Millennials living in Airbnb abroad for 3-6 months and they are calling themselves EXPATS?

[Anonymous]

In the past you had to be a citizen/resident of a foreign country for a number of years in order to call your self an expat.

But today there are millennials posting videos of themselves online staying in Airbnb abroad for as little as 3 months and they are calling themselves expats.

They are not expats they are Americans on extended vacations abroad.

[Anonymous]

Ok.

[Anonymous]

Cool story. Wonder why you are so insecure.

[Anonymous]

Weird hill to get so mad about. Do you feel like your expat experience isn't special enough anymore?

[Anonymous]

No one thinks you have to live overseas “for a number of years” to be considered an expat. The definition is “living” overseas. Now, peoples’ definitions of “living” can vary, but if you take most states and countries definitions of residency, it’s typically 189 days or 1/2 a year.

[Anonymous]

Haha OP ignore these PPs -- you are right, it is silly. I am a millennial and I have noticed this trend and it makes me laugh to myself a little bit. I know a bunch of people who have done what is equivalent to a semester abroad, by either working remotely for a short period or even doing a brief stint in a foreign office for their work, and they talk about it like they had a state department post for years. I think it is a cool thing to do, don't get me wrong. But there is a massive difference between actually moving to a foreign country and spending a few months there on a working vacation. Especially because most of the people I know who have done it have gone to European cities and just used wherever they are "living" as a home base so that they can travel cheaply around Europe during that time. Again, sounds super fun! Also does not count as actually living in a foreign country. It definitely doesn't make you a member of the expat community, which is a specific thing.

[Anonymous]

huh? My friends in the foreign service are expats when they move overseas. There's no year requirement.

[Anonymous]

Those damn millennials.

[Anonymous]

You never met someone who came back from a study abroad with an accent? Same people, different stage of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one thinks you have to live overseas “for a number of years” to be considered an expat. The definition is “living” overseas. Now, peoples’ definitions of “living” can vary, but if you take most states and countries definitions of residency, it’s typically 189 days or 1/2 a year.

Former expat here and while that might be the technical definition, if I'd met an American in Berlin who was there for less then a year, especially if not actually employed there with plans to stay more permanently, I would have considered them visitors, not expats. It wasn't like a badge of honor or something -- there is nothing wrong with doing an extended visit in a foreign city. I have done that too. But I don't understand why someone would feel the need to call themselves an expat in that situation. It would make you sound silly.

One reason I valued expat communities when I was living abroad is that we helped each other a lot, with visas, getting healthcare, finding jobs if you needed to, renting and buying property, etc. If someone isn't staying long enough to have to navigate that, they aren't really going to be part of the expat community. Again, just visiting. Nothing wrong with it, but it's a different thing.

[Anonymous]

People who live somewhere long enough to become a citizen typically don't call themselves expats.

Expats are wealthy economic migrants who plan to go back to their country of origin.

[Anonymous]

Expats are generally weirdos anyway. Why would you want to call yourself one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:huh? My friends in the foreign service are expats when they move overseas. There's no year requirement.

People in the foreign service generally stay for 1-3 years in any assignment. Plus they are also generally moving from one assignment to the next with only short stays back in the US, usually for language training (my ex was foreign service). They are expats because they don't live in the US. That's very different than just renting an AirBnB in Barcelona for 6 months and taking advantage of your company's remote work policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those damn millennials.

Do you think they bring avocados with them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who live somewhere long enough to become a citizen typically don't call themselves expats.

Expats are wealthy economic migrants who plan to go back to their country of origin.

You can't become a citizen in most countries just by living there a few years.

While many expats are wealthy, many are middle class but have careers that lend themselves to living abroad for long periods of time -- journalists, artists, performers, etc.