Twelve Prep the Move Tools

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Here’s the last in our 12 Days of Christmas series of gift-giving ideas for expats. Everything recommended in Days 1-12 will help you or someone near and dear to you plan and execute their overseas move. Now on the final day, we’re focusing on books and products that will help you prepare for this momentous [...]

10 “Bests” for Expats

Top Ten

Everybody loves lists, and expats (and future expats) are no exception. Here I’ve pulled together a list of ten “best of ____” for expats. Some of them are silly and some are serious. Enjoy! Best Expat Banks, a list of banks that do well by expats, based on home-country currency Best Expat Jobs in France [...]

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 [...]

Retire to Latin America if You’re Poor, Europe if You’re Not

Paris and the Eiffel Tower

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. His top five picks for retirees with a limited (primarily Social Security) income: Costa Rica Malaysia Uruguay Panama Nicaragua [...]

Panama, Sweet Panama

If you plan to start a business overseas — and most of you indicated you’ll have to generate some income to finance your overseas lifestyle — Panama is the country to look at. According to Kathleen Peddicord, publisher of the Overseas Retirement Letter, the country’s friendliness to business is why she and her real estate [...]

The Flip Side of Expat Guilt

Eiffel Tower, Paris at dusk

Guest Post by Barbara Diggs Lucky is the expat that has no lingering guilt associated with his or her decision to live abroad. But, I think, rare is that expat also. Maybe you feel a bit guilty about how living abroad will affect your children, or you worry about the feelings of loved ones left [...]

Top Quality of Living Cities for 2010

Gloriette, Vienna Austria

Every year, Mercer conducts a Quality of Living survey. Results for 2010 were announced a couple of days ago. Vienna, Austria, keeps its #1 spot for another year. Top 10 cities worldwide for quality of living are: Vienna, Austria Zurich, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland Vancouver, Canada Auckland, New Zealand Dusseldorf, Germany Frankfurt, Germany Munich, Germany Bern, [...]

Totally Unprepared for the French

The author in Paris, April 2010

Guest Post by Catherine Perkins When I left the United States in February for a two month stay in France, I was very prepared. I had a bag loaded with French language resources (a dictionary, a phrase book, a traveler’s guide), and some new cold-weather clothing. Living in Florida my entire life, I’d never had [...]

Is France Affordable?

Alempdes France

Recently, the Live and Invest Overseas e-letter has been talking about France in the run-up to their upcoming conference about living and investing there. France is not one of the countries we’ve been considering as a retirement destination because of the expense. But with headlines like, “Your Second Home In France (Could Cost As Little [...]

9 Expat Blogs to Follow

It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of list, so I thought I’d give you a look today at some of the expat blogs I follow, and that you might find helpful, too. Empty Nest Expat. Currently living in Prague, the blogger describes herself as “an American expatriate bursting with enthusiasm to GET [...]

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