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A Video Look at Some Expat Destinations

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For a change of pace today, I thought I'd share with you some YouTube videos about expats and their new homes. A quick YouTube search of "expat" turns up over 4,000 videos. As you'd expect, some are good, some are terrible and most are in between. Some are slick, commercially produced efforts, most are not. The ones I find most interesting are individuals who shares specifics about their new homes. [ad#Google Adsense Double] I've chosen 14 videos worth a look. We'll come back to this from time …

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Expat Experience Gone Bad: A Passage to India

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EM Forster’s classic novel of India under the British Raj examines the dark side of the expatriate experience. Although not absolutely necessary, it helps to understand a little of the history of England’s presence in India, because, central to the novel’s core, is the oppressor’s fascination with and repugnance of the oppressed – and vice versa. Cast of Characters Forster introduces his characters in order of importance, beginning with the Marabar Hills, 20 miles away from the city of …

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Which Countries Have the Best Health Care?

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In the Expat Web group on LinkedIn, a member asked recently, “As an Expat, which countries do you think have the best and worst health care 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 …

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Death In The Andamans: Expat Book Review

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Death in the Andamans by MM Kaye takes place over Christmas in the late 1930s. Copper Randal’s school chum Valerie has invited Copper (christened Caroline Olivia Phoebe Elizabeth) to stay with her in the tropics. Valerie’s stepfather, Sir Lionel Masson, is the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman Islands, a group of islands governed by the British in the Bay of Bengal. Copper has spent the previous two years working in drab London: “… at about the time that Valerie was setting sail for the …

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Top 10 Retirement Havens

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Live and Invest Overseas publisher Kathleen Peddicord has named the Top 10 Retirement Havens for 2010, and the list includes some surprises. Panama occupies the top spot, and Peddicord comments that "this country manages to become more appealing all the time." Her Top 10 picks include: Panama France "World's best quality of life, world's best health care, world's best infrastructure, world's most romantic city" Uruguay for "The banking, residency, and tax advantages of Panama without the …

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A Town Like Alice: Expat Book Review

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A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is multi-layered expat novel, which was made into a TV mini-series in 1981. It has been one of my favorites for a long time, not only because of the expat themes, but because it also features a strong female protagonist who overcomes some truly daunting obstacles. Author Nevil Shute is interesting in his own right. A prolific author, with over 20 novels to his credit, Nevil Shute Norway was by profession an aeronautic engineer and pilot. Shute became an expat …

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