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For cheap foreign dental care, look beyond the flashy large clinics
So-called Dental Tourism (along with Medical Tourism) is a hot topic these days as more people realize they might be able to get dental work AND a holiday for less than the price of the dental work...
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To find new expat friends, look for a pub quiz
I’m not proud of it of course but I have to admit that I’m normally no good at making new friends as an expat adult. It’s challenging enough when I’m in my home town or at least a town where everyone...
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The people were so friendly! – Where isn’t this true?
Most of us like to avoid using cliches like the plague, but one cliche that people never seem to acknowledge is the automatic answer people give to the question, “what did you like about the place?”...
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As an American living abroad, I actually miss the tipping culture
I can name dozens of things that I prefer in other cultures to the equivalents in my native USA, including the Metric system, having the final price displayed instead of the pre-tax price, and a...
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The new “Most expensive expat cites” list is out, with the usual misleading data
The fine folks at ECA International, which is evidently a global human resources consultancy firm, has released its 2013 list of the most expensive cities for expats, and most outlets seem to reprint...
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How well can you get to know a country by watching its TV shows?
As someone who has traveled around the world quite a bit, and who also really enjoys television, I was intrigued by a recent article put together by BBC America. The title is 11 TV Shows That Explain...
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Monday Escape: York, England
England is one of those countries that so much of the attention for visitors is put on the largest city, most of the rest is ignored. London is obviously one of the world’s great cities, but it has...
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After a few “summer” weeks in England, I see why there are so many British...
I recently watched a Fleetwood Mac documentary which included interviews with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie from their homes in Hawaii. We got tired of the cold in England, they said. For most of my...
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Monday Escape: Inverness, Scotland
If you like long summer days that may not be all that warm, then it would be hard to beat Inverness, Scotland. It’s considered the UK’s northernmost city, although with only about 50,000 inhabitants...
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Recent currency fluctuations have changed affordability in many key expat...
Any expat already out there knows that currency fluctuations can be a very big deal, and it can go either way. Many of us make money in our home currency (like the US for me) and we live abroad so if...
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Monday Escape: Blackpool, England
Some say that Blackpool was the world’s first resort for the middle class, or perhaps even the “working class” as the lowest tier is known in the United Kingdom. Its best days clearly seem behind it,...
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Britain outside of London is cheap, friendly, and relaxing
As someone who has spent much of his adult life going from one big city to another, it’s a welcome reminder that the largest cities in each country tend to be poor representatives of the rest of the...
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Want to be an expat? The first question is: why?
It seems that the vast majority of people in the Western world are happy living in their home country, but of course there are smaller groups of us who are motivated to live elsewhere. In my own...
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Stay in a non-touristy city to truly test a future expat destination
Many of us visit a city on holiday and decide we want to move there later, whether it’s in our home country or abroad. While having this sort of inspiration is generally a good thing, it can be...
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Monday Escape: LLandudno, Wales
Beach resort towns tend to be internationally famous because so many people are willing to travel long distances to visit them. Many exceptions, however, are in northern Europe, where good beach...
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Monday Escape: Reykjavik, Iceland
One of the most obvious features of Reykjavik is that it’s a city that no one reaches by accident. Being alone out in the northern mid Atlantic, you really have to want to get there in order to get...
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New list of world’s happiest countries proves that weather isn’t a major factor
Many of us expats consider changing countries as one way to increase overall happiness. Now, I don’t think many people assume that moving on its own will make them happier, but rather it’s one element...
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Expat complaints about German partners imply that stereotypes are true
The most politically correct among us will go around chanting that stereotypes are based on ignorance and lies. While that might feel like a progressive stance to take, I think it ignores the simple...
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The 5 stages towards Costa Rica expat happiness probably apply almost anywhere
In the world of being an expat, short-term happiness and long-term happiness often seem to be quite different things. Unless you were an unwilling corporate expat, hopefully you were pretty happy...
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10 of The Most Corrupt Countries in the World
It seems corruption is rampant worldwide now-a-days, from back-room corporate and political deals in all parties in US government to outright bribery-required attitudes in many emerging (some might...
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