Sorry, you are really deluding yourself here. Not even in Scandinavia or in the Netherlands - where literally everybody speaks good english - english alone is enough.
You will always feel alienated without the local language.
> "You will always feel alienated without the local language."
My experience throughout Europe is that people generally have enough knowledge of English that you can get through a 2 week holiday without knowing the language. But even during those two weeks you start to learn little things to make life a bit easier. I don't understand people who go to a foreign country and expect to live without learning the local language. It's hard work but not impossible and just seems arrogant.
You cannot compare holidays with actually living there. In your everyday life you have problems that you don't experience as a tourist or did you order a plumber to fix your pipes? Or did you buy a television that you had to return because it was not working correctly? Try to figure out these problems with your A1 German.
Unless I'm misreading the parent comment, he is saying that it is not as important in countries were English is the primary language, because most people moving there already know it as a second language and don't have to start from scratch?
You will always feel alienated without the local language.