Did you know that if you move abroad with children, or have them while living in a foreign country and then split from your partner, you may not be able to bring your kids back home? You may also find yourself ‘stuck’ abroad, in a country that you no longer want to be in. It’s a situation that my guest Roz Osbourne has personal experience with, and…

Some pretty big life events happened around the time Australian expat Rachael Kowald turned 30. She moved from London to Glasgow for the lower cost of living, returned to school as a mature age student, and then, she decided to buy a house! Rachael’s studying nursing, she also works as a carer for people with spinal cord injuries and - now she’s a …

What does it take to become truly location independent? Do you have the qualities needed to thrive working remotely? And what boring-but-important admin elements do you need to think about if you intend to work from anywhere? Find out the top countries hiring remotely today, and the various ways you could go about sustaining a location independent …

I have a returning guest today - it’s Mia Stewart, who joins me to talk about winning the US Green Card Lottery. Also known as the DV Lottery, or the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. If you’ve listened to my first interview with Mia, you’ll recall that she and her husband moved from Australia to the USA a few years ago, to LA specifically, on an O…

Gabor Holch’s relationship with China began two decades ago, on what he thought was simply a two-year sabbatical. As an Intercultural Leadership Coach and Consultant, Gabor has worked with China-based managers at countless multinationals over the years. And he was there for what was dubbed the ‘Golden Age’ for foreign businesses in China, when load…

How easy is it for a foreigner to find a job in Denmark, if they haven’t been fortunate enough to line up something for when they arrive? What sectors are they most likely to find work in, and what are some need-to-knows about Danish workplace culture? My guest to answer all of these questions and more is Kate Dahl, a career consultant for internat…

Writer and Editor Kirsten Raccuia is known for her Sand in My Curls blog, which until recently, was all about her expat life in Malaysia. We last spoke at the height of the global pandemic, when she and her husband were closing in on a decade in Penang. Fast-forward a couple of years, and they’re in a new country, Mexico. I’m chatting with Kirsten …

I first spoke to Max Lee just over a year ago on the show, and he was preparing to move his young family from North America to Taiwan. It was a move abroad that they’d been planning for many years, and Max intended to focus on his music career in their new country, while his wife would be remote working for a company back in the States. One year on…

A topic that comes up quite often in our Facebook groups is moving abroad with children. What’s the ideal age? Especially if they're going to need to learn a new language? What about the best time of year to move? And how do you make the assimilation process, from learning new cultural norms to making new friends, as smooth and enjoyable as possibl…

When American, Samaki Dorsey Schneider moved to France permanently five years ago, the last thing the 44 year-old expected was to need to take a driving test. But that’s the reality for some expats who can’t simply exchange their existing driver’s license for a French one. Keep listening to find out why this is the case, what the testing process is…

Click here to get a quote from Cigna Healthcare for health insurance in the USA. When you're moving abroad, one of the things at the top of your to-do list should be sorting out health insurance, especially if you're moving to a country like the USA with no universal healthcare system. So, where do you even start? What's the minimum essential healt…

Finding or creating a sense of community can be a real challenge when you live abroad. Greek American Pare Gerou is building hers from the ground up in the form of a cohousing community in southern Greece. So what is cohousing and just how ‘communal’ is it? What kinds of people would you be living with, and what if you don’t get along? Keep listeni…

It’s one thing to dream about living life in another country, but it can be quite daunting to make that dream a reality. Especially if you’re, say, a little bit older than fresh out of college. Today’s guest, Cepee Tabibian, tried and failed a few times to move from the USA to her dream life in Spain. She finally succeeded at the age of 35, and for…

The Covid pandemic has been a catalyst for change for so many of us. How are you living your life differently to before the year 2020? Husband and wife, Alex and Michelle, actually had a big move abroad in mind before the global shutdown derailed their plans. Now, they’re catching up. They quit their jobs, sold most of their stuff and moved - with …

Today’s guest built a successful business - and brand - around her passport country’s most popular food - pierogi. And she did it in the bustling city of Shanghai. Gosia Modlinska shares why she first moved to China a decade ago, how she navigated local rules and regulations as she ran her polish dumpling business, and why she pivoted to cocktails …

Welcome to another year of Expat Focus podcasts. We’re kicking off 2023 with an episode about life and career change, which tends to go hand-in-hand with a decision to move abroad. It’s certainly true for me. Actually, this year marks 10 years since I decided to quit my job and life in Australia, to move to the UK to see what else I was capable of.…

Hey there, it’s Carlie with the Expat Focus Podcast. It’s another festive themed episode! We’re discussing Christmastime in South Korea and Spain with American expat and English teacher, Jesse Sweed. We talk about festive activities in the classroom, the perils of the Secret Santa gift, Spain’s Three Kings Day and how Jesse’s experience of the holi…

Did you know that fried chicken is a Christmas tradition in Japan? And that the festive season is more about romance and gift giving between couples than arranging presents for the kids? Former expat and current Japanese tour company founder Nicki has lots of other fun facts to share from her 10 years' living in the country. So, whether you are an …

When American Sara Dyson moved to Croatia in 2012, she couldn’t find any local resources in English to help her. So as she figured things out - like residency and healthcare, Croatian culture and learning the language, she posted about it on her website, expatincroatia.com, to help other foreigners. Close to a decade later, Expat in Croatia is a fu…

The continent of Africa is our destination today. We’re going to be talking about living and working in Rwanda with Italian expat, Giulia, who decided to take a leap away from her life in Europe to follow a job opportunity. Giulia talks about her first impressions of the city of Kigali, and why it’s known as the ‘Switzerland’ of Africa. We also tal…

Have you ever visited a city in a foreign country, and just felt immediately at home? That was Laurel Wright’s experience whilst on a solo European holiday from the USA. Wanting to escape the hustle culture of LA, she decided to pack up her life, and move to Berlin. We recorded this chat a couple of months back, and talk about what Berlin is like i…

Do you have your eye on a rundown old property in the French countryside? Are you planning to leave your big city life behind for a simpler one? Do you really know what to expect? Best-selling Author and Editor Janine Marsh gave up her city life in London and made the move to a neglected farmhouse in Northern France more than a decade ago. Find out…

Today’s guest is an accidental social media influencer. American, Kacie Rose Burns has amassed a community of over one million people across TikTok and Instagram. And it all started with a little video she posted on her way to her new life in Italy. When I told a friend I was going to interview Kacie, she said “I just want to meet her in Italy and …

Joining me today is award-winning podcaster and Business Strategist, Christine Job. She has spent the past five years living in Valencia in Spain, and her podcast, Flourish in the Foreign, celebrates the voices and stories of black women, and women of colour, who are - just like her - living and thriving internationally. We talk about Christine’s o…

Breathwork Academy Creator Artur Paulins first left Latvia to study in Denmark knowing zero Danish. He later moved on to London with no connections or contacts. And then after a good 10 years abroad, a gut-feeling told him it was time to move home. We chat in this episode about his repatriation process, feeling like a stranger in the country he gre…

Whether you’re doing it solo or as a family, a lot of energy goes into planning an international move and getting settled in a new location. And it can take a toll, both physically and mentally. So, what can you do to help keep your overall health in check? I’m chatting to an expert from one of our health partners - Cigna - in this episode, to get …

Recently on the show, we heard from a couple who made the decision to move to Oman, and were off within a matter of weeks. Today’s guest has been planning his family’s move abroad for many years. In the summer of this year, 2022, Max Lee, his wife and their two young kids will leave the USA for Taipei in Taiwan. In the lead up to their much-anticip…

My guest today moved to Sweden from the UK, for love. But she felt a connection to the country long before meeting her partner. Katy Hetherington has quickly accumulated loads of first-hand experience in how to navigate different aspects of Swedish life - everything from getting set up, to getting a job, becoming a citizen, having a baby and even b…

Are you dreaming of just packing up your life for an adventure abroad? In this episode, you’ll hear from a couple that did just that. They made the decision to move from the UK to Oman, and in just a few weeks, they were off. Teacher Sheri Lennon and Author Matt Jardine will explain how they navigated getting the right visas, adhering to the local …

Before the pandemic hit, American Jake Doherty was running two very successful tour guide services in Bavaria. When Covid-19 completely decimated the travel industry, he had to find another way to put food on the table. In this chat, find out what motivated Jake to become a tour guide and settle in southern Germany, and why he set up his interactiv…

Is it ok to travel for pleasure during a global pandemic? How do you weigh up the “risk” versus “reward”? And as the world currently deals with the Omicron wave of COVID, what measures can you take to make your travel as safe and as responsible as possible? American, Crissy Whalin is my guest to chat through these questions. In 2018, she started tr…

Finding your tribe, family, community, whatever you like to call it, is so important when you move to a new place. Expats Angelina and Bonny know this first hand, having moved to the UK from Poland and France. They started their business, International School of Life, to connect expat women globally, helping them to boost their confidence, unlock t…

Following Brexit and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is living and working in the United Kingdom as attractive as it used to be? In the past two years, we’ve seen a mass exodus of many expats from the countries they were calling home. The number of visas granted to Aussies to live and work in the UK reportedly dropped 74% in 2020. That same yea…

If you live in the UK or in the EU, you’ve no doubt noticed an unwelcome trend in added fees and charges when receiving parcels from online shopping. Even parcels sent from family and friends abroad are turning up with added fees to pay. There’s a lot of confusion about what these fees are for, when they should be applied, and why they’ve even come…

Do you know if there’s a pension agreement between your home country, and the one you’re living in now? Do you know what you’ll be entitled to come retirement age, if you decide to stay living abroad? The lack of an agreement and what that means is what I’m discussing today with fellow Aussies Judy and Peter, a writer and a lawyer behind the group …

My guest today is Alex, a language coach with a YouTube channel called ‘French In Plain Sight’. Now, as the name suggests, he coaches French learners, and I'm one of those, but a lot about his approach is relevant to learning pretty much any language. What I find unique about Alex is that he's not native, and his coaching method is really derived f…

Today’s guest is sharing her experience of applying for Dutch citizenship. For Akanksha Pathania, it was a big decision, not least because becoming a citizen of the Netherlands required her to renounce her Indian citizenship. Find out what the process entailed, how you can best prepare for the exams, and why for Akanksha, becoming Dutch has been wo…

This past year has really put our health and wellbeing in the spotlight – whether it’s been dealing with a Covid-19 diagnosis ourselves, supporting loved ones, or dealing with the mental and physical health impacts of long-term lockdown and significant lifestyle change. Health service providers have played a key role during the pandemic, and my gue…

We are chatting to one of our regular columnists today, Ben Zabulis, who I’ve interviewed in the past about his decision to retire to Hong Kong. Now, lots has been happening in the world since our last chat, so I’m really keen to check in with him and hear his perspective, and also find out how he and his partner keep themselves well and healthy as…

So many workplaces have had to make drastic changes over the past year, which has affected how we do our jobs and, in some cases, if we even still have one. Whether you’re already abroad or looking to move internationally for work, it’s a daunting time to be searching for that next opportunity. How has the pandemic affected your industry? Are there…

Expat entrepreneurs Mayank Marthur and Octavian Pop are the founders of Avasa AI. They met when Mayank was searching for a property to rent in London, and they realised there was a gap in the market for a complete home search solution that really works for the tenant – so, they created it.

You’ve no doubt heard about the devastating second wave of Covid-19 that India’s currently experiencing, and how it has overwhelmed the local health system. Many foreigners have decided to leave while they still can, as countries put bans on flights to try to prevent the spread of India’s Covid mutation. One foreigner who is staying put in the coun…

Our listener Susan recently got in touch and asked if we could do an episode on deafness and hearing loss, and the challenges these conditions can present when you’re abroad. So Liam O'Dell, deaf freelance journalist and campaigner, is joining us today to speak about the subject and his own experiences.…

Tax expert Oliver Heslop from Global Expatriate Tax Services is back today, and he’s going to give us an update on UK and EU pension rights after Brexit. It’s very good news for the million plus Brits living in EU countries and the more than 3 million EU citizens who call the UK home. Oliver is also going to touch on what you should keep in mind th…

Today's guest is Rebecca Grappo, the founder of RNG International Educational Consultants. Rebecca has been working with expat families for decades, and I wanted to get her perspective on the Covid-19 pandemic, how it has affected international students – in particular, over the past 12 months – and what expat families can do to continue to help an…

Deciding to pack up your life abroad and head back to your home country can be difficult enough, but doing it during the Covid-19 pandemic brings all kinds of extra challenges. Australian journalist, Denee Savoia, recently returned home after four years living and working in Turkey. However, getting herself home certainly hasn’t been straightforwar…

Recent updates and changes to the United Arab Emirates’ legal system are set to benefit the millions of expats that call the country home. Law reforms announced in November cover divorce, wills, and local rules around the consumption of alcohol and unmarried couples living together. Alexandra Tribe, lawyer and owner of Expatriate Law, joins me in t…

The end of 2020 marks the end of the Brexit transition period, and one of the big changes for UK nationals is how long they can spend at second homes in the EU. Up until now, British nationals have been able to spend up to six months a year at another property on mainland Europe without running into any issues around residency. But that all changes…

The dreaded C-word has really dominated the year, but now we’re reaching the end of 2020, and it’s the B-word that a lot of British expats in particular are worried about, as they rush to secure a base in mainland Europe. Oliver Heslop from GETS – Global Expatriate Tax Services – is back on the show today to talk through where things stand when it …

How much do you keep up with the news and issues back in your ‘home’ country? Where do you go for updates on subjects that affect you, like new law proposals and policy changes? American Citizens Abroad is an apolitical organisation, on a mission to educate and advocate for US citizens living and working overseas, from expat voting rights to citize…