Expat Books to Read

Before you head off to your next expat assignment, it may be worth your while to read a bit about the country you’ll be living in. While travel or culture guides may be helpful, they can never give a person an in depth look into the mentality and lifestyle of the citizens or expats who have made the country their home. Fortunately, there is a wealth of actual literature from other expats and local authors in nearly every country a bookworm expat can check out to get the full experience.

Here you can find a few lists of books to check out from lists on Amazon in many countries. You can look for the books at your local book shop, library, or order them right online. If you don’t see your country listed, don’t despair! Simply do a search through the lists here and you should be able to find just what you’re looking for.

United States

American Diaries

Through America’s Heartland

Canada

List of books by mostly Canadian writers and expat Canadians

Mexico

Mexico as seen by British writers

Argentina

Everything from cook books to travel guides to history and Argentine literature

Panama

Recommended reading for anyone interested in Panama or anyone relocating

Spain

Tales by Spanish writers, travel guides and music to get you into the cheerful Spanish spirit

France

Top five books before you move to France

Books from and about France

Books for people moving to France

Ireland

Books from every county in Ireland

Russia

Books from and about Russia

Turkey

A list of history books and books by Turkish authors

Books on Turkish life

China

Essential books for expats in China

Another China expat collection

Books on any Chinese subject you can imagine

Vietnam

Books offering a greater understanding of Vietnam

Thailand

A specialized expat list for those in Thailand

Singapore

A great Singapore-centric reading list

Japan

Specialized for women expats living in Japan

Africa (general)

Expat life in a variety of African countries

Expats writing about Africa

Asia (general)

Books that center on an Asian theme and may be useful for expats

Global expat (general)

An expat reading list

Expat stories, wisdom and advice

Outstanding world and travel literature

Great travel books for around the world

While reading books by other expats and local writers can be beneficial to anyone living or planning to live in another country, by taking the time to read literature directly related to your new home you are exposing yourself more deeply to the culture than you’d otherwise be able to. We recommend everyone spend some time catching up on these and other country specific books to get the full immersion of living abroad.

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

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• Find answers to all your questions about moving worldwide.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools in Japan.

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Japanese Disaster Relief From Around the World

(Photograph from Asahi Shimbun, Reuters)

As the devastation from the recent disaster in Japan becomes more clear, it is also becoming obvious just how much help is going to be needed to assist the millions of people affected.

Over the recent days, the world has been watching Japan. But no one has been sitting idly by, and Japan has seen aid rolling in from around the world. From personal monetary donations to rescue workers and relief supplies to just getting the word out, literally millions of individuals and organizations are working together to rebuild the nation.

If you would like to offer assistance but are unsure how, here are some resources to get you started.

• Country specific assistance- Nearly every country has set up specific resources to help citizens in sending donations, care packages, and other aid. A google search is all it takes to quickly find out how organizations in your areas are helping out and how you can get involved.

For US citizens and residents, you can find resources to help here.

For Singaporeans, you can find organizations listed here.

For those in the UK, links to help are found here.

Other links to assisting organizations can be accessed directly from the yahoo.com and google.com homepages, as seen below:

and

• Help people get in touch- Several sites have been set up to help those separated get in contact. If you know of the whereabouts of anyone in Japan, contribute to the listings. If you know of anyone looking for a relative or friend, you can help them find their loved ones by checking here or here.

• Let others know- Not everyone can afford to make donations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. Many sites and individuals around the world are offering donations per number of hits or clicks. Take advantage of these and spread the word.

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance in Japan and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apartments in around the world.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments in JPY from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your questions about moving worldwide.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools in Japan.

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Photograph from Asahi Shimbun, Reuters

Despair Looms Over British Expats Affected by the Tsunami

Inquiries regarding British nationals’ whereabouts are rising as Japan’s worst hit areas are being scoured to locate the affected expats. The British embassy has also sent delegates to assist on the forage.

“At least 14 Britons are listed as residents of Sendai, and others live in surrounding areas. Most of them have homes in areas that escaped the worst of the damage.

The Foreign Office said there were no confirmed casualties from Britain, but they have received more than 3,200 calls from concerned friends and relatives.”

Read More From The Telegraph

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

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Pension Breather For British Expats

The UK Government has clearly declared changes in the UK pension legislation late last year, in which many are anticipating that it will no longer be a requirement to purchase an annuity at age 75 effective April 6, 2011.

As a result, individuals have better flexibility in mapping out their income and managing their finances once they plan to retire.

“The changes announced by the UK Government do have implications for British expats or individuals of other nationalities living in the region that have accumulated pension benefits in the UK and therefore it is important to review UK pension benefits in light of these changes to UK pension legislation.”

Read More From gulfnews.com

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance in the UK and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apartments in around the world.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments in GBP from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your questions about moving worldwide.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools in the United Kingdom.

Read more tips and advice to help you with life abroad. Join the Expat Communities!

• Join the Network for Expats on Linkedin.com 25,000 expatriate managers & recruiters
• Expats Can Follow Us On Twitter List

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New Year Crackdown on Expat Benefit Fraud

Fraud can be committed through many media outlets, including mail, wire, phone, and the Internet (computer crime and Internet fraud). The international dimensions of the web and ease with which users can hide their location, the difficulty of checking identity and legitimacy online, and the simplicity with which crackers can divert browsers to dishonest sites and steal credit card details have all contributed to the very rapid growth of Internet fraud. This is the main reason why Fraud officials worldwide joined forces to stop the scam.

“Abroad fraud cost the taxpayer around £66 million last year,” said Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform.

“This money should be going to the people who need it most and not lining the pockets of criminals sunning themselves overseas. We are determined to stop benefit thieves stealing from the British taxpayer and recently launched our hotline in Portugal to make it even easier to report benefit crime.”

The Portuguese hotline adds to the existing dedicated service available in Spain, the two main hotspots for expat benefit fraud activity. Fraud investigators work with overseas organisations, such as land registries, as well as the Foreign Office and UK banks in order to track down benefit cheats.”

Read More From The Telegraph

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance in around the world and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apartments abroad.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your questions about moving abroad.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools around the globe.

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Photo From lolainsydney

Money Equates Social Exclusion

Everyone needs something; and the level of need vary among individuals. An expat automatically bids goodbye to social inclusion by leaving his homeland to work abroad for a bigger pay. It’s a tough road, especially for those working in the Gulf Countries, but achieving financial stability is not far from their reach.

“Most expatriates in the Gulf say they work extremely long and hard. But the financial benefits can be considerable, with mostly tax-free income and generous allowances for schooling, housing, transport, medical insurance and travel to and from home. (The latter is generally once a year but, depending on company and rank, can be as much as four times a year.)”

Read More From the Financial Times

Photo From dan@cheapshooter.com

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance around the world and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apartments overseas.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your questions about moving abroad.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools around the globe.

Read more tips and advice to help you with life abroad. Join the Expat Communities!

• Join the Network for Expats on Linkedin.com 23,000 expatriate managers & recruiters
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British Expats Abroad have Better Quality Of Life

Recent survey confirmed that a higher percentage of British expats are doing well and are satisfied on their life outside UK.  ”The fact that fewer expats say they will return to the UK in the future, compared to three years ago, proves that the pace of life, work-life balance and earning potential abroad means life as an expat is sunnier in more ways than one - and that they are weathering the financial storm.”

Read more from telegraph.co.uk

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apts Throughout the World.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your moving to a new country.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools.

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Photo from Ashish T

Rebuilding Afghanistan

Aside from the US and British-led coalition helping Afghanistan slowly recovers from the ravages of war, there are also a number of expats who continue to provide social rehabilitation for the local Afghans. “About half the population live below the poverty line, with major shortages in housing water, electricity and basic medical care, there are also civilian organisations involved in the action, aiming to help people whose day-to-day lives still go on, despite the fighting.”

Read more from Newmarket Journal

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apts Throughout the World.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your moving to a new country.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools.

Read more tips and advice for tools to help you with life abroad and life abroad. Join the Expat Communities!

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Photo from isafmedia

New Retirement Visa For British Expats in NZ

British expats eyeing New Zealand as the place for retirement will be pleased to know that the country recently revised its retirement visa policy, wherein British expats are able to apply for residency under a new type of visa.  ”There are around 215,000 British expats living in New Zealand, and statistics from New Zealand Department of Labour show that the UK is the largest source country of migrants approved for permanent residency (17 per cent). However, the rate of migration from the UK has fallen during the economic slowdown of the past few years.”

Read more from telegraph.co.uk

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare International Health Insurance and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apts Throughout the World.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your moving to a new country.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools.

Read more tips and advice for tools to help you with life abroad and life abroad. Join the Expat Communities!

• Join the Network for Expats on Linkedin.com 20,000 expatriate managers & recruiters
• Expats Can Follow Us On Twitter List

Ask us questions, Contact us today!

Photo from neodelphi

Essential Guide For Expat Voters

With the election fever slowly building up, a bigger number of British expats are about to make use of their right to vote. “To be entitled, you have to have registered to vote within the past 15 years. If you were too young to register when you left the UK , your parent or guardian must have been on the electoral register.”

Read more from telegraph.co.uk

ExpatFinder.com is here for you during your move or while living abroad:

• Compare Expat Medical Insurance and get free quotes online.
• Browse Thousands of Serviced Apts Throughout the World.
• Get the best rates when moving money or making regular payments to another country from Expat Foreign Exchange Companies.
• Find answers to all your moving to a new country.
• Search the largest selection of International Schools.

Read more tips and advice for tools to help you with life abroad and life abroad. Join the Expat Communities!

• Join the Network for Expats on Linkedin.com 20,000 expatriate managers & recruiters
• Expats Can Follow Us On Twitter List

Ask us questions, Contact us today!

Photo from margaret.stranks