in the UK or Ireland, where it's opposite)
    • Roundabouts are very common, but simple to learn. Think of it as a circular one-way street where you yeld for anyone already in it.
    • Learn the difference between Europe, EU, EEA and Schengen Area. In most cases you may be safe presuming they're the same, but there's a difference that may be relevant if traveling between European countries.
    • Most people speak English to varying degrees, but learning the local language is still very useful. Unless you're going to Denmark. Nobody understands Danish.
    • candy can be very different. European wine gum tastes very different from its US counterpart. The European version is of course far superior, and that's an objective and unbiased fact.
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