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Getting Started: 3 Pressing Expat Problems & How to Overcome Them

20 January 2016 · by Margit Grobbel

The year 2016 is just getting started, but the month of January is nearly a thing of the past — sadly, so are many New Year’s resolutions. But just because you still hit the “snooze” button every morning, this doesn’t mean that there are no more opportunities to make the most of the next eleven months.

iStock_000077832757_SmallWhile some people put “move abroad” on their list of New Year’s resolutions, those already living abroad often face different obstacles. Last year, during our Expat Insider 2015 survey, we asked over 14,000 expatriates about their most common problems — the facets of expat life they struggle with.

Perhaps it’s time to get started with the things that actually affect our lives the most and find out how to embrace expat life to the fullest.

All the Lonely People — Or: #1 Revive old friendships, embrace new ones

More than half the expats surveyed admitted that they miss their personal network of family and friends. Geographical distance requires quite a bit of time and money to bridge. It’s probably no coincidence that the survey respondents who seem to feel loneliest live in the relative isolation of New Zealand.

Make that your resolution #1 — spend more time with family and friends, be it during regular visits or just virtually. If you used to have a favorite shared activity, revive that ritual: pencil in a weekly date for, say, watching a popular TV show together and discussing it afterwards. It’s not the activity that matters: it’s the time you take to talk to loved ones. The regular contact also ensures that the annual reunion back home doesn’t collapse under the metaphorical weight of cramming twelve months’ worth of interaction into twelve days.

Friends dining together at a table in a garden Technology offers a myriad of possibilities to help you forget that you may be several thousands miles apart, but it also holds the danger of isolation. It’s essential to find just the right balance between keeping in touch with your (emotionally, rather than geographically) nearest and dearest and putting yourself out there to meet new people. And never forget: There are plenty of others who feel just like you! Meeting them and talking to them about the experiences you share will make dealing with some of the issues that expats face so much easier. After all, as the German proverb goes, a problem shared is a problem halved!

Nobody will be able to replace your family or your oldest childhood friends, but you might find someone else to add to your loved ones. Living abroad is a unique opportunity to form close and lasting relationships – despite and quite possibly because of the challenges we all face. Being away from our personal support network might leave us more vulnerable to some extent, but it is just this vulnerability that can also make us more open to the world and to the people we meet.

Money (That’s What I Want) — Or: #2 A penny saved is a penny earned

Two out of five expats are worried about their future financial situation, especially retirement provisions. Unsurprisingly, this applies especially to expats in their late 30s: many people are now raising children and worry about balancing their family’s present-day needs with saving money for the future.

Living and working abroad has some financial long-term risks: due to a spotty record of paying social security contributions in your country of origin, your chances at getting the maximum state pension are probably slim, and plenty of private pension plans are bound to one specific country. Unfortunately, not all expatriates are senior executives who often have an annual household income of 100,000 USD or more — which the average person moving abroad can only dream of.

plant growing out of coins with filter effect retro vintage styleHappy are those expats who have chosen one of the best destinations for the “money-savvy”, which the InterNations Expat Insider survey has also identified: expats in Ecuador, for example, are most satisfied with their financial situation and their household income while profiting from the best-rated (read: lowest) living expenses worldwide. Those living in Thailand and Hungary are especially content with the affordability of housing for expats.

Obviously, you can’t just up and leave for Quito, Bangkok, or Budapest to join the ranks of the financially lucky ones. But there are some things that everyone can do to save a nice nest egg, no matter where they live.

Get started by taking a good long look at your finances. First, take meticulous note of every single expense for the next month. Second, while you’re busy tracking that, make an overview of all your assets and liabilities worldwide. That will at least give you a good idea of where to begin.

The Lonely Hearts Club Band — Or: #3 Be awesome on your own

The third most-cited problem of the expats surveyed was their relationship status — or, rather, their lack of a relationship: 38% of expats didn’t only bemoan their singledom, but also agreed that expat living makes finding the love of your life difficult.

True, it might seem that way when you are inundated with invitations to weddings you’ll miss (on account of living on another continent) or cute baby photos in your Facebook feed, right after your last date told you they have accepted another assignment and will be moving to Shanghai soon.

Two cup of coffee with heart symbol and candy around.So what can be done about that? Apart from envying those blissfully happy expat couples in destinations such as Costa Rica or Malta, who report complete satisfaction with their romantic life in the Expat Insider survey, that is. If you’d like to overcome that secret twinge of envy, the most helpful advice is probably this: what would you do with your life if you were 100% sure that you will never ever find that special someone?

At first glance, this attitude might look defeatist. Actually, it forces you to rethink your priorities — career, international travels, hobbies, extended family, volunteer work, etc. Once you decide to go actively looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, it reminds you to save some time for all the other things that matter in life.

This approach could also help you find the right kind of person: there’s no point in dragging yourself to one pub crawl after the other, in the hope of meeting that special someone, when you would rather get up early the next morning and explore the country side, or go on a stroll through the city’s art galleries. The most important thing is to get out there and do what you enjoy doing, maybe join a group or club to find others who are in a similar situation and share your interests — and just be happy doing what you love.

Friends On Road Trip Sitting On Hood Of Convertible Car

No matter which issue you identify with the most, maybe we can help you a little along the way. We can’t move your family halfway round the world, send you a winning lottery ticket, play match-maker, or even switch off your “snooze” button, but perhaps other InterNations members can come up with helpful ideas, provide good cheer, or offer moral support.

In our communities around the globe, we feature InterNations Groups dedicated to professional networking, coaching, or finance and investment. There are groups for singles and those for LGBT expats and friends. Just in case you don’t even know where to get started.

And if you need some more inspiration for kicking off the New Year, have a look at our “Get 2016 Started” campaign for worldwide InterNations Official Events and Activities in 2016.

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: get 2016 started, New Year, new year's resolutions, seasonal

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paul says

    8 February 2016 at 05:38

    I am a 64 year old Western Australian and I have a Chinese wife who will be joining me soon to live with me at Falcon about 80kms south of Perth. We want to set up some sort of international trading business selling goods from China online to customers around the world. Are there any ex-pats in this forum that could help us in this regard. Once we have the business up and running we plan to relocate for six months of the year to Penang, Malaysia.

    Reply
    • Margit says

      8 February 2016 at 09:52

      Hello Paul,
      You could also try your luck getting information on the forums on InterNations.
      All the best for your business plans!
      Margit

      Reply
  2. Jitka says

    23 January 2016 at 09:28

    I think that you actually could “play match-maker” as you have a website full of single people

    Reply
    • Margit says

      25 January 2016 at 10:04

      @Jitka:

      Come to think of it, that’s probably true. 😉 However, we are not a dating website, nor are we aiming to be one.

      Reply
  3. Kabir Ahmed says

    22 January 2016 at 05:22

    Very nice ideas

    Reply
  4. julie lindur says

    21 January 2016 at 21:08

    I am considering moving Overseas to become an Expat and all of the things you have discussed in your article do scare me (I am in my early 70s) but you have also enlightened me to the fact that, for most people, life is what we make it. Of course there are exceptions e.g. life threatening illnesses, etc. that confine us to “where we are” but in the mainstream the move is possible with courage and determination. Thank you very much.

    Reply
    • Margit says

      25 January 2016 at 09:47

      @Julie:

      No reason to be scared! We just picked out three common problems that the participants in our survey had mentioned most frequently. However, the very same participants seem mostly happy with their decision to move abroad and their life overseas. Best of luck for your impending move!

      Reply
  5. Anne de Marisy says

    21 January 2016 at 19:11

    One easy way to make the most out of your expat life in Paris is to make some French friends! Obvious?
    Learning about their way of life and their social norms makes it much simple. How? Contact Anne de Marisy​ for a private coaching!

    Reply
  6. Jan Modderaar says

    21 January 2016 at 18:33

    Hello ,

    I get all the information of Lisbon, Portugal .
    Can I have also all information of Amsterdam in holland

    Kind regards,
    Jan Modderaar

    Reply
    • Margit says

      25 January 2016 at 09:38

      @Jan:

      Hi Jan,

      Thanks for getting in touch! I’ll forward your enquiry to our Member Relations team, so they can look into the matter. You can contact them via support@internations.org.

      Best,
      Margit

      Reply
  7. Nadia says

    21 January 2016 at 17:17

    Hi Team,
    This article is fantastic.
    It’s great to feel understold about the issues I’m facing and to be well advised.
    Many thanks,
    Nadia

    Reply
    • Margit says

      25 January 2016 at 09:35

      @Nadia:

      Thank you for your feedback! I’m glad to hear you find the article helpful.

      Reply

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