Do English-speaking people feel the need to move to other countries?

[Hotteok]

For example, from USA to Canada or vice versa or from Aus to Usa etc etc..

I’ve been somewhat jealous of being born in commonwealth countries due to speaking English as the mother tongue and seemingly being somewhat free with regard to moving here and there.

[Pabo]

Not really.

 

I'm flat out speaking Straya'n, let alone English, American or the Queen's English.

 

I don't even have a passport.

[Michał]

4 hours ago, Pabo said:

Straya'n

Is it a thing or just a typo? 🙂

[Qapla]

There are many Canadian actors living in the US and a number of US hockey players living in Canada

 

 

[Ishaya]

I think by the human nature everyone will like to go somewhere else.it can be boring spending your entire life in one place no matter how comfortable the place is,it is always exciting to visits other places really.

 

I think travelling is much easier for those from the west because of the strength of the pounds,dollar and Euro currencies,not really because of being English-speaking or membership with the Commonwealth,because there are other countries in commonwealth with low currencies who pay very high for travels and international transactions

I'm not sure how currencies get their values but its just what really makes the difference.

 

[Ishaya]

There are so many Europeans living in Nigeria,which shows that people from the west too do feel the need to move to other places and enjoy the excitement and fun of living with other people.

[coony77]

I´m no English native speaker, but I have travelled the world a lot - and if it wasn´t for my parents who need my help, I would even have considered emigrating to another country.

[hatcheckgirl]

3 hours ago, Michał said:

Is it a thing or just a typo? 🙂

“Straya'n“ is “Australian“ said in a thick Aussie accent. 
 

People have emigrated to Australia from all over the world, especially after WW2. Like other migration countries, this has been for economic reasons, not for pleasure or out of boredom. 
 

However, many of us travel back to the “motherland” and other places to “see the world”. Because we are so far away from everything, Australian and New Zealanders often travel, even though our currencies are not as strong as Euro/pound/dollar and it costs quite a bit.  
 

You can hear Straya’n or “Strine” here 

 

 

 

[Qapla]

1 hour ago, Ishaya said:

I think by the human nature everyone will like to go somewhere else.it can be boring spending your entire life in one place no matter how comfortable the place is,it is always exciting to visits other places really.

 

I think travelling is much easier for those from the west

 

42 minutes ago, coony77 said:

I have travelled the world a lot

 

Not sure, but I got the impression the OP was talking about "relocating" (moving/emigrating) to another place - not simply traveling and/or visiting.

 

 

[coony77]

2 minutes ago, Qapla said:

 

 

Not sure, but I got the impression the OP was talking about "relocating" (moving/emigrating) to another place - not simply traveling and/or visiting.

 

 

Yes, John, thanks. That´s why I added the sentence about emigrating  The reason holding me back is NOT the fact that I´m not an "english-speaking-person".

This would be no obstacle for me.

[Qapla]

1 hour ago, coony77 said:

The reason holding me back is NOT the fact that I´m not an "English-speaking-person".

This would be no obstacle for me.

 

Yes, I know from having chatted with you on Zoom

[Esined]

Um, yeah of course! English-speaking people move to other countries to be near family, for work, for education, for retirement, for political reasons etc. When Trump was elected here in the U.S. a lot of people declared that they wanted to move to Canada.

 

But we can’t move freely just bc of language. Sorry if I am misunderstanding you and that’s not what you meant. Each country has its own immigration and visa policies. So for example, a few years ago I went to Montreal a couple times and fell in love with it. I even started researching Canadian immigration, just out of curiosity.  But it seems pretty hard and complicated for a US citizen to move to Canada just bc they want to. 
 

Is this what you meant by your question? Sorry if not.
 

 

[Hotteok]

30 minutes ago, Esined said:

Um, yeah of course! English-speaking people move to other countries to be near family, for work, for education, for retirement, for political reasons etc. When Trump was elected here in the U.S. a lot of people declared that they wanted to move to Canada.

 

But we can’t move freely just bc of language. Sorry if I am misunderstanding you and that’s not what you meant. Each country has its own immigration and visa policies. So for example, a few years ago I went to Montreal a couple times and fell in love with it. I even started researching Canadian immigration, just out of curiosity.  But it seems pretty hard and complicated for a US citizen to move to Canada just bc they want to. 
 

Is this what you meant by your question? Sorry if not.
 

 

Hm thanks for your answer! 
I wasn’t looking for a specific type of answer so that’s okay! 
 

I learnt something I didn’t know before, that even for English-speaking people the laws are tough. 
 

But at least you guys would feel like moving to another area, instead of another ‘country’ because of the linguistic freedom.. I guess?

[Esined]

Hmmm…I never thought about it that way before. It’s definitely easier to move where you know the language. The US is a huge country with a lot of geographic and cultural diversity so we have more options in that sense. Moving can be a big deal, costly, complicated so in my opinion linguistic freedom is probably not a motivator. Even where the official language is the same, the culture can be totally different. Moving from Miami to New England was a huge culture shock for me even in though I could speak English in both places. And some people in the US wouldn’t move to Miami bc there are places/situations in which you have to know Spanish.

[Hotteok]

37 minutes ago, Esined said:

Hmmm…I never thought about it that way before. It’s definitely easier to move where you know the language. The US is a huge country with a lot of geographic and cultural diversity so we have more options in that sense. Moving can be a big deal, costly, complicated so in my opinion linguistic freedom is probably not a motivator. Even where the official language is the same, the culture can be totally different. Moving from Miami to New England was a huge culture shock for me even in though I could speak English in both places. And some people in the US wouldn’t move to Miami bc there are places/situations in which you have to know Spanish.

That’s one of the things that surprise me of living in a big land. 😶

[Qapla]

The size of the land and speaking English is not exclusive - those living in Russia also live in a big land and Russia has a common language. India could also be considered in this same aspect.

 

 

[Pabo]

On 8/29/2022 at 3:53 PM, Hotteok said:

That’s one of the things that surprise me of living in a big land. 😶

My stepson's Japanese father-in-law (FIL) came to visit Australia for the first time of his life. He was gobsmacked about how much land my stepson had his little 2 bedroom house on 2.5acres (his in-laws home would fit within the floor plan of his house). He said that his FIL got into my stepson's VW Polo, drove down to the back of the property, reseted the trip meter on the dash and drove to the front of the property to see how long his property was. When he asked his wife what was he doing, he couldn't believe it. He said to his wife, "Just wait till he visits my mum's place. It's 1 km long".

 

On his second visit to Australia, he came down to our place in NSW (my stepson lives just over the SE QLD), and just driving the 800+km (500+miles) was truly an eyeopener for his in-laws. The vast open space of land where there is nothing but trees, open land and kangaroos and cattle. When he was done at our property, they used the old Fergy tractor to explore the 37 acres of land we had. He absolutely loved it coming here. He loves going for walks and camping in Japan, and he has walked up to Mt Fuji a few times as well and even slept there.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Pabo

[M.J.]

On 8/26/2022 at 1:29 AM, Hotteok said:

For example, from USA to Canada or vice versa or from Aus to Usa etc etc..

I’ve been somewhat jealous of being born in commonwealth countries due to speaking English as the mother tongue and seemingly being somewhat free with regard to moving here and there.

It's a state of mind. As an example: Some Americans have never left the USA and all they know of other countries is distorted by what they see in the news, so some Americans refuse to travel or leave America. They feel it's a scary world out there and don't feel safe going somewhere unknown.

 

And yes, it can be frustrating to live in a land where your travel is restricted and needs to be approved by the government. Some Americans don't even realize that other people need permission to leave their country. It has never occurred to them because we can travel almost anywhere freely. So yes, it does cause jealousy when others have freedom and you don't. Some of my family has tried to apply for a VISA to come visit me, and some got approved and some didn't. The more you try, and pay money, that you don't get back, even if you get denied, it just gets you even more frustrated and angry. And that, like everything else in life, is about learning to let go of that jealousy, because it's just a poison, caused by Satan's world - that's what he wants - he has created a world of have and have nots in order to cause jealousy and hatred. So we can't give in to that. Our circumstances are what they are. No matter where we live, we all have trials, just different types. 

 

Philip. 4:11-13

 

Not that I am speaking with regard to being in want, for I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be self-sufficient.*+ 12 I know indeed how to be low [on provisions],+ I know indeed how to have an abundance. In everything and in all circumstances I have learned the secret of both how to be full and how to hunger, both how to have an abundance and how to suffer want.+ 13 For all things I have the strength by virtue of him who imparts power to me.+

 

 

[SoCal4me2]

For a direct answer to the OP’s question…I’m of the opinion that a fair number would happily move, even if only on a temporary basis. I’m in San Diego, with nearly perfect year round weather, but I would move in a heartbeat if my circumstances were right. I think that the reality for many that “would” move boils down to the “if they could”, and therein lies the problem…By the age that you discover that you would like and enjoy a move you don’t have the wherewithal to make it work. Even for a relatively short time of a few months. It takes more than a wee bit of planning. Usually, I think.