Expat interviews
Portugal
Rene is originally from South Africa. In April 1997, she left the country with her Portuguese husband to settle in Portugal. They now live in Estoril, in central Lisbon district...
Singapore
After a first expat experience in Canada, Chams decided to explore other countries. She left her hometown, Manila, Philippines, to settle and work in Singapore...
New Zealand
Barbara grew up in Scotland. She lived in Copenhagen with her Swedish husband before settling with him in Wellington, New Zealand, in January 2013...
Canada
Five years ago, Philip was offered a position in Canada. He seized the opportunity and left Malaysia, his home country, with his wife to settle in Halifax, Nova Scotia where they now live and enjoy their expat experience...
Thailand
Steve, a retired Canadian mathematics and chemistry teacher, moved to Thailand 6 years ago. Having settled in Chiang Mai with his wife, Nancy, he enjoys his leisure time by mingling with the Thai society and culture...
China
British expat, Stuart comes from Brighton. He moved out to China in 2002 as an English teacher. He lives in Xi'an where he runs a recruitment agency for English teachers.
England
An interesting job offer in a pleasant lifestyle. Sanne, Dutch expat, just couldn't refuse the offer. More than a year ago, she packed up her bags to settle in Notting Hill, London. She enjoys her expat life there, as much as she can...
China
Felicitas comes from Indonesia. Five years ago, she went to China to learn the language and finally decided to stay as she got a job opportunity in Beijing...
Mexico
Five years have gone by since Greg, a US citizen, has settled in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Realtor by profession, he says to be always busy. But he manages to spend his leisure time in writing novels, newspapers columns, photography, etc.
China
Originally form Malone, NY, USA, Chris moved several times between the US and Canada before heading to South East Asian countries. He visited several cities and settled in the one he liked the most, Shenzhen...
India
American expat, Laura was living in the Twin Cities, MN, teaching fourth grade at an urban public school when she decided with her husband to make the move. They now live in Jaipur, India, and they share with us their expat experience...
Scotland
Born in Germany, Sam grew up in the US. In January 2014, he settled in Anniesland, Glasgow, Scotland, with his wife and is now studying (and experiencing!) the trailing spouse situation for his PhD's academic research...
China
Two years ago, Gary, a 63 years old retired American citizen, settled in Tianjin, China, with his wife. Nowadays, he keeps himself busy reading, cooking and gardening...
New Zealand
Kimilena first moved to New Zealand in 1995. After an overseas experience in East Africa and back to the UK, she came back to Wellington in 2013, where she now lives with her husband and children...
Nepal
Retired American widow, Amanda fell in love with Nepal at the first sight! She settled in an ancient city near Kathmandu and enjoys everyday like a treasure...
China
Canadian expat, Roz decided to move to China at the age of 58 for a great job opportunity in the education field. After working in Beijng and Qingdao, she settled in Kunming where she now lives as a retiree "with a zest for life", pursuing her passion for writing and food...
Oman
Heather is a Scottish expat in her twenties. Her husband was offered a position in Oman and they settled in September 2012 in the capital city, Muscat.
China
Born and raised in Australia, Rob moved to Hong Kong in 1974 before settling in Shanghai in 2002. He has been pursuing a variety of business interests, related to the teaching of English and has just co-written a book on living in China...
Other Types
Schools & studies
For many families, choosing where to live means considering the quality of local schools. Some parents, however, take that logic much further and decide to move abroad altogether. Known as educational expatriation, this growing trend refers to families who relocate to another country primarily to secure a different educational path for their children. The motivations vary: a more flexible curriculum, alternative pedagogical approaches, reduced academic pressure, homeschooling opportunities, or simply an environment perceived as more conducive to learning and well-being. Although still a niche phenomenon, educational expatriation is attracting increasing attention as parents rethink what education should look like in an increasingly globalized world.
Everyday life
Living abroad makes birthdays feel a bit strange sometimes, especially when you're far from family and close friends. One of my first birthdays alone abroad, I got myself a ticket to an empty hotel beach and spent the day sitting alone under the sun, wondering if that was the weirdest and saddest way to spend a birthday. But as I started writing this article, I've realized that doing randomly unconventional things for your birthday abroad is actually not that random, and quite common.
Work
Most freelancers agree on one thing: if they went solo, it was to be their own boss, to no longer answer to anyone else, to set their own rules and to be free. The challenge is truly living out that freedom when dealing with local and international clients. Where and how should you set your boundaries?
Work
For many workers, retirement abroad is the ultimate reward after a long career. But an increasing number are making the move earlier than planned. While some actively pursue early retirement overseas, others find themselves leaving work sooner than expected.
Everyday life
Moving abroad is often associated with adventure, discovery, and new opportunities. While it can be a deeply enriching experience, there is often a less visible reality behind the excitement of starting a new life abroad: exhaustion. In my consultations, expats sometimes describe a fatigue that never seems to lift, unusual irritability, a sense of disconnection, or the feeling that they are no longer quite themselves. What I have also observed is that this distress is rarely confined to one person. In expat families, when one parent begins to struggle, the entire family often has to adapt. Partners may feel isolated or lose their sense of direction, while children can pick up on their parents' stress, worries, or emotional fatigue, even when these feelings are never openly discussed.
Schools & studies
Starting at a new school used to be about standing in lines, printing folders of documents, and going on campus tours. Today, in many schools, the enrollment process looks very different. Lots of things can be done online – and sometimes the first time you and your child will step foot in the new school will be on the actual first day. For expats and their kids, this is a trend that works in their favor. Because now they can explore, apply, interview, tour, and even enroll in a school before they are even there. Here's how it works.
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