Hi looking to move to Ireland sometime next year. Reaching out to some pet shipping companies ahead of time, quotes etc. Main one I've been in contact with is Pet Express, anyone used them for larger dogs that can't ride in-cabin? Other recommendations instead? Any info is helpful, thanks :)

B.A. in japanese language and literature starting online MLIS this fall. 5 years experience in video game and anime localization but most of it is freelance and three yearss of part time Library experience. mexican citizen, USA PR. frankly just want to get out of the USA but Mexico is not an option. don't have money for an in-person grad school. please be kind i am desperate. LGBT friendly preferred. i speak japanese (N2 but most jobs require N1) and fluent english and spanish.

I know housing is already hard to get - wondering if anyone has gotten a rental with a dog and what challenges you faced or suggestions. Thank you

Hey everyone --

I'm from the USA, 40 -- went back to school during the pandemic to get a AAS in Architectural Drafting. I've been working at Engineering firms doing 2d/3d modeling but my contract is over and I want to see if there's a chance that I could get work outside the USA.

I dont know where to go -- new in the industry ~1 year work experience. I do have savings and free to travel anywhere but I dont know where to even look or focus. I've done working holidays in New Zealand and spent a year living in SE Asia -- so I've looked at paths for those countries as well as Aus.

Anyone have specific guidance for where someone like me can land?

I've been considering emigrating for a couple of years now, while I'm still young enough to have a shot at it. I don't have specific places in mind yet, I'm just looking at options to investigate further. Where would you recommend I start my search, given the following description?

• Male, 36, no partner, no kids, no pets.
• Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, some minor professional experience with that as a design engineer. 12 years of personal CAD modeling + drawing experience.
• Self-taught programmer (16+ languages), primarily low-level desktop/library/embedded work, 18 years personal experience, 4 years professional experience on safety-critical real-time embedded systems.
• Can design basic electrical circuits and PCBs.
• Will soon acquire an Associate's in Mechanical Engineering Technology (I've been taking manual & CNC machining classes at the local community college and figured I might as well take a few more classes and get the degree).
• No major known chronic health problems, other than:
  • Severe ADHD well-controlled by prescription medication (but I need to be able to get that medication daily, which does rule out several places.)
• I used to have basic fluency in German (and Latin) and I could probably re-learn that with a bit of time. I'm willing to learn new languages, though.

Edited for length, clarity:

Hi. I recently realized I have the option for a fast-track, two year citizenship path in Spain through my dual Salvadoran and US citizenship, provided I can reside there for the full two years, likely with the DNV/NLV. The core ask is whether anyone here has any experience using one of these visas, at a younger age, AND the Ibero-American fast track.

Yes, I have carefully considered leaving and have my own personal reasons for wanting to do so, and have made sure that Spain is one of my top choices. I know this sub deals with a lot of ignorant people— I have done my homework, but want to hear from real people. Asking here because there are so many aggregator websites out there or sites with otherwise unreliable information. Yes, I plan to find an expert before actually executing any of this— but I want to make sure it’s at all worth pursuing.

I’m currently an undergraduate student at a top-10 US university, studying journalism and legal studies. I have one year left of school, so will soon be considering post grad.

I’m hoping to get this done after graduating because postgrad seems like the best time to be abroad.

I’m aware that the most common path for people pursuing this track is to obtain a visa like the Digital Nomad Visa and simply work in Spain for two years. That’s my first question:

1. Has anyone found success working remotely on a similar visa, with a US company. I’m well aware of how the job market is, so assuming I do my part and finish school (with four internships), are there jobs out there that I could work in and that fulfill the requirements? Are they hard to come by? I’m not picky.

The other thing I’m unsure about is the intricacies, like are there any things to watch out for with the DNV or Spanish government agencies, or anything else to consider.

So:

2) do you know the legal aspects, or know what type of person or organization I should talk to? I assume US Immigration Lawyers would not be useful.

I’m also generally wondering if people in a similar situation to me have found success pursuing this path right out of university.

Other questions:

3) are there other viable visas? Old posts mention the Non Lucrative
4) is this a realistic path
5) are there any hurdles from the US or Spanish govs
6) are there significant downsides
7) chance me?

Thanks and please do ask follow ups in the comments if you have any. Feel free to PM me as well.

Hi, I am a 20-year-old US student currently pursuing a bachelor's in electrical engineering with a concentration in power systems/power electronics (but still flexible to change). I have been considering using a pursual of a master's degree as a reason to study and potentially live abroad in my future. I currently only know English but would definitely be open to learning another language. The only problem is I'm not fully sure where I want to study or explore, and so I've been delaying what language to invest in.

I would definitely prefer to move to a country that was more amiable and affordable towards my industry. Additionally, I love bicycling and would love to bicycle as a commute option, so I was looking at a lot of Northern European countries; however, I was reading about how their culture can be more insular in general. I was also considering parts of Germany and also Montreal (as a safer, new world option), but I am very open to options I haven't considered yet, even outside of Europe. I would also love if the location had ample access to nature. Sorry if these criteria are a little vague, I'm not extremely well traveled as of currently in my life. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I’m looking for a realistic assessment rather than encouragement.
I’d like to leave the U.S. within the next few years if I can find stable work overseas. Mexico is my first choice (I already have temporary residency there), but I’d also be open to other parts of Latin America or Southeast Asia.
My background is a little unusual, and I’m not sure how competitive it actually is.
California Adult Education teaching credential (Business & Finance, ESL, Math, and Social Studies)
About 2 years of adult education teaching experience (CTE and ESL)
MLIS
Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Political Science
TEFL certificate from the University of San Diego
Several years of government/administrative experience (contracts, court administration, clerical work)
From what I’ve read, I don’t think I’m particularly competitive for international K-12 schools because I don’t have traditional K-12 classroom experience, and I’m okay accepting that if it’s true.
What I’m trying to figure out is whether I’m overlooking other opportunities. Would someone with my background be reasonably competitive for things like language institutes, adult education, vocational schools, universities, pathway/foundation programs, or other education-related jobs in Mexico, Latin America, or Southeast Asia? Or am I realistically in a fairly weak position compared to other applicants?
I’d especially appreciate responses from people who have actually worked abroad or have experience hiring overseas teachers. I’m not looking for optimism—just an honest assessment of where my qualifications fit in the market.

I do have temporary residence in Mexico if that helps.

Hello all... I've been toying with this for the last few years and have hit a point where I must make a call. My wife and I are in the US and have been considering leaving since about Jan 6, 2020. In the ensuing years, I relentlessly applied to positions in the EU but didn't get far. Finally, in 2025, I got a hit with a contract position over there. The hit came at a weird time for us as we had just bought a house and our oldest daughter had no interest in going. So we were on the fence. Though the position was supposed to be in person, my supervisor told me he was ok with me being semi-remote for some time. I kept my job here and flew back and forth a lot to make it all work.

Well, that has come to an end. I need to either go or quit. Our household income here is $250K (2 incomes). My income over there is 50K€. Furthermore, I only have a year left on this contract. My job denied me taking leave so I'd have to quit if I do go. My wife's job granted her a leave so she'd have her job if we did need to come back due to financial reasons. It would be a significant blow to our household finances if we do go.

Obviously, there's a pretty significant midterm coming up that I personally believe will make or break American democracy. I'm trying to figure out whether or not to risk being here for that or risk gutting my family's finances to go. What would ya'll do?

Hello everyone. Has anyone on this subreddit made a permanent move or is planning to make a permanent move to South Korea? If so, what advice would you give to me about it this and what type of career would you suggest that I pursue?

I’m a US citizen in my early 30s who is planning to make a permanent move to South Korea within the next five years from now, with the intent of becoming a permanent resident or a citizen. I currently have a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and have thought about pursuing a career in teaching Spanish at a university or a language school, as well as teaching English at a university or a language school. So I’m planning to get a teaching license and a master’s degree, and a doctorate if I end up deciding on a career as a professor, in South Korea, one to teach Spanish and another to teach English. I also have considered about pursuing a career in translation and use Korean, English, and Spanish, among other languages, as my working languages. If pursuing either career is very difficult or is impossible to pursue in South Korea, especially with my goal to become a permanent resident or a naturalized citizen, I’m willing to change my career and I’m open to pursuing a second bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a certificate related to my future career.

I’m currently studying Korean and will continue studying it if I were to study for a second bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a doctorate, or a certificate.

I'll be finishing up my PhD soonish and am realizing that if I want to consider living and working outside of the US now would be one of the easier times in my life to make that big transition. No long term partner, kids, pets, etc. Also no career I'm locked into but a degree that gives me options. I'm still in fairly early stages of research but I'm just trying to get a realistic sense of what is possible and what I should be looking for.

My PhD is in physical chemistry with a focus on fundamental semiconductor physics. On one hand I feel like a PhD in a hard science is generally one of the most valuable/employable educational credentials around, especially in a large and growing area like the semiconductor industry (though I'm also looking at jobs in other industries looking for chemists, materials scientists, and physicists where I have skills that could transfer). On the other hand I think immigration is pretty hard for literally everyone and I don't have any other major benefits beyond my education.

So right now I guess I'm just trying to get a general sense of what sorts of places would be realistic to move to given my situation.

Additional info that might be relevant:

• 27 year old woman
  
• Native english speaker but no foreign language beyond rudimentary (A2ish) french.
  
• Decent savings. Enough to give me some flexibility and stability but certainly not enough to buy $100,000 golden tickets or whatever.
• No duel citizenship or any helpful ancestry.
• Pretty decent network of academic researchers around the world but essentially no connections outside of academia. I'd certainly consider a post-doc if it was the only way to get somewhere I wanted to be but I would prefer to get out of academia if possible.
  
• Similarly, an above average (but not exceptional) academic resume: experience using a fair number of scientific tools and methods, a respectable suite of publications and presentations, degree from a respected program and advisor. However, all my work and research experience is academic lab-scale rather than anything industry scale.
  
• No spouse, dependents, or relatives that I intend to move with me.
• I would say Netherlands or Denmark would be my absolute dream countries. But Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of western europe (pending additional research into the specific country) are also on the table of places I would at least potentially consider in the right circumstance.

(sorry if flair is wrong i wasn't sure which one to pick)

hi all, as the title says, i'm wondering if anyone has any advice on the best steps to take now to enable moving abroad later? best financial steps (saving a lot, obviously, but what else?), aspects of the process that take a long time (so should be started ASAP), general advice, etc. would all be really helpful to know about.

this is less about where to go and more about how to get somewhere/what to do to ensure i CAN get somewhere; i'm not looking to move right away but i am thinking of leaving the US in the future, so i figured i'd ask and see if anyone can make any recommendations for what to do now.

for a little background:

• i have a BA in linguistics and spanish. a student visa for grad school might be an option, but i'm not settled on what i want to study yet...
• i currently work for a transcription company, which is not my long-term ambition lol. i'm really really interested in education (mainly working at colleges/universities, including in study abroad departments, or in edtech, or at study abroad provider companies) if that helps. i'm really analytical so i've also considered stuff like project management, data-oriented work, etc. but haven't committed to any of that, and i've always been fascinated by healthcare so may be open to options there that don't require a super long/arduous degree path
• transferring internationally is not an option at my current job but i'm looking for full-time employment rn and definitely keeping an eye out for places that offer it
• marriage visa is very very very unlikely because i'm not super interested in relationships + it would probably involve being long-distance for a while, which i can't stand
• i have a few thousand (< 10k) in savings and a few thousand (< 5k) in student loan debt (no other debt), and generally make enough money each month to cover the expenses and put a little bit (emphasis on little) away for the future

and this isn't the focus of the post, but in case anyone wants to weigh in (or gets mad at me for not including it hahaha), in terms of specific countries to look at:

• i have jewish ancestry so i MIGHT be eligible for germany/austria, but i haven't researched that yet; technically israel could also be possible but i don't want to live there lol. other than that, i'm not jus sanguinis-eligible for anything :/
• good medical infrastructure is non negotiable; i take (legally prescribed) hormones for a medical condition and need to be able to access that no matter where i am
• also i'm gay, so LGBT-unfriendly countries are not an option
• i speak english and spanish, so anywhere that speaks those is good, and i'm learning japanese (though the things i hear about japanese work culture and anti-immigrant sentiment, plus the summer heat, make me hesitant to live there lol). i like learning languages so i don't mind starting another one right now if need be!
• temperate/chilly climates strongly preferred

i've been eyeing the south cone since they seem to meet these requirements (milei and kast do give me pause though) but again, i'm not planning to move ASAP, so i haven't researched where to go super deeply/made any emotional commitments yet.

with all that in mind, again, any tips or suggestions would be super helpful! i'm definitely going to look into my ancestry a little more to see if that opens any doors, as well as consider companies with international locations/remote flexibility, and/or studying something in demand; what else should i think about here? particular financial steps to take, degrees/careers to focus on, etc.?

Hello friends,

It's been a whole year and I thought I'd come back for another round of questions if anyone is interested. I'm an American tech worker who left the US a little more than four years ago for a new life in Estonia. My residency here is based on my marriage to my partner, but there are actually long-stay (Type D) visas available for the citizens of both the US and and Japan.

My journey started with a whirlwind romance, boarding a plane with naught but my duffel bag, and then starting a whole new life. Not going to lie, the first couple years away were a bit rough, but since I have found some solid friends, a great job, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

My AMA last year went really well, so let's do it again! Please ask away and I'll do my best to answer any questions you have about the process of leaving, getting residency here, the culture, language, history, food, or anything else that comes up.

(Bonus picture I took walking around the Old Town)

I'm in my late 20s and have triple citizenship (US/UK/Canada). I've been living and working in the US since college and have managed to save a decent amount of money.
At this point in my life, I'm less focused on maximizing my career and more focused on quality of life. I'd like to settle down, find a long-term partner, and eventually start a family.
I'm trying to decide whether staying in the US is the best option, or whether I'd be happier in the UK or Canada.
For the UK:
I love the amount of vacation time and how easy it is to travel around Europe.

I probably wouldn't live in London because it's too expensive.

Scotland felt a bit too grey and cool for me—I like having distinct seasons and a decent summer.

For Canada:
I'm mainly considering Calgary or Toronto.

I like the idea of better work-life balance, healthcare, and a generally safer environment.

One thing that's important to me is being able to afford my own apartment on a modest professional salary. A lot of my friends in London are still flat-sharing in their 30s, and that's something I'd really like to avoid.
For anyone who's lived in both countries (or all three), where do you think offers the better overall quality of life for someone at this stage of life?

I (36 F) and husband (37 M) would love to relocate abroad. Depending on country, my husband has a desirable degree. A BS in EE and a BS in industrial technology and is currently a Sr. Process Eng. He’s been in his career field over 10 years. We have two kids(15&10), one is mildly autistic. We are currently in the US and speak English but are willing to put in the time and effort to learn another language. Are there certain countries it would be easier to relocate to based on this small amount of info? Oh, he’s also currently employed at a fortune global 500 company. Just looking for a list I can seemingly start compiling and deep dive more into.

Also, if we relocate, I’d like to look into finishing my BS wherever we end up..if possible.

Hello. My wife and I are considering moving from the USA to Europe - most likely Italy or France, but open to other countries. We are empty nesters, both in our late 50's. My wife will be retiring next year. I am a musician (guitar and vocals). I have dual Italian/USA citizenship. I would like to move somewhere that would most easily enable me to continue performing -either joining a band or playing solo. Could anyone recommend cities/areas that have a good amount of small-scale live entertainment? Thinking small venues like restaurants or bars but open to anything. I can play/sing many styles but primarily rock, pop, blues, some jazz. I figure it would also be a good way to make new friends. Where have you seen "older" people like me performing? TIA

Hi friends! I'm back with more random information to hopefully help you on your journey. We've seen a few things lately and I wanted to keep y'all updated.

Who am I: I'm Batman? Or maybe just your friendly "I moved out of the States, you can too" cheerleader. One of those.

I also run a business that helps researchers relocate, and we merged with a few folks so now we have services for everyone!

Here we go!

1. Scotland is not currently in the EU. We've had a lot of questions about Scotland. And there seems to be some confusion. So, there you have it. They are not in the EU. Please plan accordingly. Beautiful country and lovely people, but not currently EU.

2. Help us help you. When you message me and you say, "I want to leave the US." That's not enough information. Where do you want to go? What languages do you speak? When? Do you have money? Pets? Do you work for yourself/on a contract (1099) or have a W2? Did you search through the reddit for people in a similar situation (you didn't, but you should).

3. If you hate paperwork, providing the same information repeatedly, general redundancy, or ridiculous phone calls, you might want to rethink your plan to move abroad. Or, at the very least, be mindful of the country you choose. Europe might not be for you 😂. I believe there is a place for everyone, but make sure you do your due diligence.

4. The internet is full of droopy drawers. I think some people just wait for posts so they can crap on them. Ignore them. Now, I'm not saying ignore the people who point out that it might be hard to move to Switzerland with $5 in the bank, no job prospects, and no friends or family there. I'm saying ignore the people who immediately say you can't xyz. As I've said before, we don't know you. If you have a plan, then be about it. Don't be an idiot, but also, don't let people squash your dream.

5. And now, another word about scammers. This is going to be long. I think there are intentional scammers and also sort of unintentional scammers. People who are less informed than they should be, but passing themselves off as experts. Both can be a drain on your bank account. It is very hard to tell who is real, who has done what they say, who is bluffing, and who is AI. We hosted a free webinar about what to look for/things to be cautious of when choosing short- and long-term rental help. And the stories we heard were wild. Absolutely wild (my favorite will always be the locator who rented people a place he owned and didn't disclose that). Please check and double-check housing resources.

   We also hosted a few classes for people who are looking to work with expats and one to help people doing career changes. As such, I contacted a few people on social media to see if it would be ok to show their business pages to the class. Everyone I contacted was willing, but I asked a few questions and a few of them had never been to the places they were posting about or they were new to an area and setup tour companies after a week or two. Please ask questions before giving people your money.

   I said this in the housing webinar, and I may have said this before on reddit, moving abroad is a lot. And if you are moving somewhere that you don't have a network, you have to take some blind leaps (and hope there aren't alligators/crocodiles at the bottom if you fall). Please utilize whatever you can to protect yourself. Is the business registered (registered business can scam, but registered is better than unregistered)? Does the business make your Spidey sense (peter) tingle? Do they seem to over promise? Have they actually moved abroad?

6. Once you are in your new country, your work is not done. I hate to break it to you, but most countries have validations, renewals, registering with various offices, and France has classes you may have to take. It would be nice to get in and have no other obligations, but such is life. So again, if paperwork is not your thing, pick a country or visa type that fits your lifestyle.

7. Free healthcare! Umm, I need to stress that a lot of countries have what I consider ACCESS to healthcare. For a lot of retirees in France, it was free for a long time. But, I believe they are remedying that situation. I have healthcare, but I pay fairly steep social charges + taxes, and then a mutuelle on top of that. So, not free. But, accessible. Some countries may have free, but do your homework. Is my current coverage less than the US? Not really. But, I had insanely good healthcare for most of my career.

8. Speaking of healthcare, most people I've worked with are coming from cities or suburbs. Which means access to healthcare is fairly easy. If your dream is to live in the countryside, be aware that the closest doctor might be an hour or two away. That also happens in the US, but again, if you are thinking of living out your farming fantasies, just know that you are more likely to have a vet than a human doctor. There is a reason countries always have doctors and nurses on the priority lists. And if you take medications, may the odds be ever in your favor.

9. You CAN do this. You can. I talk to people every week who are doing it. But, it takes work. Pick a country, or a visa, and go from there. And watch out for the alligators/crocodiles.

As always, good luck!!

I’m a 36-year-old American with over 10 years of international teaching experience. I’ve taught in Colombia, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Togo, and now South Korea. I have a TEFL certificate, a BA in Sociology and French, and an MSW, but I don’t have a US teaching license.

I came to Korea hoping it would be a good long-term move, but I’m honestly miserable here. The work culture, long hours, and lack of work-life balance have really taken a toll on my mental health. My contract runs until March 2027, and I plan to finish it, but I know I don’t want to stay in Korea afterward.
My goal is to immigrate somewhere permanently, ideally Australia or New Zealand. I’m open to other countries too if they offer a realistic pathway to residency. I don’t mind continuing to teach, but I’d also be open to transitioning into another career if it gives me better quality of life.
My biggest concerns are:

- I’m not wealthy and can’t afford to go back to school for years.
- I don’t have a US teaching license yet.
- I’d like to avoid starting completely from scratch if possible.

For anyone who has successfully left the US and settled somewhere long term:

- Which countries would you realistically recommend?
- Is getting a US teaching license worth it if my end goal is Australia or New Zealand?
- Are there other careers or visa pathways I should be looking into?
- If you were in my position, what would your plan be over the next 8 months before my contract ends?

I’d really appreciate practical advice from people who’ve actually made the move. Thanks!

I’m considering moving to the Republic of Ireland this year. I have dual US/UK citizenship and have already researched and confirmed that as a UK citizen I can live and work in Ireland without a visa. So that part is handled. But I’ve only ever moved cities once in my life and it was within the same state.

I know the obvious stuff like job, housing, etc. as part of the considerations for moving, and I have savings to cover costs, but like what sorts of things are important that maybe are easy to overlook, things that may be trivial. For example: I would need to buy all new house wares/pots and pans etc.

Looking for tips and tricks, first hand experience around things you wished you’d known or thought about. I’ll say I handle things much better in the moment than planning for them but I don’t want to be blindsided. So I don’t need like a full 100% all things covered. Just maybe more like a watch out for these unexpected challenges that can make the first 3 months way harder.

Thanks in advance!

Apologies if this has been asked in the past, but looking for a bit of insight.

To start…
Me: early 30s, Colombian-American citizen (have both nationalities), making 125k USD/year, work in advertisement strategy remote, currently in WA state
Fiancée: early 30s, American, making 80k (1099), Therapist, currently in WA state

We live in Spain for 4 years prior to the pandemic, ever since moving back to the US we’ve tried to make it feel like home but miss living in Spain. Now with the digital nomad visa we are considering this as an option to move back.

Our difficulties however would be me with a W2 employment. Does anyone have any insight into moving to Spain under these possible circumstances, specifically the Basque Country? I’d like to take advantage of being a Colombian citizen and the possibility of residency after 2 years. Has anyone done this successfully? Are there any lawyers here or anyone have any one they’ve spoken with to gather more insight?

Thanks for the help, apologies again if this has been asked prior.

I feel like frequent posters here can relate.

Hello. I'm a 23-year-old female-to-male transgender American (including that I'm trans because I know that limits me to certain places). I'm about to enter my sophomore year of undergrad. I'm studying communications and I'm building portfolios and doing internships around international relations and journalism. I'm B1 in Spanish (hoping to reach C1 by the time I graduate) and am open to learning another language if need be. I studied German in high school and really enjoyed it, though I don't remember much. I'm planning on pursuing a masters even if I were to stay in the United States, so pursuing one in another country is also something I'm interested in. I attended trade school for HVAC and have my EPA 608 Universal certification. I don't have any strong preference for a particular climate. I'd like to live somewhere with at least a medium size population.

I currently live with family and my primary expense is tuition (about $4000 a year). I work as a server and, aside from tuition, I can put basically all my money into savings.

I'm not in a rush to relocate (I plan on graduating here first anyways), so saving and learning a new language are both things I can wait for.

I'm open to basically anywhere with strong LGBT rights and good higher education.

All this being said, what countries sound like a good fit? And how realistic is my goal of permanent relocation based on the above details?

Thanks for reading if you made it this far and any advice is appreciated.

For reasons of politics, gun violence, and my perception of where the country is headed, I'm looking into moving out of the United States either after graduation or after 26 (when I can no longer be on my parent's healthcare plan). I want to be proactive and start looking into European countries abroad or in Asia.

I'm graduating from college soon and getting my bachelor's degree in Economics. Outside of school, my job has been online. I currently run a YouTube channel with 200k subscribers (I've been doing it for roughly a year now), and I have been personally mentored by a YouTuber who's Top 100 on the platform by size (right now I'm living with him). If I stay in the states after graduation and decide to move at 26, I'm confident I will be at 1 million+ subscribers and a higher income by then, especially according to my projected analytics and my mentor's perception. Currently my income is an upper-middle five figures.

I can speak English and Mandarin at a very high level. I'm currently a U.S. Citizen, and I hold a Q2 Visa in China. I learned Spanish and French briefly at school, but I'm nowhere near conversational. I know if I did pick it up, I'm a fast learner. I have a high five figures in investments as well that I can liquidate for a move.

I would appreciate all the help on what countries would be ideal for me based on this profile as well as what visas for said countries I should look into.
Thank you so much everyone.
- Long time lurker