"Quality of life" involves dozens of items. Some are huge -- where you live and work, and who you live with. Some are small -- a favorite coffee mug. I love to read. For me, it's a quality of life issue. If I couldn't read, my life would be far less enjoyable and meaningful. So when we first started talking about living in another country, I knew I had to find a way to feed my reading habit no matter where in the world I found myself. At that time we had thousands of books in our house. …
How to Choose the Perfect Country for Your Expat Retirement — without Spending a Fortune
Nobody can completely take away the challenges of an overseas move. No matter how carefully you plan and prepare, life will invariably throw you some curves and you'll have to cope with the unexpected, unanticipated, or just plain frustrations that are part of the process. You can lessen that pain by having lots of good information. It's completely possible to find out everything you need to online, at no charge (except your time and energy). The only problem is, it'll take a lot of …
Expats, Life and Love for Valentine’s Day
Today is Valentine's Day, so I thought we'd start today's post with a little love story. Back in the 1600's, a young man fell in love with a beautiful young woman he saw in the bazaar. Not an uncommon event, I'm sure. They married a few years later, and lived happily together until she died while giving birth to their 14th (!) child. The husband was devastated, and decided to remember his dear wife with a stunning monument. Four hundred years later, that monument is considered one of the …
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Expats, Prepare and Beware the Tax Man
Dear Future Expats, This is not the column I had planned for today. However, when I got this letter in my mailbox yesterday, I knew I had to share it with you ASAP. It's from Leif Simon of Live & Invest Overseas. I'll have a few further comments at the end. . . "The IRS is grabbing headlines again this week. Unfortunately, this time, it's at the serious expense of a friend of mine, U.S. tax attorney Chris Rusch. "Kathleen and I spent last week with Chris in Medellin. He was a presenter at …
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Six Ways to Learn a New Language
So you're planning on living overseas -- do you really need to learn the language of your adopted country? I have a simple, two-word answer for you: it depends. Don't learn the language: If you plan to live, work and play among other expats If you're not interested in immersing yourself in the local culture If you plan to hire someone to take care of your administrative tasks However, if you want to explore your new country on your own, handle your own bill paying, banking, and other …
Best Quality of Life Cities and Countries in 2011
When you're considering moving to another country, one of the big things you think about (at least I do) is the quality of life you'll be leaving and what you'll find in your new home. As 2011 has drawn to a close, let's take a quick look back at the year's top picks in various expat-oriented "Best of" lists. Quality of life means different things to different people. For example, I'm typing this at my son's dining room table, in the mountains of Vermont. It's cold (temperatures have been in …
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