Expat interviews
Everyday life
Bob moved to Da Nang, Vietnam, four months ago. He left America to spend his retirement days in Vietnam. He enjoys spending his free time meeting people and talking to his family back in the States. Bob shares his experience with Expat.com.
Schools & studies
Sayantan Biswas, originally from India, is the co-founder of Adventum Student Living, an international student mobility platform. Since the reopening of the borders of most countries, he observed a growing number of students moving abroad for their studies, which also means a growing demand for student services. In this interview, he gives out tips for international students planning their move abroad to study in 2023.
Portugal
Bruno was at the end of his executive career when he decided to leave his province of Padua, in Italy, for Quarteira, located in the Algarve. Although he chose Portugal purely by chance, he says that the country has always been one of his favorite destinations for its climate, tranquility, safety and reasonable cost of living.
Portugal
Christian moved to Portugal four years ago. He left Sardinia to go to work in sunny Lisbon. He had no difficulties adjusting to his new life. He loves spending his free time playing soccer, surfing, meeting friends and exploring the country, which reminds him so much of home.
Montenegro
In recent years, Montenegro has become one of the most popular destinations for Cubans. Why is this so? What are the procedures for moving and settling there for work? Is it hard to adapt there? Yanexis, who recently moved there, tells us about her experience.
Albania
Two years of pandemic and scarce career opportunities in Italy convinced Anna and her husband to move to Durrës in Albania, where they have been living for a few months already. She believes that if she could have gone back in time, she would have made this choice earlier. Anna talks to Expat.com about everything she loves about this beach town.
Martinique
We are in 2018 when Monica and her husband, along with their children, decided to go on a trip. They were both employed in the retail industry in Italy and wanted to take charge of their lives and experience new sensations. So, they moved to Malta, and then to Spain amidst the pandemic. Then, one day, an unexpected opportunity came knocking at their door: a job in Martinique! They didn't waste any time and rushed to this island in the West Indies, a French overseas department.
Portugal
Carla and Walter are an Italian expat couple who now live in Portugal. Retired, they left the gray of Alexandria to settle in Coimbra. They talk to Expat.com about what makes their new home a great place to live in.
Denmark
Eliska is a young expatriate who has been traveling abroad since the age of 18. After staying in London and other countries, she finally moved to Denmark, where she owns a business helping people in their moving abroad plans. She talks to Expat.com about her expat life in this Nordic country.
Portugal
Diva is originally from Milan. After retiring, she moved to Braga, a city in the northwest of Portugal, alongside her partner. “This is a country we've fallen in love with,” she writes, “because life here has a rhythm and flavors which remind us of our youth.” Enjoy the read!
Japan
Raquel is getting ready for her studies abroad in Japan, and her first goal is to learn the language and explore Japanese culture in depth. In this interview, she tells us about her upcoming adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Singapore
Mangla is originally from Malaysia. She has been traveling a lot since a very young age and has lived in Australia and the UK. Today, she's raising her third-culture kids in Singapore. Mangla talks to us about what makes Singapore a great place to live as an expat.
Everyday life
Alex is from Germany, and his wife Alex was born in Brazil. Both had a normal life until they met in the UK and decided to go on an entrepreneurial adventure around the world. Today they live in Argentina and have taken up the mission of empowering other expat micro-entrepreneurs.
Everyday life
Céline and her husband Patrick are from France. In 2014, they decided to settle in Quebec with their two children. Former army officers, Céline and Patrick are now entrepreneurs. Owners of a French creperie, they share their experience with us and their success story despite the recent pandemic.
Everyday life
Originally from the British countryside, Amy spent ten years in London before following her military husband to Brunei for an international assignment. She talks to us about her career conversion into an expat coach after giving birth to her first child and her journey as an expat.
Everyday life
Yasmine has been living in North America for multiple years. She first accompanied her husband to North Carolina, in the US, before recently relocating again to Quebec in the heart of winter. She talks to us about her experience in these two very different American countries.
Everyday life
Nathalie had never thought that one day she would move abroad, and yet she has already lived in more than 5 different countries. Today, she lives in England with her family and tells us about their expat journey.
Lee moved to Mauritius 12 years ago searching for a better quality of life for her family and herself. The real estate consultant talks to us about the real estate market in Mauritius as well as about what she loves about the island life.
Other Types
Visas
Moving to a new country can be a thrilling and exciting experience, but it can also be challenging, especially when the country has immigration quotas in place. Immigration quotas are designed to regulate the flow of people entering a country, but they can also make the process of obtaining a visa and residency more complicated.
Work
Many people choose to change careers when their current job no longer suits them or when they want to find purpose in their professional life. Some decide to take the leap when moving abroad, by choice, by necessity, or by chance, just following the opportunities that arise. Expats who have switched careers talks to us about their experience.
China
What if studying abroad was a passport to achieving a new level of freedom? In China, the idea is becoming more and more widespread. In the wake of the pandemic and, most importantly, with the consequences of the zero-covid policy, Chinese students are now keener on studying abroad. But the once-popular destinations for studying abroad have changed. As China reopened its borders in early January 2023, hoping for a return to normalcy, many Chinese students are hoping for a brighter future elsewhere.
Formalities
Living abroad does not necessarily mean that one is no longer attached to their home country; quite the contrary. For instance, the Dutch living outside the Netherlands just voted for their first electoral college. Many expatriates worldwide are more than willing to voice out their choices, and governments are themselves well aware of the weight of their overseas constituencies in various elections. But how do expatriates vote from abroad? Electronic voting remains a crucial issue.
Everyday life
The tragedy that recently struck Turkey and Syria is a stark reminder of how some locations lie within the planet's most active seismic and dangerous zones. While the odds of finding survivors are getting slimmer as the days go by, the task of reconstruction seems insurmountable at all levels. So what should you consider as an expat in an earthquake-prone country? Should you move there at all?
Everyday life
After multiple years in a country, expats might wish to acquire local citizenship. They might feel that this country is now as much of their home as their birth one. They might want to buy property more easily, vote or even run in local elections, and enjoy the privileges of the local passport. How long does it take to get naturalized in popular expat destinations, and what are the conditions to be met? In most countries, it takes 5 years of continuous residence to apply for citizenship.
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