Blogs by and about expats are a great place to find information, ideas, tips, and get a general feel for what it might be like to live elsewhere. Here are a dozen interesting expat blogs I’ve found recently.

Europe

Expat in Germany provides information about living in Germany (and a little bit about Canada). The author is a Canadian serial expat who’s also lived in Thailand, S. Korea and the US.

Not From Around Here, subtitled “Stranger in a Strange Land” is all about the adventures of a US transplant to the UK.

Emtpy Nest Expat is an American who seized the moment (kids grown, no grandkids yet) to lace up her traveling shoes. She’s lived in the Czech Republic and is currently in Istanbul, Turkey.

Adventures in Expat Land is the blog of an American writer living in the Netherlands, where her husband works with an international organization.

Latin America

Monday or Something is not an expat blog, per se, but an interesting account of what it’s like to live in a place for one month, then move on. So far the author’s published from several locations in Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras.

The Mexile looks at Mexico and the UK from a British point of view. Back in England now, he lived in Mexico for five years and loved it.

An Expat Life in Nicaragua, an American in San Juan del Sur for the past four years.

Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua, another couple who moved from the US to Nicaragua, in this case a tiny island. They’ve been happy there for seven years.

North America

With more than a dollop of the dry wit and self-deprecation the British are famous for, Culturally Discombobulated looks at the Big Apple. His take on Pop Tarts and hurricanes is hilarious. . .

Expatlogue chronicles the adventures of a British family newly arrived in Ontario, Canada.

Asia / Pacific Rim

Expatria, Baby is a tongue-in-cheek look at living in Japan with a small child. The author is Canadian, her husband is Swiss, and they’ve been in Japan for about four years.

In Search of a Life Less Ordinary follows a Brit married to an Australian who lived in Canada for a while and are now located in Sydney.

Every year International Living publishes its list of the top ten retirement havens. They’ve just sent out their September issue, and it includes their take on the best spots in the world to retire.

I’ve been known to take issue with their findings in the past (for example, in their 2011 Quality of Life list). This time, though, they’ve come up with a list that makes a lot of sense.

Of course, any time you’re relying on number crunching, your results depend on what you feel is most important. Here’s how IL weighted their results:

• Real Estate, 15%, with top marks going to the least expensive locales
• Special Benefits, 20%. This category includes governmental benefits for retirees like discounts, duty free imports and property tax rates.
• Cost of Living, 20%, with a higher score indicating a lower cost of living
• Culture, 10%, includes factors like literacy rates, number of UNESCO sites, and a “subjective rating of the variety of cultural and recreational offerings.”
• Health Care, 20%, includes an individual’s health care costs and the quality of health care available
• Infrastructure, 5%, including transportation and technology (internet and cell phone availability and usage)
• Safety and Stability, 5%
• Climate, 5% gives highest marks to countries with temperate climates and low risk of natural disaster (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)

What does this mean for you? If your idea of the ideal climate is one where you can ski nine months out of the year, or if you prefer to live where it’s hot and humid, you may not like their picks. So keep your own preferences in mind as you read. . .

International Living’s Ten Best Countries to Retire in 2011

#1. Ecuador

IL loves Ecuador, and it’s no surprise it tops their retirement index again this year. With super-low real estate costs (they gave it 100 on that score), good special benefits, a nice climate and low cost of living it’s a great bargain. The country also scored well on culture, although at 26 their infrastructure leaves much to be desired.

#2. Mexico

Only one country scored higher on climate, while Mexico came in at 93 in the culture category, lagging only behind France, Italy and Spain. Cost of real estate and living are low, and the country offers good special benefits to retirees.

#3. Panama

Panama beat out the competition in the special benefits category, with its well known pensionado visa offering significant discounts in travel, health care and more mundane purchases, and granting full-time residency to retirees who can prove $1,000 monthly guaranteed pension income. Real estate is inexpensive, the cost of living is relatively low, and health care is good. The climate, hot and humid throughout most of the country, lost it some points.

#4. Spain

Spain, along with the next three countries, scored 100 in the safety and stability category, 92 in health, and well enough in the others to put it in fourth place.

#5. New Zealand

Safety and stability, health, cost of real estate and culture accound for New Zealand’s fifth place position. Sadly, you can’t get a permanent visa here as a retiree so unless you qualify in some other way you’ll only be able to enjoy their beaches, beautiful mountains and quality of life for part of the year.

#6. France

France is the only country on the list to score 100 in multiple categories — culture, health and safety and stability. Climate was rated 88, but the cost of living there is quite a bit higher than the first five countries.

#7. Uruguay

Little Uruguay, nestled between Argentina and Brazil with its mild four-season climate, made an excellent showing, scoring 94 in both real estate and climate.

#8. Costa Rica

Despite big increases in real estate costs in Costa Rica in recent years, it scored a very good 95 in that category. An infrastructure score of only 29, however, dragged it down.

#9. Malta

International Living gave Malta a perfect climate score of 100. Not familiar with this Mediterranean island country? Read more about it here. The country scores high marks for culture and safety and stability, and boast no property taxes.

#10. Italy

Italy’s cost of living and real estate are a bit higher than the European countries that scored better in the list. Climate, culture, health and safety and stability are all top notch.

Read International Living’s article and outline of their selection criteria here. You can also see some real-life budgets of expats in Ecuador here.

If you haven’t discovered it yet, International Living is a glossy monthly publication that’s been delivering quality information since 1979. While I often find the intensity of their rose-colored glasses to be too much for me, they do provide interesting, factual information and are a good starting point for anyone considering moving abroad. You can get more information here.

Have you picked out your retirement destination yet? What’s your top choice, and what do you find most appealing about it?

An organization called Nation Ranking recently released its 2011 Quality of Life Index. One hundred thirty-seven countries were ranked according to:

“a nation’s livability for its average inhabitant. It is a composite of six sub-indexes, each describing one of the elements which objectively influence the quality of life: health, education, wealth, democracy, peace and environment.”

You can find the entire report here. I’ve pulled out the Top 10 for you in the overall Quality of Life and several of the sub-categories.

Countries with the Best Quality of Life

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Sweden
4. Switzerland
5. Luxembourg
6. Austria
7. Finland
8. New Zealand
9. Germany
10. Canada

Additional rankings that might interest you: Australia is #14, France is #15, the United Kingdom — current scene of riots — comes in at #19, the US at #31. Expat haven Costa Rica is #36, Panama #44, Malaysia #50, Thailand #71. Not surprisingly, the bottom 10 include Haiti, Afghanistan, and eight impoverished African countries.

Also interesting to me are the sub-rankings.

Health

Factored into the Health index were life expectancy at birth, infant mortality and access to health care. “Mortality amenable to health care (when available)” was also a factor.

1. Singapore
2. Iceland
3. Japan
4. Australia
5. France
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. Spain
9. Israel
10. Sweden

The UK comes in at #18 here, and the US is #39 (behind Slovenia, Cuba, Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Chile, Bosnia, Serbia and Kuwait).

Education

This one was full of surprises, for me at least. The study looked at the adult literacy rate, school life expectancy and PISA results (when available). The PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is a set of standardized tests given to 15-year-old students throughout the world. Including those results for some countries but not for others might account for some of the surprising rankings.

1. Finland
2. S. Korea
3. Canada
4. New Zealand
5. Cuba
6. Estonia
7. Netherlands
8. Australia
9. Switzerland
10. Germany

One of the surprises was #11, N. Korea. I really don’t understand how any educational system that relies on basically fabricated versions of “history” can get good grades. . .

The UK was #17, the US #22.

Democracy and Peace

Results were based on Freedom House and Global Peace Index studies.

Not too many surprises here. The Scandinavian countries scored highest in the Democracy category, with the US, Canada and the UK at #15, #17 and #17 respectively (there were several ties).

Countries without standing armies scored highest for Peace — New Zealand, Iceland, Japan, Austria and Norway were the top five. Canada was #14, Australia #19, the UK #31, and the US came in at #81. Last were Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan and Pakistan — again, no surprises.

Environment

Again, not many surprises here. Iceland claimed the #1 spot, followed by

1. Iceland
2. Switzerland
3. Costa Rica
4. Sweden
5. Norway
6. France
7. Austria
8. Cuba
9. Colombia
10. Finland

The UK was #12, New Zealand #13, Panama #21, Mexico #37, Canada #40, and the US straggled in at #52.

photo by o pallson on flickr

Were you surprised by any of these results? If so, which ones?

As future expats trying to decide where to live, we have to balance all sorts of important issues: quality of life, health care, affordability, weather and climate seem to top everyone’s lists. The Economist recently ranked cities worldwide for Quality of Life.

1. Vancouver, BC, Canada
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Perth, Australia
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Here’s their explanation for what went into a top rank:

“Cities that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density. This often fosters a broad range of recreational availability without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure. Seven of the top ten scoring cities are in Australia and Canada, where population densities of 2.88 and 3.40 people per sq km respectively compare with a global (land) average of 45.65 and a US average of 32.”

The City of New York is in 56th place, mostly due to perceived threats of terrorism and the amount of crime.

Unfortunately, the best city to live in might not be the best to do business in. . .

For Business, Check a Different List

If you’re planning to support yourself abroad by starting a business, though, you might want to take a look at another list, released in May.

The World’s 26 Best Cities for Business, Life and Innovation takes a very different tack.

1. New York, New York, US — best in “cultural vibrancy,” entrepreneurial environment and international tourists, but bad commute times characterize the #1 city on the list. (No mention here of terrorism or crime. . .)
2. Toronto, Canada — Quality of living, clean air and lots of leisure activities as well as an excellent entrepreneurial environment, but cost of public transportation is high
3. San Francisco, California, US — Best educated population, lots of leisure activities and life satisfaction, and a terrific entrepreneurial environment put San Francisco on the list despite it’s lack of foreign capital investment
4. Stockholm, Sweden — For a small city (under 1 million), Stockholm is very impressive. It’s #1 in “clean air, digital economy activity, entrepreneurial environment, green space, intellectual property protection, Internet access, R&D spending, political stability, and traffic congestion, #2 in broadband quality, business trip index, libraries with public access, life satisfaction, literacy.” On the downside? It’s last in “skyline impact” and taxes are high
5. Sydney, Australia — near the top in nearly all categories, multiple surveys say it’s the best place to start a business. It also has the highest-cost public transportation
6. London, England — has a lot going for it, including the best end-of-life care, financial and business employment and attracting foreign investment, but hampered by high real estate costs, commute times and an older workforce
7. Chicago, Illinois, US — Lifestyle satisfaction, a good digital economy and entrepreneurial activity, but not much foreign capital investment or tourism
8. Paris, France — Tops in protecting intellectual property, a highly educated population, good public transportation and lots to do, but not an easy place to do business and high taxes
9. Singapore — Low crime, low traffic congestion, easy hiring are all good, but Singapore comes in last in renewable energy
10. Hong Kong, China –low inflation, low crime rates and easy hiring are attractive to business investors, but it also has the most expensive business space and not enough hospital beds
11. Houston, Texas, US — low cost to own business space, low commute times and low cost of living in general are good for Houston, but it ranks last in investing to create foreign jobs and international tourism
12. Los Angeles, California, US — rated #2 in “entrepreneurial energy,” LA has a big digital economy and plenty of leisure time activities, but it’s at high risk for natural disaster and is poor in transportation and infrastructure
13. Berlin, Germany — low traffic congestion, best commute times and low carbon footprint make it easier to do business in Berlin, but the average age of workers is high
14. Tokyo, Japan — Good healthcare, plenty of Fortune 500 company headquarters and lots of research and development in Tokyo, but it’s got the highest cost of living and is the most susceptible to natural disasters
15. Madrid, Spain — The city’s infrastructure is good, but unemployment is high and the city does poorly when it comes to starting a business and ease of hiring
16. Seoul, S. Korea — Math and science are king in Seoul and it’s got the best broadband quality, but it also has the weakest currency
17. Beijing, China — It’s an easy place to visit, with loads of hotel rooms and good airport access and public transportation, but it’s at the bottom in terms of carbon footprint and traffic congestion
18. Abu Dhabi, UAE — lowest crime rate, and an easy place to hire, low air pollution and commute times and good access to hospitals are big pluses, but has the worst carbon footprint of any city on the list
19. Shanghai, China — best at attracting outside capital and creating jobs, but poor literacy rates and difficulty getting visas bring down its ranking
20. Mexico City, Mexico — tops the list for cost of living and skyscraper construction but has the worst air pollution and poor purchasing power
21. Moscow, Russia — the city has a lot of green space, a well educated population and has the lowest risk of natural disaster, but that’s more than offset by the climate, uncertain political environment which adds to business risk, and lack of protection for intellectual property
22. Santiago, Chile — cost of living, tax rate and commute times are excellent, but the city doesn’t have much green space, its hospitals are overtaxed and international flights are inadeqaute
23. Istanbul, Turkey — lower air pollution, more skyscraper construction than most other cities, but inflation and quality of life are not so good
24. Sao Paulo, Brazil — great carbon footprint, comfortable climate, not so great crime rate, tax rate and infrastructure
25. Johannesburg, South Africa — did well in terms of cost, but not so much for health care, crime, and broadband quality
26. Mumbai, India — best of the bunch in terms of renewable energy use, but hurt by inflation and low wages

photo by iwona_kelly on flickr

Want to get articles from Future Expat in your inbox? It just takes a few seconds to set it up here.

Social networking is playing an ever-increasing role in our lives. With a computer and an internet connection, an expat can investigate their new overseas location and connect with people already there.

There are many ways you can use social networking to ease your overseas move — before, during and after. Besides the obvious sites like Facebook and Twitter, there are lots of social networking sites expats and future expats can take advantage of. Here are just a few you might find helpful.

1. Boomers Abroad. Geared toward baby boomers, and therefore retirement, this site bills itself as

   "the Expat and Future Expat Online Community. Meet, contact, connect, network,…with others that already live abroad and with those that would like to live abroad. Ask, learn, share with us your experiences."

   "At Boomer Abroad Online Community we strive to fill the information gap and educate and update Baby Boomers on the news, trends and opportunities in Latin America & The Caribbean.”

   
   

   Boomers Abroad focuses on Latin America, so if you’re interested in Europe or Asia, this is not the place for you. But if you’re looking toward Mexico, Panama, or any other Latin American country, you’ll find an active forum, news, expat blogs and other resources, including a job board.

2. Expat Forum claims to be the largest online community with 60,000 members who have either moved abroad or want to. There are forums for a long list of countries, as well as articles and news. Some of the countries include:
   • Australia
   • Cyprus
   • Dubai
   • Egypt
   • France
   • Germany
   • Greece
   • Hong Kong
   • Japan
   • Mexico
   • Philippines
   • Singapore
   • South Africa
   • Thailand

3. Go South Expat is a social site dedicated exclusively to living in South America. News, forums, blogs, and an ezine cover:
   • Argentina
   • Bolivia
   • Brazil
   • Chile
   • Colombia
   • Ecuador
   • Paraguay
   • Peru
   • Uruguay
   • Venezuela

   One of the unique features of this site is the ability to set up a private, password-protected forum area exclusively for you and your invited guests. There is a fee to do so, although they offer a free 30-day trial.

   Another social networking site devoted to Latin America is Gringos.com.

4. Expat Focus “aims to make life easier for anyone moving or living abroad by being the most comprehensive information and support resource for expatriates on the Web today.” It provides destination information, opinions and advice from experienced expats on the ground, forums, and even a podcast. Their country list is extensive and worldwide.

5. Expat Exchange "been helping expats navigate international relocation and the phases of culture shock” since 1997. Their list of country forums ranges from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, with pretty much everything in between.

6. Expat Blog is “the living abroad website, by expats for expats.” They offer information and advice on most countries on every continent. Their forums, organized by country, include discussions and classified ads.

7. Expat Forums is a bulletin board site. The list of countries is limited, but if you’re interested in Australia, Canada, Dubai, Japan, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UK or the US, you’ll find some value here.

8. The Expat Directory has a forums section. However, I personally find the site a bit off-putting as it’s filled with advertisements.

9. Live Mocha is a language-learning site that calls itself “the world’s largest language-learning community.” It gives you the opportunity to connect with native language speakers in the countries you’re interested in. It’s a great chance to make friends with future neighbors who are interested in learning your language.

   No discussion about social networking for expats and wannabes would be complete without a mention of the new Facebook Groups, rolled out yesterday. It’s too early to tell, but these groups look like they have tremendous possibilities for making discussions bewteen members super easy. It’s not a group yet, but check out Future Expats Facebook Page and we’ll see who’s interested in starting one of the new Groups.

   _____________________________
   

   Finance Your New Life Overseas

   Turn Your Pictures into Cash
   ______________________________
   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/social-networking-for-expats/feed 3 http://futureexpats.com/retire-to-latin-america-if-youre-poor-europe-if-youre-not http://futureexpats.com/retire-to-latin-america-if-youre-poor-europe-if-youre-not#comments Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:00:36 +0000 FutureExpat http://futureexpats.com/?p=2665
   
   

   I don’t generally follow investment websites or blogs, but The Oblivious Investor caught my eye recently. Why? Because author Rick Todd rated some expat retirement destinations based on how much income you have to retire on.
   
   
   
   

   

   photo by wirralwater on flickr

   His top five picks for retirees with a limited (primarily Social Security) income:
   1. Costa Rica
   2. Malaysia
   3. Uruguay
   4. Panama
   5. Nicaragua

   His top five picks for retirees with higher income:

   

   photo by kokorowashinjin on flickr

   1. France
   2. Spain
   3. Italy
   4. Portugal
   5. New Zealand

   Note that four out of the five “lower income” destinations are in Latin America, while four out of the five “higher income” locations are in Europe.

   You can read the entire article here.

   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/retire-to-latin-america-if-youre-poor-europe-if-youre-not/feed 0 http://futureexpats.com/10-best-expat-destinations http://futureexpats.com/10-best-expat-destinations#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:36:18 +0000 FutureExpat http://futureexpats.com/?p=2654
   
   

   A few days ago, I posted the results of International Living’s 2010 Annual Retirement Index. Topping this prestigious list are

   1. Ecuador
   2. Panama
   3. Mexico
   4. France
   5. Italy

   Today I’m looking at a very different list: this one includes the 10 Most Suitable Countries for American Expatriates.
   
   
   
   According to the website Expatify.com, they considered these important criteria:

   • How receptive is the local culture to Americans?

   • How popular is the country for American expats already?
   • Can you manage speaking only English?
   • Is there overlap between local and American customs?
   • Ease of finding jobs and affodability?

   If you truly want to immerse yourself in a very different culture, this is not the list of countries you should consider. But if you want to go someplace where you can fit in fairly easily, consider the following countries:

   1. Argentina

   2. Thailand
   3. Czech Republic
   4. Australia
   5. Italy
   6. Brazil
   7. Spain
   8. Mexico
   9. South Africa
   10. Costa Rica
   
   
   
   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/10-best-expat-destinations/feed 1 http://futureexpats.com/which-countries-have-the-best-health-care http://futureexpats.com/which-countries-have-the-best-health-care#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:50:10 +0000 FutureExpat http://futureexpats.com/?p=1253
   
   

   In the Expat Web group on LinkedIn, a member asked recently, “As an Expat, which countries do you think have the best and worst healthcare systems?”

   Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Malta and France all received positive comments. One poster said Japan’s was “the worst I ever experienced.” The US was mentioned favorably, but “only if you have good insurance. Prices are about 5 to 10 times the costs of France or Belgium.” This kind of anecdotal information is interesting, but not all that useful.

   Of course to most expats and would-be expats, especially those of us who are approaching retirement age, health care is an important consideration in where we choose to live. What is its quality? Is it at least as good as what I’m used to? How expensive is it? How accessible is it? Will I have to be in a major city to have quality care available?

   So what’s a concerned health care consumer to do?

   
   
   

   There’s an interesting bubble chart on the Columbia University website, showing the average life expectancy and health care spending by country.

   The US is way off by itself as the biggest spender. But our life expectancy (77 years) lags behind Japan (85), Switzerland, Australia, France, Canada, Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Austria, Korea, Portugal, UK, Luxembourg and Denmark, all of whom spend considerably less (around half!) than we do per capita.

   The WHO (World Health Organization) has published a listing of medical care by country. Compiled in the year 2000, it’s a bit outdated, but might provide a good starting point. You can see it here.

   A Few Considerations

   First, I think it’s safe to assume that the care you’ll receive in rural areas will not be as up-to-date or comprehensive as the care you can receive in major cities. That’s true in the US just as much as anywhere else.

   If living in a bustling metro area is not your taste, how fast and easy is transportation to those areas you’re considering? Use your common sense – if your dream retirement is on a remote beach or mountain-top retreat that’s an 8-hour drive over mostly dirt roads to get to the nearest city, that will be an issue in accessing quality health care. If it’s an hour or two over good roads, you’ll have significantly better access.

   Are there hot spots of medical tourism in the country you’re considering? If so, you can be pretty well assured those doctors will speak English, have up-to-date training and use modern equipment. According to Business Week:

   “The low cost and high quality of medical service is a big selling point for Singapore and Thailand, which have heavily promoted medical tourism in recent years. Hospital costs are as much as one-half what they would cost in the U.S.” Read the entire article here

   Other popular medical tourism destinations include Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, South Korea, India and Israel. There are plenty of websites which discuss medical tourism, as any Google search will show.

   Once you’ve narrowed down some possible destinations with health care facilities that will meet your needs, conduct your own research. When you visit the area, ask a lot of questions, find out what other expats do for health care, visit the hospitals and clinics if you can.

   Ultimately, as with any other aspect of your move, you need to just do it.

   
   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/which-countries-have-the-best-health-care/feed 5 http://futureexpats.com/end-of-year-lists http://futureexpats.com/end-of-year-lists#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:20:59 +0000 FutureExpat http://futureexpats.com/?p=1110
   
   

   International Living’s annual Quality of Life Index. Every year, IL produces a Quality of Life index, which usually differs quite a bit from their recommendations on best places to retire. France has topped the list for several years running.
   

   1. France (was #1 last year as well)
   2. Australia (moved up from #5 in 2009)
   3. Switzerland (down one spot)
   4. Germany (up from the #8 spot in 2009)
   5. New Zealand (up from #9)
   6. Luxembourg (down from #4)
   7. USA (down from #3)
   8. Belgium (down from #6)
   9. Canada (a big jump up, from #19)
   10. Italy (down from #7)

   Top Ten Retirement Havens from Live and Invest Overseas

   1. Argentina
   2. Belize
   3. Chile
   4. Croatia
   5. Dominican Republic
   6. France
   7. Malaysia
   8. Panama
   9. Uruguay
   10. Vietnam

   
   

   Mercer’s Best Cities for 2009:

   1. Vienna, Austria (1st)
   2. Zurich, Switzerland (2nd)
   3. Geneva, Switzerland (3rd )
   4. Vancouver, Canada (tied 4th)
   5. Auckland, New Zealand (tied 4th)

   Forbes list of The World’s Most Expensive Cities to Live. According to Forbes, the 10 most expensive cities are:

   1. Tokyo, Japan
   2. Osaka, Japan
   3. Moscow, Russia
   4. Geneva, Switzerland
   5. Hong Kong, China
   6. Zurich, Switzerland
   7. Copenhagen, Denmark
   8. New York, USA
   9. Beijing, China
   10. Singapore

   2009 Best Retirement Havens, according to International Living:

   1. Cuenca, Ecuador
   2. Merida, Mexico
   3. Coronado, Panama
   4. Punta del Este, Uruguay
   5. Calitri, Italy

   So there you have it. Some highly respected lists from 2009, and one for 2010.

   Best wishes for a happy expat New Year!

   ___________________

   Finance Your New Life Overseas

   Turn Your Pictures Into Cash
   ____________________

   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/end-of-year-lists/feed 1 http://futureexpats.com/bahrain-worlds-friendliest-country http://futureexpats.com/bahrain-worlds-friendliest-country#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:40:04 +0000 FutureExpat http://futureexpats.com/?p=1063
   
   

   According to Forbes.com, Bahrain scored the top spot in HSBC’s recent survey of 3,100 expats. They admit this might be a fluke — only 31 responses came in from Bahrain, compared to 450 from the UK, for example. But it’s an interesting list, nonetheless. Canada moved down from its No. 1 spot last year to No. 2, followed by Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, and in the No. 10 spot, the US.

   Read the article here, and see the scored list of countries here.

   ]]> http://futureexpats.com/bahrain-worlds-friendliest-country/feed 0