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
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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:
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 HavenI’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.
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.
- Get the Genesis Framework for only $45
- Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20
- 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:
- All the landing pages you can build
- Use on as many domains as you want
- Access to ongoing optimization seminars
- Copywriting advice from inside WordPress
- 1,100+ custom graphics by Rafal
- Unlimited technical support
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NameCheap domain name registration. Great prices and service for domain name hosting.
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
Just wanted to let you know that i bought Genesis off of your link, Just make sure to get your credit from it!
Marianne
Hey, thanks Marianne! Which child theme did you choose? Anything I can help you with?
Thanks for the great links!