The twenty-first century has spawned a new generation of American expats who are on the move, according to John R. Wennersten in his book “Leaving America: The New Expatriate Generation“. Americans are surging outward in search of new jobs, new identities and new lifestyles,” Wennersten said. “For today’s restive American, abroad is the place to be.” The U.S. Department of State’s January 2013 estimate of the number of Americans living abroad exceeded 6.8 million, up from 6.3 million in July 2012. In 1999, the state department’s estimate was 4.1 million Americans living in other countries (excluding U.S. military and non-military government employees).
Research conducted by MyInternationalAdventure found over 10 million Americans considering or planning a move to another country each year. Importantly, over 40 percent of our survey respondents said they were extremely or very likely to move abroad, nearly one-third of them within a year.
We spoke with author John Wennersten, who spent 11 years as an expatriate in several countries, to better understand what is behind this new wave of American expatriates. “Inherent in our culture is a kind of restlessness to begin with,” Wennersten told us. “The average American moves six or seven times during his or her lifetime. People should not be surprised that this idea of mobility is now transcending oceans. Young Americans today are better educated and more curious. They are more adaptable to change than previous generations and more inclined to test themselves. People like to have a challenge.”
MyInternationalAdventure’s research found that the primary motivations aspiring new American expatriates give for moving abroad today are the need for a lifestyle change and an adventure.
Who are these new American expatriates? “They are the high achievers, people familiar with the world of information technology, marketing people and young entrepreneurs,” Wennersten said. “They are not the backpacking kids who have decided to teach in China for a year, although that is still part of the equation. Many younger people are moving to emerging countries to start businesses, which is particularly true of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and Australia.”
“My son is a good example of the new American expatriate,” Wennersten said. “He was in the technology industry in America and moved to New Zealand as an information technology professional to help a brewing company with its logistics. While there he met his future wife, who was an economist at a university in Wellington. They got married and moved to Chennai, India where he worked for a start-up IT educational publishing company. He is now developing his own consulting business there.”
“Many expats develop small businesses in their new countries,” Wennersten said. “The best route to take is to find a local business partner to help you negotiate and navigate the local rules and regulations required to start a business. We came across a hamburger and taco stand when we lived in Thailand that was flourishing. The owner was an American married to a Thai woman. She served as the business interface to the government and others who affect businesses through rules and regulations and tax collections. Americans start cooking schools, restaurants, bed & breakfasts, retail stores and a wide range of other businesses too numerous to mention.”