Were Americans, and in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected, the two of us decided to leave the country.Its true, wed always planned to travel the world eventually. But we were also horrified that the country we thought we knew had elected someone who was so obviously unfit and corrupt. So Trumps election was the catalyst that caused us to finallymake the big leap. Related LGBTQ+ people are talking about fleeing America. Heres where they should move. Which countries share your progressive values? We have suggestions on where LGBTQ+ Americans should move if they want to leave. And frankly, we now both think it was the best decision either of us has ever made. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today I, Brent, can be a bit of a control freak, and leaving America gave me a sense of control at a time when the entire world seemed decidedlyoutof control.Traveling the world for eight years has also turned out to be amongthe best times in both our lives. Sometimes we wonder: If it hadnt been for that election, would we have ever left? It would have been so easy to go on living our old lives of comfort and routine.Leaving the country has also given us a new perspective about America and the rest of the world. Things arent necessarilybetteroutside of America (although in some places, they absolutely are). Mostly, things are just different.As for America, well, we now see that its big, crazy, and complicated, with plenty to hateandlove.Near Fethiye, Turkey. We think the second election of Donald Trump will be an absolute disaster for America and the world far worse than the first time around. We believe Trump is much angrier and darker than before, and his current movement is fueled by even more obvious bigotry.Trump will try to censor his critics, punish his enemies, unravel the post-war world order, and embark on unprecedented corruption.We dont understand how so many conservatives can continue to insist that he wont do all the things he has repeatedly said hes going to do.And unlike before, we wont see any checks on him or on the coterie of grifters, yes-men, and truly scary ideologues that now surround him.Whatever problems America has, we dont think Trump will solve any of them, exactly like he failed to do before. And also like before, hell make other things much worse.Maybe you think were being hysterical and ridiculous or that were just plain wrong. Thats fine. America has been having this argument for eight years now, and your side won. We haveno interest in hashing it out all over again. But what will the two of us do now?Ironically, because we were fairly confident Kamala Harris would win the election, we were in the process of writing two articles pro and con exploring the idea of eventually moving back to our old hometown of Seattle.But the election didnt go as expected, so we wont be publishing those articles. We also wont be returning permanently to America any time soon, and probably not ever.We havent given up The Fight although well be doing our part from outside the country.That said, as before, our work here will remain mostly non-political and devoted primarily to travel. In fact, we may never discuss political issues on social media again.I, Michael, weighed in on social media in the weeks before the election, and the vile blowback has left me reeling.Some of the dozens of disgusting messages Michael received. It truly feels like social media has fried everyones brains. So often, its nothing but tribalism, ugliness, and bottomless outrage. Its very hard not to see that hatred eventually spilling out into the physical world.If youre an American considering leaving the country now, do we think you should do it?That depends.One on hand, yes, traveling the world has been an incredible experience for us and, interestingly, its made us feel much more connected to our planet and its inhabitants. For a time, it even gave us real hope for the future.But remember that perspective we mentioned earlier what weve gleaned from our travels? Leaving America can only do so much. For one thing, what happens in the United States dramatically affects the entire rest of the world so much more than we realized before we left. America is so rich and powerful that it literally holds the worlds fate in its hands.Also, whatever is happening in America and the way we see it, its an undoing of classic liberalism and a reshaping of the world order is not confinedtoAmerica.Maybe this isnt Germany in 1933 or the fall of the Roman Empire, but the worlds geopolitical fault lines are shifting, and part of whats scary about all this is that no one knows what will replace what currently exists.In Mexico City This is the point in an essay where we would typically say something hopeful, but neither of us is feeling particularly optimistic right now.That said, we continue to cherish our family and friends, including the new friends weve made all over the world.Were also going to keep exploring this amazing planet, and we continue to be touched and humbled that you, our readers, have chosen to join us on our journey. We will go on sharing the stories and insights of our travels for as long as youre interested.And if any Americans do decide to make the same choice we did, drop us a line well help you any way we can.Stay safe,Brent and MichaelMichael Jensen is an author, editor, and one-half of Brent and Michael Are Going Places, a couple of traveling gay digital nomads.Subscribe to their free travel newsletter here.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.