Expat interviews

Alix was only 18 when she fell in love with New York City. In 2014, the young French expat decided to settle there and start her career in the audiovisual industry. Today, she is married, is a green card holder and is now working as a freelancer. Alix shares her experience with Expat.com.

Lorraine has always loved travelling and started living abroad when she was barely 20 years old. However, she had never thought that one day she would be working with horses in the heart of Patagonia. She talks to Expat.com about her adventure in Argentina, from her arrival in Buenos Aires to settling in a small Southern village surrounded by nature.

Asafe Kerven from Paraíba, Brazil, has a passion for football. He has already worked in several sporting events around the globe as a volunteer and today lives in the UK. Coming from a poor region, he shares a bit of his experience moving abroad and how expatriates with low income can succeed in their goals. 

Geraldine, who is originally from France, fell in love with the United States when she was very young, and a complicated personal journey led her to move to New York State. She initially wanted to take the time to rebuild herself, but in the end, she never left. Geraldine talks to us about how she obtained the authorization to stay in the USA, what life is like in rural New York State and what she likes the most in her country of adoption.

Arrived in autumn 2021, amidst the pandemic, Hanna Lindl, from Germany, shares her experience as a physics intern living in Madrid. Besides the blue sky, she tells what are the pros and cons of being an expatriate during the Covid-19 pandemic, gives some advice and more! 

Alicia has lived in different countries on different continents and had a taste of different working cultures -- which made her realize that she needed to work towards something more meaningful. She has always had a passion for couture, so she decided to earn a living from it. Now an expat in Barcelona, she talks to Expat.com about her journey and the challenges of being an entrepreneur in a new country, especially when you don't speak the language perfectly.

Originally from the Netherlands, Angelique had been an expat in Belgium since 2008 until she moved to Taiwan in 2017. As her husband's two-year contract was renewed, she stayed for two more years until August 2021 when they finally moved back to their home country. She talks to us about the challenges of returning home, especially amid the pandemic, and the positive side of it.

Maëva has been in love with Quebec for nearly twenty years, but she only decided to take the leap of faith during the pandemic, looking for a better quality of life. She talks to us about her expat experience with her partner and their two children and the many opportunities available in this Canadian province for expatriates.

Mégane landed for the first time in Mauritius in 2018 for an internship, but she quickly fell in love with the island's beauty. So back in France in 2019, she decided to go back and settle down in Mauritius for good. Today, she is an entrepreneur and social media influencer and talks to us about her journey as an expat.

Diagnosed with calpainopathy at the age of 14, Irina has always been thirsty for adventure. Enrolling for Erasmus, she first flies to Ireland. After that, she lived in London and California before returning to France. Today, she shares her experience of moving abroad with a disability.

Roxana has had wanderlust since a very young age. While Zanzibar has been the land of her dreams, she finally ended up in Mexico after staying in New York. A single expat mum, she keeps herself busy in taking care of her daughter and an educational initiative dedicated to making linguistic education accessible for marginalized communities. 

Although Carmen misses Hong Kong, her home country, she is not ready to go back. She actually took the leap to Madrid, Spain, for a better future for her son, who was only two years old at that time. Her quest for a better life took her to the land of her dreams, where she is an entrepreneur and remote worker.

Kasia was born in Poland but moved to Canada with her parents at the age of 8. After growing up in Canada, she travelled to Australia in her late 20s and stayed there for 15 years, and worked in the Asia Pacific region for 6 years before going back to Canada. Today, Kasia is an International Leadership & Career Coach who helps expat entrepreneurs become the leaders of tomorrow.

Originally from Philadelphia, Sara has quite an interesting story to tell. On travelling to Mexico for the first time when she was 18, she immediately fell in love with the country. Today, she lives in Veracruz with her multicultural family. From an English teacher before the pandemic, she converted into a publisher and is enjoying being an entrepreneur.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Dolores is a psychologist. Having lived in Spain for 19 years, she also has Spanish nationality. But two years ago, she relocated to Finland, where she founded an association of Dominican professionals. She talks to us about her expat experience in her new home.

As tourism industries continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit slowly, Southeast Asian nations are exploring the implementation of a visa system modeled after the European Schengen Area. This initiative aims to revitalize tourism and stimulate economic growth across the region.

Singapore regularly tops the list of the most expensive cities in the world. In 2023, it tied with Zurich in first place among the most expensive cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The same year, a report by Mercer called Singapore the best city for expats in Asia. However, in recent years, Singapore has been experiencing a continuous exodus of expats. Even those who have called it home for a long time are starting to reconsider.

There's a profession often overlooked in discussions about moving abroad: how do artists sustain themselves in a foreign country? Is it feasible to earn a living through art in pursuit of creative freedom? This aspect of artistic life is seldom addressed in visa regulations for artists, yet it holds significant importance, impacting how artists practice their craft overseas.