And if it is, how so? Or how is it not?

Hello. I am relatively new here and I noticed that Western Europe seems very popular and desirable place on this subreddit. I've visited Europe a few times and there are definitely lots of great things in many of its various regions/countries! But I haven't read much cons/downsides about Europe here (except UK) . I would love to move to Europe someday myself, but surely no place is perfect and there must be people who didn't like living there.

I already learned so much about the wonderful parts of life in Europe after lurking on this sub but I would like to learn about the downsides as well. If you moved to a country in Western Europe but didn't like living there, what didn't you like about it? If you moved out because you didn't like it, where did you end up moving to? Thanks!

I'm defining the west and east by a vague criterion. Some examples of the Western European countries (though many located in South Europe geographically) are Italy, Spain, France, the UK, Swiss, etc. where loads of tourists from around the word come to visit. While the East European countries that I'm talking about are commonly post socialist states (though, again, some of which will be identified as Central Europe geographically like Hungary).

Though places like the Balkans, Baltic, Hungary etc. are often discussed on this subreddit, it's still undeniable that the west european countries attracts more tourists. Eastern Europeans countries may be popular for Europeans but not widely known by outsiders.

Do you guys regard countries/tourism spots in the Balkan, Baltic, etc. on the same par with tourism spots on the Western Europe? I'm really into travel around the Balkans with my friends during the summer. I don't know if those Western European countries might be overrated based on their popularity or they are just better than the East.

At the moment, it looks like the Western Europe is losing its importance on the global arena compared to other countries, mainly the US and China.

I think this decline has several aspects:

Economically, Western Europe is a fragmented market with tight regulations, which makes it less attractive to investors than the US. That why I think we haven’t seen new European companies becoming big on global markets in the last decades, while the US got Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Tesla, China has started producing everything for everyone and got companies like Huawei and ByteDance (TikTok) owner. Europe doesn’t have much to show in comparison.

They have high taxes that are spent on supporting ageing populations. Removing this support would be a political suicide, but maintaining it would require more and more spending, thus even higher taxation and less attractiveness to business.

Western Europe also doesn’t have much naturel resources (relatively speaking) and is deindustrialising, therefore becoming less able to satisfy its needs and more dependent on imports.

Western Europe previously had an advantage over many other countries due to having more educated population, but it doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

As far as the international politics is concerned, the Western European countries are, by and large, satellites of the United States. The most it can practically do is not participating in some of the US aventures (like France and the Iraq war). The last time some of them tried to play their own game was the Suez crisis, and it didn’t end well.

So is there anything going well for Western Europe? Will it be able to offer something to the world going forward, or will it slowly dwindle into irrelevance?

Edit: thanks all who shared their opinions and listed the reasons why Europe should remain relevant long-term, such as still-strong economy, long-term stable democratic institutions, ability to grow enough food, having ample water resources, infrastructure etc. I would also add an acceptance of immigrants, who move here long-term, as it helps with the demography when needed. You really made me feel better about the future of my continent 😀

I got triggered by a post in AmerExit about the Dutch housing crisis and wanted to see how people here feel about this.

In no way is it my intention to turn this into a pissing contest of 'who has in worse in which country' - that'd be quite a meaningless discussion.

But the amount of generalising I see regularly about how amazing life in the Netherlands (or Western-Europe in general) is across several expat-life related subreddits is baffling to me at this point. Whenever people, even those with real life, first-hand experience, try to put things in perspective about how bad things are getting in the Netherlands in terms of housing and cost of living, this is brushed off. Because, as the argument goes, it's still better than the US as they have free healthcare, no one needs a car, amazing work-life balance, free university, liberal and culturally tolerant attitudes all around etc. etc.

Not only is this way of thinking based on factually incorrect assumptions, it also ignores that right now, life in NL offers significant upgrades in lifestyle only to expats who are upper middle class high-earners while many of the working and middle class locals are genuinely concerned about COL and housing.

What annoys me is not people who want to move to NL because of whatever personal motivation they have - do what you need to for your own life. Especially if you are from a non-first world country, I understand 100%. But when locals in that country tell you X = bad here, why double down or resort to "whataboutisms"? Just take the free advice on board, you can still make your own informed decision afterwards.

Sorry for the rant - just curious to see if more people have noticed this attitude.

For context I am a single 25 year old American guy. The entire trip is about 2 months with family and friends for different parts but I have roughly 10 days to myself from about May 20 - 30th. I’ll already have been to Morocco, Southern & Western Germany, Florence, Croatia, Kotor, and coming off a week in Turkey right before this. I can fly from Istanbul to pretty much anywhere- I just need to be in the Madrid area around May 30th. Then I want to be in Paris by June 3 before flying out. I’ll have a continuous Eurail pass for what it’s worth.

Looking for recommendations on where to go. Aside from what I already listed on destinations this trip, I’ve been to Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, most of Germany (sans Berlin), Prague, London, Rome, and the Dolomites in the past. Looking to go new places. Thinking maybe 3 ish cities. Also for what it’s worth and I know it’s shamed on this sub a lot- personally I love the go-go-go trips, I’m perfectly fine doing just one day in plenty of cities and jamming it full of activities and sites. If I wanted a relaxing trip I’d be on a beach in Hawaii lol.

Anywhere specifically that’s fun for someone my age, and would be new to me?

I’m really into architecture, food, museums (although not modern art, like at all), nature, mountains and landscapes. Switzerland would be my ideal destination but seems way too spendy. I enjoy nightlife pretty heavily although since I’m alone I probably won’t do much bar hopping or clubbing at all. I’ll probably be staying in hostels close to the city centers (this is new to me, kind of nervous!). Not against smaller towns and destinations but will probably stick to the bigger cities.

Thanks in advance!

Hey all! I am planning my first solo trip to western Europe. I plan to go either the month of April or June. So far I have Lisbon, Lagos, Madrid, Barcelona, Nice, Paris, and Amsterdam.

I plan on staying 3-4 nights in each city. Is there anything you guys would recommend or have alternative suggestions? (particularly about France, I am the most ignorant about the country)

For reference I am 22 F, love the outdoors and hiking, trying to stay on a budget, and appreciate the history but would prefer to not spend all day listening to someone drone on tours.

Or Western Europeans? In the US we hear a lot about Western Europe’s take on the east. I’d like to hear the other side.

I've always wondered this..... so many Americans dream of going exclusively to Europe. I always generally preferred to move anywhere but Europe and worked all over Asia instead. Even now, only eastern Europe interests me.

I've heard tons of Americans dream of Europe but rarely Asia or south America; Why is that?

Hi everyone!

I'm fortunate enough to have reached FATFIRE while living in Eastern Europe (my yearly income is comfortably in the lower seven figures), which has allowed me to step back from work and focus on my family. I have children around 10 years old, and we're now considering moving to Western Europe for a higher quality of life, especially when it comes to education and overall environment for raising kids.

I'm looking for suggestions on places that not only have excellent schools and universities but also offer a great lifestyle for families. Ideally, we're seeking a location with:High-quality education (both secondary and university level)A coastal location with good weather—having access to the sea is a big priority for us parents!A family-friendly environment with plenty of activities and culture.Right now, we're considering:The South of France – How are the schools and universities in that region? I’ve heard wonderful things about the quality of life, but I’m not sure how it stacks up in terms of education.Valencia or Barcelona, Spain – These cities are also on our radar. Does anyone have experience with the education system here? How do they compare in terms of balancing family life, weather, and school quality?I

would love to hear your thoughts and any personal experiences you may have, especially if you've made a similar move or live in any of these areas.Thanks in advance for your insights!