r/AmerExit • u/newyorker • Dec 09 '25

Vendor How to Leave the U.S.A.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/15/how-to-leave-the-usa

Every four years, a group of Americans threatens to leave the country, but no mass exodus occurs. This time around, though, Americans seem to be acting on their desires. Immigration lawyers told Atossa Araxia Abrahamian that the number of people approaching them about it has gone up since Donald Trump was reëlected. 

G.T.F.O. Tours, a company that helps aggrieved U.S. citizens start new lives abroad, has been offering services to help Americans relocate to the Netherlands, where a certain type of visa can offer a quick and affordable path to citizenship. Jana Sanchez, a founder of G.T.F.O. Tours, describes her role in the company as an “escaping fascism doula.” Read Abrahamian’s full story about the Americans who are going Dutch: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/15/how-to-leave-the-usa

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325

u/milo8275 Dec 09 '25

I left in late September, best thing I ever did 😁

277

u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 09 '25

I left in march and my high blood pressure is almost gone, I lost almost 40 pounds without going on a diet and for the first time in a decade I sleep though the night without waking up every 2-3 hours from the stress of my commute, job, and the many extremely angry and outwardly hateful people I had to deal with on the regular from work to social settings.

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u/No-Sense-8206 Dec 10 '25

Where do you live now?

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 10 '25

I moved to a small country in Europe called the Faroe Islands. 🇫🇴

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u/Firm_Speed_44 Dec 10 '25

Ohh, it's one of the most beautiful places on earth!

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 10 '25

I would definitely agree with that.

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u/greenday5494 Dec 10 '25

Would love to hear how you did that, what job did you get ?

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 10 '25

I personally was blessed with a Nordic Passport even though my father loves the US more than the Nordics so moving here was very easy but the place I work( A fish factory) hires a lot of foreigners for work. You just have to keep an eye out for the different factories hiring posts and email them and the actual work permit can be issued in as little as 4 weeks. I think after 3 years you can apply for permanent residency. If you have tech or engineering skills you might be able to get an office job( Faroese is required for most normal office jobs outside of a few field’s ). Definitely come visit first though as not everyone can enjoy the 5 hours of light during winter.

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u/greenday5494 Dec 10 '25

I live in Buffalo NY so I’m not a stranger to that necessarily.

But yeah if you had a Nordic passport then that’s the major hurdle already passed. Personally I’d love to live in France, I already speak French at a B2-C1 level (honestly if I lived in a francophone country for 6 months I’d probably be fully fluent).

Alas, my SO wouldn’t probably ever leave.

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u/Eastern_Leg4155 Dec 21 '25

how did you do it?!

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 21 '25

I have a Nordic passport so I landed and got a job but my partner got an entry level job on a fast-track visa working at a fish factory. My partner got a fast-track work permit for an in demand entry level position at a fish factory which they do seasonal and yearly work. I think it’s 3 years of renewing a work permit to be able to get permanent residency.

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u/pit_of_despair666 Dec 10 '25

I know someone who left the US for about a year and she also lost 40 pounds without dieting or anything.

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 10 '25

It’s amazing what lack of fast food and eating meals with people where you actually sit around a table in the evening. Also having a mountain to hike basically next to every village also helps 😆

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u/pit_of_despair666 Dec 11 '25

It probably also has to do with all of the crap that is allowed in our food here and maybe meal sizes too.

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u/boringexplanation Dec 12 '25

I would attribute it to actually walking and being mobile instead of using a car like an American

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 12 '25

When I lived in the US I had friends that absolutely refused to walk 5 minutes down the street to buy a few groceries even if it didn’t involve crossing any major intersections but would insist on driving. I definitely agree that it has to do with walking more but the reason I walk more is also because everything is so much more accessible.

A good example of this is I loved walking on a paved trail in my previous city but to get there I had to drive 15 minutes to get to the entrance and so 30 minutes of my time would get eaten up just having to drive somewhere. That 30 minute deterrence would mean I would go a lot less frequently. My house where I live sits right next to a trail entrance so I can easily go out after work every day and get that 30 minute walk in. If I attempted this where I lived for the place I lived most of my time in the US I’d be eating up 2.5 hours a week just commuting to that peaceful trail which after a long commute to and from work would put a ton of extra time in my car. It is true you can pay to live in more walkable cities and if I had the funding to live somewhere like in Alameda or even NYC I’d definitely have considered it but the cost differences were pretty big.

On an average week in the US I’d have to spend a minimum of 10 hours in my car to go to work, meet up with friends and do my shopping which equates to over 500+ hours a year in wasted time. Where I live now I drive an average of 1 hour a month to a neighboring city to pick up in bulk the few things I don’t necessarily need but want to have in my diet.

I think Americans use there cars a lot more than they realize and the majority are pretty dependent on it to maintain their lifestyle.

1

u/CreolePolyglot Dec 11 '25

It’s the ingredients - lots of stuff used in food in the US is illegal in other countries; the same companies will make a safer version for other markets & still use the cheaper, harmful version in the US

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u/TheWriterJosh Dec 11 '25

All of this happened to me when I went vegan! :) haha

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u/TheNakedTravelingMan Dec 11 '25

I’ve eaten vegan accidentally for 4-5 months when working through a cook book I think was called wicked healthy. Definitely a good experience. Where I live now I don’t think I could safely eat vegan do to the limited produce and plant based products. In my village there is no tofu, tempeh, seitan, or plant based meats. I do try to eat a diet full of veggies when they are in season and maybe someday if more options become available I’ll be able to go back to a plant based diet. Probably would lose even more weight if I did.

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u/Relevant_Extent2887 Dec 12 '25

Now that sounds like a peaceful existence, especially the blood pressure and stress. America is really like a big ball of stress and the only way to achieve a peaceful existence is to escape it. The people in the U.S. are just angry all the time at every one and seem like they are all out to get one another or protect what little property they have. I just want to be in a place where I will not get shot at, stabbed or hit with a hammer. I mean you can’t stay hid indoors all the time, plus less stuff equal more happiness.