Should you Make a Run for it?
Why leaving the U.S. right now may not be the best thing to do.
Dear Readers,
In just a few short days from when this article publishes, a new U.S. president will be inaugurated, and the country will embark on a journey that some are embracing, and some are dreading.
Regardless of what your political viewpoint is (if you have one), arguably, the next few years in the United States of America, Europe, and the entire world, will certainly be historically noteworthy ones.
A husband-and-wife couple that we are close to, upon learning that the U.S. presidential election results were not what they had hoped for, told us that they were urging their adult children to obtain their U.S. passports and to also get passports for their young children, in case they all have to ‘make a run for it.’
It got me to thinking, can you really make a run for it? And if so, is leaving the U.S. right now the best thing to do?
This article is focused on readers who may be feeling uncertain about staying in the United States. For readers who have been with me for awhile, you know that I write about a variety of topics pertaining to moving to, visiting, or living in Portugal, so this particular post may or may not appeal to you. If you want to see all of the posts and the topics I have written about so far, check out my newsletter Table of Contents.
Short answer: You really just can’t ‘make a run for it.’
Practically speaking, no country that I’m aware of (or would want to live in), will let you legally stay in their country indefinitely. You may be thinking that there’s an option to seek asylum in another country, but that’s not easy to do.
If you’re considering living in Portugal as an American, you can stay in the country as a tourist for a period of 90 days. After that, you’ll need to apply for a visa and this process must begin in your country of residence. In addition, there are many, many other factors to consider including how you’ll support yourself (and your family) in another country, where you’ll live, where your kids will go to school, cultural and language challenges, bureaucracy, health care, taxes you may have to pay in a new country, and a plethora of other things too numerous to include in this article.
“You were one of the smart ones”.
If you are Portuguese or are already living in Portugal as an immigrant/expat, you too may also be hearing from folks in the U.S. wanting to make a run for it right now. Since November 2024, I’ve noticed an uptick in my subscriber count - many of whom live in the U.S. - and I’m fielding more inquiries from people asking me about how to move to Portugal. Plus, I’m often asked by subscribers, fellow expats, tourists, Uber drivers, and Portuguese citizens, about the personal reasons why Paul and I moved to Portugal.
In the present moment, most people think we moved because of U.S. politics. One Portuguese man recently said to me, “You saw this coming [the election results], and you got out [of the U.S]. You were one of the smart ones.”
Umm…no, not exactly.
The real reason(s) we left the U.S.
For one thing, I’m not that smart and would never have been able to predict in 2021 (the year we moved to Portugal), who was going to be elected as U.S. President in November 2024. So, in 2021, the U.S. political environment wasn’t on the top of our list. We were concerned then, as we still are now, about the future of our beautiful home country for many reasons, but politics and the direction the country was potentially moving toward was not the deciding factor.
What motivated us to move was a combination of reasons including wanting to experience living in Europe (and not just as a tourist), broadening our perspectives on a variety of things such as different cultures, cuisines, diversity, and history; feeling personally safer, curiosity and the urge to reach out of our comfort zones, the desire to live with less fluff and stuff, how best to stretch our retirement dollars but still maintain a comfortable lifestyle, have access to affordable health care, and the strong pull to learn more about my Portuguese ancestry. We could “see” ourselves in Portugal well before we arrived.
When we made the decision to make the move, we began with a lot of research and secured reliable resources to help us so that when we finally arrived in Portugal, we felt comfortable, settled, and happy.
Moving to another country is hard.
Making a run for it is, in my view, more of a reaction to panic and fear. It’s never a good place to make big decisions from. People need to have a focused mindset when moving abroad because it’s a very hard thing to do. For Paul and me, the transition to move from the U.S. to Portugal was fairly easy, but only because we spent a lot of time preparing for it and we didn’t have children or pets or other types of responsibilities to think about.
For example, we spent a great deal of time soul-searching and discussing many different options. We looked at different parts of the United States to move to. We considered Costa Rica, Panama, Spain and Italy as options. Ultimately, Portugal rose to the top of our list. It took a few years.
Leaving our Arizona home (which we loved), and our families and our friends was hard. We were brutally honest with each other and had sometimes uncomfortable, frank discussions about our feelings. We dug deep emotionally to be sure we were moving for all the right reasons.
What worked for us may not work for you. Everyone is different and our experiences will not be yours if you decide to move to Portugal or to any other country. There will be challenges and changes to overcome. How you view and adjust to your new lifestyle will largely be influenced by how you view your entire life. Give yourself the time to reflect on that before making a move you could regret.
So, what should you do if you can’t make a run for it?
I have a few suggestions for your consideration:
Don’t panic. Things in the U.S. can’t all change overnight – I’m not trying to diminish the uncertainty, fear, and frustration people may be experiencing in this moment. A storm is brewing and it will be a bad one. The threat is real. This article helped me to put things into perspective:
If you still think a move to Portugal or to another country is right for you, just remember, you don’t have to make a run for it. There will certainly be change, but everything can’t change overnight.
Start exploring options – Don't wait until the last minute. Do some research and start exploring possible options. This resource is a good starting point.
Make a contingency plan – If you decide on a future move to another country, make a list of the documents you’ll need, how to obtain them, resources you can tap into when needed, and the requirements necessary to make a move. Update as needed as part of a contingency plan. Keep abreast of changes that can and do occur regarding those requirements. Start the process of getting rid of the stuff you don’t need. Just because a country might offer options for resident visas now, doesn’t mean that the offer will be there when you want it or that the rules and regulations won’t change.
Stay engaged – Personally, it’s been difficult recently for me to tune into the mainstream news media in the U.S. And I have never relied on social media platforms to get my news, although I know others who do. But as long as I have family and friends in the U.S., I want to know what’s going on. Plus, it’s my home country, and I still believe in it!
If you’re feeling disengaged, stop. It’s imperative that you stay informed and not tune out! There are many excellent resources out there where you can get fact-based information. Here are a couple that I read:
And finally, stay hopeful. It is always darkest before the dawn. As depressing as things might seem to some, I genuinely believe there are more good people in the world than bad. Good people also have enormous power to make positive changes. Stay hopeful.
Although I am not an expert in immigration, legal matters, politics, or finance, I am rather good at gathering reliable resources and breaking information down into easy-to-understand pieces. I have been busy compiling a library of information on a variety of topics related to moving to, visiting, and living in Portugal. I will continue to stay informed, relevant, hopeful, and curious. If I can be a resource for you, you know where to find me.
Thanks for being on this journey with me!
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Until next time…
Obrigada!
Carol.
Carol- your perspective is always so refreshing. Thank you for this excellent piece. My concerns, as a US citizen and resident have never been greater. But I, too, remain hopeful. Although I anticipate darkness, I also believe in the goodness of people. And I plan to travel to help my perspective, to provide light in the darkness and to offer myself an opportunity to remain grounded in the knowledge that there are decent and kind people everywhere. Hope is our ( and your) state motto. And I hold fast to that. Be well.
Your friends urging their kids to get passports are very wise. From not so distant history: Ukrainians with valid passports had much easier time settling in other countries after they had "to make a run for it". From more distant history: It may be a good time to read again Remarque's "Arch of Triumph"...Things can go bad really fast, it is a smart thing to have a valid passport.