The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away from Home: Making a New Life Abroad (Paperback)

by Rosanne Knorr (Author)
Key Phrases: callback services, other expats, United States, Running Away, The Grown-Up's Guide (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For empty-nesters, early retirees, and even established executives, midlife is the ideal time to turn travel fantasies into real and rewarding experiences. This second edition of THE GROWN-UP'S GUIDE covers estimating cost-of-living expenses, the dos and don'ts of international health care, the boom in online travel resources, and much more. Whether planning a monthlong escape or a whole new life in another country, this empowering guide will encourage mature would-be expats to pursue the overseas adventure they've been craving.

About the Author
ROSANNE KNORR is a seasoned traveler, expatriate, and author of the children's book series If I Lived and other books in the GROWN-UP'S GUIDES series. She lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 2 edition (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580088732
• ISBN-13: 978-1580088732
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You name it, she thought of it. , October 14, 2008

By	K. S. Hirschfeld - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first happened upon this book I was immediately attracted to the title. As a person who had left the comforts of an active career 4 years earlier to see what I could build in Europe, I thought this book might be amusing and thought it might enlighten me about situations I had yet to encounter.

It turned out to be a great deal more than that and I wish I had read it before I'd made the leap. It would have saved me a lot of hand wringing on various subjects and helped me think through a number of topics in advance.

The book addresses those who want a few months' getaway in a different environment as well as those who want to pull up stakes completely for a more `long term' change of scenery. Although written to some degree from an American perspective, the issues and questions raised apply no matter what your departure point.

Knorr raises subjects ranging from how to choose your destination, the family planning that's required, health care and medical coverage, insurance, passports, visas, bureaucracy, safety, financial considerations when operating away from home, what to take and what to leave behind, how to deal with the property you own, settling in, networking in your new environment as well as how to find a home, car, doctor, you name it, she thought of it.

Knorr gives you the facts but also addresses the emotional upheaval that can accompany such a move and helps you think through the permutations that always accompany a big decision! She writes with the wisdom of somehow who has passed this way and wants to save the reader some of the headaches she encountered while navigating the waters of setting up home in a new location. Her style is engaging, straight forward and very well informed .

If this book inspires you to take the leap, all the better, but even if I doesn't, it's a great read and will acquaint you with the adventure and challenges that await those who do. It is an easy read and jam packed with good information on virtually every aspect of making this kind of decision. If she missed anything, I'm not sure what it is.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relocation for a career change? Start here..., May 24, 2008

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As a career consultant, I find myself responding to questions about the ultimate getaway: finding a new job (and maybe a new life) overseas. It sounds so romantic...till you get into the nitty-gritty of paperwork, taxes and health care.


This guide gets 5 stars simply because it does what it promises: offers a straightforward guide to those who are considering a move but have no place to begin. However, I would recommend (a) reading multiple guides and (b) talking to folks who have been there. Try to find someone who's been in your situation. A 60+ retiree won't benefit from talking to a twenty-something; a single person needs to understand how a culture interprets her lifestyle.

I spent a few years in Canada on a "landed immigrant" visa (equivalent to a green card) as a business school professor. It's been awhile, but I would say the info here seems accurate and balanced. The author assumes her readers will be concerned about safety and health care. Your beliefs, values, and interpretation of events will influence your own priorities.

But for a starting point, you could do a lot worse.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You CAN run away..., April 12, 2009

By	Cummington Cook (Hilltowns, MA) - See all my reviews

You CAN run away without buying this book. I did not learn anything that I didn't already know from my own intelligence and common sense. I was intrigued by the idea of chucking it all and starting anew in Europe. I purchased the book and anxiously awaited its arrival. The enthusiasm with which I began reading shortly waned. Do I really need a book to tell me to submit change of address cards to the post office? I kept waiting for the author's secrets to unfold. There are none in this book. If you want to run away from your current life... you need money and courage and language skills. I should write a book !!!