Lifestyle - Expat Magazine

Prospective students, we understand your agonies, enthusiasm, and confusions because we have gone through the same journey. What course to study, where, and how will you benefit from it in the future — are just a few of the questions hanging. But before you start filling in the application forms, be reminded that learning doesn't shut in the classroom — it's an ongoing process that takes place in the bar, the cafe, on the streets, the galleries, the concert halls, and the parties.

While the whole world has been criticising America's electronic voting system since last November's presidential elections, the Catalan parliament may successfully introduce it, and enable Catalan citizens abroad to vote in the forthcoming elections — including the independence referendum in September. At the same time, over 1,7 million French people living abroad will be able to vote in June's legislative elections through electronic voting.

Mark Twain rightfully said that heaven was copied after Mauritius — its mountains, forests, infinite horizons, and underwater life are out of this world. But it's up to us to protect this (and every other) habitat, and to keep paradises around the world alive. Romina, a Mexican entrepreneur, saw in Mauritius more than luxurious resorts and short-term beach holidays — she saw an opportunity to raise awareness among Mauritius' visitors and residents for a conscious way of living and travelling. Romina shares with Expat.com her aspirations for Mauritius Conscious and her highlights in her adopted island.

Catharine comes from the UK. She first visited Reunion Island in 1990 during an exchange year. After her graduation, she flew back and ever since, she has found another place to call home. She shares with Expat.com her love for the island's lifestyle, its natural landscapes, and the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity.

Youth is the carefree time of our life when we are fervidly off to new adventures that include traveling, meeting new people, and discovering foreign cultures. If our passion for the world and our studies can go hand in hand, then it's even better. For the past 30 years, Erasmus, the exchange program for European university students, has helped over five million young people to live abroad while continuing their studies. Join us in a vivid discussion with the Erasmus generation on Erasmus' 30th birthday!

Linda was born in New Zealand. Feeling an urge to move and see the rest of the world, she headed to Europe back in the 1970s. Her love for Greece led her to the Greek love of her life. Today they have two children and five grandchildren. She talks to Expat.com about her life as a retired Kiwi expat on the island of Poros, Greece, and the irresistable beauties of a country with so much history, sun, culture, and many apetizing flavours.

January is the month to make our resolutions, and hopefully stick to them – just like France did with its. The French Government has voted reforms that come into force immediately, and won't only impact the lives of French citizens, but also of expats in France. And if you are considering France as a future destination for your expat life, these changes may assist your decision. Here is an overview of what to expect in France in the new year.

We move from one place to another for all different reasons. For Keri the journey abroad started off as a teenage adventure. Her love for K-pop took her all the way to South Korea — where she met her other big love, her husband. Keri misses home in America, but cannot yet bid farewell to the South Korean lifestyle, the culture of kindness and respect, and the spicy food. She talks to Expat.com about the country of temples, mighty mountains, and friendly people. 

Employers and employees, backed by the advanced telecommunications industry, are the key players in a changing work environment that is defined by international mobility. The shift in employment trends (remote work, entrepreneurship, flexible working hours) has also revolutionised the motives for expatriation and traveling. Here we discuss several changes in the job market that every conscious employer should be aware of, if they want to excel in their field.

From having your baby abroad, to moving in a foreign country with one or more children, expat parents have loads to think and plan about — healthcare, schooling, leisure activities, accommodation. We understand that all this is overwhelming. So, we come to your rescue with a list of five blogs managed by expat mothers, who have travelled that road before.

Milla is a mother to two — a 10-year old boy and an 8-year old girl. Originally from Finland, she moved to Singapore one and a half years ago when she decided to support her husband in his new job. Nowadays, she is a homemaker and an avid blogger.

It is this time of the year again — the dispute over the Christmas tree, the endless shopping list, and Mariah Carey's hit in the background. But this year you are more of an observant than a participant in this hilarity. You are away from home — an expat in a foreign country — and when everything around you is about family and the people we love, you feel low and melancholic. Turn off your Facebook notifications (Facebook is argued to boost feelings of sadness and loneliness), and let us inspire you for a very merry Christmas away from home.

Albeiro comes from Colombia. A digital communications specialist, he moved to Cambodia 16 years ago after joining a missionary group. Nowadays, he is a teacher in Kep Province, and enjoys archeology.

The European Union is shaky — Brexit, eurosceptics, rise of extreme nationalism. But Europe can do better than that, and young European people like François see in the continent not mere countries but their home. Europe has opened the horizons of its young generation, as it has facilitated travelling from one member country to another. Expat.com hosts a vivid representative of Europe's bright future, who talks about his vision of the Union from the perspective of a well-travelled and curious mind. A French law student, François took a year abroad to complete a Master's degree in Cambridge, UK. In this video, he talks about how this one year in England has benefited him, and how it has formed his view on the European Union's future.

Earthquakes, cyclones, floods, droughts, are all legitimate conditions that you don't wish to run into when setting up your expat life abroad. But as nature's power is unfathomable, natural disasters cannot be utterly stove off. However, their catastrophic impact can be dwarfed with the key infrastructure in place, cross-sector coordination, and operative technology. So, before you let fears and misreport put the parachute on your expat ambitions, refer to our recap of this year's World Risk Index, and grasp the difference between exposure and vulnerability.