Living Abroad

Scroll through resources about moving and living abroad.

• The stories we tell ourselves (an ode to people spending holidays alone)
  A reflection on the human desire to create stories and how that’s important to remember this holiday season, this 2021, and beyond.
• Move to a new city at the start of Covid, and start a business: meet Amy
  Beekeeper, badass entrepreneur, and Barcelona bound. I talk to Amy, 29, from Los Gatos, CA about her unfortunately-timed move to a new city and how it led her to switch careers and embrace starting a business. We talk about submitting, making friends, strategy and more.
• The Unknown of the Backyard: what the local movement is teaching me about home
  What the local movement teaches us about exploring home and connecting with local wonders and businesses.
• 8 smart ways to prepare for your move abroad
  8 smart ways to prepare for your move abroad in the modern age, by someone who’s lived abroad four times before. There is a very strong mood in my life at the moment, and that is remembering the beginning of starting life abroad. Nestled between reading Shantaram, recounting my first six months in Berlin and writing a book about my year in Seville (New Sevilla Blues) I am suspended in that scary, unknown and exciting headspace. Since we established in my last poll that you are most interested in the subject of ‘Moving abroad’ and ‘How to move abroad’ I decided to create content that will explore all the topics from planning, to every-day life, and staying forever! This week, I want to delve into the preparation of the move! Though you may already be dreaming of your new chapter, there are a few things to remember before you depart that can make your move so much smoother. 1. Have a proper clear-out Throw on the Netflix documentary on minimalism or Marie Kondo if you so wish, and start being honest with yourself about what you need to keep in your life. If you are moving I am going to […]
• Berlin: Girl meets City?
  You’ve seen the story before, except the ‘boy’ is a ‘city’: a love letter to Berlin from a new-in-town Londonder who is very much so in the honeymoon phase.
• Berlin Beginnings: moving to Berlin at 27
  Moving to Berlin in December from sunny Sevilla. The crazy, the creative and the Christmas markets.
• New City Blues: moving to a new country alone and 7 tips to get you through
  A snippet from my travel diary and 7 useful tips on moving to a new country alone. ‘On a lonely afternoon in June, I need you’ – Basement Jazz, Raindrops – June 30, 2018 “It was a thirsty sip. Of the situation I found myself in, that is; sitting in a noisy tapas bar in the centre of Seville. Nothing but a pen, a notebook, a glass of wine and a reasonably mentally healthy me. As I left the doors of my new flat (only a 15-minute walk from my previous flat, I don’t want you to get too excited for me) I launched across the familiar, heaving plaza I loved so well. It must be credited because, despite our history, it was never a place I didn’t want to be. I remember it as a beautiful backdrop for different versions and scenes of me. Me with a new friend, me with a new tinder date, me looking for a job, me in despair, me heavily depressed. Tonight I didn’t have an appointment with a single soul; no group of people I was galloping towards, no stranger. The meeting was with myself, at restaurant I had particularly enjoyed with a couple of acquaintances three […]
• Meet the Travellers Series: Jazz “Find the positivity in everything”
  Jazz, Thailand, 25, is a highly creative individual and businesswoman who travels, and lives according to the beat of her own drum. Born-and-bred originally in the US, at a young age she experienced homelessness, which fueled her passion & effortless transition to full-time travel since the tender age of 19. But believe it or not, that wasn’t even the thing that first drew me towards her. I first came across Jazz on Instagram a few years ago, her profile was bursting with bright colours, rich reflective captions – with a little bit of poetry, and unapologetic creativity. I, as we say in the current Instagram age, officially had found a girl crush (insert heart eyes emoji here). But deeper than that, and what struck me the most, was the feeling that I could see her freedom from her profile. I learnt more about her life and I was suitably inspired. I first enjoyed simply following her on the gram. And eventually, we connected. *** A year ago, Jazz sat down with me for a few hours via Skype, her in Thailand and I in Bali, and we finally got to properly talk. And surprise surprise, she had the same energy […]
• Broke but Willing: how to travel without savings
  In the very attractive, slightly airy-fairy sometimes-idealistic world of travel, it often feels like you need a huge amount of money to make it happen. There’s an element of truth to this, but as always in life there are conditions; it’s the case if you spend too freely while you’re on the trip, if you stay in expensive places, if you don’t get a job… I’ve never been very well off, but I’ve always believed that in terms of money, you can simply get a job and make your dreams a reality. So naturally, this was my first approach when I wanted to move to Spain. I scoured job boards and refreshed their pages, longing for an opportunity that wouldn’t require me to know the language, but simply enable me to GO. Travel. In my story, I ended up securing a job after being rejected from a job with the same company. I asked if there might be anything else I was suited for, and it ended up that there was. And so the advice ensues: rule number one. 1. Think outside of the box (typical job boards) Use your personal network to seek opportunities. Connections in that country, a […]
• Moving to Seville, Superwoman Syndrome and hostel life
  Will you forgive me? I guess the person I should really be asking that to is myself. You know the scenario, you make grand plans, commit to one-too-many things, don’t follow through, then you feel terrible. I am the queen of this. I of course, didn’t write the book on this, but I absolutely could have. Just under two months ago, I made the decision to quit my full time job in London, and depart for the warmer region of Andalusia, Spain. Specifically, Lonely Planet’s 2018 city to visit, Seville. I also decided to start my own business at the same time… I also decided I would self publish my book of poetry and the same time… I also committed to working at a hostel at the same time… Okay, you get where this is going, right? El stupido. Or just rather ambitious. So sue me. My close friend diagnosed me the other day – “Wade, I think you have Superwoman Syndrome.” Here’s the symptoms of Superwoman Syndrome for the curious (and fellow-sufferers) You feel you are responsible for doing “it all,” you often feel overwhelmed You strive for perfectionism, anything less is a failure You put other people’s wants […]