Black Friday Shopping List for Untethered Expats

Black Friday at Target

If you’re about to move abroad, you certainly don’t want to collect more doodads, tchotchkes, knicknacks and other stuff you’ll have to store or move. So what do you give a soon-to-be expat for Christmas? I thought we could join the rest of America in some Black Friday shopping, but for things that will help [...]

Your Top 20 Country Choices for Overseas Retirement

getting ready for the China session

And the winners are. . . drumroll please. . . Yesterday evening the Live and invest Overseas Conference ended after a densely scheduled three-day smorgasbord of information for expats and plan-to-be expats. (I’ve decided that’s a better phrase than “wannabe.”) Last month I speculated about the 20 countries they’d recommend, and I’m happy to report [...]

The Biggest Piece of the Expat Puzzle

Sydney, Australia Opera House

The largest piece of the expat puzzle is usually cost of living. How will your expenses compare in your new location to what they are now? Of course, everyone’s different. John might not be able to live without imported caviar while Sally eats what the local people do, for example. But you have to start [...]

How to Jumpstart Your Overseas Move

jumpstarting the cars

Want to move abroad but not sure where to start? Has your planning stalled? Don’t know yet where exactly you want to live? Here’s something that promises to get you unstuck and help you find the overseas adventure that’s waiting for you. Next month, Live & Invest Overseas will blow out all the stops and [...]

Top 10 Spots to Retire Overseas in 2011

Quito, Ecuador

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). [...]

Moving to Uruguay? Bring This, Not that. . .

Guest Post by Scott Lilly So you’ve decided to move to Uruguay. You have a residency helper, your paperwork is all ready to go, and you’ve put your house up for sale or given notice that you’re moving out of your apartment. Now, as you look around your home, you’re wondering what to take with [...]

My Budget’s Really Tight — How Can I Explore a New Country?

letters

It’s time for another peek in the expat mailbox. I recently received an email from Matt. Matt’s a medical professional who’s starting to research a move to one of the Central or South American countries. He’s not sure how transferable his professional credentials are and asks: “Thank you once again. I really want to get [...]

Best Countries for Quality of Life in 2011

Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

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.” [...]

From Africa to Central America: 12 Expat Blogs Worth Watching

It’s been a while since I shared some of the expat-related blogs and websites I’ve been reading. Time for another roundup of interesting blogs by and about expats! Here are an even dozen for your enjoyment. Africa Africa Expat Wives, a UK citizen moves to Africa two days after her marriage, and raises a family [...]

36 Best Cities for Quality of Life or Business

Vancouver, BC Canada

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. Vancouver, BC, Canada Melbourne, Australia Vienna, Austria Toronto, Canada Calgary, Alberta, Canada Helsinki, [...]

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