The 7 Friendliest Countries for Expats

By Shaldene Edwards

When it comes to moving abroad, a warm welcome can make all the difference. Discover the 7 friendliest countries for expats based on our annual Expat Insider survey results.

1. Brazil

Brazil's locals are the friendliest towards foreigners, according to more than nine in ten expats living there (92%). Many expats find Brazilians legendary for their friendliness, with one US respondent noting that this reputation is completely justified.

In fact, 57% of expats in Brazil would possibly stay forever, drawn in by the welcoming atmosphere.

2. Costa Rica

Looking for an adventure? Many expats in Costa Rica moved to experience the excitement of living there, so a welcoming community is definitely a bonus. Around 90% of respondents agree that locals in Costa Rica are friendly towards foreigners.

Additionally, 85% are happy with their life abroad, a testament to the welcoming nature of the country.

3. Indonesia

“The people are warm and friendly, and the country has beautiful places to explore,” shares an Indian respondent in Indonesia.

It seems hardly surprising then that expats are very happy with their life in Indonesia (84%).

And with 41% planning to possibly stay there forever, it seems Indonesia has truly captured the heart of many.

4. The Philippines

Thinking of retiring but don’t know if you’ll make new friends?

The Philippines is quite welcoming, with 84% of expats agreeing that the locals are friendly. And more than half of expats in the Philippines (58%) plan on staying forever.

5. Vietnam

Vietnam is a popular destination among expats who’re relocating because they simply enjoy living abroad.

With its welcoming nature — 89% of respondents find that locals are friendly towards foreign residents — Vietnam makes an ideal country for those seeking a fresh start. Over four in five expats in Vietnam (81%) are happy with their life there.

6. Mexico

“I love the laid-back and welcoming attitude of the locals and their enjoyment of life,” a US American respondent shares.

In Mexico, 40% of expats consider staying forever, drawn in by friendly and life-loving locals, among other positives. In fact, Mexico ranks 2nd overall in the Expat Insider survey.

7. Colombia

Colombians are known for their warmth, with 86% of expats agreeing that they’re friendly. And with welcoming locals making it easy to feel at home, at least 80% of respondents in Colombia are happy with their life abroad.

As a British expat points out: “I really appreciate the genuine, honest, helpful, sincere, and good people here.”

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About Shaldene Edwards

Shaldene is the Marketing and Communications Intern at InterNations. She is currently completing her studies in International Management as a bachelor's student. She likes travelling, learning about new cultures, and meeting new people.

Repatriation (and the Culture Shock that Comes with It)

By Alannah Harris

When thinking of moving back home, you might not foresee difficulties in integrating or settling back in — you are from that country after all. But this is part of what makes reverse culture shock so difficult — you just don’t expect it!

Similar to culture shock, reverse culture shock has multiple stages to battle through before you can feel settled into your home once again. Find out more, including how to overcome it.

Feeling Great!

Reverse culture shock begins with a period of happiness, known as the honeymoon period. You arrive back in your home country, you can read and understand all the signs around you, you hear a familiar language when people talk, and you recognize the roads and towns on the journey home. It is a nice feeling! It gets even better when you meet up with old friends, see your family, and tell stories about your life in another country as they listen enviously. However, within a few days or weeks of being back, you may start to feel a sense of unfamiliarity, like a layer of fog. This is when the negative side of reverse culture shock hits.

Feeling Out of Place

After a short period of time at home, you may start to feel uncomfortable. Your favorite restaurant has shut down, people have left your hometown, roads have changed, and new buildings have popped up where there were only fields before — things have changed and many repatriates say they feel like a foreigner in their own country. The feelings of alienation and isolation you experienced when you first moved abroad can return and it can feel as if no one understands what you’re going through. This is a great time to reach out to expat friends or people who have gone through the same experience who can provide sympathy and understanding to your situation.

Feeling Back at Home

This is where your experiences abroad can influence your life back at home. You are not the same person you are when you left, so it is unrealistic to assume you will just slot back into your old life. Once the reverse culture shock wears off, you can allow the habits and traits you picked up while living abroad to become a part of your life at home and this blend of cultures will become part of your core personality.

How to Conquer the Shock

Stay International

Cook food which you ate abroad, watch the TV shows you used to binge, listen to music or radio which used to be the soundtrack to your life abroad. Applying what you learned abroad to life in your home country is a great way to maintain your expat personality even if the label has changed from “expat” to “repatriate”.

Keep in Touch

You may feel homesick for your life abroad: you miss your expat friends and your old house. To address this feeling, use the same techniques as when you first moved abroad. Organize calls with your friends, do online quizzes, and keep up to date with their lives on social media. Remember, you can always go back and visit them (once travel restrictions allow)!

Talk about It

We all have a friend who talks about their amazing trip to Australia five years after it happened! While sharing your stories from abroad is a great way to keep the experience alive, make sure you aren’t talking about it too much. A great way to ensure you remember your time abroad is to write a blog, do a video series, or jot them down in a diary. These pieces don’t necessarily have to go anywhere or be shown to anyone, but they allow you to order your thoughts and reflect on how it feels to be back without talking about the same things over and over to your friends and family.

Move On

By no means should you forget or belittle your time abroad, but at the same time, it is important not to dwell on the past too much. Depending on the reason you moved back home, think about what is next! Getting a new job? Further study? Concentrate on the next step, it will help the adjustment process and give you motivation to move on from expat life.

Try New Things

One of the many amazing things about life abroad is that every day is challenging, exciting, and new. When you go home, days can feel monotonous because you aren’t having these new experiences all the time. To conquer this, find new things to do at home! Join a sports club, start a new hobby, explore different parts of your hometown or have a staycation!

Stay Positive

Yes, you will have bad days, you are only human. Coming back after a long time away is a shock to the system and it is difficult to adjust but it will get better, just as it did when you first moved abroad. Remember how lucky you are to have had that experience and cherish the memories but move forward with the infinite number of lessons that life abroad taught you about yourself.

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About Alannah Harris

Originally from Ireland, Alannah has enjoyed an expat upbringing. During her studies of economics and German at Cardiff University, she worked as the social media intern at InterNations. 

What Makes Me a Global Mind? www.internations.org interviewed me...

In our InterNations Recommended Blog section we let you take the spotlight! Expat life in general is, of course, a perfect breeding ground for great, user-generated reads, and life in the Philippines makes no exception. Take your time and browse the great blogs showcased in this article!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Who you are, where you come from, when you moved to the Philippines, etc.

I am from Northrine Westfalia in Germany and moved to the Philippines for good in 1999 after visiting the country since 1982 regularly. Right now I am teaching German language at a state university in Davao City/Mindanao; I am a journalist for radio/print/TV and a certified translator, blogger and businessman.

When and why did you decide to start blogging about your experiences?

I started blogging some 10 years ago, because that's the easiest way to tell the whole world what you are thinking about.

Do you have any favorite blog entries of yours?

Unfortunately, I don't have any favourite entries of my blog yet.

Tell us about the ways your new life in the Philippines differs from that back home. Did you have trouble getting used to the new circumstances? Did you experience culture shock?

I got no problems in my new expat life.

Do you think you were fully prepared for what awaited you in the Philippines? If you could, would you change some decisions/preparations you made?

Yes, I was fully prepared and I would never regret that I moved to the Philippines. Many expats just came here - very blue-eyed and then complaining. My advice: plan first before you move here.

Every expat knows that expat life comes with some hilarious anecdotes and funny experiences. Care to share one with us?

Sorry, nothing available right now.

Which three tips would you like to give future expats before they embark on their new life in the Philippines?

• Check first your financial background. If you are in financial troubles, nobody will help.
• Second: Think before moving here, what you gonna do. Being bored is killing.
• Third: Try to stay in the Philippines for a year or so, before you break down all bridges to your home country.

How is the expat community in the Philippines? Did you have a hard time finding like-minded people or fellow expats?

There are a lot of expat communities in the Philippines. As a journalist I didn't have problems to find same-minded expats.

How would you summarize your expat life in the Philippines in a single, catchy sentence?

There is no paradise on earth, but it's really fun in the Philippines.

What makes me a Global Mind? There are many answers. I was always interested in foreign countries and their people and culture. And, my spouse is from the Philippines. Of course, http://www.internatons.org with an awesome large network around the globe helped me a lot connecting more global minds - not only in the Philippines.

An Email from InterNations GmbH in Germany

I was very glad to receive the following email from Germany:

Dear Mr. Klaus Doring,

First of all let me congratulate you on your informative website. I liked the way you structured the information in order to give useful tips for your visitors about culture, lifestyle, your adventures and a lot more! I was personally happy to see your commitment and ability to write interesting posts about the daily life in the Philippines as an expatriate!

I am sure that our expatriate members would be happy to have a look at your blog! ... I will be more than happy to create an entry for you in our City Guide. This way we can draw our members' attention to your website and promote it among 200,000 members. 

... Here is some more information about InterNations: InterNations is the biggest global networking site for expats of various nationalities and their family members. At the moment InterNations unites more than 200,000 members in 235 cities worldwide. On our platform, expatriates and their partners can connect with compariots, ask for advice on everyday life in their host country, provide other members with useful tips, make new contacts and find information in our City Guides.

... The restrictions - membership is invitation-only - are necessary for our community in order to maintain a high level of quality, trust and confidence for our member base. The registration process is easy, safe, free of charge, and it will take you only a few minutes.

...Keep on updating your exciting Blog!

Sincerely 

PHILIPP VON PLATO

Founder & Managing Director InterNations GmbH, Muenchen/Germany.

Thank you very much Philipp von Plato. I joined already your community and for all those, you like to join also, here is the link:

http://www.internations.org/expats/home/philippines
http://www.internations.org

Or visit my "Important Links/Wichtige Links" and click "Expatriats"!