Jan

Expat Daily: Feel the Nighttime in Hong Kong

admin Culture, Event, Guide, Lifestyle, Nightlife, Shopping, Travel, expat travel, life abroad Add you comment

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.”

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Dec

Expat Daily: An Inexpensive Christmas for Expats

admin Christmas, Culture, Expat money, Finance, Holiday, Shopping, Uncategorized, life abroad Add you comment

Christmas on a Budget

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. Part of this Christmas Celebration is the practice of generosity through gift giving. This makes the season the most profitable time of year throughout the world. But how can expats abroad make this season a less costly one?

“When her husband confessed recently that he had been caught speeding a few months ago, Tricia Amora was put off. The Filipina expat had already worked out spending goals for Christmas and the last thing she wanted was an extra expense that could throw the household budget into disarray.

The traffic offence will set the Amoras back by about Dh500. What worries Tricia more is that there are financial commitments to take care of by the time January comes by. The family needs to renew their car registration and set aside a budget for their two children.

“I thought we’re fine until my husband told me he had another traffic violation. That means we’re going to have to pay more when we renew the car’s papers in January. I want to celebrate Christmas, but this creates a problem for us because our budget is limited,” Tricia, an administration officer in Dubai, told Gulf News.

With the latest setback, Tricia will be forced to realign her budget and one of the casualties will be the gift list. “I was generous last year, but this time I might cut the list down to 10 people and lower the budget per person,” she said.

Budgeting during festive periods has never been easy on families who are already struggling to make ends meet with their regular expenditure. The intense social pressure to celebrate and spend, combined with rising cost of living and unexpected expenses, has only multiplied the stress.

Market research shows that people tend to spend more money during Christmas, New Year, Eid or Diwali than at any other time of the year. All these special occasions are associated with large family get-togethers and parties, elaborate decorations and multiple gift purchases. For those whose savings accounts are low, getting carried away by the festive spirit can lead to financial disaster.”

Read More From Gulfnews.com

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

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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 world.

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

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Nov

Expat Daily: Expats Shopping Spree in India

admin Expat community, Shopping, Uncategorized, life abroad Add you comment

Holiday Shopping in Gurgaon

Known for having the 3rd highest per capita income after Chandigarh and Mumbai, Gurgaon is one of Delhi’s four major satellite cities. It is even named as one of the best places to live and work.

Expats in Gurgaon can certainly attest to the happy environment. A group of expats even organized a mela (a Sanskrit word which means ‘fair’) to celebrate the coming festive season.

“Festivity is the flavour of the season and in Gurgaon, its not only the Indians but also the expats who are making most of this joyous season and taking part in different types of celebrations.

Recently, an expats’ mela organised in Gurgaon saw foreigners living in different parts of the city coming together, to take part in the fun, frolic and shopping. Though it was held last week, the expats used it as a platform to do their Christmas shopping as well.”