r2i forum

Some Background:

Pati is 32 , I am 26 . No kids.
Both of are on H1B, GC process started by both companies recently.
Pati's H1 expires in 2012.
Current Plan is to R2I around 2015.
Now Pati has an opportunity to take up a short term opportunity ( 12- 18 months ) in Luxembourgh.

Both of us are really confused and keep changing our minds. Hoping this discussion will clarify some stuff.
Putting down pros and cons we have identified so far:

Pros:
-> The dream/plan was always to live in Europe for a couple of years. It is second on the bucket list. Would like to do it now when it's just the two of us .
-> Love the location and the travel opportunities.
-> May come back to the US on L1A in 18 months. This is the current negotiation but there is always the risk of something changing .
-> Good from the r2i perspective, Love our current city and don't want to get too attached to any place.


Cons:
-> Pati would be tied down with one company ( but isn't that the case even when GC is in progress ?)
-> Very few opportunities in the software field, even if I find something will have to get work visa independently . So practically might be taking about a years break in the early stages of my career.
-> Finances -> Might move to a single income, reducing saving potential drastically.
-> Sibling is moving to the US.


Other Facts:
-> Remaining in US or moving to Europe are both equal opportunities in terms of pati's career progression.
-> Pati has a special corner for US and has previously turned down other better opportunities in UK.

shell;361786
-> The dream/plan was always to live in Europe for a couple of years. It is second on the bucket list. Would like to do it now when it's just the two of us .
-> Love the location and the travel opportunities.

Some things you can do only when young. It may not be the same when you do it at a later stage.
Imagine the stories you can tell from your life experience to your friends and family.
You have your life ahead of you and can always make money and groom career, but living and traveling in EU would be an experience of lifetime. You may regret it later if you let this one go.

Living and traveling in Europe are two separate things. There is no doubt that vacations in Europe are fun. Monetarily, apart from being a single income family, you may also have to deal with lower salary and a higher tax. That is a very big hurdle to overcome. Hope your positive factors have a greater weightage, if you indeed want to take the plunge.
If pragmatism prevails, you are likely to be in the US itself :-)

I would personally love to live/work in Europe for some time. That said, 12-18 months sound like very less time (even to see Europe). If you can live for 2-3 years, then I think it would be great, giving plenty of opportunity to travel around.

Two income will definitely be a factor, but more than that the question that you have to answer is that, will you be willing (or would you want) to enter the workforce again after that gap? If you want to work, then you should ensure that this gap won't be a problem for you (meaning, you should continue to do some thing on the side, to keep yourselves busy, or to learn, or to gain experience). How about maybe an MBA from one of the Swiss schools? There are lots of European schools that have a 1 yr MBA program.

You should also consider the birth of kids. Are you guys planning kids in the next 1-2 years? If yes, then I think countries like Luxembourg/Switz have very strict laws regarding that. If you want a European/US citizenship for your kids, then this is something you should explore and be careful about.

If I have an opportunity, this is what I would love to do. Once I reach the financial target I want to achieve (while in US), then I would move all my stuff to India, and go work in Europe for 1.5-2 years. This will give a great break before moving to India, fulfill my wish of travelling around the world, and also add couple more years of 401k withdrawal period.

Living in Europe without kids can be a lot of fun. I have lived in Germany for a year, I only have tons of good experiences & memories. Lots of travel, lots of fine food, Octoberfest, soccer games, etc. If one is used to the weekend temple routine, vegetarian food, and desi potlucks, US cities may be better. I have been to Luxembourg as a tourist, and found it to be fine little city/country.

Go for it if you are travel oriented person and love to see new places. India has great places to see but poor infrastructure (road/rail network) to get there. US has great infrastructure but nothing to see once you reach the destination. Europe has both.

You can take leave from your job and enjoy 12-18 months. Dont worry about money and savings. You have lot of time to catch up.

Your last three points in the cons column are pretty significant in the decision-making process. As theMan pointed out, living and traveling are two different entities. You can always make a trip to Europe and enjoy these places but one needs to have a strong footing in his/her career and personal life. With a sibling moving closer, it's the best that can happen to you while living abroad.
If I were you, I would stay put!

Forget the immediate monetary impact.

You should consider your long term plan. If you plan to LIA, then stay put. This is more from a Visa/GC perspective. If you both want to experience living in Europe, this may be only opportunity. And 12-18 months stay will be most ideal. You can visit places over weekends in EU.
Once you start a family, you can forget travelling for atleast 10 years. And then visits will be usually Photo-Ops or Disney Parks.

And Your sibling will be around in 2 years. They are not moving to Mars or venus, i guess.:-)

GO FOR IT. DONT EVEN THINK TWICE. I could have jumped out of the screen to convince you , I would have done that. It is because I have missed this opportunity and is one of my greatest regrets. Living in Europe for this time is giving you a wonderful opportunity to see evrything from Scotland to Greece to Egypt. that too leisurely 5-7 day vacations at ech spot rather than the hectic 15 day europe tour you will do from the USA or India. Living in europe is also a great experience. DO IT BEFORE YOU HAVE KIDS. It is one destination you cannot explore fully with too much baggage!
Make sure it is not a step down in your careers and dont focus on saving any money for that time period

If you financially Okay! This is an opportunity that can't be missed, if you are the type of persons that would love to explore what is out there. Believe me, after kids these sort of things are real difficult. 18 months in Europe is sufficient. A friend of mine moved to Paris an year ago and they just love it there and hit the road every weekend and holidays. Ok the bad part after living in the US - The apartments are small and expensive. So, if you looking to make a desi group and have potlucks.. you'll be better of in the US of A. And the other thing is would you be happy without a job due to visa regulations. If not don't even think of the move.. A happy woman/wife is what would make that adjustment smoother and enjoyable.