The magazine for expats

Are retirees really the "wealthy elite" they're often portrayed as? In reality, retirement incomes vary widely, and so do living standards. For expat retirees, the picture is even more complex. Beyond everyday expenses, they must also navigate inflation, hidden costs, rising healthcare bills, and policy changes that can all have a significant impact on their budget.

Accommodation

Buying property abroad: How your relationship status can affect your purchase

Buying your own property is a major milestone, and for many expats, an exciting new chapter. But purchasing a home abroad involves more than finding the right property. Your relationship status can have a significant impact on your rights as a buyer and the legal protections available to you. Whether you're married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, are you equally protected when buying property overseas?

Work

How to spot international employment scams

Imagine that after months of frustrating job search, you finally get an offer that can change your life. Not only is it the perfect match for your skills and experience, but it is also coming from a different country. The pay is great, and relocation expenses are covered. You are excited, you are making arrangements to leave. And, most likely, you are not at all ready for one of the following scenarios.

Expat news

New Zealand

New English language requirements for New Zealand visas

Since June 1, foreign workers seeking certain work visas in New Zealand have been subject to new English language requirements. The government says the changes are intended to improve migrant integration and help prevent workplace exploitation.

Sweden

Sweden tightens work permit rules for foreign workers

Since June 1, Sweden has tightened its work permit regulations. The new rules introduce higher salary requirements, stricter conditions for seasonal workers, mandatory health insurance in some cases, and increased scrutiny of employers.

Belgium

New immigration, work and study rules take effect in Belgium

Belgium's latest reforms, which took effect on June 1, bring greater flexibility to the labor market in an effort to support job creation. At the same time, the government has introduced stricter requirements for non-European students.

See all

Content from our partners

Features

Work

Does motherhood affect careers abroad?

Parenting is one of the most (if not THE most) life-changing experiences one can go through. But as much as this responsibility is shared, it is often the mothers who experience this change tenfold. And if you experience motherhood whilst working abroad, this transformation can feel even more profound. And for many expat women, motherhood in a foreign country marks a professional turning point.

Everyday life

Europe's heatwaves show why climate change matters for expats

Europe is sweltering under record-breaking heatwaves, Canada is battling increasingly frequent wildfires, and parts of Asia are lurching from extreme heat to devastating floods. Once considered exceptional, extreme weather events are becoming a defining feature of daily life across the globe.

Schools & studies

Moving abroad for better education: A growing trend among families

For many families, choosing where to live means considering the quality of local schools. Some parents, however, take that logic much further and decide to move abroad altogether. Known as educational expatriation, this growing trend refers to families who relocate to another country primarily to secure a different educational path for their children. The motivations vary: a more flexible curriculum, alternative pedagogical approaches, reduced academic pressure, homeschooling opportunities, or simply an environment perceived as more conducive to learning and well-being. Although still a niche phenomenon, educational expatriation is attracting increasing attention as parents rethink what education should look like in an increasingly globalized world.

Everyday life

Why birthdays feel different after moving abroad

Living abroad makes birthdays feel a bit strange sometimes, especially when you're far from family and close friends. One of my first birthdays alone abroad, I got myself a ticket to an empty hotel beach and spent the day sitting alone under the sun, wondering if that was the weirdest and saddest way to spend a birthday. But as I started writing this article, I've realized that doing randomly unconventional things for your birthday abroad is actually not that random, and quite common.

Work

Essential boundaries every freelancer should set with international clients

Most freelancers agree on one thing: if they went solo, it was to be their own boss, to no longer answer to anyone else, to set their own rules and to be free. The challenge is truly living out that freedom when dealing with local and international clients. Where and how should you set your boundaries?

Work

Why more people are leaving work sooner

For many workers, retirement abroad is the ultimate reward after a long career. But an increasing number are making the move earlier than planned. While some actively pursue early retirement overseas, others find themselves leaving work sooner than expected.

See all

Expat interviews

Everyday life

Why the Short family from the UK chose Mauritius for a new life

When Adam and Tara Short from Sheffield visited Mauritius last November, they didn't expect it to change their lives. But one afternoon on the beach in Grand Baie, they realized this was where they wanted to raise their family. Adam, who runs a car and fishing business, and Tara, who owns a hospitality supply company, wanted a simpler, safer, and more outdoor life for their two sons, Spencer (9) and Xander (4). Just months later, they turned that dream into reality. In this interview, the Short family shares what it's really like to swap the busy streets of Sheffield for island life, from choosing schools and settling in, to discovering their favourite local foods and making Mauritius home.

Spain

Building a life in Mallorca: Doug Underwood's story of work, community, and home

For many, moving abroad is a leap into the unknown. For Doug Underwood, arriving in Mallorca in 2019 turned into a journey of building community, adapting to island life, and finding a true sense of home. What started as a work opportunity grew into something much bigger, from professional projects to co-hosting Curiosity Night, a monthly gathering for expats and locals alike. In this interview, Doug shares the rewards and challenges of expat life in Mallorca, his advice for newcomers, and what makes the island such a unique place to live.

Everyday life

Resilience and belonging in expat life: Roberta Maretti's journey

Moving across borders is never just about changing your address — it's about reshaping your identity, navigating new beginnings, and learning to find “home” wherever you are. For Roberta Maretti, author of Where the World Took Me, the expat life began as a teenager in Tokyo and soon became a lifelong journey spanning continents, cultures, and countless reinventions. From raising children in Asia and the Caribbean to returning to Europe after years abroad, her story is one of resilience, curiosity, and the search for belonging. In this interview, she reflects on the challenges and gifts of a globally mobile life, the friendships and food that anchored her along the way, and the lessons she hopes to share with other expats carving out their own paths.

See all

Insights from professionals

Everyday life

Expat burnout can affect your entire family

Moving abroad is often associated with adventure, discovery, and new opportunities. While it can be a deeply enriching experience, there is often a less visible reality behind the excitement of starting a new life abroad: exhaustion. In my consultations, expats sometimes describe a fatigue that never seems to lift, unusual irritability, a sense of disconnection, or the feeling that they are no longer quite themselves. What I have also observed is that this distress is rarely confined to one person. In expat families, when one parent begins to struggle, the entire family often has to adapt. Partners may feel isolated or lose their sense of direction, while children can pick up on their parents' stress, worries, or emotional fatigue, even when these feelings are never openly discussed.

Paraguay

Paraguay real estate residency starts at 30% down

A new investor residency rulebook landed last month, and for anyone weighing Paraguay as a place to actually live, the numbers are surprisingly friendly. If you've been quietly researching Paraguay as a possible new home base, for the taxes, the cost of living, the easy residency, or just because the rest of the world feels increasingly expensive and complicated, this one is for you.

Argentina

Argentina to launch South America's first Citizenship by Investment program

As an expat who has made South America's Southern Cone my home, I explained last year why Latin America is the new frontier and how to get residency here. This year, I've been spending a lot of time in the new Land of Opportunity: Argentina. After taking a chainsaw to inflation, President Milei has set his sights on citizenship by investment as the next lever to pull.

See all

Expat stories

Work

How to build a business abroad with your partner

Starting a business with your partner sounds like a dream, Palm trees, shared goals, flexible schedules, maybe even long lunches in the sun. But here's the truth: building a business and maintaining a healthy relationship takes intention, grit, especially when you add the stresses of doing it in a new country. I have done it with my husband—and we're still talking to each other!

Everyday life

How to know if you made it abroad

Many aspects of life today are shaped by constant judgment and evaluation—annual reviews, performance indicators, goal assessments, skills audits, and more. But should we apply the same lens to an international relocation? Living abroad is a rich and complex experience, which raises an important question: how—and why—should we evaluate it? Is it to strengthen an application for a new role and better reflect the value of our intercultural experience? To gain clarity about future goals in an international setting? Or perhaps to make sense of the reasons behind a return?

USA

Entrepreneurship in the USA: The E2 visa amid the Covid-pandemic

As the year 2021 comes to an end, we're hoping for this very stressful period for expatriates all over the world to be over. Expats living in the USA on an E2 visa have been faced with a particularly complicated situation. In addition to the pandemic's impact on their businesses, they will also have administrative difficulties obtaining visas or even their renewal.

Everyday life

Life as an expat in South Africa

From October 1, 2021, South Africa moved to Alert Level 1 after multiple Covid-19 peaks, and life is slowly getting back to normal. Hannah, an expat from the UK, was lucky enough to relocate to Cape Town in September following her husband's intra-company transfer. She shares her views about expat life in the country she now calls home.

Everyday life

Opinion: Does being an expat mean I'll always be the outsider?

Does being an expat mean always being the outsider? Not quite at home in your host country and a little bit of a stranger to your home country. Stephanie discusses how she navigates this identity as a Brit living in Paris.

Moving

Please, don't ask me these expat-related questions again

Expatriation started as a necessity when I was looking to progress with my academic studies of a Master's degree in England. However, it was earlier in my life, when I began travelling for leisure, that I figured out moving countries is a lifestyle I would like to revel in. Since 2007, I have lived and worked in five countries in Europe, Africa, and East Asia, and I am currently preparing for my next expatriation project. I may find it easier to board a plane and start all over again than deciding what to have for dinner, but the journey is not anxiety and sorrow-free. So, if you are interested in how a life away from everything you take for granted is, please don't ask me (or any other like-minded expat for that matter) any of the following questions — here's why.

See all

Expat of the month

Everyday life

Expat life in the UK between the Brexit and the pandemic

Angelica is originally from Verbania, Italy. It's been nearly ten years since she moved to the UK, hungry for independence and new experiences. She has also spent a year in Germany for her studies before going back to the UK and is currently in the process of obtaining British citizenship. She talks to us about living in London as an expat between Brexit and the Covid pandemic.

See all

Articles from our local editions

Mauritius

Pension, NPPF, tax and property reforms: What's changing for expats in Mauritius

If you live, work, invest, or are planning to relocate to Mauritius, the 2026-2027 Budget deserves your attention. Far from being a routine fiscal update, it marks a significant shift in the country's social and economic policies. From retirement and social contributions to taxation and property, several of the announced measures could directly impact your finances and future plans. Here's what they mean for expats in practical terms.

Mauritius

From Dubai to Mauritius: Aymeric de Guerre's entrepreneurial journey

From opening a startup's first international office in Dubai to scaling and selling a successful events-tech company before launching a new AI venture from Mauritius, Aymeric de Guerre has built his career around identifying opportunities and taking calculated risks. As the co-founder of Duodeal, he is rethinking how businesses create and deliver commercial proposals through artificial intelligence and interactive customer experiences. In this interview, he reflects on the milestones that shaped his entrepreneurial journey, the lessons he has drawn from working across international markets, and why he believes Mauritius has the potential to become a leading hub for innovation and startups.

Mauritius

What to do in Mauritius in July 2026?

July promises to be especially lively in Mauritius despite the whims of Mother Nature. With a number of concerts, festivals, sporting competitions, electro nights, networking events, and outdoor gatherings, there will be something for everyone throughout the month. Whether you've just arrived or you're a regular on the local events scene, our selection will help you make the most of this month.