This is me. Where do I go?

[zzzz]

Rudderless where ever you decide to go I hope you let us know and tell us about your experience. Cheers.

[have2fly]

I would suggest looking at other former Yugoslavian countries, like Macedonia and Serbia. Just google some youtube videos of Serbian night clubs, girls are gorgeous, similar to other Slavic nations. Serbia is very similar to Ukraine in culture and traditions, but much more safe and reliable or so it seems.

Don't forget that in these clubs those HOT chicks are actually much less bitchy than in the US and for just being an American you will get many of them interested.



I would second Croatia and Bulgaria. I've seen tons of Work and Travel students from Bulgaria, they were SO SO SOOOOO HOT!!! Perfect bodies, gorgeous dark hair, white tight pants, high heels... Those living in Bulgaria are even better. Prices are cheap, Bulgarian guys seem to hang out with their own crowd and their own girls staying away from Russians/Ukrainians, but every time I talk to them they consider me a "brother" (not like ghetto style, but in relation to blood/traditions). Bulgarian parties are THE BEST EVER! Those guys drink all night and dance their pop-music which sounds a bit Eastern-Mediterranean to me. Many of them speak Russian as they learn it in schools since old Soviet days, Bulgarian is using Cyrillic and language itself is similar to other Slavic languages, so I understand a lot of what they say. Black Sea resorts are AMAZING over there. It is a prime destination for Russians and Ukrainians going for vacation, so if you live near Black sea in any major vacation city - it is fun year around because local disco's will be filled with girls from all over Russia and Ukraine. I would love to live there if I would be in your situation, I wouldn't think twice.

[Rock]

So I have been doing lots of research about moving abroad and have a couple questions.

First a bit about me. I am 35. I am white, male, and skinny. I'm successful, easy going, but am disillusioned with the american materialism / 'keeping up with the Jones' life style. I am ready for an adventure and am tired of the day to day grind that is work, drink, sleep. I have the $ saved to live my very high standard of living here in the states for 2 years or more. I have no problems with finding girls here in the states however, I am interested in dating a non-american. I don't immediately intend on working. I may volunteer though just to give back and have something to do.



1) What country would you suggest?

Requirements for me are:
They are fans of / friendly to foreigners
They speak enough for me to get by there / date
I won't freeze my balls off in the winter
Cheap Cost Of Living as I would rather not spend more than 30k in a year
It should be a safe place for an American
There must be a nightlife
Also of note: I am a very social person and would be miserable without being able to find a group of friends.

2) How much would you expect to spend per year.

3) How much more would you budget for (Per week) if you want to go out 6 nights per week.

4) Would moving there by your self make you reconsider the suggested location?

Thanks for all your help!

1.
a. IMO opinion, Taiwan is pro-foreigner. Local people are generally very friendly to westerners.

b. English level has improved and a very large percentage of young people speak enough to socialize well in it. Some even prefer it as it makes them feel more 'international'. My former French tenant had a great social life here for several months and never learned any Chinese. Generally, its much easier to get by here with just English than in Korea or Japan.

c. Taiwan has a sub-tropical climate, even in the north. Temperatures rarely fall below 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit even during coldest months except in high mountain areas. Summers do get hot though.

d. US$30K amounts to NT$75,000 per month. You can fine on that in Taipei, even if you partake in abundant nightlife of which there is plenty. If you choose another city - say Taichung or Kaoshiung - your money will even go further as rents are significantly cheaper.

e. Taiwan is very safe for an American, especially Taipei. Violent crime is rare and its safe to walk anywhere at anytime.

f. If you are a social and outgoing person, you find more friends than you know how to handle here. At 35, especially if you look good/young for your age, you are still solidly in the game and can date a large number of young attractive locals or settle with one.

2. NT$360K - 540K (US$12-18K) before factoring in nightlife depending on accommodation and city you choose.

3. Tough question. If you mainly want to go to regular clubs and don't go crazy on the drinks inside (some people do most of their drinking outside at nearby convenience stores which is also a good place to meet people), NT$750 - 1,500 per night should be OK. You can make it on even less if needed, esp. at pubs popular with students. If you wanna blow money showing-off and treating people in lounge bars or KTVs, then you can easily burn through NT$5,000-10,000 or more per night. If you wanna hit classy P4P KTV joints, you might spend NT$20,000 - 40,000 in a night, not recommended unless your boss is paying, lol. More generally, if you prefer P4P, bypass Taiwan. There are much better value for money places for that all over Asia.

4. Taiwan is user user friendly so coming alone should not make a difference. As long as you go out and engage people proactively, you will quickly meet a lot of people, make friends (both locals and foreigners), and quickly accumulate a social/dating circle according to your own tastes and style.

[Think Different]

I would suggest looking at other former Yugoslavian countries, like Macedonia and Serbia. Just google some youtube videos of Serbian night clubs, girls are gorgeous, similar to other Slavic nations. Serbia is very similar to Ukraine in culture and traditions, but much more safe and reliable or so it seems.

Don't forget that in these clubs those HOT chicks are actually much less bitchy than in the US and for just being an American you will get many of them interested.



I would second Croatia and Bulgaria. I've seen tons of Work and Travel students from Bulgaria, they were SO SO SOOOOO HOT!!! Perfect bodies, gorgeous dark hair, white tight pants, high heels... Those living in Bulgaria are even better. Prices are cheap, Bulgarian guys seem to hang out with their own crowd and their own girls staying away from Russians/Ukrainians, but every time I talk to them they consider me a "brother" (not like ghetto style, but in relation to blood/traditions). Bulgarian parties are THE BEST EVER! Those guys drink all night and dance their pop-music which sounds a bit Eastern-Mediterranean to me. Many of them speak Russian as they learn it in schools since old Soviet days, Bulgarian is using Cyrillic and language itself is similar to other Slavic languages, so I understand a lot of what they say. Black Sea resorts are AMAZING over there. It is a prime destination for Russians and Ukrainians going for vacation, so if you live near Black sea in any major vacation city - it is fun year around because local disco's will be filled with girls from all over Russia and Ukraine. I would love to live there if I would be in your situation, I wouldn't think twice.

The girls in that first video are speaking Swedish, not Croatian or Bulgarian.

[Vicbowling]

I know it's a pretty common one... but have you thought about Thailand? Some of my friends just got back from a 6 month trip and they said it was such a life changing experience. You tend to meet a lot of other travelers there also from all over the world. There's an incredible market for nightlife too and it's cheap to eat and live.

[Rock]

I know it's a pretty common one... but have you thought about Thailand? Some of my friends just got back from a 6 month trip and they said it was such a life changing experience. You tend to meet a lot of other travelers there also from all over the world. There's an incredible market for nightlife too and it's cheap to eat and live.

I second that. Thailand has become extremely diverse and people there live for fun and nightlife. You will probably find plenty of Thais you like to hang-out and have fun with. But even if you don't, there are plenty of people from other parts of the world there. You'll find your niche. It meets all your requirements except maybe they are not so in love with foreigners (more like foreigners are in love with the place). But don't worry. Its definitely not as bad as Lad makes it out to be (Remember, he left over 15 years ago, almost a whole generation has passed since then). There's lots of Russians there now too. Russian arrivals in 2010 increased 82% year-on-year. Just go, you'll love it.

[ClearView]

I consider Thailand a no-brainer in that it's really easy to just try out before you live here. It's easy to rent serviced apartments by the day, week or month, wireless internet is better that what I had back home in Oz. Food whether western, Thai or international is in abundance. The Thai culture is also very non-confrontational so settling in is relatively easy. If you want the cultural diversity you can find it, if you want western comforts you can find it. You can live easily on $1000 US a month, although I know English teachers that live on $400-500 a month (still eating out everyday but not living the high life).

[Rock]

I would suggest looking at other former Yugoslavian countries, like Macedonia and Serbia. Just google some youtube videos of Serbian night clubs, girls are gorgeous, similar to other Slavic nations. Serbia is very similar to Ukraine in culture and traditions, but much more safe and reliable or so it seems.

Don't forget that in these clubs those HOT chicks are actually much less bitchy than in the US and for just being an American you will get many of them interested.



I would second Croatia and Bulgaria. I've seen tons of Work and Travel students from Bulgaria, they were SO SO SOOOOO HOT!!! Perfect bodies, gorgeous dark hair, white tight pants, high heels... Those living in Bulgaria are even better. Prices are cheap, Bulgarian guys seem to hang out with their own crowd and their own girls staying away from Russians/Ukrainians, but every time I talk to them they consider me a "brother" (not like ghetto style, but in relation to blood/traditions). Bulgarian parties are THE BEST EVER! Those guys drink all night and dance their pop-music which sounds a bit Eastern-Mediterranean to me. Many of them speak Russian as they learn it in schools since old Soviet days, Bulgarian is using Cyrillic and language itself is similar to other Slavic languages, so I understand a lot of what they say. Black Sea resorts are AMAZING over there. It is a prime destination for Russians and Ukrainians going for vacation, so if you live near Black sea in any major vacation city - it is fun year around because local disco's will be filled with girls from all over Russia and Ukraine. I would love to live there if I would be in your situation, I wouldn't think twice.

My buddy is Macedonian by ancestry and was born there. He moved to Sweden at 3 and immigrated to US in his early 20s. He speaks pretty fluent Macedonian because of his parents. When he hit early 40s, he went back thinking he would score well given his American status. He had a good friend from Australia who was 10 years younger and handsome. They also got hold of a cool sports car to drive around in (they bought and later imported to US to sell at a profit).

Anyway, he told me all the attention went to his friend and he got totally ignored by all the girls and women. In spite of the low GDP per capita, its a very looks oriented society. Men generally need to be good looking and well presented to have a good chance with the more attractive women. And similar to much of Europe, its hard to attract any women who are more than a few years younger than yourself.

[Google]

I'd imagine also that Odessa, on the Black Sea, has a much warmer climate than Kiev and other parts of Ukraine. It has a very high octane nightlife. The dollar goes pretty far in Ukraine right now also. I'm guessing, though, that you'll find a bit less English spoken in Ukraine, but for a combination of beautiful owmen and low cost of living, it's hard to beat.

I think Odessa really fit most criteria of Rudderless. Odessa also called 'summer capital' and 'party capital' of Ukraine. As for cost of living , Odessa is relatively cheap city... 20-30k in a year be enough for a good life.. Odessa's nominal GDP per person - about $7000 a year ( however city has much unreported economic activity)


- Some pictures of Odessa, including a few girls on streets:


http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1451009



.

[magnum]

@rock

That's what worries me most, is the age.


Being 27 next year isn't exactly getting me hopeful when I don't even want to date women my own age right now!