ExpatFinder Blog

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.

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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:

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Photograph from Asahi Shimbun, Reuters

Bangkok’s Hidden Gems

Thai Food is reason enough to travel to Bangkok.

For a tourist, a traveler, or even a newly arrived expat searching for a good meal, here’s a few recommendation of best kept eateries: Ran Gan Ahan Jaan Diaw, Rod Dee Det and Ran Kuay Jap Nai Ake. You just need a little luck to make sure you arrive at your destination.

“Bangkok is a city full of fantastic food, but most of its true great restaurants are difficult to find. That’s because they’re located slightly off the beaten path and known only to the locals.”

Read More from CNNGo

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A Tour of Istanbul’s Street Food

Istanbul is one of the key tourism spots in Turkey. There are thousands of hotels and other tourist oriented industries in the city, accommodating both vacationers and visiting professionals. But the highlight of them all for food trippers is Istanbul’s street food. Istanbul can be considered bliss for  anyone who loves street food. The varieties are not only numerous, but show considerable change from region to region. There is a very important culture turning around street food in Istanbul, and all this food is also separated by those that are eaten by day and those by night.

“If you’re like me, when you travel, you like to plan your trip around food. Seeing the sights is important, I know, but having an authentic food experience gives you insights into the local culture that no amount of church- and museum-going can provide. (And mind you, I started out life as an architectural historian.)

Today, with a bit of research on the Internet anyone can scope out the best restaurants, markets, and food sources. At least up to a certain point. What about the places that fall through the cracks? The place where the guys who sell fish take their coffee break. Or where spice vendors stop mid-morning for a bowl of lentil soup.“

Read More From The Atlantic

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Photo From discopalace

Moving to Mexico: Travel Tips

According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico has one of the biggest tourism industries in the globe. It is the twenty-third top tourism spender in the world, and the premier in Latin America. The nation’s moderate climate and distinctive culture – a fusion of the European (particularly Spanish) and the Meso-American – also make Mexico an appealing destination. These traits of Mexico have made it’s visitors think of moving in this exquisite place.

But to find out what the locals love and some worthwhile spots off the beaten path, you’ll need to talk to others who live in the country:

“Definitely considering Mexico as a ‘retirement’ option….so far the colonial cities are what I like (high altitudes, nice weather, amenities, culture, good food). You can always go to the beach now and then.” 
by cbendersf

“When we were in Lake Chapala, outside of Guadalajara, there was a huge American population living there. The area was lovely, evidently a popular place for the English-speaking to settle after retirement. Our family is here, so we will stay put.”
 by ologom

“Property taxes on a half-million dollar house $250 a year. Full-coverage health insurance with no concern about pre-existing conditions $150 a year. Food, insurance, taxes, fuel, hired labor, all significantly cheaper than in the United States. Laid-back lifestyle in a safe, gorgeous city on the bay with great beaches, very little crime of any kind. La Paz, Baja California Sur, is where it’s at for people weary of the rat race.”by bajajazz

Read More From SFGate

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

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Photo From qururism

Australian Taxing for Expats

There are many forms of taxation in Australia. Individuals and companies in Australia may be required to pay taxes or charges to all levels of government: local, state and federal governments. As with many other countries, income tax is withheld from wages and salaries in Australia, often resulting in refunds payable to taxpayers. The rules get flexible as Australia sees foreign income’s taxes differently.

“The tax treatment of foreign income by Australian tax residents can be complicated. Tax deducted from foreign income is a further complication is added.

An Australian resident taxpayer must declare all income they earn both here and overseas. Where tax has been deducted by the foreign country this is included in the relevant section on your tax return. The amount of foreign tax paid reduces the Australian tax payable so that this income is not taxed twice.”

Read More From www.smh.com.au

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Photo From congresscheck

What’s the Best Social Network For Travel?

An analysis has found that happiness tends to be correlated in social networks. When someone is happy, nearby friends have a 25 percent higher chance of being happy themselves. Additionally, people at the center of a social network tend to become happier in the future than those at the periphery. Groups of happy and unhappy people were discerned within the studied networks, with a reach of three degrees of separation: a person’s happiness was associated with the level of happiness of their friends’ friends’ friends. Simply put, a social network is a map of specified ties, such as friendship, between the nodes being studied. This type of happiness is what expats commonly have as they are physically separated from loved ones, family and friends.

Finding yourself a good community of other expats may be just what you need to make your time abroad more enjoyable. For starters, you may be interested in joining our very own expat community at LinkedIn, over 25,000 members strong and growing. You can get advice and tips, meet up with other expats in your area, ask questions and more.

“Since the beginning of Internet Time, there has been Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree, a place where frequent travelers trade tips with each other.

Facebook came along, of course, and now many people simply post a status update to draw out tips from their connections. (For example: “What should I do in Brussels next week?”)

But your friends and family members may not be as savvy or passionate about travel as you are. So advice from Facebook connections only takes you so far.

Some start-ups are trying to create communities of travelers that can interact with each other in a Facebook-style format. My favorite of these is Gogobot. To take full advantage of this site, you need to be willing to be friendly with strangers. Because it is people you’ve never met who may have the most up-to-date scoop on the best restaurants in L.A., or the smartest way to get to downtown from the airport during a transit strike in Paris. If you’re comfortable with creating a new persona for yourself as a capital-T traveler, GogoBot is for you. During my recent weeks of trying it, I’ve been amazed at the high quality of tips that users share with each other. The one downside is that Gogbot’s community is still fairly small.

A site with a much larger pool of travel hobbyists—half-a-million travelers, in fact—is IgoUgo, a community that’s overseen by Travelocity. This past fall, it added social tools, such as an “I’ve Been Here” feature and a “Get Ideas from Other Travelers” button, which together can help you to find like-minded travelers and learn about their tips as well as share your own advice.”

Read More From current.newsweek.com

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Photo Fromaimzsta

Discover Hong Kong by Night

Hong Kong is a recognized global centre of trade and calls itself an “entertainment hub”. As of 2009, Hong Kong is the fifth most expensive city for expatriates, behind Tokyo, Osaka, Moscow, and Geneva. Despite its luxurious traits, foreign people are still enticed of the grand night scenery and experience.

“Cultural customs- Before you start sniggering, let me tell you that in Sydney, New York or London, choosing a cocktail because of a dream might be considered frivolous. But it is perfectly reasonable in superstitious Hong Kong, where numbers can make or break a business (four is shunned; three, eight and nine are lucky), where people wear red for luck and not a brick is laid without consulting a feng shui master.

I’m constantly amazed at how ancient customs run strong within a city that enthusiastically embraces cutting-edge technology. The smell of incense wafts from a temple positioned next to a skyscraper. Traditional Chinese herbalists are as popular as electronic stores stocked with the latest gadgets.

There are few places in the world where you’d walk into a no-frills soup house to find a businessman in a Zegna suit tapping on an iPhone while ingesting a bowl of snake soup to increase blood circulation, cure aches and keep away winter chills.”

Read More From www.adelaidenow.com

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Photo From maciej.ka

How Mexico’s Drug War Affects Tourism

According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico has one of the largest tourism industries in the world. In 2005 it was the seventh most popular. Mexico is the twenty-third highest tourism spender in the world, and the highest in Latin America. The most visited attractions are the Meso-American ruins, colonial cities, and especially the beach resorts. These facts about Mexico’s Tourism seem to be dying down due to a forseen increase of violence caused by drug war

“What can travelers expect from Mexico in 2011? That’s at least a $64-million question, given the many Americans who visit the country every year. And the answers seem to point every which way.

Across Mexico, international visitors and drug-war casualties rose in 2010. As the country moves into its third century — and President Felipe Calderon’s drug war moves into its fifth year — experts say both trends could well continue.

Airlines are adding Mexican destinations. Several notable new lodgings are opening, including a pair in southern Baja California and two more in artsy, historic San Miguel de Allende.

Gloria Guevara Manzo, Mexico’s tourism secretary, has set a 2011 goal of boosting total tourist numbers by 15%.

And yet, “we’re probably going to see similar or higher levels of violence next year,” said Charles Pope, assistant director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego.

The Mexican government counted 12,456 drug-war deaths in the first 11 months of 2010, nearly twice as many such deaths as it counted in all of 2009. Although the violence has been spreading, about 45% of those deaths occurred in two states: Chihuahua (which includes Juárez, the murder capital) and Sinaloa.

Read More From www.wqad.com

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

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Photo From vioshift

Expat in Manhattan: A Christmas Tipping Dilemma

Tipping is known to be paying a gratuity for services rendered. It is common to restaurants, hotels and establishment that offer services through attendants. This practice has been overly solicited during Christmas, as it is known to be the season of giving. But when exaggeratedly asked, it feels like a catch-22 to people who are not use to it, mostly expats.

“’Among the Christmas cards left by the postman this week was a white envelope entitled Holiday Gratuities. Inside was a letter reminding me of the management’s attitude to tipping the doormen, handymen and superintendent in the high-rise apartment building in which I live in Manhattan.’

Essential fixtures in the lives of many white-collar, professional New Yorkers like me, these workers make living in the city a whole lot easier and the services they offer – holding open doors, receiving packages, controlling the entry of visitors and doing odd jobs – are hard to give up, once experienced. ‘We would like to reassure you that our employees are appropriately compensated for the services they provide to our residents,’ the letter read. ‘However, if in your opinion there are specific employees that have provided services above and beyond your expectations, and you feel a gratuity is deserved, you may provide one on a voluntary basis to either the individual employee or to an employee fund.’

The seven-paragraph letter went on to say that there would be a list of staff names available for perusal at the concierge’s desk, and there would be a locked box in which to place gratuities – cash only, no cheques.

This is my first Christmas for many years in Manhattan, but I had been expecting this. If your building has a doorman, the cost of ancillary staff services is included in the rent or monthly service charge but you still have to dig into your wallet for their year-end tips – or wonder why, when you call to report a plumbing problem, they’re awfully slow to respond.”

Read More From The Telegraph

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

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