Excerpts from Q&A with David McNeill of Expat Empire

Moving to another country is one of the most transformative things a person can do — but it’s also one of the most overwhelming. David McNeil, founder of Expat Empire and a seasoned expat who has lived in Japan, Germany, and Portugal, breaks down exactly what it takes to make the leap, why now might be the best time in history to do it, and how to avoid the most common mistakes along the way.

The New Era of Living Abroad

The post-pandemic world has fundamentally reshaped the relationship between work and location. Remote work, digital nomad visas, and a global rethinking of career priorities have created opportunities that simply didn’t exist a decade ago.

David McNeil knows this firsthand. Since 2014, he has lived and worked in Tokyo, Berlin, and Porto — navigating local job markets, visa systems, and cultural shifts in each. What he found along the way wasn’t just career growth. It was something deeper.

“The amount of personal development I’ve seen — and that overarching feeling of self-sufficiency — is really what made me so passionate about helping other people do the same thing.”

That passion became Expat Empire, a consulting and content platform designed to help people move and work abroad, no matter where they’re starting from or where they want to go.

Before You Pack: Know What You Actually Want

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring expats make is jumping into logistics before answering a more fundamental question: What do I actually want out of this experience?

McNeil learned this early in his career. When he was working in investment banking, he had a chance to transfer to the London office — a dream scenario on paper. But after talking to the analyst he’d be replacing, the picture changed quickly.

“He told me the senior people are basically always traveling around Europe while the analyst stays behind, eats dinner alone in the office, and turns off the lights when he leaves. And I thought — that’s not what I’m looking for.”

He turned down the offer. Instead, he transitioned into product management, built skills he could leverage internationally, and eventually found his way to Tokyo, Berlin, and Porto doing work he was genuinely excited about.

The lesson: Living abroad won’t fix a job you hate. Get clear on your priorities first — is the primary goal the experience of being somewhere new, or building a specific career in an international context? The answer shapes everything else.

Know Your Expat Profile

Not everyone moving abroad is doing it for the same reason. McNeil identifies three distinct profiles that most people fall into:

Expat Employee — Seeking a local job or international transfer in another country
Digital Nomad — Working remotely while traveling or living abroad long-term
International Retiree — Relocating for lifestyle, cost of living, or healthcare reasons

Understanding which category fits you determines the strategy, the timeline, and the type of help you’ll need. Each path comes with its own set of visa options, tax considerations, and housing realities.

Getting a Job Abroad: What Actually Works

Finding employment in another country is harder than it looks on a LinkedIn post — but it’s far from impossible. McNeil’s recommendations are concrete:

Build transferable skills first. Before committing to a move, develop skill sets that will be genuinely attractive to international hiring managers. Whether that’s product management, teaching, translation, IT, or creative work, having a marketable specialty opens doors.

Show up in person. If your financial situation allows, fly to the city you’re targeting, pack your calendar with coffee meetings, networking events, and interviews, and make your intentions visible.

“If you’re in town, it shows a completely different level of commitment than sending an email from overseas. It’s so much easier for them to set up a meeting — and they know you’re serious.”

Don’t underestimate networking. Local connections, especially in tight markets like Japan or Germany, often matter more than a polished application sent from abroad.

What Expat Empire Actually Does (And What It Doesn’t)

McNeil is careful to distinguish between what his company handles and where it hands off to specialists. Expat Empire operates primarily in the planning phase:

Destination Comparison — Data-driven analysis of cities and countries based on your lifestyle, budget, and career goals
Timeline Planning — A step-by-step roadmap covering everything from leaving your home country to settling in during year one
International Job Search Strategy — How to approach job markets in specific countries, expected salaries, resume and LinkedIn optimization
Remote Work Roadmap — How to leverage existing skills to generate online income and transition into remote or freelance work
Coaching — Open-ended consulting for people thinking through their options

For on-the-ground logistics — finding apartments, navigating immigration paperwork, shipping pets, managing tax filings — Expat Empire connects clients with vetted local partners: immigration lawyers, relocation services companies, and tax accountants who know the specific market inside out.

“We’re not the immigration lawyers. We’re not the tax accountants. Even here in Porto, I’m not going to find someone an apartment — I want to rely on people who know the market day in and day out.”

The Partner Network: Covering the World

Building a reliable global network of partners is, by McNeil’s own admission, a never-ending process. The approach is a mix of personal experience, client demand signals, and proactive outreach.

Some partnerships came naturally — for example, reconnecting years later with the relocation company that helped him land in Tokyo. Others are driven by trends: when multiple clients start asking about Singapore or a particular region, that becomes the next area to actively source partners in.

The key filter is quality of communication and client fit, particularly because most of the relocation industry is geared toward corporate B2B moves (think: a tech company relocating an employee). Expat Empire focuses on individuals — a meaningfully different expectation around responsiveness, pricing, and personalization.

Is Now a Good Time to Move Abroad?

McNeil is cautiously optimistic. After spending most of 2021 building content and awareness, Expat Empire saw a notable uptick in inquiries starting in early 2022 — and it has continued to grow.

“It does feel like we’ve turned a corner. And the people reaching out don’t seem overly concerned about geopolitical issues in terms of choosing Europe as a destination.”

Across much of Europe, COVID restrictions have eased significantly. Portugal, where McNeil lives, had reduced mask requirements to public transportation only by spring 2022, and travel within the continent had largely normalized for vaccinated visitors.

His honest take on tracking every country’s border policy in real time?

“Trying to keep on top of where everything is in the world would be a separate full-time job. These things change every day. I warn people about the possibility of disruptions and point them toward the right resources — but I’m not going to pretend I have a daily read on every country.”

The Personal Side: Why It’s Worth It

Beyond the strategy and logistics, McNeil speaks with genuine conviction about what living abroad does for a person. It isn’t just a line on a résumé — it’s a reconfiguration of how you see yourself.

“We get asked all the time: ‘Am I crazy? Is this a crazy goal?’ And we say — no. We’re literally talking to people about this every day. It’s not crazy. And when you break down one of these big, quote-unquote crazy ideas into smaller steps, suddenly it’s just a journey. You take one step, then another.”

He’s also candid about the personal evolution his own journey has brought — from a go-go-go Tokyo lifestyle in his late 20s, to a slower, more intentional life in Porto with his wife, walking to the beach four days a week and building a business on his own terms.

“If you’d told me in Tokyo that I’d be doing that a few years later, I probably would have thought you were lying.”

Key Takeaways

• Clarify your priority list before anything else. Are you optimizing for living somewhere specific, building a career, or achieving a lifestyle? Your answer determines your entire strategy.
• Build marketable skills before you go. Having a clear professional value proposition makes job searching abroad dramatically more viable.
• Show up in person when you can. A week of in-person networking in your target city signals commitment and accelerates results in ways that remote outreach can’t replicate.
• Know which expat profile fits you: employee, digital nomad, or retiree — since each has different visa paths, tax implications, and resource needs.
  Use specialists for on-the-ground logistics. Immigration law, housing, and tax filings vary enormously by country. Vet your local experts carefully.
• Don’t wait for perfect conditions. COVID policies change daily. Build your plan around solid fundamentals, stay adaptable, and move when you’re ready.
  Treat it as a long game. Moving abroad successfully — whether for work, adventure, or retirement — is rarely a quick win. It rewards preparation, patience, and a willingness to take the leap.

To connect with David McNeil and explore Expat Empire’s free resources, e-books, and consultation services, visit expatempire.com or find him on Instagram at @expatdavid and @expatempire.