In this year’s Expat Life Interview Series, we covered different continents from our expat interviews. We have expats living in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa. We have truly learned a lot from their expat life experience. Moreover, they shared expat tips and advice to consider in case you are thinking of becoming an expat. This is the second year we are doing the Expat Life Interview Series. If you want to check out last year’s roundup, click the link below.
Expat Life Interview Series: 2017 | 2018 | 2019
Here’s another roundup of expat tips and advice for anyone looking to live and work abroad.
Sunrita: Indian expat living in Switzerland
1. Be open-minded and accepting of what comes your way. Settling in a new country is a two-way process. You give, you get!
2. Try to learn the language as much as you can. It helps ease your day to day life and makes the locals feel good that you are trying.
3. If you are a trailing spouse like me, finding a job may not be easy. So start applying ASAP or find a way to keep yourself busy.
4. Be positive – see this as a holiday for a chance to explore other European cities. Negativity only deters you from trying and being happy where you are.
Read more of Sunrita’s expat life experience in Switzerland.
Ruby: Indian expat living in Switzerland
E-D-U-C-A-T-E yourself very well before going to any country as an expat. It will make your stay more interesting and memorable!!
Elaborate or understand more about Swiss culture.
Dedicate time to learn the local language – watch TV and listen to the local radio channel to get the grasp of the language.
Understand the local culture, the way of life and people.
Communicate with the locals as well as the expat community. Try to have a good balance between the two, it will make life easy…
Assurance for life – you are in the safest place with pure air, great community life, kids-friendly, value for money, job security, great education facilities for children…
Time management is the most important lesson for living in Swiss. You have to respect time, and people will automatically respect you…
Entertainment unlimited – As Switzerland is centrally located, you are well connected to all European destinations! You can be in the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc. in short travel time. Heaven for both winter and summer activities – there is always something fun happening around here!!
Read more of Ruby’s expat life experience in Switzerland.
Hon. Pauline: Australian expat living in the USA
Be patient. Success takes time in the USA, even for the locals.
It’s a good idea to have insurance e.g. health, car etc.
Enjoy the journey to the fullest!
Read more of Pauline’s expat life experience in the USA.
Suzanne: British expat living in (South Africa and) Dubai
A: Visit the country you’re moving to, get a good idea of the cost of living. Don’t just look at the salary, find out how much housing is, cost of buying and running a car. School fees and extras, food, eating out etc. Get everything in writing/email from your future employers, otherwise, things won’t happen as promised.
Read more of Suzanne’s expat life experience in South Africa and Dubai.
Dee: Polish-American expat living in Egypt
A: Teachers, writers, and journalists are always in demand here, and I don’t think it’s difficult to find work in those fields if you’ve got some good experience. If you find work in Egypt while you’re abroad, the job will most likely pay better than if you come to Egypt and then look for work.
Read more of Dee’s expat life experience in Egypt.
Anu: Finnish expat living in London
A: Be prepared to make compromises in your living standards and work hard. Be realistic about your expectations. Have an open mind and you will get to experience some amazing things, meet wonderful people and live in one of the best cities in the world.
Read more of Anu’s expat life experience in London.
Maria: Trinidadian expat living in England
A: It’s common that people look for work via employment agencies because to have all your relevant original paperwork and visas for them to see. I’m old school, whenever I was looking for work I’d think of who I’d to work for, visit their website for vacancies, then apply directly to the organization.
Read more of Maria’s expat life experience in England.
Bryan: American expat living in Costa Rica
A: Living in a different county is just like moving to a new city. Don’t expect to know everything about it, even if you’ve done lots of research. Sure there may be different levels of barriers to overcome but you’ll be accustomed to it if you really want to. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and learning how to adapt is a big help for getting acquainted with a new location. You’ll be surprised at the similarities.
Read more of Bryan’s expat life experience in Costa Rica.
Have you thought about living or working abroad (sell your stuff, leave your house and move to another country)? If given the chance, where would you like to live? Why? If you are an expat, what other tips and advice can you give to those who want to live and work abroad? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
More posts on Expat Life
Things Expat Should do When They are Considering Moving Back Home
How to Deal with Reverse Culture Shock
How to Deal with Homesickness as an Expat
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The Expat Life Interview Series was created to know more about the country, not just from a traveler's perspective. We hope to help others who are thinking of working abroad to know how it is to live and work with the locals. If you are living and working abroad even for only a few months or several years and would like to be featured on Wellington World Travels, please Contact Us so we can send you the questions and you can share your expat life experience.
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Amazing tips been thinking of moving from South Africa to Canada. Very helpful
Good luck!!! Glad you find the post helpful!
That is such a great tips to consider. I’ve tried to expat and it looks really great and I really enjoyed it.
Thank you so much.
This goes to show that going to another country is not always a holiday. All of the mentioned stories are pretty inspiring. Such an awesome group of people.
Thanks, Hannah. Appreciate the kind words.
I like this series you are doing very very helpful. I am a expat living in USA. Having an open mind is the must.
Thank you and all the best to you.
Thank you for sharing these suggestions and informative post on becoming a potential expat. I would love to travel around the globe or go abroad for work.
You’re welcome! Working abroad is not easy but definitely a rewarding experience.
Great stories and insight into the reality of being an expat. The travel programs like to concentrate on the romanticised version lol. Gosh I wish I had the nerve to emigrate!!!
LOL. I admit, moving abroad is not for everyone. I have met a lot of people who lasted only a few months and went back to their home country.
I never tried expat in other places. But this sounds really interesting and great to try.
Thank you.
These are great tips on living as an expat. I lived and worked in Hong Kong for half a year, and even though I am Chinese, there are always a split in American and Hong Kong cultures. Thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome!
I remember at one point I was thinking about becoming an ex-pat spouse. You are right. If you are getting a job overseas you need to do your work far in advance and keep at it.
Thanks, David for sharing your thoughts!
I absolutely appreciate these tips. I’ll agree on learning the new language as much as possible since it will ensure there is understanding. As well, it is good to prepare yourself and get ready to compromise your living standards and also know more about a place before actually getting there.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Dalene.
There are so many expats living in around the world and I admire their personality and braving living out of their comfort zone. Definitely being ready to ups and downs when living in other country.
Leaving your home and living in a foreign country isn’t easy. Even I can’t believe I survived this long as an expat.
Great post/advice. I’m an expat myself living in Asia, and I totally feel for some of the points you mad. I did have quite a few issues when I came over and I still do in a way (guess something will never change). My advice is not to flight it and tries to adapt with the locals and be part of their community and soon enough their community will be yours too.
We have been an expat in the Middle East for over eight years, and still enjoying it. Thanks, Casey, for sharing these tips.
I’ve never lived abroad, but if I had the chance I would love to live in Spain! The culture is so interesting to me and then there is of course the food!!
That’s awesome! I find Spain appealing as well. We’ve been to Barcelona and Madrid.
Great information for families moving aboard. I was an exchange student for a year from US to Brazil. It is an experience that I never forget and I learned so much from living in another country.
That’s awesome! We’ve been to Sao Paolo and enjoyed our time there. It’s more than ‘traveling’ per se since we have to live there for a period of time and literally live like a local.
I have been thinking about working abroad. Since my kids are out of the house, I’d like to see some of the world and experience different cultures
That’s really nice. I’d say go for it! You’ll never know the opportunities that might open up for you.
I wouldn’t mind living in Europe for a while as an American! This is was an informative post, thank you my dear! Have a lovely weekend 🙂 xo, Suzanne http://www.suzannespiegoski.com
Thank you, Suzanne. Appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
Beautiful blog..gives so much information to potential expats…yes one has to prepare in advance before moving to settle in a foreign land..knowing the culture and language is a great help and the relevant education qualify are a sure plus..
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Appreciate it. Have a good day.
I’m not interested in being an expat but this is such an interesting thing to consider and a helpful resource!
That’s good to know! Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve always considered moving to another country but I think I would prefer to visit them all and have my roots at home 🙂
I totally understand. We are expats ‘for now’, but this is not ‘forever’. We will eventually go back to the US.
Becoming an cepat does not only makes you more strong but also helps you to learn many things and become open minded
It’s a unique experience and very rewarding.