It’s no secret that some countries around the world have a bit of the “Ugly American” syndrome, perhaps with good reason. If the idea of expatriating has ever flitted across your brain, you should at least be aware that not every nation will welcome you with equally open arms. Some are hopelessly difficult to navigate for reasons of bureaucracy, while others make it difficult for a Yankee to ever blend. The good news is that there are a few spots on the globe genuinely hospitable to expatriates. Courtesy of Forbes.com, here they are.

While most of the Middle East seems difficult for Americans to integrate into, the tiny Persian Gulf country of Bahrain scored highest of all on a survey of expatriates living there. Finding new friends and learning the language still presented a barrier but finding a home and good schools and setting up finances was a breeze.

Rounding out the top five countries in the survey were Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Factors that were taken into account were access to modern health care, decent and affordable housing, and social networks in place for expatriates to access. For various reasons, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom placed lowest on the list as the least hospitable places to move. American women might have a teensy eensy problem with the sort of dress code expected of females in the first region. Our suggestion? Buy burkas. Lots of burkas, mainly in black. Apparently the downside of moving to jolly old England is the absence of affordable housing.

Of course, research like this can only provide a Big Picture view of the host country but if you’re intent on moving to the UAE perhaps, and see that it scores lower than a chipmunk walking in a root on the “integration” index, might be worth your time to do more in-depth research and consider that it could be REALLY hard to blend yourself and family into the social fabric. More than one overseas stint has come to an untimely end due to feelings of isolation. Due diligence could go a long ways towards preventing this from happening to you.

The Jetsetter Team

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Tags: expatriates