Insights from professionals
Everyday life
Moving abroad is often painted as the ultimate adventure — a bold leap into new possibilities for personal and professional growth. You pack up your life, leave behind familiar faces, routines, and even your language, to dive headfirst into a culture that feels both thrilling and unknown. Curiosity, ambition, and the urge to start fresh are what usually drive that leap. Yet beneath the excitement lies a quieter truth — one of emotional shifts and questions of identity. Expat life isn't just about changing countries; it's also about navigating an inner journey, often invisible to others, that deserves just as much attention and care.
Formalities
For today's expat, mobility means freedom, security, and opportunity. A well-structured passport portfolio safeguards your movement and places you among global citizens who live, work, and invest across continents. Whether protecting assets or chasing global mobility, building a passport portfolio is a smart investment. Multiple methods exist: fast-track naturalization, citizenship by investment, descent-based claims, and birth tourism. Different pathways suit different goals and situations. This guide walks you through the ways to build a passport portfolio and shows you the most accessible options for acquiring new citizenships in 2025.
Work
Working abroad is often viewed as a privilege, a career-defining opportunity. The expat is seen as the adaptable, globally minded professional. Yet behind this polished image lies a more complex reality: a silent, internal pressure that can slowly erode mental health, often without being noticed. Preventing this begins with recognizing its presence, then finding healthy ways to manage it.
Spain
On Saturday, October 25, the Maritime Museum of Barcelona will open its doors to the annual gathering of choice for international professionals living and working in the city. Admission is free of charge. All you need to do is register on the event website. This year marks the 12th Barcelona International Community Day. Organised by Barcelona City Council, the initiative has become the leading event for welcoming, integrating and networking with the international community, especially newcomers to the city.
Health system
Travel insurance isn't an afterthought—it's the plan that pays when things go wrong. The right policy covers urgent care, evacuation, and the trip home; the wrong one can leave you with life-changing bills. This article shows what to disclose (including mental health), when to buy, the cover to insist on, and how exclusions work. One rule: tell your insurer everything, and buy as soon as you book.
Formalities
Latin America as a region has become one of the most popular hubs for expats, digital nomads, and international entrepreneurs. The escalating prices, the rising taxes, and stricter immigration laws in Europe and North America are forcing people to seek alternatives, and many are finding Latin America's relative affordability, vibrancy, and diversity an ideal combination.
Traveling with children—whether for a holiday or a permanent move—comes with unique health challenges. To better understand how families can prepare, we spoke with Dr. Natalie Prevatt, a Consultant Paediatrician and expert in travel and tropical medicine. Dr. Prevatt trained in London and at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and she has worked across Africa and the Pacific. She now runs NHS clinics in infections and immunity, and a remote travel clinic, The Children's Travel Doc, focused on children and pregnant women. As Chair for Paediatrics at the International Society of Travel Medicine, she helps shape global travel health guidance. In this interview, she shares essential advice on vaccinations, illness prevention, and planning for both short trips and long-term relocations.
Work
Unlike other Erasmus initiatives limited to those under 30, the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program has no age restriction. It offers a practical pathway to professional growth: the chance to explore new business cultures, gain vital skills, and expand your international network. You don't need years of experience to apply. What matters is a clear business idea, determination, and a strong desire to learn. In this article, Enrico, a young ambassador who benefited from the program, gives you insight into the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs initiative.
Everyday life
Grieving is never easy. But for expatriates, separated from family and the familiar rituals that usually accompany loss, the process can feel distant and muted. How do you come to terms with absence when life around you continues as if nothing has changed? Palliative care therapist Sophie Gidrol sheds light on the challenges of grieving from afar and offers guidance to help navigate this deeply human experience.
Everyday life
Moving to a new country won't solve your problems, but should you do it anyway? Well, it depends. It depends on you and your mindset. It is easy to imagine that relocating overseas will transform us into better versions of ourselves.
Work
The first day at a new job is always daunting. Stress, exhaustion, loneliness and nervous excitement are all common emotions but add on top of that, culture shock, language barriers and trying to settle your family into their new life abroad, it can all get overwhelming.
Everyday life
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of discomfort for expatriates, not only because of the distance from their loved ones but also due to lockdowns and health restrictions. Emanuela Brusadelli, a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Deputy Director of the Professional and Clinical Psychology Programs at Wollongong University School of Psychology in Australia, tells us more.
Everyday life
You want to go abroad or have just settled there. You are wondering how to integrate well and most of all be able to communicate with the locals and other foreigners? Perhaps you are even looking for a job that requires speaking another language.. Learning the local language seems like the most natural thing to do. But a lot of us get discouraged really fast. In fact, after 2 years living abroad very few English-speaking people do speak the local language. For some of us this means, less professional and personal development opportunities. Personally this meant not being hired by anyone when I first moved to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. If you want to make the most of your experience abroad, you are going to need to avoid the 3 traps most expats fall into - including me a few years ago. For each of them I will give you an alternative and well as a concrete action you can take right now for immediate results.
Virginia Bastide is the co-founder of the Paris Institute of Childcare Training, and, most importantly, the mom of three bi-cultural children. She gives you her expert advice to ensure your children settle in successfully in their new school abroad.
Work
Marine's interest in journalism developed into a real passion during her stay in Vietnam as the co-editor of an online newspaper. Moving back to France, she decided to become an entrepreneur by launching her own news website. Marine is also a dedicated mom that juggles parenting and the responsibilities towards success.
Work
Looking for ways to integrate sustainability into your business and become part of the solution towards a sustainable economy is an excellent first step for a business leader to take. However, in this competitive sector, decisions aren't always obvious, and advice is well-received. Denise Delaney, director at SustainAbility, talks to Expat.com about sustainability in business, the current challenges companies face, and the benefits of leading a sustainable business.
Moving
If you are dreaming of becoming an expat, but you are overwhelmed by the research you have to undertake and the process of putting all the information on different countries together, Jeff Kontur — an author and aspiring expat — has the solution in his new e-book "The Move Overseas Checklist".
Work
Emerging markets represent a real potential for entrepreneurs and investors wishing to expand their activities abroad. However, venturing into an emerging market can be as risky as it is advantageous. Ian Herbison, CEO of Speyside, a consultant and emerging market specialist, talks to Expat.com about the strengths and weaknesses of key emerging markets.
Other Types
Australia
For years, Australia has been one of the world's most sought-after destinations for international students. Its world-class universities, high standard of living, and generous post-study work opportunities have attracted hundreds of thousands of young people hoping to build a future abroad. But that appeal is beginning to fade. As the government continues to tighten its immigration policy, it has once again increased the cost of its post-study work visa, making it one of the most expensive of its kind in the world. Combined with stricter eligibility rules and fewer pathways to long-term residency, the changes are forcing many prospective and current international students to rethink their plans. Is Australia slowly becoming a study destination reserved for those who can afford to pay the price?
Everyday life
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 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?
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JJ Associates
If you've been searching for a stable, profitable, and strategically located country to grow your business or diversify your investment portfolio, Panama should be at the very top of your list. Panama is not just a country with a famous canal. It is one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America, a regional financial hub, and a proven gateway for companies looking to expand across North and South America. With a dollarized economy, a territorial tax system, world-class logistics infrastructure, and investor-friendly immigration policies, Panama offers a unique combination of advantages that few countries in the world can match.
Work
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.
Work
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.
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