The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away from Home, Second Edition: Making a New Life Abroad (9 page)

Are your expenses and your income close? Then you’re in good shape for running away. If the gulf is wide, don’t be discouraged. Analyze each figure to see where you can add income or cut expenses to make your adventure possible in a few months or a few years.

The next best thing to having more money is needing less. For daily needs, economizing is easier once you’re away from the American culture. Sad to say, we Americans love to spend, but in many countries abroad the norm tends toward thrift, and people often take for granted that one must make do, fix things, borrow, and hand down.

Margot in France has mastered the art of
le troc
(barter), which is popular among friends in her rustic
Drôme Provençale
village. Everything is up for exchange, from haircuts to clothes, trucks to computer work.

Another key to managing costs is to carefully consider the things that really give you joy and those expenses that result merely from habit or boredom. Spend on what is vital to you and cut anything extraneous.

How you cut costs will depend on your interests, budget, location, and willingness to buckle down. Here are a few methods suggested by runaways.

Become a one- (or zero-) car family
. Many runaways survive without the costs involved in the purchase, gas, maintenance, and insurance for a vehicle. They use local transportation, not only more cheaply, but more conveniently. This is possible outside the United States because most other countries have extensive public transportation systems, making it easier to take a bus or train for excursions. Some expat couples get by easily without a car or, at the most, share one car between them, rather than the two considered essential in the States.

Rent a car for excursions only
. If you want a car for a trip, it’s cheaper to rent one for the length of a vacation rather than own a car and maintain it all year simply for two weeks of travel.

If you need a car, buy one used and pay cash
. You’re not out to impress anyone. You just want to get safely from one charming village to another, so look for a good used car. Pay cash to avoid finance charges and monthly bills. (This also helps keep you on budget when you see the full price of the car all at once.)

We found a sturdy and sporty Citroën with 140,000 kilometers, or approximately 100,000 miles, with all sorts of bells and whistles for the equivalent of $3,500. Except for repairing a muffler, service was minimal. Two times we took it to the dealer for minor questions about an oil light and a rear light that didn’t work. Both times the dealer fixed the problem free of charge. That may not be the norm, but ours was a friendly village, and we were good customers!

Down, down, downsize
. You’re not housing a family, and you won’t have all your belongings from the States, so rent the smallest furnished apartment or house that you can be comfortable in. The smaller your home, the less expensive it will be for rent, heating, and other utilities. A small place should require less maintenance too, leaving time for travel and fun.

Buy cheaply and renovate
. If you’re handy and like puttering around, find a house in need of work and put in sweat equity. If you buy in the right location and use your talents to fix a home up, you could increase its value and even come out with a profit if you later sell or rent it. Just remember that purchasing a house incurs up-front costs that must be
covered before you benefit from any increase in value. Buying a home is a serious decision and one you should make carefully, knowing that you will most likely stay in a location for a minimum of three years.

Exchange houses
. Find a compatible person who wants to live in your area in the States for several months or a year and exchange situations. There are professional services that provide names of people wanting to exchange homes (for more information, see
chapter 8
). You can often set up private arrangements through friends of friends or messages via the Internet. Naturally, you’ll check references before getting involved with anyone you don’t know. Request a copy of their passport and personal references before even giving out your specific address.

Eat at home
. When you live in an area long-term, you can fix most meals yourself, saving dining out for a special restaurant or occasion. This is the biggest cost savings over taking the typical hotel-based vacation.

Shop local markets for fresh produce
. Don’t buy imported and prepackaged products. Making meals from fresh ingredients is less expensive, and your adventure will more likely allow you the time to shop for foods at the local markets. Not only is a pasta primavera with fresh veggies inexpensive, it’s healthy and tastes fabulous.

Eat your main meal at lunch
. Restaurants offer full menus at lunch, often the same as what they’d serve at dinner, but they are less expensive. Eating a large meal earlier is better for your waistline, too, since you can walk off the meal while sightseeing in the afternoon.

Buy the fixed-price menu
. Some restaurants, especially in Western European countries such as France, Spain, Ireland, Holland, and Belgium, post the prices outside and include a fixed price for a multicourse meal. These offer a better value than ordering individual items.

Picnic when you travel
. Visit local stores and assemble fresh bread, meats or cheeses, fruit, and that tempting pastry. Then find a glorious spot to have your picnic. You’ll spend less money and eat better than when you pay inflated autoroute, train, or ferry prices.

Use the local medical system
. Though known for its advanced medical care, the United States medical system is among the costliest in the world. Many countries provide equal or even better services far less expensively. Ask other expats or locals which doctors they recommend. You may be pleasantly surprised when you pay $25 for a doctor’s visit that would be $100 or more in the States. Some countries, such as Mexico, even allow expats access to that
country’s low-cost insurance plans once they’ve become residents.

Take care of yourself
. Prevention is the best strategy to cut medical costs. Don’t overdo food, drink, exercise, or sun overseas. When you are tired or feel a cold coming on, take that nap. After all, you’re here to relax, so take advantage of it.

Use coupons and discounts
. Watch for the discounts provided overseas on trains, buses, movies, museum passes, and the like. Seniors often get special savings, but you don’t always have to be over sixty-five. Sometimes being sixty or even fifty-five suffices. Reductions are sometimes offered for transportation: for example, when two people travel together or travel during certain off-peak times.

Cut out all that paper
. Use old dishrags to clean with, not expensive paper towels. Keep the plastic bags you get at stores to use for storage and to line small wastebaskets. Save decorative papers from gifts; reuse them for your own gift giving.

Make it, reuse it, or make do
. Many of the things you need, you already have, especially clothes. Wear appropriate clothing but don’t be concerned that you have a wide variety. Most people abroad do not have the wardrobes Americans take for granted. In fact, closets abroad tend to be much smaller.

Don’t let limited money hold you back
. Be creative with your plans, finding less expensive ways to fund your adventure. Sell unneeded belongings. Save diligently. Your adventure can be affordable. Some adventures—like the Peace Corps—even pay
you
!

You may choose to run away from a traditional job, but finding some meaningful work overseas, whether part-time or full-time, may be part of your plans. It enables you to meet new people through the job and put some extra cash in your pocket.

Even if you work full-time, you will still find yourself with time to travel from your overseas base, thanks to the long holidays enjoyed in most countries outside the United States. Six weeks annually is common in Europe, for example, with many holidays creating four-day weekends. You can use that time to enjoy travel, hobbies, and social occasions.

I asked one expat in Switzerland how he managed to work, teach, and volunteer for American Citizens Abroad. His immediate response said it all: “Remember, I’m not still dealing with two-week vacations, like in the States.”

Before you can find work overseas you must first have the right to work. Naturally, countries want to keep jobs for their nationals and legal residents. This can prevent you from taking a formal job in many countries. However, you can work for a United States firm that provides the proper paperwork for a work visa, or a foreign firm requiring a specific set of services that cannot be found among their nationals (for example, knowledge of a computer program none of their people are familiar with).

In countries with high unemployment, such as France or Germany, you’ll have difficulty finding legal work. Other countries are more lax about enforcing the work laws. Or you can simply work for yourself, supplying a service or handicraft. In Portugal, Bob uses his admirable skills as a master furniture restorer to refinish antiques for many affluent Brits who are moving to the Algarve. Right now he has more work than he wants in retirement.

Why would you want a European Union passport? Because it will enable you to work legally in any European Union country, and that vastly expands your opportunities, not only to work but to live anywhere within the European Union without dealing with the hassles of long-term visas.

Some people are eligible for an EU passport and don’t realize it. If your grandparent was born in Ireland and you can prove it via birth records, you can apply for an Irish passport based on your heritage. Since Ireland is part of the European Union, your Irish passport, which you can have in addition to your U.S. passport and without losing your American citizenship, lets you travel and work throughout the European Union.

Some other countries, such as Italy, have similar policies on ancestry, so give your family history a close look. Check with a country’s embassy for specific details.

If you must work overseas, then find a job before you leave the States. If you insist on leaving without a job, at least investigate the opportunities for your destination thoroughly and develop marketable skills so you’re fully prepared to find work once you’re there.

Depending on your current skills, the country where you’ll be living, and the amount of money you’ll need to survive, you could have countless possibilities for jobs. If you’re in a position to arrange with your company to transfer you overseas, you can begin your adventure under the corporate umbrella.

Many of us simply want the cross-cultural or travel experience. In that case, the work you choose could be temporary, providing some extras that keep you from spending your retirement stash.

Full-time or part-time work can be an integral part of your immersion into the local culture. Here are some possible ways to earn money overseas.

You’ll see familiar logos all over the world, ranging from Coca-Cola to IBM, AT&T to Texas Instruments, and many more smaller companies than you would ever imagine. These companies staff their overseas offices with nationals of the country as well as specialists they bring from the States. If you already work for a company with international ties, check with your employer for opportunities that would transfer you overseas.

Read classified ads in your local paper and international papers such as the
International Herald Tribune
. Just before leaving for France I saw an ad in the
Atlanta Journal
, of all places, for an advertising copywriter in Brussels, which suited my qualifications. We had already made our plans in France, but it was tempting.

Start learning the language of your destination. It’s your ace. Even if you’re looking for a job with a U.S. firm overseas, you’ll need to work in the local culture, and knowing the language will give you a distinct advantage.

When temporary help firms hire workers, they request proof of a visa that allows the employee to work in that country. This is the best option but not always possible. You may have to look for more casual jobs that can be filled temporarily by transients. When the grapes need picking or the tourist resorts need more waiters who speak English, they’re not always fussy about the necessary work papers.