The Expat Chat

Travel can be tough if you go against the norms of society. You left the career path you had lined up to do what? You’re travelling the world with two kids under 5…are you nuts??

You could listen to others…or you could do what you knew was right for you. For Billy and Scarlett Thomas the standard well-worn path of get career, have kids just didn’t feel right.

There motto is “have kids, will travel” and indeed they do! Since leaving the United States 3 years ago their young family have journeyed through much of Europe, and Central and South America discovering what people and life has to offer along the way.

Today we talk with the Thomas’s during a break catching up with family in Utah (they are about to head to Japan for six months). During our talk they discuss the expectations that society can put on you as a graduate and as parents, and how what they have done have helped both them and their children grow. They also discuss education options for children when travelling and how you can combine travel with running a bricks and mortar business back home.

You can follow their travels on Scarlett’s blog http://dancingontheground.weebly.com and talk with Billy about running a bricks and mortar business remotely at www.highergroundlearning.com

What I learned from speaking with Billy and Scarlett:

Do you live to work or work to live? This is a question Margo Eggeling finds herself asking more frequently after her experience of living in Heidelberg Germany. Her time away has provided her and her husband with fantastic memories, great photos and an ever expanding group of friends in all parts of the world – but the question of what she wants to do with her life is now foremost in her mind.

A child of the American university system who has to date followed the corporate line Margo has recently returned from her expat experience looking for new adventures. With her husband, a former accountant with KPMG, they are now ready to embark on the next stage of life’s adventures – a one way ticket to Bali is already booked with no clear cut plans of where they will head to next.

We spoke with Margo about her experiences of Germany, how cheap and easy travel is around Europe when you’re based there, the true experiences of Heidelberg beyond the tourist regions and how her experiences have changed her priorities in life.

If you’re keen to find out more you can contact Margo through her blog http://www.theoverseasescape.com

What I learned from speaking with Margo:

Facing death is the ultimate motivation to revisit your life’s purpose and ask yourself whether what you are doing is truly making you happy. For Barbara Weibel that challenge came to a head in 2007 when, dealing with lymes disease, she realized her corporate life was making her richer but leaving her feeling empty inside.

She hopped on a plane to Vietnam writing the story of her journey while away. Upon returning to the US she discovered that over 1200 people had found her journey worth reading and with that as her motivation she embarked on a permanent travel lifestyle that has taken her to 60 countries over the past 9 years.

Barbara has become one of the world’s biggest travel bloggers and has proven that a single woman in her 50’s can travel the world safely with the right attitude. Her saying “Faith and fear can’t live in the same place” has been her source of comfort along her journey.

We caught up with Barbara in Croatia where she shared her insights into how she lives her life and why the American dream is not delivering on its promise.

You can follow Barbara’s journey at her popular blog www.holeinthedonut.com . If you’re looking to send a picture from your own journey Barbara offers $1 e-postcards of her travel photos. Barbara is a strong supporter of charities in many of the countries she visits and you can support her work with an e postcard from her many travel photos at www.holeinthedonut.net

What I learned from speaking with Barbara:

It’s a long way from California to the west coast of France, especially if you’ve never visited before. Daniele and her husband Mike made the big move after Mike got a job opportunity in the French city of Biarritz, one of the surfing capitals of Europe.

Although something of a culture shock Daniele has so far enjoyed the tradition – swapping the business suits of her former life as a lawyer for the running shoes as she enjoys a more relaxed lifestyle in France.

Today we talk with Daniele as she discusses the culture shocks of France, how travelling opportunities have opened up from her new European base, and why the French have mastered the art of living in a way that is both challenging and refreshing to enjoy.

You can follow her and what’s happening in Biarritz at www.lexpatblog.com

What I learned from Daniele’s interview:

What do you do if you’re a stand-up comedian who has just lost his day job and your artist girlfriend has also lost hers? You move to France of course! Today we interview Tommy Barnes who with his girlfriend left London 5 months ago to get away from the rat race and stress of big city life.

They moved to the Auvergne region of France and have embraced the contrast between their old London existence and what small village French life has to offer. They have even dispelled a few myths about the French way of life that the English have stereotyped the French as having. To many their existence may seem precarious – Tommy has spent his days writing a book he hopes to publish while Rose looks to sell her sculptures, and they currently are surviving on redundancy money. Despite this however they are happier, healthier, and with their recent commitment to buy a house in the Loire valley, they are now determined to make France their long term home

We caught up with Tommy one beautiful summer’s morning. You can follow his hilarious stories about life in the French countryside at http://thomasprinceoffrance.blogspot.com.au

What I learned from Tommy’s interview:

If you’re keen to live the expat life but overseas travel and cultures are not for you then why not consider being an expat traveler within your own country? Lots of people are doing it and todays travelers are no exception. Chuck and Lori Ros are combining the best of overseas travel with the chance to see more of the United States and they’re using a multiple of methods to cover the cost of their adventures including swapping work for travel, housesitting, house swapping and some very affordable one way cruise deals we’ll share with you on the show!

They are loving their new life and don’t see themselves going back to the old one anytime soon. If you want to hear more about their new lifestyle and how you can enjoy the benefits of your own country affordably as an internal traveler then listen to what they have to say.

You’ll find out more on their blog at www.chuckandlori.com

What I learned from speaking with Chuck and Lori:

If you’re in need of some heart repairs would you be comfortable with having it done in another country? For many people the thought of this would seem terrifying – but as an expat living in Colombia Michael Kershaw was able to relax confident in a medical system he knew would look after him.

Colombia is fast developing an excellent reputation for both medical and dental care and medical tourism is on the rise. Michael’s hospital visit was covered under his medical insurance with no out of pocket expenses and considerably less hassle and better care than he received in the US.

In today’s interview Michael talks about medical care in Colombia from his first-hand experience plus shares the journey that brought in there and why his life is so much richer for the experience of relocating from the United States. He dispels many of the myths surrounding the safety in Colombia as well and explains why it should be on your radar if you’re looking for an expat location to move to.

You’ll find more about Colombia, and the best places to get a good coffee, on Michael’s blog at www.michaelandgraciela.com

What I learned from speaking with Michael:

Colombia is a country that has been struggling to throw off its history of civil war and drug crime. A country that was well off the radar of travelers even 10 years ago has undergone something of a transformation. The capital Bogota offers good living at an extremely affordable price with an ever growing expat community.

Today we talk with Karen Attman, a US native who has spent the last 19 years living in South America, initially in Venezuela and for the last 3 years in Bogota, her husband’s native city.

In today’s interview Karen shares her experiences of Bogota, its affordability and why it is no longer the crime enclave that people have associated it with in the past. If you’re interested in visiting Colombia or relocating there then you’ll find plenty of useful tips and suggestions in this chat with Karen.

Being an expat doesn’t have to mean leaving your old life behind. An increasing number of people are enjoying the benefits of their home life while spending a significant portion of the year in other locations – and you don’t have to be a retiree to do this.

Jen and Jay Kerwood are Toronto natives who have spent the last 3 northern winter living in Cancun, Mexico. They spend around 8 months of the year there, returning to Toronto during the summer months when the weather is more settled.

Jen and Jay aren’t the baby boomer generation either – they are able to combine a portable worklife with the opportunity to travel and enjoy the best things that Mexico has to offer.

We apologize for the internet quality on this interview.

So what do you know about Korea? In my case not very much. I certainly wasn’t aware that I could leave my wallet on a public bench and have a better than even chance of getting it back! But this is just one of the many pleasant surprises I found out during my conversation with Dain and KJ Leathem, two expat kiwis who have been living in Korea for the last 12 years.

Today they share with us many of the insights to Seoul that only a local would know, including how keen Korea is to attract international students and why they are able to get their extended education at a cheaper price than in the west, plus why Korea is fast becoming a hub for medical tourism as well.