8 Expats Who Found Love (Could it Happen to You?)
8 Expats Who Found Love (Could it Happen to You?)
The subreddit r/expats is a great place to read people’s experiences living abroad, ask questions, network, and get advice. Recently, user u/yogahikerchick asked for stories from people who moved to a new country and fell in love. These were some of our favorites.
1. United Kingdom
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“I moved from Australia to the UK in August 2019, for what was meant to be a year at most of work/ travel.
In Feb 2020, I fell in love with a British man. We all know what happened in March 2020, and given I had no family in the UK, I moved in with him for “3 weeks,” so I wouldn’t be alone. I never actually moved out.
Now we own a house together and are getting married”
—u/upsidedown-aussie
2. Italy
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“Moved to Italy to teach ‘for 6 months’ in 2001, when I was 21. Never left. Moved around the country a couple of times, and then met my partner in a bar in 2005 (he’s from this town). In all honesty, if I hadn’t met him I would have moved on again, whether to another Italian city, another country or even back to the UK I don’t know, but I definitely wasn’t planning on staying around here!
It’s funny because many people immediately assume I moved here for him – they’re often surprised to learn I came here by myself when I was young and was already living and working here when I met him.”
—u/PlumCrumble_
3. Ireland
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“Went to the UK on a Working Holiday Visa. Friend and I were ticking off the festivals /events (Oktoberfest, Hogmanay, Bastille Day etc). We were supposed to go to Dublin for St Patrick’s Day. Day before she cancels as insufficient funds’. I still went.
I met a guy enjoying the craic (fun) outside a pub. He didn’t speak English.
Three years long distance, taught him English, got married, moved to Ireland. Here almost a decade, still happily married.”
—u/lifeversion9
4. United States
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“Met my now husband in New York while studying (he’s American, I’m Norwegian) We moved to Norway in the end bc of reasons. But New York will always be my magical smelly overcrowded loud happy place where dreams come true.”
—u/Lillemor_hei
5. Philippines
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“I spent a year solo backpacking around the world almost 10 years ago. At the end of the trip, I met someone in the Philippines and fell in love. I was planning on staying 2 weeks and ended up staying 2 months.
I ran out of money so I had to go back to my home country to work. 6 months later I talked her into quitting her job and backpacking around SE Asia with me.
We got married and she immigrated to my country to be together. That was 7 years ago and the rest is history. We continue to travel as much as we can and plan to live abroad again in a couple years.”
—u/snobordin8
6. Switzerland
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“Traveled solo to Zurich – met my husband on a bar crawl. Funnily enough there wasn’t any immediate attraction on my end even though we did chat a bit, but we stayed in touch coz he was coming to my city in the US for a conference in a few months. We hung out then, got drunk together, and the rest was history.
—u/sushiriceonly
7. France
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“Went to France 3 months for a performing gig. I has taken some French lessons before leaving and was tired of only hanging out with my American cast mates. Download Tinder for the first time I match with a really “normal” seeming guy.
He visited me in the other cities I was performing in, we dated long distance for a year. I sold all my earthly possessions and moved to France (legally). We have been married for almost 5 years ❤️ He’s truly the love of my life.”
—u/ciaobella912
8. Sweden
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“I went to Sweden to do my masters. I was stuck with a BA that I loved, but with no career paths. Since I could only do a master in the field of my bachelors in Germany I decided to pursue a degree abroad, didn’t care about the country, but exclusively chose among Unis and programs. Initially I planned on returning to Germany after 10 months and finish my degree remotely. Contrary to many other Germans I did not grow up with dreaming about Scandinavia and tbh I thought the country would be boring and was really not thrilled to move.
At the first day of the international orientation I met this girl at lunch. I was terribly homesick, no one talked to me in the morning and all in all I was having a bad time. The last free seat in the cafeteria was at her table, so I joined her group. The next weeks she kept me company, we were doing almost everything together and I had a blast to introduce her to some European standards, eg how a radiator works. She was there for me when I was terribly homesick. After 1 month I lost the room that I rented and she let me stay with her. And I kind of never moved out of her place. Soon people began to assume we both moved to Sweden together because we got along so great and it was perfect. We became That college couple.
5 years forward we are getting ready to move to the capital. Both of us agree that we would have moved back to our home countries if it wasn’t for each other.
I went to Sweden to find a new path and met my soulmate there. Looking back it all came together perfectly, we met on our first day of Uni, and now we’re approaching our 5 year anniversary.
And I will be eternally grateful for this group of girls that so obviously excluded me in that morning session and pushed me to go to the cafeteria alone.”
—u/AmateurShark
20 Best Countries for Women Who Want to Leave the U.S.
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If you’re a woman considering immigration for yourself, the Women Peace and Security Index is a good place to start. This data, compiled by Georgetown University, uses metrics like education, cellphone use, legal discrimination, and partner violence to measure women’s quality of life.
➤ 20 Best Countries for Women Who Want to Leave the U.S.
Best Cities for Lesbian Expats
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With anti-queer rhetoric ramping up across the U.S., LGBTQ+ folks of all stripes are looking to leave for new homes where they can live loud and proud. Here’s the best cities for lesbian expats looking to move abroad.
➤ Best Cities for Lesbian Expats
The 10 Best Cities for Gay Men Expats
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Looking to leave the US behind and find gay-friendly cities abroad? Whether it’s sunny beaches in Latin America or cooler climates in the Nordic countries calling your name, Expatsi’s got you covered. Here’s our list of the 10 best cities for gay men.
➤ The 10 Best Cities for Gay Men Expats
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?