Expat interviews

What is better than having the opportunity to earn a living while travelling around the world? The lifestyle of a digital nomad has its ups and downs but first and foremost is rewarding, and it gives you the freedom to discover new cultures, meet interesting people, and create the life you want to live in. Sanne, a digital nomad and blogger, has been living on her own terms for nearly a decade and speaks to Expat.com about her nomadic journey.

Matthew, a vagabond at heart and a full-time adventure travel blogger and photographer, has been living as a digital nomad and expat since 2010. His curiosity, explorer's mindest, and risk-taking personality have taken him to over 50 countries and opened the doors to numerous life-changing experiences. Today, Matthew and his wife have a more permanent home in the United States, but you will still hear from him from other parts of the world for at least half of the year. Expat.com speaks to Matthew about wild travel stories, useful tips for digital nomads, and other adventures. Read the interview, and get inspired and motivated to live life to the fullest.

Lisa originally comes from Charente Maritime, France. In her quest for new horizons, she moved to New Zealand where she spent six months before moving back to France. A few months later, she decided to move to the USA for her studies and better career prospects. Passionate about cinematography, she is now living her dream in Los Angeles and shares her enthusiasm with Expat.com.

The first Monday morning in a new country is hard. Your spouse goes to the office, leaving you standing in the echoing space of your new home. Maybe you feel guilty that they have to work, while you play house? But at the same time, you've given up your job for the sake of theirs! So you make another cup of coffee and look out the window at an unfamiliar street, wondering where it leads.

Cyril Anne met her husband on a work trip to Germany, where she then moved to continue their life together. She has developed a love for all things German, from the cuisine to warm and friendly people, and she tells Expat.com about some of her favourite things about living in Frankfurt.

Originally from Romania, Alina moved to Denmark to pursue her education and eventually settled down there. However, she moved to Tallinn, Estonia to be with her (now) husband and give life there a try. Since moving there nine months ago, she has fallen for the country as well, and she tells Expat.com just what it is that makes Estonia so appealing.

Ashley, an American expat in Scotland talks to Expat.com about the romantic (spoiler) reason behind her decision to move to Edinburgh, Scotland, and how she can now enjoy the best of two worlds. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road and coping with the wet and cold weather have been good enough reasons to give Ashley a cultural shock, but Edinburgh is an easy going place to live in, full of personality and genuinely nice people who will welcome you. 

For Debbie, moving to her husband's home town of Senta, Serbia from Canada after her retirement seemed like an obvious choice. As she says, retirement doesn't just mean the end of full-time employment, it also means the freedom of adventure. She tells Expat.com about her adventure in Serbia and what it has been like so far.

Matthew was pleased to discover (upon moving from the US to Hungary) that Budapest is incredibly child-friendly, as he and his wife moved from Bellingham, Washington to Budapest, Hungary with their three young boys. Here he tells https://www.expat.com about life in Hungary so far, and his favourite things about the country.

Italian journalist Antonella decided to move to Ghana and set up her own business. She also blogs about her day to day life as well as broader issues affecting the country and the broader Sub-Saharan region. She tells Expat.com about how she finds life in Ghana so far.

Rob Johnson is a self-described 'reluctant olive farmer' and an author in Greece. Originally from England, Rob has just published his new book, 'A Kilo of String', which gives fellow expats and anyone thinking of moving to Greece some insight into the oddities and unique aspects of living there. Rob tells Expat.com a bit about how he's finding day to day life in Greece, olives and all.

We most often talk about learning a foreign language and the challenges we face, but what about learning foreign numbers? Sounds familiar — that time at the till in a foreign country when we are expecting the cashier to punch in the amount we have to pay and turn the calculator so we can see. Jason, an American expat in Turkey, speaks to Expat.com about his slow-paced life in Izmir, Turkey, the benefits of being your own boss, and his application, 'Foreign Numbers'.

Having spent a number of years in the Netherlands and Belgium, Brit Nicholas Parrott decided to continue his European adventure in Hendaye, France, where he has been living since June 2016. He shares with Expat.com just what it is that makes Hendaye such a unique an appealing town.

Have you ever imagined starting a new life abroad without anything set in stone? No job or an employer awaiting for your arrival, no accommodation sorted, but with the only thought in mind that you have to make it work. Lenny and her husband from the Philippines dared to do exactly this -- to take the risk and to dream big. And you will be happy to know that they made it! Let's hear their inspirational story as shared with Expat.com.

Teacher Alan Scott first moved to Turkey in 1995 and, when he returned to New Zealand, he realised that Istanbul had become the place he called home, so made the move a permanent one in 2001. When he's not teaching, he's writing on his blog or working on his autobiogrpahy. He talks to Expat.com about how he came to adopt Turkey as his home. 

Nurses and doctors, technology professionals, skilled manual workers—these are some professions that have experienced global labor shortages in recent years. In many countries, elementary and high school public teachers are also increasingly in demand. Because of the difficulty in hiring or retaining local teachers, schools are turning to the recruitment and even training of expat teachers.

Expat host associations act as a crucial link between your home country and your new country, and they have proved their utility. Although their services are well-known to beneficiaries, what does it mean to volunteer in such an association? What are the benefits of volunteering as an expat, and how do you get started?

In early 2024, the Prime Video streaming platform debuted “Expats", a drama series based on the book by Janice Y. K. Lee. It portrays the lives of three women from diverse backgrounds who are linked by a singular drama: Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy, each facing unexpected and traumatic events that upheave their existences.