Expat interviews

A former high school teacher from the US, Kelly recently went back to school to study marketing. Mum of two and married to a Dane, she currently lives in a small town in Denmark. Here's her story.

Dolores Semeraro is an Italian expat with more than 15 years of career in the hospitality industry, marketing and commerce. In 2016, she moved to Mauritius after staying in the Maldives and China. Dolores recently started a podcast called “Truth Behind Travel”, on which she interviews leaders and experts in the travel industry.

Shahin and Sarah are a young French couple. Their curiosity and thirst for new cultures led them to Iran, where they are currently studying calligraphy, poetry and the Persian language. Originally from Reunion Island, they talk to us about how and why they made Iran their new home.

Aude is originally from Rhône-Alpes, France. During her Erasmus student exchange year in Milan, she met a young Dane who is now her husband and their four daughters' dad. Passionate about Hygge, she talks to us about expat life in Denmark and her definition of well-being.

Thilini is originally from Sri Lanka. Despite a thriving financial career in her home country and in Australia, she was looking for a change. Today, Thilini lives in Mexico with her partner and is pursuing her dream as a writer and remote entrepreneur. She talks to us about her journey and her struggles to find inner and outer freedom as an expat.

Catherine is originally from South Africa. In 2019, she was one of the lucky few to be admitted to Calgary through the Express Entry System, along with her husband and their twin daughters. Catherine talks to us about the challenges of raising expat kinds in Canada.

Molly comes from Nottingham, UK. Following a job offer, she moved to Spain in 1998 and stayed in Barcelona for 9 years before relocating to Granada, a beautiful city in Andalucia. The past 22 years and her blog helped her build her image as an influencer and expert about Spain and the UK. Today, she talks to us about how her views about the country changed over the years, especially in 2020, which was a challenging year for everyone.

Lauren loves life. You can even feel it in her writing. And it is not like she has not had a few challenges. Just this year, she has had it pretty hard being on lockdown with three children and her husband. But this expat mom, trailing spouse and writer is resilient. She tells us about life in Barcelona doing things that she loves.

Sara is a pharmacist specialising in medical cannabis, who comes from Abruzzo. She has been living in Thurgau, Switzerland, for nearly two years now, where she works in an elderly care home. She talks to us about how hard it is to find a job in this part of the country as a non-German-speaking expat, and about the importance of learning the language before relocating.

With current travel restrictions and many countries locked down a second time, many expats will have to spend the end of year alone, far from their loved ones. If you're one of them, you might be feeling anxious or depressed by this situation. Gabriela Encina, an expat coach and psychologist, talks to us about the impact of the second lockdown on mental health and gives out some tips to get over this.

Mum, Sabrina and daughter Paola left Rome a year and a half ago to settle in Massachusetts, United States. They moved because Sabrina's husband, an Italo-American, has been working there for some time. And it was an important change to say the least. Both mom and daughter had to adapt to new habits and customs, and Paola joined a college in the perfect American style, like those you only see in movies.

"If Brexit is voted, we will move to Australia". With these words, Valentina chose to fly to the Land Down Under with her boyfriend in 2016. Originally from Italy, they both lived in London for six years. She talks to us about her everyday life, her plans, and the COVID-19 crisis in Sydney.

“We sleep and wake up to the rhythm of the forest”. Lorenzo, an artist and writer and Iside, a naturopath, are an Italian expat couple. Tired of their traditional life in Italy, they chose to relocate to a small ecological village on the coast of Bahia, Brazil, with Leone, their 6-years-old son. In this interview, they talk to us about their choice, their everyday life in the heart of nature and their projects.

Andrea comes from Calabria. After living and studying in Florence for many years, he booked a flight to Portland, in the United States, where he has lived for 13 years now. Driven by his passion for music, he even founded a music band there. In this Interview, Andrea talks about his everyday life and shares his views about the recent US protests and the COVID-19 crisis.

Steffy comes from Naples. She left Italy in 2016 to settle in Sweden with her children. An avid blogger, Steffy is also the founder of a non-profit organisation that takes care of children with special needs. She talks to Expat.com about her everyday life and challenges as an expat mom of an autistic child.

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.