Moving to Austria just before the crisis

Hi everybody,

Taking the plunge and daring to move abroad is a real challenge, but when your move to Austria is marked by an unprecedented health, social and economic crisis, as we have been experiencing for just over a year, this change can be much more significant and demanding. If you moved to Austria shortly before or during the pandemic, we would like to know more about your experience.

When and under what circumstances did you move to Austria?

What impact did the restrictions have on your integration into the country?

Were you able to make new friends in your host country and get used to the new culture and environment?

Have you had the opportunity to discover the country or the region where you are staying despite that?

Do you feel "at home" in this new place?

Thanks for your contribution!

Diksha,
Expat.com team

We moved to Austria from the USA in September.  We retired in the US, sold our house and did a month long road trip through the US before we boarded a plane to Austria.  For a long time during our planning period we were not sure we would get a flight, because air traffic between the US and Europe had stopped.  When we went into the Boston airport and saw that the international terminal was totally deserted we panicked. But due to very limited travel they had just cut down on check-in counters for the few flights.
We had a corona test short before our departure, which was negative.  It was strange that when flying into Frankfurt and then on to Salzburg, nobody wanted to see the test. Why did we bother getting tested if it was not checked.
We have not been able to make new contacts or meet people.  The pandemic has made making new acquaintances very difficult.  Due to the curfew and closing of restaurants and public life we have been living very isolated.
The administrative stepping stones were frustrating sometimes but overall we managed getting the residence permits, mostly due to the fact that one of us is an EU citizen.  I don't think it would have been possible if we both were American. The health insurance requirements proved to be quite a problem, especially if you are retired, and older and don't work. 
We feel that the Austrians that we meet in our everyday shopping trips and walks are friendly. We have not seen a lot of our new country yet. Maybe we will feel more at home here once the lockdown is over. But now we still feel like strangers. 
We do plan to stay here however.  Maybe even make some new friends.