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 you create the untethered expat life you’re looking for.

I’ve divided them into categories for you. At the top, the Time Sensitive Sales are special deals that will expire after this weekend. Below those I’ve divided them into our two main categories, Prepping the Move and Portable Careers. These are top-quality items I recommend.

All of them make wonderful Christmas gifts for that hard-to-buy-for expat on your list.

Time-Sensitive Sales

50% Off all Host Gator Website Hosting Black Friday Only, expires 11:59 PM EST on November 25.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29. Learn more.

25% off everything at StudioPress
Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Premise for WordPress Get the best WordPress landing page plugin for sweet savings over Black Friday weekend. Only $95 for Premise Ultimate. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

International Coach Academy teaches you everything you need to know to become a certified life coach. It’s a growing field, and coaches — especially expat coaches — are in high demand. They’re offering 22% off if you enroll in their premier course before November 30.

Entire Live & Invest Overseas Bookstore!. Country reports, conference recordings, monthly Overseas Retirement Letter, the whole enchilada. Click here for more information.

Prepping the Move

Technology and Entertainment

I’m an avid reader, and I love to re-read books as well. Parting with my extensive library would be torture. Fortunately, we live in the digital age. With my trusty Kindle e-reader, I can get almost everything in a digital version.

There are quite a few choices now, unlike when I bought my first-generation device. The two I recommend are the Kindle Touch 3G and the new Kindle Fire.

Kindle Touch 3G

With this device you can download books from almost anywhere in the world, even if there’s no WiFi available, using the 3G network. There’s no charge for this connectivity. The device holds about 3,000 books, and newer features including borrowing Kindle books from your local public library in the US.

There’s a built-in browser, so you can even use it for light web surfing.

This Kindle uses e-Ink technology, which is easy on your eyes and allows you to read even in bright sunlight. Excellent battery life, lightweight, and available for either $149 or $189.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Touch 3G

Kindle Fire

This is Kindle’s latest offering, just released earlier this month. Think of this Kindle as a “tablet lite” more than an e-reader. Yes, of course you can read your Kindle books on it. But it comes in color, not e-Ink, has a fully functional web browser and allows you to download apps like a tablet.

You can stream videos, listen to internet radio, and lots more.

If you read for hours at a time, this is probably not the best choice for you as the display will not be as easy on the eyes. Also, because this is a lighted display, it’ll wash out in full sunlight. But if you want something you can surf the web with, enjoy some apps with, and do some reading with — all in a brilliant color display — this is the Kindle for you.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Fire

Books, Movies, Music and More

If you absolutely, positively need to have wrapped packages under a tree, take advantage of Black Friday specials throughout Amazon.com.

Narrowing your Country/City Search and Planning

After lots of searching and a few false hopes raised, I finally found something that will actually help you plan your overseas move, step by logical step.

52-Days to Your New Life Overseas

 

Don´t Let Another Single Day Pass You By–Launch Your New Life Overseas Now

It took me more than 12 years to launch my live overseas adventures…

Today, 13 years later, I´ve reinvented my life from Baltimore, Maryland, to Waterford, Ireland…then from there to Paris and on to Panama City, where I´m living today…

My advice to you?

Don´t let another single day pass you by.

Leverage my experience to launch your own dream retirement overseas in as few as 52 days from today.

That´s a specific promise that I mean literally and that I take seriously.

Research and reading will get you only so far. To make your live- or retire-overseas dream come true, you need a detailed plan. Here´s mine…for you…

Here´s How

Specific Country Information

There’s tons of good information available about specific countries. Here’s a representative sampling:

Panama:

• Live & Invest in Panama Home Conference Kit
• Panama Bridge Kit
• Panama Starter Kit

France:

Not everyone is cut out for life in the Tropics or the developing world…

If you´re more interested in Old World living, consider France.

France is the good life defined. The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history…

And here´s what you may not realize about France: Living here, even in Paris, can be far more affordable than you might ever imagine.

Go Here Now To Learn More

Asia: Yes, I know, Asia’s not a country. . . Around Asia

Colombia:

 

Revealed: The World’s Top Undiscovered Retirement And Investment Haven

I’ve found the city that I believe is on track to become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations, for both retirement and investment.

This overlooked destination checks every box:

Perfect weather…it’s springtime all year long…
World-class health care (5 of the best hospitals in all Latin America are here)…

Very affordable cost of living…

And the real estate? It’s a screaming bargain, both to buy and to rent…
Plus, the people are friendly, the streets are clean and safe, the infrastructure international-standard…with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, and shops, this place feels more European than Latin American…

Go here now to learn more

Argentina: The Argentine Vineyard Buyer’s Guide

Upcoming Country Conferences

The right conference can be a great way to jumpstart your transition from future expat to expat. I’ve attended two. One was specific to Panama, and the other took a broader view with information about 20 countries that should be on your radar for overseas retirement.

I recommend the functions that Live and Invest Overseas puts on. You can see a list of their upcoming events here.

Portable Careers

Writing

Travel Writing

There are two programs I recommend for future travel writers.

MatadorU Travel Writing Course A dynamic program for launching or advancing new media and travel writing careers is based on 12 weeks of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers. As a graduate, you’ll have lifelong access to the curriculum, all the forums and future Bonus Modules.

Learn more about it here.

AWAI’s Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. It’ll take years off your learning curve on both the writing and the business sides of developing your career as a travel writer. Learn more about it here.

Copywriting

Copywriting 2.0 Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts. The market for copywriting is huge, and the market for web copywriting is exploding. Highly successful copywriter Bob Bly has called this program “the Bible of website copywriting.”

Learn more about copywriting for the web and this program here.

Secrets of Writing High-Performance B2B Copy takes your copywriting skills and shows you how to use them to specialize in writing for the B2B business to business) market. Learn how to take advantage of this $55 billion a year market — that’s not a typo.

Learn more about Business-to-Business Copywriting here.

Blogging

Blogging for Expats. First, although it’s not something you can buy, if you haven’t been following my Blogging for Expats tutorial series, check it out.

How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger. Don’t want to maintain your own blog but still want to earn money blogging? Freelance blogging is the answer, and this guide by my friend Paul Cunningham will show you how.

Learn More about How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger here.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29.

I highly recommend this ebook program, which I followed earlier in my blogging career. Learn more about it here.

Studio Press Premium WordPress Themes 25% off everything at StudioPress over Black Friday weekend.

Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that) you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.

1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45
2. Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20
3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package. Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price — and that’s just the existing 43 designs!

All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Take Advantage of the Studio Press Black Friday Sale

Premise for WordPress
Get Premise Ultimate for only $95

Copyblogger Media just released version 1.2 of their Premise landing page software for WordPress, and it includes lots of cool new features and refinements. Most impressive of all is the introduction of an innovative 8th landing page type — the social sharing page. Premise Ultimate usually goes for $165, as it gives you:

1. All the landing pages you can build
2. Use on as many domains as you want
3. Access to ongoing optimization seminars
4. Copywriting advice from inside WordPress
5. 1,100+ custom graphics by Rafal
6. Unlimited technical support
7. Unlimited updates (you’ll thank yourself for this next year)

During their Thanksgiving sale, you can get Premise Ultimate for only $95. Yes, really. Just use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save $70 on the best landing page software available for WordPress. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

Photography

Turn Your Pictures into Cash. Photography is amazing. It can feed the soul and inspire people. It also provides a measure of freedom I suspect you value highly. You can live wherever you like, work whenever you feel like it.

Learn how to turn photography into a portable career that can support you wherever you live or travel.

MatadorU Travel Photography Course is based on 12 chapters of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers in Photo Labs. As with their Travel Writing program, graduates have ongoing access to the forums and new modules.

Learn more about it here

Coaching

Life coaching is a growing field, and expats and finding it meets all the criteria for a worthwhile and rewarding portable career. Get your training and certification from the International Coach Academy.

Enroll in the Certified Professional Coach Program before November 30 and save 22%.

Click here for more information about International Coach Academy’s course.

Websites

How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites. Not exactly blogging and not exactly a corporate website, learn how to create a content-rich site that provides an ongoing income — in just a few hours per week.

The traditional approach to savings and retirement doesn’t work anymore.
It’s time to take control!Turn a few “spare-time” hours a week into $750 … $1,500 … $3,500 and up per month.
Money that comes in whether you’re working, sleeping, playing golf, or relaxing on the beach.

Learn more about creating your own money-making website here.

Site Build It. Combine the fantastic tools and guidance available at SBI with the Money-Making Websites program above for incredible results. They’ve just upgraded the tools for building the site itself, keyword research and more.

Learn More About Site Build It here.

Website Hosting and Domain Name Registration

Dreamhost. Optimized for WordPress hosting, Dreamhost offers lots of “unlimited” features including:

• Disk storage
• Bandwidth
• Domains Hosted
• Email Accounts
• MySQL 5 Databases

DreamHost has also gone green — they’re carbon neutral.

Find Out More

Blue Host also offers a slew of “unlimited” features, including:

• Disk storage
• Bandwidth
• Domains Hosted
• Email Accounts
• MySQL 5 Databases

They’re a couple of dollars less than DreamHost.

Find Out More

Host Gator is also greening up, having purchased Renewable Energy Certificates for its servers.Their least expensive plan only allows for one domain to be hosted, but if you move up to the next plan, you’ll get unlimited disk space, bandwidth and domains.

50% Off all hosting plans today only, until 11:59 PM EST.

Find Out More

NameCheap domain name registration. Great prices and service for domain name hosting.

Find Out More

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? Check out our Resources section.

Note: Many of the links here are affiliate links. That means if you purchase something you’ve clicked on, I’ll earn a small commission. I only recommend products or services I have used myself, or from a company I’ve done business with and have a high level of confidence in. You can see my entire policy here. Buying from affiliates helps keep this website running.

photo by djlicious on flickr

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 I pretty much nailed it. There was only one country on the list that really surprised me.

Here, without further ado, are their recommendations for the 20 top countries that North Americans should have on their list of potential places to live or retire abroad affordably.

If You Want to Live in Asia

Overall, Southeast Asia is the least expensive part of the world to live. There are notable exceptions, of course, like Singapore, but this region includes six out of the 20 top picks. Here are the best places to live in Asia, in alphabetical order.

1. China
2. India
3. Laos
4. Malaysia
5. Thailand
6. Vietnam

If You Want to Live in Europe

Although parts of Europe (Paris, London) are quite costly, other areas are surprisingly affordable. Follow these recommendations for the best places to live in Europe.

7. Croatia
8. France, particularly the Languedoc and Aquitaine regions
9. Ireland
10. Italy
11. Spain

If You Want to Live in Latin America

Nine of the top 20 countries are in Latin America. It’s not surprising, as proximity to the US and staying in time zones close to the US’ are important to many expats. Here are the best, most affordable, places to live in Latin America.

12. Argentina
13. Belize
14. Brazil
15. Colombia
16. Ecuador
17. Mexico
18. Nicaragua
19. Panama
20. Uruguay

I mentioned that one country’s inclusion surprised me, and that’s Brazil. While some expat experts have been promoting the country for a long time, Kathleen has held back. Her objections have been well thought out, and involve important issues like ease of moving your money out of the country when/if you decide to leave.

While the presentation on each country emphasized its positive aspects, there was also a discussion of the country’s cons. In short, the conference provided practical, actionable information for deciding on an overseas destination.

If your budget is really tight, remember that living in a major city is always more costly than living away the the metro area. In these countries, you can find areas that will work for you and your budget and give you a North American, middle class standard of living.

All the information from the conference will be available soon. . . watch for details!

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 your researches somewhere, so here’s a good place to jump in.

This information comes from XPatulator.com’s third quarter update.

Most Expensive Cities for Expats

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Geneva, Switzerland
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Hong Kong, China
5. Lichtenstein, Vaduz
6. Sao Paulo, Brazil
7. Osaka, Japan
8. Oslo, Norway
9. Moscow, Russia
10. Sydney, Australia

There was one big change on this list from the beginning of the year — Caracas, Venezuela had been #2 and now it’s doesn’t even show up on the top 10 of the Americas. Other than that, no real surprises here.

If you’re looking for inexpensive, South Asia is the place for you. Here are the top ten most expensive cities in the region, but note that Mumbai, at #139 in the world out of 300, falls in the middle of the expense spectrum.

In other words, even the most expensive S. Asian cities are pretty cheap. . . All on this list are in India unless otherwise noted.

1. Mumbai (139)
2. New Delhi (179)
3. Chennai (181)
4. Calcutta (182)
5. Sri Lanka, Colombo (186)
6. Hyderabad (193)
7. Bangalore (201)
8. Male, Maldives (241)
9. Kabul, Afghanistan (252)
10. Lahore, Pakistan (273)

A few other interesting notes — Jerusalem (80 in the world) is the most expensive city in the Middle East, followed by Abu Dhabi, UAE and Doha, Qatar.

Almost all the most expensive European cities are in non-Euro countries, with Switzerland claiming the top two spots. France, #9 on the Europe list and #23 in the world) is the only country in this list that spends in Euros.

You can get more detailed cost of living information here.

photo by Linh rOhm on flickr

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 put on a conference for expats and wannabes that will talk about, not one or two, but 20 countries.

In a conference call recently, the company’s publisher, Kathleen Peddicord, promised the conference in Orlando, FL will be the most ambitious she’s ever been involved in during her 25 years as an adviser to expats.

“Our promise is to introduce you to the top 20 country choices worldwide. We’re focusing on three regions — Europe, Asia and the Americas.

“This won’t be a journlistic, theoretical look, it’ll be very real life with lots of how-tos and practical information.”

Last spring I attended the organization’s Live and Invest in Panama conference. I had promised to give you my honest opinion about whether it was worth the price of admission, and I did just that here.

I told you then that I wouldn’t advise ever attending one of these conferences — unless you’re really serious about moving abroad.

Frankly, I can’t wait to find out what their top 20 country picks are, and why. I have some educated guesses, based on the experts they’ve announced.

Here are the countries I think they’ll focus on, by region:

Asia

• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Laos
• China
• The Philippines

Europe

• France, specifically the Languedoc and Aquitaine regions
• Spain
• Italy
• Ireland
• Croatia

The Americas

• Panama
• Nicaragua
• Ecuador
• Belize
• Colombia
• Mexico
• Uruguay
• Argentina

Of course, that’s only 19 countries. . . we’ll see if I’m right, and what the missing one is. . .

It’s happening in Orlando, FL on October 14-16, 2011 at Universal Studios. I’m arranging my schedule to be there.

They’ll Address Your Stumbling Block — Whatever It Is

Conference experts will address the most common stumbling blocks to an overseas move, and will answer questions like:

• How much money will I need?
• Should I rent or buy a home? How do I do that?
• What kind of visa is best for me, and how do I get it?
• I still need to earn an income, how do I do that?
• What about taxes?
• Healthcare and Insurance

They’ll hold workshops on each region, with breakout sessions for specific countries. . . You’ll meet other expats and people who are thinking about making their own international move. . . You’ll have the opportunity to talk with experts and get answers to your individual, specific questions. . .

In short, you’ll have a chance to get expert views on where you should think about going, and how to get there.

And, if it’s anything like the Panama conference I attended, you’ll have a lot of fun, too!

Click here for more information, then select “Retire Overseas Conference 2011″ from the list at the left.

And if you decide to come to Orlando for the conference, let me know so we can meet up!

What’s your biggest obstacle to moving abroad? Leave a comment. . .

photo by Jeff Keen on flickr

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?

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 you, and what to leave.

Personal items

In general, clothes available in Uruguay are not very sturdy. You can get the well known name brands, but they are expensive. I’d especially recommend you bring good shoes with you. The pair I bought in Uruguay had a hole in the sole within a month or two.

What you shouldn’t bring are leather items, like jackets. As a big cattle country, leather products are easily available at reasonable prices in Uruguay. If you want more fashionable clothes, you can always take an inexpensive ride to Buenos Aires on the Buquebus ferry, and get the latest styles at good prices.

For the women, pick up a little bit extra of your favorite makeup. It might take you a while to find something comparable.

Computer and electronics

Electronics are very expensive in Uruguay. You have the choice of either getting low-quality items, or paying very high prices for high-quality electronics. You’ll really notice the 60% import duty when you price computers and cell phones.

If you’re bringing your computer, get everything you think you’ll ever need for it and bring all of that with you. Before you leave for Uruguay, upgrade your memory, get an external hard drive (or two) for backups, and pick up a few USB thumb drives. If you think you might want an ebook reader, like a Kindle or Nook, get it now.

While you’re at it, get a good unlocked quad-band cell phone. You’re supposed to declare it with Customs when you bring it in. If you forget to do that, you may have trouble getting a SIM card with Antel, the government-run phone service. However, you can get service from Claro or Movistar (the competing cell phone services in Uruguay) without any problems.

Pick up the latest digital camera and a few extra memory cards before you leave. If you plan on driving, you might want to get a good GPS unit too.

Food and kitchen

The food in Uruguay is very good, but there isn’t much variety. Many of the items you’re used to from home, just aren’t available, or are very difficult to find.

Some things that many expats in Uruguay mention missing are; Peanut butter, Hot sauce, Asian spices and sauces, and cranberries (dried, so you can get them through Customs).

If you’re a home chef, bring your own pots and pans. Most of what you find in Uruguay is thin and cheap. Bring your good knives and other kitchen tools with you too.

Vitamins

Vitamins are almost treated like medicine in Uruguay. If you run out and ask a friend from back home to mail you vitamins or other supplements, your package may be stopped by Customs and you might be told that you need a prescription to import them.

Household items

If you’re applying for permanent residency, you can bring in a container of household items and not pay any duty for it.

Appliances need to be 220 volts, and 50 hz. If you try to use a transformer with 120V/60hz equipment, it will probably wear out faster than normal. You also need to worry about the different plugs. There are four “standard” types of outlets in Uruguay, and who knows what combination you’ll have in your home in Uruguay.

For those who love high thread count sheets, along with down comforters and pillows, bring a couple sets with you.

Miscellaneous

Bring a few of the latest hot novels with you. Even if you have a Kindle, it’s nice to have a paperback book to take with you to the beach. You’ll also be able to find a home for it with other expats looking for something to read in English.

What else?

If you forget anything, don’t worry. You’ll be able to find something in Uruguay that will work, at least temporarily. Buenos Aires is right next door, in case you need to do more serious shopping.

Also, once you get to Uruguay, you’ll probably meet other expats and start to develop an informal network of people who will bring something back from their trips home.

When Scott Lilly arrived in Uruguay, he had to visit the ATM 214 times (no, that’s not a typo) because he didn’t plan ahead properly. He wants to help you avoid the mistakes he made! He has a website where he provides tips to help yo plan your move to Uruguay.

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 this project off the ground, and I’ll take all of the help I can get.

“Which leads me to another question: how can one get started in this without much money?”

When Money is Tight, Get Creative

Matt, you’ve come to right place. We were pretty much wiped out by the financial crisis of 2008-2009, so we’re making our move on a shoestring.

However, you really do need to have a little money or at least usable credit.

Matt didn’t explain what “without much money” means to him. Does he mean he doesn’t have $100,000 to invest in the country, or that he doesn’t have a few hundred dollars for a plane fare?

Either way, the first thing Matt should do is narrow down his list of countries from six to no more than three. Then he needs to figure out how he can visit the countries on his short list.

It doesn’t matter how great a place sounds on paper, until you’ve had your boots on the ground you can’t possibly know whether you’d be happy living there. Once Matt narrows down his country choice, he’ll be in a better position to figure out what he needs to actually move there.

When funds are really tight, you need to get creative. What can Matt do to get himself to one of his country choices?

As a medical professional, it’s quite likely he could take some time away without worrying too much about finding or returning to a job when he gets back.

My recommendation to Matt: explore possible volunteer opportunities. Look for something that will pay expenses of transportation, food and lodging in the country and arrange to stay as long as you can. Rent out your home or apartment while you’re gone.

Ideally, Matt could arrange back-to-back volunteerism so he could try out two or even three of his countries during a six-month period. At the end of the six months, he should have a pretty good idea of where he wants to live.

Then he can return to the US and go back to work for a bit while he maps out his next step.

How to Narrow Down Your Country Choice

There’s an almost limitless number of factors that can influence your country choice. Some of the more obvious include

• climate
• language and culture
• work or business opportunities
• cost of living
• health care
• ease of travel to “home” country

To weigh out what’s really important to you can require some deep soul searching.

And, if you’ll be moving with a spouse, partner or children, the equation becomes even more complex.

It’s certainly possible to step through this exercise on your own, or with free help from websites and online forums.

There are lots of good country-specific forums out there. I’ve been hanging around the Panama Forum quite a bit in recent months, for example, and there are some good country forums on Yahoo as well.

If You Can Afford Some Shortcuts

If you have a bit of discretionary income to invest in the process, though, there are a couple of resources I recommend.

The first is 52 Days to Your New Life Overseas. As its name implies, it’s a 52-day (or longer, depending on how much time you have to put into it) series of thoughtful and thought-provoking materials to get you from wherever you are now to your new country. (You can read a review here. For contrast, here’s a review of a program I found to be nothing but fluff.)

The second is not a program for expats as such, but was designed by a life coach to help you really understand what makes you thrive. Called Live Bold & Bloom, it promises to help you create a life that is fun, adventurous, peaceful, exciting, challenging, engaging and meaningful.

You can read more about Live Bold & Bloom here.

photo by paul-simpson.org on flickr

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?

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 there.

Middle East

Intercultural Meanderings. Lynne Diligent, a long-time expat and Middle Eastern resident since 1990, writes about interesting questions relating to intercultural business, expat issues and multicultural issues.

Asia

Our Big Expat Adventure, moving the family from Australia to Singapore.

The Dropout Diaries. No, not education related, this is one person’s account of packing it all in and going to China to teach. . . and what happens next.

The Sublime Portal, an online community and reference sites for all things Turkey.

Europe

Kitchen Chinese Adventures in Food, France and Beyond with chef and journalist Ann Mah.

Expat-En-Provence, tales of a young American woman in the south of France.

Central and South America

What’s Up El Salvador, an American woman falls in love with El Salvador and moves there with her husband and young daughter.

Xpat Escape tells about one woman’s move to Panama, with stunningly gorgeous photos.

Ecuador 4 U, a lovely photo blog about life in Ecuador.

Global Nomads

The Displaced Nation, a site devoted to global nomads.

Unwire Me — Work Anytime from Anywhere. All about portable careers.

If you’d like to see more of the sites I follow, check out my bookmarks page on Delicious.com – it’s all there!

Do you have an expat blog or website you’d like to recommend? You can share it on Facebook, or add it to the Comments below.

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

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