Expatability Chat

How to cope with feeling homesick as an expat

Moving abroad is an exciting adventure filled with new opportunities, cultures, and experiences. An incredibly rich experience, offering opportunities to immerse yourself in a different culture, perhaps learn a new language and make new friends.
 
 However, expat life is not without its challenges and there are bound to be a few bumps along the way.
 
 One of the most c...

Expats and emotional overwhelm: when everything just gets too much.

It’s all just TOO MUCH!

Emotional overwhelm that catches us at times regardless of where you are on your expat journey, whether this is your first move, or your 21st .

Emotional overwhelm can hit anyone, at any time, in any place, and wherever you are in your expat journey. It can also be particularly strong at the start of a new school year as you work out ...

So, you want to move abroad?

You're dreaming of retiring overseas?
You've had enough of this country's weather/cost of living/government [delete as appropriate].
You want to live somewhere else.

But how do you make it happen?
And where is the best place for expats, anyway?

In this episode I will take you through all kinds of ideas and delve in to the 'Where', 'W...

“I had to leave my baby in Dubai and return to the UK”

No, this isn’t me being dramatic: this is the TRUTH for far too many expat parents. 😭 

If you move overseas with your child, then spilt up with your partner, you may not be allowed to return home with your child.

Immigration laws may also forbid you from staying in that country.

You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. There is no happy ending.

In this ver...

In this episode I dip my toes in to the world that is learning a new language. With a few quick tips on language learning for both you and your children.

Even if you’re moving for just a couple of years or so, you’ll get so much more out of your stay if you can speak the lingo. 

I’ll share 5 reasons why an expat should learn the local language, however long you’ll be living in that country. And especially if you’re moving to an expat...

How to prepare to receive your shipment – all the items that you packed into a lorry for container shipping.

Or, to be more accurate, Preparing for the day all your shipped items get delivered.

Because the actual unpacking takes way longer than a day… 

How to organise yourself before the lorry arrives so your unpacking day can go as smoothly as possible. What you need to have and do before the unpacking crew arrive.

Tip: Don’t panic. A...

From Malawi Expat to Mannequin Lady!

This episode is a little different from all my others, as for the very first time, I have a guest on my show!

This won’t be a regular thing, by the way, which makes it even more special.

So, please meet the lovely Roz Edwards! Roz lived in Malawi for 10 years before repatriating, quite suddenly, to the UK back in 2004 with her two sons and four cardboard boxes.

How to build an active and fulfilling social life for yourself overseas.

When you live abroad an important element of your life is your social circle; your network, your support system. AKA Friends!

“So, no one told you life was gonna be this way”

Sometimes we can feel so lonely overseas that it causes big problems such as depression, wanting to go home and more. 

In fact, a lack of a support network is often cited as the nu...

Did you move abroad for love?

Long distance love stories for Valentine’s Day!

Falling in love with someone while travelling or living in another country can be a magical experience. The thrill of adventure combined with the excitement of a new relationship can create memories that last a lifetime, and a relationship built on a mutual adventurous spirit.

People move overseas for many, many reasons. Most move for a better life; however ...

How to cope with the comedown when you’ve moved overseas.

Not long after you’ve arrived in your new country, there comes a time when it suddenly hits you – ‘Oh, is that it? Now what?’ You feel quite down and flat and wonder if you’ve made a terrible mistake.

We all know that moving overseas is really exciting. It heralds great change, perhaps the hope of a better future and a better life. To most families it represents a new start in...

Expect the Unexpected
Culture Shock
Expats and the Holiday Season

These three topic were planned for separate episodes, but life events meant it made sense to see if I could fit them all into one episode, just in time for the Holidays! I think I succeeded 🤪 

I wanted to talk about how strange and different, and sometimes upsetting these special holidays can be for expats living away from their home countr...

Expat Guilt. The one topic guaranteed to fire some people up, the one topic that’s tormenting many of my readers, my groups, my tribe. The topic that gets the most attention, the most comments, the most bitterness, the most sadness and causes every shade of angst you can possibly imagine.

Expat guilt can ruin your life overseas as you’re so busy thinking of others that you can’t truly live your own life. But you're not alone - ...

The very worst part of expat life. The Dreaded Phone Call telling you of the death of a loved one back home.

And yes, this episode was prompted, and triggered, by the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 2nd, as it came less than a week after the funeral of our own family member.

That Dreaded Phone Call triggers a whole heap of thoughts and emotions, that pile on quicker than your brain can process. 

When you're living overseas ...

Talking about reverse culture shock; the peculiar, alienating feeling you get when you move back home after living the expat life. 

And I do realise that I’ve not actually spoken about normal culture shock on this podcast yet (that’s a topic for the future!) but I wanted to get this one in now after the visiting home episode last month. Because a form of reverse culture shock can hit you even when you make a short visit to your home...

Visiting your home country, maybe for the first time since you moved overseas, and how to plan it so you don’t have a nervous breakdown or fall out with everyone!

For many expats this is the first opportunity you’ve had to visit your home country since the world turned upside down: since it shut down due to the COVID pandemic. Now the world is rebooting and you’re planning a visit to your home country – maybe for the first time sinc...

Starting season 2 of the Expatability Chat Podcast with an episode all about me! 

Giving you a little insight into me, my life and what I do. Plus an explanation of what Expatability is, what that word actually means. Yes, I should have explained all that when I first started my expat podcast back in 2020 but I forgot!

I also explain why I use the word ‘expat’ when it still upsets a lot of people – it will make sense when you listen,...

How to help your expat teen cope with moving

A teenager is a young person in a transitional life phase – and you’re adding another transitional life phase on top of all this with the move abroad! This can be 'interesting'! Adolescence can be tricky at the best of times. However, if a teen is moved from their comfort zone and close friends without a lot of preparation and discussion, this stage of development can ...

For very young children, moving house can be very hard indeed. They have become accustomed to their home, their room, their friends and their routines and to leave all this can throw them into confusion.

Try to see life from a child’s-eye view. Without the benefit of years of life experience, with some extra imagination and knowing YOUR child’s foibles.

The world of a child is unexpectedly complex and the things they worry ...

Moving abroad with children; what to expect, how to prepare them and how to support them.

When I started writing ExpatChild.com back in 2012 there wasn’t much information on moving overseas with kids. As I wanted a kind of guidebook to relocating with children, I decided to write one myself!

This episode will be the start of a kind of series about this very topic: how to help your children have a smooth move into expat life...