Almost Local: Living Abroad Stories

What is it really like to live in Paris as an American expat? 🇫🇷 In this episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, Marc sits down with Paul Island, originally from New York City and now living in Paris, France. After traveling to 54 countries, Paul decided to turn his traveler’s mindset into a full expat life — and he shares the real story behind that transition.

In this episode, we talk about:
🏥💶🏠 Healthcare, cost of...

Thinking about moving to Portugal? In this episode, American expat Kalie reveals the honest reality of living in Porto as a family, breaking down the exact cost of living, the SEF bureaucracy nightmare, and why you should come with "no expectations."

After 15 years living abroad in Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, Kalie and her family settled in Porto. But is the "Portugal Dream" all it&...

🎧 In this episode of Expat Experts, I’m joined by Australian-born filmmaker, storyteller and podcast host Chris Baron. Now based in Indonesia, Chris takes us behind the scenes of his extraordinary journey—from filmmaking in extreme environments to launching his podcast “No Ordinary Monday”, relocating abroad and re-imagining life on his own terms.

We talk about:
🌍 Why moving abroad can be the ultimate life hack for g...

What happens when your life abroad looks perfect on paper — but inside, you feel completely empty? ✈️ 🤔

In this episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, host Marc Alcobé talks with Lara Ferreira — a Brazilian-born former corporate high-flyer turned mindful career & life coach, now based in the Netherlands. After a serious burnout, Lara discovered a deeper purpose and founded Mindful Experiences to help expats who feel “s...

Thinking about moving abroad? Wondering why some places feel right and others feel off? Today’s episode will change how you see the world 🌍✨

We’re joined by Isabel Guerreira, founder of Your Stellar Truth — a New York City expat who moved to Spain after discovering the power of astrocartography, the branch of astrology that reveals where in the world your energy flows best.

In this conversation, we explore:
✨...

👩🏼‍🎓🇮🇹 In this episode, we sit down with Sofia Vrettou, a Greek researcher and expat currently living in Italy, to explore what it really takes to build a life abroad — emotionally, culturally, and personally. Sofia shares her journey from Greece to Bologna as a PhD researcher, the cultural differences she experienced between Greek and Italian life, how identity shifts when you move countries, and the challenges of adapting to...

🏯 👧🏽 What happens when you sell most of what you own, leave behind stable 9–5 jobs, and decide to slow travel through Southeast Asia? Meet Zanesta & Nabeel, the creators behind Tiny Detour. Originally from Australia, they traded routine for freedom, leaning into lifestyle arbitrage and building a life on their own terms.

In this episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, we dive into their expat journey as a couple:

• Why they le...

Unlock the untold story of Aleksandar Svetski, an entrepreneur who overcame $250K in debt by age 20, lived as a digital nomad, and eventually launched the app Satlantis.io—a radical new vision for social mapping.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

• Aleks’s expat & digital nomad journey: How hopping across cultures shaped his mindset and career.
• From $250K debt to startup hustle: What resilience, discipline, and Bitcoin taught ...

🤰✈️ In this episode, Angela Vitiello, founder of the Expat Parenting Collective, discusses the unique aspects of raising kids abroad. She shares insights on navigating culture shock as an expat family and offers valuable parenting tips for those considering moving abroad. Whether you're already an expat parent or contemplating the move, this episode provides essential guidance.

Ever wonder about the intricacies of being an  ex...

🇮🇹 🐎 What’s it really like to live in Italy as an American? We talk with Mike Manchester — an American expat who moved from Denver to Siena over 20 years ago and built his life in Italy. Mike co-founded an intercultural study abroad program, raised a bilingual family in Bologna, and even teaches English through improv! Mike touches on the teaching of English in Italian classrooms, pointing out that the current methods don't...

🌍 🥼 What’s it like to live in Baghdad, Beirut, Phnom Penh, Lagos, and Curaçao — all while battling Lyme disease and Hashimoto’s? In this powerful episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, we sit down with Vashti Kanahele, functional medicine practitioner, author, and founder of Passports & Parasites.

What happens when chronic illness meets global adventure? 🌍 In this episode of Expat Experts, I chat with Vashti Kanahele — author ...

🌍✈️ Ever dreamed of leaving a high-flying job to travel the world full-time? In this episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, I sit down with Jordi Llonch Esteve, a former airline pilot turned global digital nomad and tech founder. Jordi traded cockpits for co-working spaces, and since then, he’s lived in over 50 cities, from Chiang Mai to Tarifa and Uvita to Lisbon.

This video dives into the guest's unique approach to traveling,...

🏈🚓 What happens when your dream of living abroad turns into a nightmare? Former American football player Chancellor Jackson found himself arrested and thrown into a Chinese jail for 14 days.

In this jaw-dropping episode of Expat Experts, Chancellor shares the full story—how he ended up behind bars, what jail life in China is really like, and how that experience changed the course of his life forever.

🎧 We talk about:

• ...

🌏 🐝 What happens when a shy German scientist dares to trade her lab coat for a one-way ticket abroad? Hanna Marks, a Berlin native who left her stable job in biological research — including working on honeybee diseases — to pursue a more meaningful life overseas.

In the latest episode of Expat Experts, I sit down with Hanna Marks, who left behind a secure job in science to chase something deeper: freedom. After years of working in...

🌍💼 What’s it like to be a woman leading a high-stakes sales career in West Africa’s male-dominated telecom world—while also becoming a mom abroad?

In this powerful and inspiring episode of the Expat Experts Podcast, Marc sits down with Wanda Serkowska, a fearless expat who built her career across Congo DRC, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire, navigating business, culture, and motherhood in ways most of us can’t imagine.

🔥 Wan...

📰🤰 What happens when a successful Wall Street Journal journalist gives up her fast-paced NYC life to move to Italy and Germany—becomes a mother abroad, and suddenly finds herself lost, isolated… and hilariously overwhelmed?

Meet Rosamaria Mancini—introvert, perfectionist, hypochondriac, and now author of the witty new memoir “SOS Podcasts.” In this raw, funny, and deeply relatable expat story, she shares how life at the Vatican, G...

🗺️🛖 With over a decade of experience working in international development, Kelly shares what it’s like to build a life abroad while making an impact through NGO work. From studying in Latin America to navigating life in East Africa, and now searching for peace and security in Greece — this is one of those journeys that truly shows the diverse paths expats can take.

Meet Kelly Hauser, a 45-year-old American expat who’s lived in fiv...

⛪️ 🌍 At 60, Douglas Brouwer left the U.S. to lead churches in Switzerland and the Netherlands. In this episode, he shares his expat journey, the challenges of moving abroad later in life, and the cultural surprises he faced as a pastor in Europe.

What happens when a seasoned pastor decides to move abroad at 60? 🌍 
Douglas Brouwer took a bold leap, leaving the U.S. to lead congregations in Switzerland and the Netherlands—and th...

🇹🇭🤔 Ever wondered what life in Thailand is really like beyond the tourist traps and retirement visas? In this episode, we sit down with Mike Oppenheim, an author, podcaster, and world traveler who lived in Bangkok and Hua Hin—not as a tourist, but as someone deeply connected to the culture through marriage and daily life.

I sit down with Mike Oppenheim—author, podcaster, and world traveler—who shares his experience living in Bang...