A woman from Hawaii would like to change the country and even thought of Romania. Other foreigners who are tempted to settle here intervened in the discussion and gave him various advice.
Bucharest attracts young and old, and some are considering moving here. PHOTO: Pixabay
Romania is increasingly attractive to American retirees, but more recently they are not the only ones interested in settling here. This is also the case of a woman from Hawaii, who asked on a Facebook group dedicated to Romanian expats what opportunities she would have here.
“I have been a resident of Hawaii for 20 years, originally from Seattle, Washington. My work in sales, tourism and activities is a recent passion that I have after I decided to retire from teaching psychology in the community system. I am very interested in starting a life outside the US, and when I took an online test Romania a appeared to be a good match. I have always been curious about culture. My father is from Italy and my mother’s family is from Denmark. I would like to be somewhere in Europe for the years I have”, she wrote.
Why Romania?
The American also justified her decision to leave Hawaii and declared herself ready for a radical change. “Hawaii is very expensive and despite the beauty and great years I’ve had here I’m ready for a change. I hope to gain some knowledge on this Facebook group! God bless you”the woman wrote.
Her post did not go unanswered. Several foreigners, but also some Romanians, encouraged her to follow her dream and gave her some advice.
“You would like Romania” and “Romania, the perfect host. You will find your home here”there were only two messages of encouragement from two Romanian women.
An American woman moved to Romania also from Hawaii showed herself available to help her with any advice and praised her choice. “Hi, I’m from Hawaii and I live in Romania. The culture is similar (family-oriented, sociable, helpful to strangers), but also more conservative than you’re used to. Everything is much cheaper. Write to me with questions and I will try to clarify as much as I can (I have not been here for a long time)”was the comment.
“I lived in Seattle and moved to Romania a year and a half ago. I think Romania is a great place especially for retirement. Food and living expenses are much lower than in the US. Also the country is very safe and healthcare is good in my experience. Life is affordable and you can have a great lifestyle here for a lot less than a lot of other places,” another American woman settled in Romania wrote to him. “100% agree”, another expat confirmed, while an American told her that Sibiu would be the most suitable place.
A Romanian woman indicated Bucovina as the most suitable place. “If you want to live in a very beautiful mountain pastoral place, with very hardworking, cheerful and honest people, take a look at Bucovina. Just a Google search and you’ll fall in love.”
Pros and cons
However, there were also less optimistic comments. A Romanian woman told him directly that a matching test is too little to make such a radical decision.
“I’m sorry to say, but an online test is not a word for choosing where to spend the rest of your life. You can try volunteering through Workaway or Woof, this way you will get a better perspective on the daily life in Romania And talk to the locals and make your own impressions. It’s a minimal investment since you don’t have to pay for accommodation and food. You work a little and get a lot in return”, was the suggestion.
“Why Romania?” a Romanian asked her. A Romanian woman from Japan intervened and gave the answer. “Why not? Our country is amazing. With both sea and mountains, warm people who are nice to strangers, it’s not a dangerous place because we don’t own weapons… and so on”came the reply.
“I asked her. If it’s so good in Romania, why are you staying in Japan?”the man replied. “Tprecisely because I lived abroad for quite a while, not just Japan, and I can see through the eyes of a foreigner what potential Romania has. And yes, now I want to move home too. That’s why I’m on this group.” explained the Romanian.
“You can get EU citizenship through Italy if your father is Italian. With an Italian passport everything would be much easier in Romania as an EU citizen. good luck!”, another Romanian advised her.
“Let’s switch houses! I give you my house in Bucharest and you give me your house in Hawaii“, wrote a Romanian.
“You will get a lot of advice and opinions here. As most people will say… Come for an extended visit. Choose two places (maybe two weeks in a city in Romania, maybe two weeks in the second choice) and stay for two weeks. Don’t think like a tourist, think like a resident. Going to markets, walking the streets, cooking alone, checking out the library, talking to people, etc. You cannot get a pensioner visa in Romania. The easiest and cheapest way is a volunteer visa with a non-profit organization, as I did”another American advised her.
Romania, in the top of the most affordable countries for American retirees
Forbes recently wrote that the number of Americans who want to settle abroad has tripled in the last 30 years, according to a Monmouth University survey in 2024. The increasingly expensive life in the United States of America is to blame, but also other factors such as assistance medical, entertainment, safety and cultural life. Europe continues to be at the top of the list for many who dream of moving abroad, and more recently American retirees are considering moving to Romania as well. Portugal, the Czech Republic, Spain and Bulgaria, other countries considered cheap, are also among the preferred destinations.
According to the cited source, American citizens are allowed to visit Romania without a visa for a total of 90 days in a 6-month period. Although it is part of the EU, Romania does not use the euro currency, which is considered by some to be one of the reasons why the cost of living remains low in the country, remember those from Forbes.
