More Americans are seriously researching life abroad than at any point I can remember covering. Survey data published across 2024 and 2025 tracked more than 116,000 Americans actively investigating relocation, with traffic to relocation resources spiking from roughly 8,000 visitors in October 2024 to nearly 51,000 the following month. Through the back half of 2026, that interest has not cooled. The reasons people give are a familiar mix: lower cost of living, healthcare frustration, political fatigue, and the older, less cynical one, adventure.
The mistake most people make at this stage is buying a one-way ticket. The smart play is scouting first, and that is where points and miles do real work. A two-week reconnaissance trip on rewards costs nothing close to what it would in cash, and gets you on the ground in the country you are actually considering.
What follows is where Americans want to land, why each of the top five made the list, and how to test-drive any of them before you commit.
What the survey data showed about top destinations
The 2024-2025 surveys pointed at the same handful of countries again and again, with Portugal at the front by a meaningful margin. Portugal ranked as the single most-requested destination Americans asked relocation services about, and the number of U.S. residents who actually moved to Portugal nearly tripled compared with the prior cycle. Spain, France, Mexico, and Canada filled out the rest of the top five, each drawing thousands of inquiries.
Mexico is the volume leader if you count completed moves rather than inquiries. Nearly 800,000 Americans relocated to Mexico across 2024-2025, bringing the total American expat population there to roughly 1.2 million. Canada hosts about one million American expats, and relocating American families to Canada more than doubled over the same period. About nine million Americans live as expats globally, which sounds large until you remember the U.S. population is 330+ million.
One note on the data: the survey results reported in 2024-2025 were based on Americans who took the step of researching relocation, not Americans who actually moved. The gap is enormous. Most people who fill out a form will not pack a container. But the directional signal is what we care about here.
Portugal as case study
Portugal tops the list for reasons that get clearer the more you look at them. The cost of living in Lisbon and Porto runs 30-40% lower than equivalent U.S. cities. The healthcare system is among the better-rated public systems in Europe. English is widely spoken in the cities most Americans target. The climate is mild on both coasts. And the visa pathway is unusually accessible relative to the rest of the EU.
The two visas worth knowing are the D7 and the digital nomad visa. The D7 is a passive-income visa originally designed for retirees, requiring roughly €870 per month of stable income from pensions, rental property, dividends, or similar sources. It opens the door to permanent residency after five years and citizenship not long after that. The digital nomad visa, launched in late 2022 and refined since, requires monthly income of roughly four times Portugal's minimum wage (around €3,280 in 2026) plus proof of remote work for a non-Portuguese employer.
Getting there on points is straightforward. United flies direct from Newark to Lisbon year-round and adds Porto seasonally. TAP Air Portugal connects through Boston, JFK, and Miami, and Star Alliance bookings price Lisbon in economy at 30,000-45,000 miles one-way through United, or 60,000-90,000 in business. Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles are both worth a search for the same routes; Aeroplan in particular tends to surface seats that United's own engine hides.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve are the two cards I would start with for Portugal scouting. Both transfer Ultimate Rewards points to United at 1:1, both waive foreign transaction fees, and the Reserve adds Priority Pass access (useful in Lisbon). Marriott has solid coverage in Lisbon and Porto, and the Marriott Boundless gives you a 35,000-point anniversary night that books a midtier property in either city. If you would rather skip chain loyalty, the Capital One Venture X erases hotel costs through its travel portal at 1 cent per mile, which is the simplest way to handle a multi-week scout.
Spain, France, and the European pull
Spain came in just behind Portugal in the survey data, and the move count backs it up. Spain offers three visas worth knowing: the Non-Lucrative Visa for retirees and others with passive income (€2,450 monthly required, no work allowed), the digital nomad visa for remote workers (roughly €2,650 monthly), and the Golden Visa via investment. Spain announced plans in 2024 to phase the property-investment route out, and the latest indications are that the change is now in force as of 2026. Madrid and Barcelona are the two cities Americans target most often; Valencia has been picking up momentum as the cheaper, sunnier option.
Award flights to Spain are well-served. American flies direct from multiple U.S. hubs to Madrid and Barcelona, with British Airways Avios at 57,500 miles one-way in business class on the off-peak calendar. Iberia Plus is the sleeper here, often the same metal as British Airways but with lower fuel-surcharge add-ons when you book the right city pairs. Once on the ground, intra-Europe Avios redemptions at 7,500-15,000 miles let you sample three or four cities on a single trip.
France was the third European destination Americans asked about most, and American families relocating to France nearly tripled in 2024-2025. The pull is the obvious stuff (healthcare, education, food, transit) plus the under-discussed fact that the long-stay visa for Americans is more reasonable than its reputation suggests, especially the visitor and talent passport categories. Air France and Delta both fly direct to Paris from a long list of U.S. cities. Flying Blue Promo Rewards routinely cut award costs by 20-40% on selected routes, and Sapphire Preferred and Amex Membership Rewards transfer 1:1 into Flying Blue when promos hit.
If your scout is going to be Paris-plus-regional (Lyon, Marseille, Nice), book the transatlantic flight on Flying Blue and use cash or Avios for the short hops. The Venture X is again the cleanest option for hotel coverage if you do not want to chase chain loyalty.
Mexico and Canada: the proximity options
Mexico is the most-completed move on this list and the easiest first scout, because the visa equation barely exists for short trips. Americans get 180 days on arrival on a standard tourist permit, which is enough to stress-test a city. Temporary residency requires proof of monthly income (roughly $2,600 in 2026) or savings of around $43,000, and permanent residency steps up from there. Mexico City, Guadalajara, Mérida, and the established expat hubs along the Pacific and Riviera Maya coasts are where most Americans land.
Award flights to Mexico are some of the best values in the points world. Southwest serves nearly every Mexican destination Americans care about with no fuel surcharges and the lowest economy award prices in the market. The Southwest Companion Pass, earned by hitting 135,000 qualifying points or 100 segments in a calendar year, turns every scout flight into a two-for-one. For hotels, IHG runs PointBreaks promotions that drop Mexico properties to 10,000-15,000 points a night, which is laughable value for what you get in Mérida or Guanajuato.
Canada is the easiest move on this list mechanically. No visa needed for visits under 180 days, and the residency pathways for high-skilled workers are well-trodden. Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are the standard targets. Flights are cheap from most of the northern U.S., often cheaper to pay cash than burn points. If you want to use rewards, Aeroplan via Capital One miles is the smoothest path. Marriott dominates Canadian hotels, with Hyatt as the higher-end alternative in Toronto and Vancouver, and the World of Hyatt card's free-night certificate covers a category 1-4 property in either city.
How to use points to scout a country before committing
There are three scouting templates I would consider, depending on how serious you are.
Two-week reconnaissance. Fly into the country you are considering, split the time between two or three cities or neighborhoods, and treat the trip as research rather than vacation. Visit grocery stores, ride the public transit at rush hour, sit in a few cafés and notice whether you can hear yourself think. Visit one international school if you have kids. Sixty to ninety thousand miles in economy gets you the flight; another 100,000-150,000 hotel points handles the lodging if you stagger between two brands. This is the minimum-viable scout.
Month-long test run. A month is the unit of time at which you stop being a tourist and start having a life. You will run out of points for accommodation around day seven, so the play is to use points for the flight and the first week, then pivot to a furnished apartment or a long-stay rate for the rest. The Venture X's $300 annual travel credit absorbs a couple of hundred dollars of cash spend on the back half. If you can swing the time off, this is the scout that produces the most reliable read on whether you actually want to live somewhere.
Multi-country comparison. Sometimes the right answer is comparing two finalists head-to-head. Fly into one, spend ten days, take a short Avios redemption to the other, spend another ten days, then fly home. This works particularly well for Portugal-vs-Spain or France-vs-Spain because intra-Europe award flights are cheap and frequent.
Visa pathways worth knowing
Digital nomad visas are now offered by Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Costa Rica, and a growing list of others. The typical requirements: proof of remote employment for a non-local company, monthly income of $2,500-$3,500, health insurance covering the destination country, and a clean criminal record. These are the closest thing to a turnkey relocation visa for working-age Americans.
Retirement visas are the older category. Portugal's D7, Spain's Non-Lucrative, Mexico's Temporary Residency on income, and Costa Rica's Pensionado all serve people with stable passive income who do not need to work locally. Income requirements range from roughly $1,000 monthly (Costa Rica) to €2,450 (Spain), so the gating factor is usually paperwork rather than dollars.
Golden Visas, or residency-by-investment, are the most controversial category. Portugal eliminated the real estate path in 2023 and now requires investment in funds or job creation, typically €500,000 minimum. Spain has been phasing out its property route. Greece kept its program but raised the threshold to €500,000 or €800,000 in higher-demand areas in 2024. If you are considering a Golden Visa, get a current quote from a local immigration lawyer; the rules in this category have moved more in the last 24 months than any other.
Cost of a relocation scouting plan
A realistic scout costs $500-$1,500 in cash even when you stack it with points and miles. Points cover the flight and most of the hotel; cash covers the rest. Here is the rough breakdown for a two-week Europe scout for one person:
- Round-trip economy flight: 60,000 miles plus $100-$200 in taxes and surcharges (more on Lufthansa or BA, less on TAP or Air France).
- Hotel nights or points stays: 90,000-150,000 hotel points plus $50-$150 in resort fees and gaps.
- Ground transport, food, intra-country travel: $600-$1,000.
- Visa appointment costs if you are stacking the trip with an actual visa application: $200-$500.
Multiple scouts get cheaper per trip as you build relationships, repeat hotels, and tighten the itinerary. If you actually move, the upfront relocation costs run $5,000-$15,000 between visa fees, legal help, deposits, and shipping. A good points strategy across scouting and visa appointments saves $3,000-$5,000 against doing the same trips on cash.
Credit card setup before and after a potential move
Before you move, the cards I would prioritize are the ones with high earning rates on travel and dining, paired with no foreign transaction fees. Chase Sapphire Preferred is the cleanest entry point. Capital One Venture X carries a higher annual fee but gives you a credit, lounge access, and the simplest points-for-hotels mechanic on the market. Amex Gold earns 4x on restaurants worldwide, which adds up fast when you are scouting somewhere and eating out twice a day. Pick two of those three, and you will earn faster than you can burn.
After a potential move, the priority shifts to keeping your U.S. credit alive. American banks want to see U.S. ties (an address, a phone number, recurring U.S. payments), so most long-term expats keep at least one family member's address or a mail-forwarding service active. Run a small monthly charge through each card to keep the account in good standing. Foreign transaction fees become the dominant card-selection factor, which puts the Venture X and Sapphire Reserve at the top of the keep-active list. Cards with high annual fees that you cannot justify abroad (the Reserve's lounge benefits matter less if you only fly back twice a year) should get downgraded rather than canceled to preserve credit history.
Realistic expectations from current expats
The expats I have talked to converge on a small number of warnings.
Visit in more than one season. The Mediterranean winter that sells you on Portugal is not the same as the 95°F summer in the Algarve. Aim to scout each finalist in at least two seasons before committing, even if it means two trips.
Research healthcare access before you assume it. National systems vary enormously in how quickly a new resident can register, what your initial coverage looks like, and how the public-private split works in practice. Portugal's SNS is excellent, but enrolling takes time, and private health insurance for the first year is the standard recommendation. Mexico's IMSS works well if you live in a major city and is much harder in smaller towns.
U.S. tax filing does not go away. Americans are taxed on worldwide income regardless of where they live. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion shields the first ~$126,500 of earned income (2026 limit) but does not apply to investment income, and the FBAR and FATCA reporting requirements are independent of the FEIE. Budget for an expat-specialist accountant from your second year onward.
The honeymoon ends. The first three to six months in a new country are exciting in a way that obscures normal life. The country you actually live in is the one you see in month nine, after the novelty wears off. Multiple scouts and a long test run do more to predict that ninth month than any amount of online research.
Action plan if you're scouting now
Start the points pipeline 12-18 months before the trip. Open one or two cards from the Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards ecosystems, hit the welcome bonuses on normal spending, and you will have 150,000-200,000 transferable points by the time you book. Pick two finalists. Plan a single multi-country scout if they are both in Europe, or two separate trips if they straddle continents. Schedule the trips for different seasons. Block the visa research for after the scout, not before. The country picks you as much as you pick it, and the visa path that fits your situation will be obvious once you know which country you want.
If you are starting today and the scout is for fall 2026 or winter 2027, you have plenty of time to do this right.
This article contains affiliate links. If you apply through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps us continue sharing points and miles strategies with the community.
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you apply through these links. This helps us keep the site running and continue creating free content.
