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IT’S NEVER EASY to uproot and leave home to start over in a foreign place, especially if you’re expected to work in a new environment, make new friends, adjust to culture shock, pick up a new language/dialect, and speaking in a local accent.
No matter how many times you’ve visited the place prior, actually living there is a different ball game.
If you’re lucky, you’ll land Portugal, which is the most welcoming country for expats, according to an Expat Insider.
Expat networking site InterNations released a recent Expat Insider survey which is based on the insights of 13,000 expats from 188 countries and territories.
The survey found that social butterflies will love settling down in Portugal, Canada, and Mexico, where there are native English speakers as well as second-language speakers.
It also helps that the people from these nations are generally friendly. Ninety-four percent of expats currently living in Portugal said locals have a friendly attitude towards expats and are helpful, and they look out for each other.
Thus, it’s safe to assume that making friends won’t be much of a problem.
Source: Unsplash.
Surprisingly, three countries that made top 10 in the survey are non-native English-speaking Asian nations. Taiwan, Cambodia, and Vietnam took second, fourth, and ninth place respectively.
- Portugal
- Taiwan
- Mexico
- Cambodia
- Bahrain
- Costa Rica
- Oman
- Colombia
- Vietnam
- Canada
Despite its people speaking primarily in Mandarin and the Hokkien dialect, Taiwan is a place that expats may never leave. Thirty percent of survey respondents applaud the country and agree that they’re likely to stay forever.
Source: Unsplash.
This is not the first time Taiwan is claiming such a high spot in an Expat Insider survey.
In 2016, Taiwan was awarded the title of best expat destination in the world.
Typing to Taipei, a website for everything Taipei-related run by an Australian expat wrote, “As most expats based here will attest to, Taiwan is without a doubt one of the best places to live in the world as an expat.”
“Not only is it relatively easy to integrate here as an expat, there are so many facets to Taiwan that will keep you constantly intrigued. Taiwan boasts the most captivating blend of attributes: warm-hearted locals, a fusion of historic and modern culture, mesmerizing temples and shrines, sweeping natural landscapes, ridiculously delicious cuisine, and a buzzing nightlife.”
Cambodia and Vietnam also did quite well in the “friendliness towards expats” aspect, with 92 percent and 83 percent of expats agreeing respectively.
On the flip side, expats heading to Finland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, or Kuwait will have to brace themselves for a chilly reception as these countries are right at the bottom of the ranks.
The post These Asian countries are most welcoming for expats appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com