An increasing number of Americans are seeking to relocate to Europe as expats, according to InternationalLiving.com .

The expat experts said that 75,000 US nationals were granted residence permits for Schengen countries in 2022.

For one American expat, Connie, a move to Barcelona in Spain gave her the chance to escape US politics.

She said that she rang her son in Edinburgh, crying, after the results of the 2016 election when Donald Trump won.

Connie said: “I just sobbed for half an hour. I knew in my gut that things were never going to be the same in the USA.”

Connie now splits her time between Barcelona and Vermont and while the move has allowed her to be closer to her son, there are other aspects of the Spanish lifestyle she loves.

She said: “I feel like I won the destination lottery. Barcelona is just the most amazing city. It’s close to the sea.

“You can take weekend trips and spend time by the water. The food is fabulous. I’m in Barcelona to be with my family, but the benefits are just amazing.

“In Barcelona, I could literally go have dinner at my son’s house at 8pm or 9pm and walk myself home at midnight in the middle of a city of two million people and be perfectly safe and not worry about my safety at all.”

This may come as a surprise to some as Barcelona has previously been named as one of Europe’s pickpocket capitals.

However, Barcelona is generally regarded as a safe city with relatively low levels of violent crime.

Another American, who relocated from Los Angeles to Madrid, said they’d found society was more accepting in Spain.

Jeffrey Clawson said: “I wanted to live in a place where people are more accepting and enjoy life. If you are happy and enjoying life, you don’t have a place for a lot of anger and cruelty.

“I want to live in a place where people are happy. I find Spaniards to be very happy people.”