Just one factor to consider: planning this in advance is important, REGARDLESS of whether you have strong feelings on the subject. The reason is to be considerate to your loved ones after your passing.

I’m like you: I never thought about it. And when I did think about it, I discovered that I really didn’t care. But that’s not the end of the discussion. I DO care about my wife and our kids. And they’re the ones who will have to deal with it, most likely. And, since I care about them very much, I’ve made all the arrangements.

Now, of course, if the means of interment IS important to you, then you’ve got double the motivation to plan ahead for it. In any case, though, be thoughtful and considerate toward those who will have to deal with it.

That’s what we do: make our $$ in the US (and pay taxes, of course), then spend it abroad.

I wish! We met in a 3rd country, had our first date in a 4th, then our second date in a 5th country, etc. Now we live in my wife’s homeland, but I wish like hell that we lived in a 6th country.

Always remember that people care PRIMARILY about themselves. So, if you’re not a part of their daily universe, you become less important. It’s just a fact of life.

Nobody ever said the expat lifestyle was easy. Yes, you’re now experiencing one of the costs. Every alternative has costs. This is yours.

Add it all up. If the “net” of good-n-bad makes sense, keep going. If not, make a change. But there will always be both benefits and costs. Examine them honestly. The path forward is up to you.

Several perspectives to offer from another American living in Europe:

1. Always at least TRY the extreme thing! If you don’t like it, you can always “relax” back into the “normal”/mainstream thing.
2. You’re young, with no responsibilities. Enjoy that while it lasts! Soon enough you could have restraints on you.
3. Understand that Europe is very tribal. The societies are all local and heavily emphasize conformity (to a much greater extent than the US, anyway). So, yeah, you’ll need to proactively seek-out the more “fringe” folks who could be interested in friendship with a foreigner. But there are expat communities everywhere, so you’ll be fine. It could just take a while. Get an active, outdoor hobby (tennis, sailing, motorcycling … anything), and join a local group. You can find online forums for any interest and locale. Basically, just start doing stuff that you like to do, then check-out who else is out there doing it also! Good luck to you!