Relocating abroad is no easy choice to make. Many factors need to be considered. One of those is how welcome will the expat be and how difficult will it be to find and make new friends?

This writer has lived in four different countries. Finding friends in Thailand was fairly easy, as Thai people are well known for their hospitiality and friendliness. On the other hand, the Arab country I lived in - making friends of the locals was more difficult and led to my moving sooner than I would have liked. South Korea was also a difficult place to make friends. In my travels, I've found the Filipinos, although living in a country with much poverty, in general, have coped well with life. Many Filipinos speak English. I look at the Philippines as the Latin American country of Asia. 

So, where are the friendliest places on the planet for Westerners to make friends? Forbes' World's Friendliest Places found Canada, Germany and Australia leading the list.

With economic conditions in the United states deteriorating on a daily basis, more Americans are fleeing for other locations, lands with more opportunity.

For Americans, traveling abroad to start over is becoming increasingly common. America used to have it all: good jobs, booming economy, skyrocketing stock market and plentiful housing. What a difference a year can make. The boom has gone bust and people are now heading for the exits en masse--with an eye abroad.

No doubt, with so many Americans leaving the States, more "AmericaTowns" will be springing up in many locations around the world. We'll do our best here at FleeAmerica to help keep our readers informed as to where the best countries for relocation exist.