Books About Moving Abroad
9 Books about Relocating to Gain an Edge in Your Life
I moved away from home more than 14 years ago. 9 years ago, I moved out of my country.
Finding information was so rare that sometimes we relied on advice from people that moved to Canada when actually we were relocating to South America. Any idea was welcome because, in fact, it was all we had.
But if you are moving out in 2022, you are part of the lucky ones. Never in history, has there been such an extensive amount of great blogs, posts, and even entire books with life-saving advice about moving out from home.
The post is divided into 4 parts:
- Books about moving abroad or away from home. Here are the best titles in terms of cultural adaptation, general life advice, and psychological preparation. It doesn’t matter if your destination is another city, state, or overseas, take a look at these pages.
Books about Digital Nomads. Digital Nomads (an especific type of remote worker) are an increasing community of people that leave their homes without a fixed address, a possibility offered by remote jobs. In this post, there is a longer explanation about what they really are. You can also check the best city in the world for Digital Nomads. - Books for entrepreneurs. Some of us leave our homes because of our studies. Others, due to relationships or professional opportunities. There are also individuals that move out to execute business ideas. This is my case.
- The Best Book if you are leaving the United States. Here you will see only 1 recommendation, inserted especially for my dear American readers that are planning to move elsewhere.
Books about moving away from home
Move to the Place of Your Dreams: A Relocation Handbook
Publication year: 2014
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.2 stars.
Why you should read it:
This book will tell you about the benefits of moving and why you might want to do it. The book gives you a low-stress, step-by-step plan for finding the best place for you, moving there, and getting used to a new place.
This complete guide is full of exercises and tools to help you organize your thoughts, questions, preferences, and plans. You’ll also find an amazing collection of up-to-date resources about moving that cover practical, legal, and financial issues.
Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity: 11 secrets to make your expat & digital nomad life better than you imagine
Publication year: 2020
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.4 stars.
Why you should read it:
You can learn the following things from this book:
- Despite having access to a certain incredible resource of knowledge, you aren’t using it. (Hint: It’s not in the media or on forums for expats.)
- The family advice you will never regret taking. Neither will they.
- How to succeed in your expatriate job by quickly adjusting to the customs and mannerisms of the area.
- How to gain the respect and admiration of the locals by acting like one of them.
- How to prosper locally without actually being one.
Culture Hacks: Deciphering Differences in American, Chinese, and Japanese Thinking
Publication year: 2019
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.5 stars.
Why is it a good book about moving abroad:
Richard Conrad deftly and expertly navigates the most delicate and frustratingly elusive subject for anyone trying to understand Asia’s rise: the complex role of culture in nations like China and Japan and its intersection with trade, business, and economics.
Conrad examines everything from best business practices to how business and political elites consider different cultural factors when making decisions to the escalating tensions between the US and China with the expert analyst’s eye of someone with years of experience and fluency in both languages.
Books about moving to another country as a Digital Nomad
The Digital Nomad Handbook
Publication year: 2020
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.2 stars.
Why you should read it:
This helpful book is split into two parts. The first part talks about how to make money while working on the road, how to handle career changes, how to stay in touch with family and friends, what to do with your stuff, how to get over common fears before leaving, how to stay healthy on the road, and much more.
The second shows a number of great places for digital nomads to go. It gives helpful travel tips and information about each place, including its pros and cons, as well as inspiring stories from digital nomads on the road. […] This book was written by some of Lonely Planet’s own nomadic experts, and it’s full of tips, insights, and real-life stories about what it’s like to work on the road.
Tales of A Digital Nomad: A Narrative of Freeing Oneself Through Travel, Adventure, and Self-Realization
Publication year: 2019
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4 stars.
Why you should read it:
This amazing journey will really move people who want to fly off into the distance and see the whole world. Imagine how scared and excited Nadia must feel when she takes the brave step to start her own business, then goes traveling to meet new people and work toward a hard and painful lesson in self-realization.
Best Expat books for entrepreneurs
Expat Secrets: How To Pay Zero Taxes, Live Overseas & Make Giant Piles of Money
Publication year: 2018
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.1 stars.
Why you should read it:
Mikkel Thorup uses his more than 20 years of experience living overseas to give you an easy-to-understand guide to living overseas, saving money on taxes, getting a second passport, and traveling the world as an Expat.
This book will save you years of trial and error and give you a detailed plan for how to plant flags all over the world as a PT (Previous Taxpayer, Permanent Tourist, Perpetual Traveller).
Expat Secrets is full of information that will always be useful, based on Mikkel Thorup’s travels to more than 100 countries. It gives you a straightforward look at the offshore markets.
Starting Your Own Business Far From Home: What (Not) to Do When Opening a Company in Another State, Country, or Galaxy
Publication year: 2020
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.5 stars.
Why you should read it:
You will find out in this book:
- When choosing a place to start a business, you should think about both business and non-business factors. They are often overlooked, but they make the difference between huge failures and amazing successes.
- How to find allies in your area
- How to know your rivals better than they know themselves!
- How to find business-killing paths and stay away from them.
- How to adapt to changes in your environment and make the most of them. (Hint: Taleb).
- How can you avoid being tricked?
Global Career: How to Work Anywhere and Travel Forever (Become a Digital Nomad Today with Remote Work!)
Publication year: 2018
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.6 stars
Why you should read it:
This detailed book is full of real-life stories and actionable advice, such as:
– The exact tips and shortcuts you need to build a world-class career on the go
– Skills for negotiating and getting higher education, internships, and high-paying jobs overseas
Best Book if you are leaving the United States
U.S. Taxes for Worldly Americans: The Traveling Expat’s Guide to Living, Working, and Staying Tax Compliant Abroad
Publication year: 2017
Amazon Rating (From 1 to 5): 4.4 stars.
Why you should read it:
Olivier covers a lot of international tax information that has been updated for 2021. This includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for the Forms and Schedules you will use to file your offshore tax, no matter where you are.
- How to get special tax breaks, credits, and exemptions when dealing with international taxes.
- Why it’s easier than you think to open bank accounts and companies in other countries.
- How living in another country or becoming a citizen of that country can legally lower your taxes.
- How do your American or non-American spouse and/or children affect your tax situation?
- What to think about before giving up your American citizenship and saying goodbye to the IRS for good.
Are there any other books you would recommend to people that are moving out from home? Please let me know in the comments about your best books about moving abroad! Also, check this list of must-read self-development books to transform your life.
Check also: The Best Places to Retire in Europe This Year
Levi Borba is CEO of expatriateconsultancy.com, creator of the channel The Expat, and best-selling author. You can check his books here, his other articles here, or his Linkedin here.
