The Expat Pod

Summary: In this episode of the Expat Pod, host James Doran interviews Mark about his experiences living in Pessinas, France. Mark shares his favorite aspects of French culture, including food, traditions, and the beauty of the landscape. He discusses the challenges of language barriers and how he navigates them using tools like Google Translate. Mark also emphasizes the importance of community an...

Summary: In this engaging conversation, Mark shares his unexpected journey from New Jersey to the South of France, detailing his experiences as an expat, the challenges of navigating French bureaucracy, and the cultural adjustments he faced. He reflects on the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, finding joy in everyday life, and the emotional intelligence required to thrive in a new env...

Summary: In this episode, James and Andy discuss Andy's favorite places to live, his love for Japanese food, his favorite international traditions, the challenges of living abroad, and tips for making friends in a new city. They also talk about the best things to do in Gothenburg and share a life hack for expats: don't be afraid to take the leap and move to a new country. Takeaways: Favori...

Summary: Andy, a musician from Scotland, moved to Sweden to be with his Swedish partner. He shared his journey of moving to Gothenburg and adapting to the Swedish lifestyle. He discussed the challenges of paperwork, getting a job, and integrating into the Swedish system. Andy highlighted the importance of taking time off for vacation and the emphasis on physical and mental health in Sweden. He als...

Summary: In this episode, James Doran interviews Katy about her experiences living abroad. They discuss her favorite places, international food, traditions, and the challenges and rewards of living abroad. Katie shares her tips for making new friends and dealing with homesickness. She also talks about her favorite activities in her current home in Sri Lanka and offers an expat life hack. Overall,...

Summary: Katie Andrews, a stress and time management coach, shares her experience of traveling the world since July 2020. She sold everything she owned in the UK and embarked on a journey to explore different countries. She highlights her travels in America, South America, and Asia, including countries like New Orleans, Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Katie explains that her de...

Summary: John shares his favorite place to live, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, favorite thing about living abroad, best homesickness remedy, hardest thing about living abroad, best phrase learned, best way to make new friends, and best ex-pat life hack. Takeaways Living abroad can provide a sense of constant adventure and new experiences. Finding people with simila...

Summary John discusses his journey to China and his experiences living there. He talks about how he decided to teach English in China and the motivations behind it. He shares his first impressions of Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the challenges he faced in finding accommodation. John also discusses his social life in China and the importance of learning Mandarin for better integration. John ref...

Summary In this quickfire questions episode, James asks Trent about his favorite place he's ever lived, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, and more. Trent shares his love for Mission Bay in New Zealand, Indian food, Las Fallas in Valencia, and the experience of living abroad. He also talks about his homesickness remedy, access to American food, the language barrier,...

Trent shares his journey of living in different countries, starting from the US to Spain and then to New Zealand. He initially moved to Spain to learn Spanish and teach English. He faced challenges in learning the language but eventually became intermediate-level proficient. In Spain, he embraced the laid-back culture, built friendships, and traveled extensively in Europe. After a year in Spain, T...

Summary: In this episode, Molly answers 10 quick-fire questions about her expat life in Costa Rica. She talks about her favorite place to live, her favorite international food, and her favorite international tradition. Molly also discusses the best thing about living abroad, the hardest thing about it, and her best expat life hack. She shares her love for being on boats, the phrase she's learn...

Summary: Molly, an American expat living in Costa Rica, shares her journey of moving abroad and the reasons behind it. She was motivated by a desire to be closer to nature and alleviate chronic pain. Molly's move was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced her to adapt her podcast production business to a remote model. She chose Costa Rica because of her previous connections to the...

Summary: In this conversation, James Doran interviews Mary Martha, an American expat living in Chile. They discuss various topics related to expat life, including favorite places to live, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, favorite thing about living abroad, best homesickness remedy, hardest thing about living abroad, best phrase learned while living abroad, best way to...

Summary: Mary Martha shares her experience of moving to Chile and living as an expat. She initially wanted to learn Spanish and chose Chile as her destination. She had a family friend living there, which made the decision easier. Mary Martha entered Chile with a tourist visa and later applied for a temporary work visa. She started teaching English and later transitioned to working at a digital mar...

Summary: In this quickfire questions section of the podcast, James asks Aleksandra about her experiences living abroad. They discuss her first place of living, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, best thing about living abroad, homesickness remedy, hardest thing about living abroad, best phrase learned abroad, making new friends, exploring new cities, and expat life hack...

Summary: Aleksandra shares her experiences living abroad, starting from her childhood move to the US and her travels across various countries. She discusses the challenges of obtaining visas, the decision to sell everything and live a nomadic life, and the importance of being present and enjoying the experiences. She talks about her impressions of different countries, including Japan, South Korea,...

Summary: Deborah answers quickfire questions about her life abroad, including her favourite place, international food, and traditions. She also discusses the benefits of living abroad, the challenges of maintaining friendships, and the importance of being a friend. Deborah shares her favourite phrase and offers advice for expat life. Find Deborah here! https://deborahdahab.com/ Takeaways: Living a...

Summary: Deborah, an expat coach and geocultural psychologist, shares her experiences of living abroad and helping others navigate the challenges of expat life. She has lived in multiple countries, including Brazil, the US, France, Spain, and Portugal. Deborah initially moved abroad for study and later for work and love. She emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural nuances and communica...

Summary In this quickfire questions episode, James Doran asks Delicia about her favourite place to live, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, best homesickness remedy, the hardest thing about living abroad, best phrase learned while living abroad, best way to make new friends, best thing to do in a new city, and best expat life hack. Takeaways: Living in Santa Cruz, Calif...

Summary: Delicia shares her experience of living in Switzerland after travelling through Europe. She talks about her initial trip to Europe and how she fell in love with Switzerland. Delicia then discusses her decision to move back to Switzerland and the challenges she faced in finding work and obtaining a permit. She also shares her experiences of living and working on a farm and dealing with hom...

Summary Stephen, a writer who lived in Bangkok, shares his favourite place, food, traditions, and things about living abroad. He also discusses homesickness, the challenges of living abroad, and making new friends. He highlights the best things to do in Bangkok and offers a life hack for expats: learn the language. Takeaways: Living abroad can be an amazing experience, especially during the honeym...

Summary Stephen, an American expat, shares his experience of living in Thailand for four years. He initially chose Thailand over the Philippines due to the difficulties of living in the latter. Stephen highlights the ease of living in Thailand, the friendly people, and the diverse expat community. He also discusses the importance of understanding visa requirements and finding a reliable way to man...

Summary Natasha, a French person who has lived in both the UK and America, shares her favorite places to live, favorite international food, and favorite international tradition. She also discusses the challenges of living abroad and offers tips for making new friends and dealing with homesickness. Natasha emphasizes the importance of staying curious and reaching out to others for support. Overall,...

Summary Natasha shares her experiences of moving from France to the UK and then to the US for her studies. In the UK, she pursued a master's degree in digital culture and technology, while in the US, she completed her PhD in humanities. She discusses the application process, language tests, and the cost of education in both countries. Natasha also talks about the cultural differences she encou...

Summary: Megan discusses her favorite place to live, favorite international food, favorite international tradition, favorite thing about living abroad, best homesickness remedy, hardest thing about living abroad, best phrase she's learned, best way of making new friends, best thing to do in her new city, and her best expat life hack. Find out more about the amazing work Megan does on https://w...