To help anyone reading the print version of the Survival Guide, below are links to all the websites mentioned in the book. I am only human so please let me know if any of the links are inaccurate or out of date. This is by no means an exhaustive list – more and more websites, articles, posts, blogs etc are posted daily and I will endeavour to add to this list as and when I can. In the meantime, including them is in no way an endorsement.
INTRODUCTION
The BBC’s special report about Brits who have moved overseas: https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/brits_abroad/html/default.stm
NatWest International Personal Banking survey about expats: https://www.natwestinternational.com/nw/global/quality-of-life-study.ashx
Report from the Economist’s Intelligence Unit: https://graphics.eiu.com/upload/eb/lon_pl_regus_web2.pdf
A 2005 survey of trailing spouses: https://www.expatresearch.com/
CHAPTER ONE – Before You Go
UK Foreign Office travel advice: always worth keeping an eye on, as well as checking for information about things like driving abroad, renewing your passport etc.: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
General travel advice to read up on before you go anywhere: https://www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
And for more info from the UK Government about moving or living abroad: https://www.gov.uk/browse/abroad
Specific ‘living-in’ guides from the UK Government for a number of different countries (including some of the more exotic ones, such as Afghanistan and Zimbabwe) https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/overseas-living-in-guides
Tales from a Small Planet: A fantastic resource of information, stories, post reports, school reports and more, initially started by US foreign service spouses but now used and contributed to by a huge variety of expats: https://www.talesmag.com/
Britishexpats.com: a whole smorgasbord of advice from fellow expats: https://britishexpats.com/
Country reports from the Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit: https://country.eiu.com/All
A list of easy to download books about living overseas, in various different locations: https://www.escapefromamerica.com/category/ebooks-for-expats/
Destination guides for some of the most popular expat countries and cities including Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, South Africa and Tokyo: https://www.expatandoffshore.com/city-guides
The CIA World Factbook: lots of useful information about (almost) every country in the world, including facts about history, politics, the economic situation, transportation, communication: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Country guides, great info, columns written by people like ME! : https://www.expatfocus.com/
A website offering a whole host of useful information for the expat in locations around the world. Include specific information for the ‘trailing spouse’: https://www.global-xpats.com/
Robin Pascoe is one of the ‘expert expat’s’ who has been around and knows a thing or two about this peripatetic life. She has written some books and also made some videos for YouTube: https://www.expatexpert.com/
Need some help with relocation? This website offers coaching or mentoring in cross-cultural training, as well as repatriation assistance: https://www.expatknowhow.com/menus/main.asp
A website dedicated to Brits moving abroad – includes information like wage comparisons in different countries, job information, petrol price comparisons etc.: https://www.byebyeblighty.com/1/
The Telegraph’s comprehensive expat section: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/
More support for what this site calls ‘smart expats’: https://expatriateconnection.com/
This website promises that you will ‘feel at home abroad: fast’: https://www.expatinfodesk.com/
The ‘adventurers guide to moving, living and working abroad’: https://myinternationaladventure.com/
More country guides, written by expats in the locations: https://www.expatarrivals.com/article/expat-city-and-country-guides
Magazine for expats: https://globallivingmagazine.com/
Lots of ‘top 5’ hints and tips for expat living: https://expatexplorer.hsbc.com/hintsandtips/lists
Lots more resources for expat ‘wives’: https://areyouanexpatwife.com/recent/
Sign up for the destination you’re moving to. I get to see lots of pictures of wild animals every time I log in because I’ve joined the South Africa section: https://www.expat-blog.com/
CHAPTER TWO – The Move
A comprehensive website covering all aspects of the move, including lists, lists and more lists! In fact just an all-round fabulous website: https://definingmoves.com/
UK government website detailing paperwork you may need to consider before you move: https://www.gov.uk/moving-or-retiring-abroad
Lots of pre-move info from the US State department: https://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/c49333.htm
Store your important documents safely if you don’t want to take them with you: https://www.vitaldocuments.co.uk/
Lots of different relocation packages: https://www.relocateyourself.com/main/
CHAPTER THREE – Arrival and the Early Days
A relocation company that provides a settling-in service: https://www.iorworld.com/settling-in-services-pages-176.php
Loneliness can be a real concern, especially in the first few months. This article looks at how to overcome the effects of isolation when living overseas: https://www.expatarrivals.com/article/beating-loneliness-as-an-expat-living-abroad-or-working-overseas
I wrote an article about where to meet people and make friends when you live abroad on my own blog: /2015/01/23/so-youre-a-fresh-expat-in-town-where-do-you-meet-new-friends/
One of the sites I list in my article is Meet-up: (https://www.meetup.com/), a website which brings up multiple possibilities for clubs and groups in your area.
Another site someone told me about is Gone Girl International: https://girlgoneinternational.com/ – although apparently it is aimed at younger, single women as the emphasis is on going out in the evenings…
Forum aimed at expat women all around the world, although with an emphasis on the Middle East: https://www.expatwoman.com/
An article about the first six months as an expat partner: https://cheeseweb.eu/2011/10/expat-trailing-spouse-the-first-six-months/
CHAPTER FOUR – Practicalities Part One: Accommodation, Furnishings, Transport
The IOR relocation company whose settling-in service is listed in the chapter above, which can also help you with your home-finding: https://www.iorworld.com/home-finding-pages-539.php
A house-hunting guide aimed specifically at expat parents: House-hunting for expat parents: https://www.womenshealthbag.com/house-hunting-guide-for-expat-parents/
House-hunting in Singapore (there are a number of similar guides for some of the more popular expat destinations like Hong Kong and Dubai): https://www.singaporeexpats.com/guides-for-expats/house-hunt-guide.htm
A house-hunting guides for expats by a couple of expats: https://thosedamamericans.com/2013/01/23/an-expatriate-guide-international-house-hunting/
Your expat home is what you make of it – an excellent article describing what it’s really like to move in to a home abroad: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9397794/Your-expat-home-is-what-you-make-of-it.html
Some advice from the UK government about driving abroad, including information about what kind of license you will need and where: https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad
Driving tips for different countries from the AA (Automobile Association): https://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html
CHAPTER FIVE – Practicalities part two: Shopping, Making Yourself Understood (or not) and Keeping Safe
A great (and very funny) blog post about bringing tampon supplies into your host country: https://kirstyriceonline.com/2011/02/the-traveling-tampon.html
UK Government advice for travel to every country in the world, including latest threats: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
And the US State department equivalent: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html
And from Australia: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
UK Foreign Office website that provides general advice for travelling abroad: https://www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
Some safety and security tips for travellers and expats: https://www.expatexchange.com/article/4231/Expat-Safety-Safety–Security-Tales–Tips-for-Travelers–Expats
For some sensible advice from the Met Police in the UK about how to protect your home: https://content.met.police.uk/Site/crimepreventionbumblebee
Tips and tricks to pick up any language. Apparently. https://www.babbel.com/magazine/10-tips-from-an-expert?slc=engmag-a1-vid-bv1-tipsandtricks-ey
CHAPTER SIX – Domestic Staff: Finding them, Keeping Them and Treating Them Like Human Beings
Information about hiring staff in Indonesia; some of these tips could be used whichever country you are in: https://www.expat.or.id/info/hiringhouseholdstaff.html
And hiring someone in Dubai: https://www.expatarrivals.com/article/hiring-a-maid-in-dubai
And India: https://www.expatarrivals.com/india/delhi/domestic-help-in-delhi
And Singapore: https://www.expatfocus.com/c/aid=938/articles/singapore/employing-a-maid-in-singapore/
Hong Kong: https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/employment/recruitment/foreigndomestichelper.htm
And South Africa: https://www.southafrica.info/services/rights/domesticrights.htm#.VL-Z0S5JSdM
What’s it like to have a live-in housemaid? https://my.telegraph.co.uk/expat/annabelkantaria/10149874/whats-it-like-to-have-a-live-in-housemaid/#more-10149874
CHAPTER SEVEN – Settling In, Finding Things to Do, Protecting Your Sanity
Families in Global Transition website: https://www.figt.org/
https://www.facebook.com/TakeYourHealth.ToNewHorizons?ref=br_tf
Find friends and groups for a whole range of interests – a great way to meet locals as well as fellow-expats: https://www.meetup.com/
Internations – a site that promises to connect global minds in 390 cities around the world: https://www.internations.org/
A Small World calls itself a ‘private international lifestyle club’ which perhaps isn’t as scary as it sounds: https://www.asmallworld.com/
Expat Blog is another website that allows you to connect with other people in your area: https://www.expat-blog.com/
There are more than 11,000 members of Gone Girl International, a website aimed at women ‘living, working, loving, studying and travelling abroad’: https://girlgoneinternational.com/
Apparently, us unsociable Brits are particularly bad at making friends with the locals: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/11193034/Unsociable-British-expats-fail-to-make-local-friends.html
CHAPTER EIGHT – Culture Shock: and What if Shock Turns into Depression
An expatriate community for expatriates worldwide: https://www.internations.org
An article about the term ‘culture shock’ and where it originated from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/8105279/Culture-shock-a-very-modern-phrase.html
Lots more tips and help to make your expat experience a better one: https://www.globalcoachcenter.com/
Top tips on moving from ‘isolation to social connection’: https://expatcounselingandcoaching.com/expat-psychology-moving-from-isolation-to-social-connection/
Online counselling specialising in expats: https://www.expatnest.com/
Alcoholics Anonymous – find a group near you, wherever you are in the world: https://www.aa.org/
An article about the particular challenges faced by expat women: https://www.escapefromamerica.com/2011/11/challenges-faced-by-expat-women-2/
CHAPTER NINE – You, Your Partner, Your Relationship: What Doesn’t Break You Makes You Stronger
An article in the Telegraph about what you need to know about international divorce: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/before-you-go/10084787/International-divorce-know-before-you-go.html#disqus_thread
Reunite is the International Child Abduction charity: https://www.reunite.org/
Information from the UK Foreign Office about child abduction: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-parental-child-abduction
Expat counselling service (based in New Delhi but works worldwide over Skype): https://www.expatcounselingandcoaching.com/
Article about counselling miserable expats, and how much work there is out there in this area: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/10693045/Counselling-miserable-expats-can-be-a-full-time-job.html
More online counselling: https://ukonlinecounselling.com/whatioffer/life-as-an-expat
Article about expat relationships from an expat website: https://www.expatinfodesk.com/expat-guide/moving-with-your-partner/staying-strong-as-a-couple/
Article about the importance of saving your expat relationship – before it’s too late: https://expatriateconnection.com/expat-relationship-balance-save-late/
CHAPTER TEN – Children – Your Third Culture Kids, Your Little Global Nomads
A great resource for parents. I would definitely recommend a good browse of the Your Expat Child website: https://expatchild.com/
Another good website for parents moving abroad, with an emphasis on multilingual parenting: https://www.europeanmama.com/
Lots of articles and information from the people at Families in Global Transition: https://figt.org/free_articles_and_information
A blogger reviews, chapter by chapter a book about bringing up ‘global nomads’: https://lauradcampbell.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/unrooted-childhoods-a-chapter-by-chapter-review/
A ‘humorous guide for parents with teenagers moving country’ (lol): https://expatriateconnection.com/the-lol-guide-for-parents-with-teenagers-moving-country/
Coaching for parents with an emphasis on moving overseas: https://www.familymatterscoaching.com/purposeful
One mother’s journey raising third culture kids: https://raisingtcks.com/
Support for expat students and third culture kids: https://seachangementoring.com/
Blog about travelling with children: https://www.motherofalltrips.com/
Innovative new app to help children stay in touch with their (hopefully tech-savvy) grandparents: https://www.gingersnapadventures.com/join?at=custodian&l=gc
Article about being a Third Culture Kid: https://myinternationaladventure.com/11/being-a-third-culture-kid/
Coaching for ‘internationally living families’: https://www.utesexpatlounge.com/
A website for parents about travelling and living overseas with children: https://babyglobetrotters.net/
CHAPTER TWELVE – The Adult Third Culture Kid’s View
A website dedicated to the highs and lows of being a TCK – and the effect it can have on your romantic relationships: https://tckdating.wordpress.com/
A Facebook group for TCKs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tckid/
Interesting research into American Adult TCKs: https://tckresearcher.net/Cottrell%20ATCK%20commitment.pdf
Look at this – a whole Meet-up group dedicated to Adult TCKs in the UK (why didn’t this exist when I was growing up?): https://www.meetup.com/Adult-Third-Culture-Kids-ATCK/
A blog by the writer of a book aimed at counsellors of ATCK’s, but one which all ATCK’s and parents of TCK’s might find useful to read: https://mangotreereflections.com/belonging-everywhere-nowhere/
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Schooling
Online tutoring: https://www.tutorme.co.uk/
More online tutoring: https://www.whizz.com/
An article about finding British schools abroad: https://expatsincebirth.com/2014/08/22/finding-british-schools-for-your-expat-children-luke-rees/
An interactive map of British schools overseas: https://www.expatandoffshore.com/british-schools-abroad/
An article about home-schooling your children overseas: https://myinternationaladventure.com/05/homeschooling-your-children-abroad/
An article about an American family who homeschool in Belgium: https://myinternationaladventure.com/05/americans-homeschooling-in-belgium/
A UK website which offers advice and support, as well as a wealth of information, to anyone home-schooling their child, even for short periods (eg between postings): https://www.educationotherwise.net/
Relocation service that helps you find a school: https://www.iorworld.com/school-search—tours-pages-540.php
Information about international schools around the world: https://infotools.lloydsbank.com/schools/#/s/
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Pets – Our Furry, Feline and Feathered Friends
UK Government advice on taking your pet abroad: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview
And from the US Government: https://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/c10442.htm
The Wall Street Journal’s expat site’s pets hall of fame: https://blogs.wsj.com/expat/tag/expet-hall-of-fame/
A blog about a diplomatic dog: https://diplomaticdog.wordpress.com/
Pets are people too – especially when you are moving…: https://figt.org/pets_people/
CHAPTER FIFTEEN – The World of Work
The ‘insider’s guide to expatriate recruitment’: https://expatrecruiter.com/
Making global mobility for dual career couples a reality. Apparently: https://www.partnerjob.com/
Offering career help to spouses moving to Switzerland: https://www.spousecareercentre.com/
A ‘global jobsearch tool’: https://www.passportcareer.com/
Voluntary work abroad: https://www.workingabroad.com/
UK Government tax information if you work overseas: https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax/living-working-abroad-offshore
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Health, Including Having a Baby Overseas
Website for people from the UK travelling abroad: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx
Travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
Lots more information for travellers, as well as health professionals, from the UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre: https://www.nathnac.org
You can find out more about the 112 emergency number and which countries use it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_%28emergency_telephone_number%29
Echo 112 is an app that sends your location to local emergency services, world-wide: https://www.echo112.com/
Some great suggestions to help you deal with unwanted creepy-crawlies in your house, wherever you are in the world: https://www.partselect.com/JustForFun/Diy-Pest-Home-Hacks.aspx
Find healthcare providers near where you are, wherever you are: https://www.medihoo.com/
Health and nutrition advice from a former-expat, with an understanding of the particular stresses of global living: https://www.take-your-health-to-new-horizons.com/
UK Foreign Office advice on staying healthy abroad: https://www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
A blog featuring women’s experiences of having babies all around the world: https://www.mummyinprovence.com/global-differences-having-baby-abroad
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – If It All Goes Wrong
Blog about living through the Japanese earthquake: https://japanory.typepad.co.uk/japanory/2011/03/japans-big-earthquake.html
The UK Foreign Office’s advice on dealing with a crisis overseas: https://www.gov.uk/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas
US Passports and International Travel website Getting Help in an Emergency: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencies.html
Australian government advice for dealing with an earthquake: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/TravelBulletins/Earthquakes
Emergency evacuation planning: https://www.expatexchange.com/article/2823/Security-Issues-Evacuation-Planning
More advice for coping with an emergency evacuation: https://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/expats-living-abroad-prepare-for-emergency-evacuation-10992
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – When you Don’t Quite Fit In: The Male Trailing Spouse and the Same-Sex Spouse
Personal blog of one male spouse: https://maletrailingspouse.blogspot.co.uk/
Article about challenges facing the male trailing spouse: https://www.iorworld.com/trailing-expat-spouse–a-man-s-perspective-pages-250.php
Article expressing outrage over appointment of gay US ambassador to Dominican Republic: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/29/dominican-republic-gay-us-ambassador
UK Government travel advice for LGBT community: https://www.gov.uk/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-foreign-travel-advice
And from the US government: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/lgbt.html
And the Australians: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/lgbti.html.
Company that helps same-sex couples with relocation: https://relonavigator.wordpress.com/tag/trailing-spouse/
An article about male trailing spouses: https://iwasanexpatwife.com/2012/11/12/sometimes-its-the-guy-who-trails/
Male trailing spouses – an ‘inconvenient truth’: https://expatriateconnection.com/male-trailing-spouses-an-inconvenient-truth/
Challenges facing the expat male trailing spouse: https://www.iorworld.com/trailing-expat-spouse–a-man-s-perspective-pages-250.php
Understanding a new phenomenon – the male trailing spouse: https://www.expatica.co.uk/hr/hr-careers/Understanding-a-new-phenomenon-The-male-trailing-spouse_20270.html
Pension advice for expat same-sex couples: https://www.worldofexpats.com/blogs/same-sex-marriage-expat-community-what-about-your-pension
Relationship advice for gay couples moving overseas: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/richard-adams/gay-couples-rights-overseas_b_2449401.html
An article about the days before it was okay to ‘come out’ in the British Foreign Office: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-love-that-dared-not-speak-its-name-in-the-foreign-office-1931127.html
The world’s worst places to be gay: https://www.takepart.com/article/2014/11/06/worlds-worst-places-be-gay?cmpid=tp-ptnr-upworthy
Article about global mobility and the gay worker: https://www.brookfieldgrs.com/knowledge/sa_global-mobility-for-lesbian-and-gay-assignees/
CHAPTER NINETEEN – Moving On, Coming Home
Defining repatriation – an interesting blog article: https://iwasanexpatwife.com/
Coach, who specialises in repatriation issues: https://www.wattsyourpathway.co.uk/about.html
A whole page of articles about repatriating on the Expat Exchange website: https://www.expatexchange.com/returning.cfm
Interesting article about repatriation which explains why the writer thinks she is a triangle: https://naomihattaway.com/2013/09/i-am-a-triangle-and-other-thoughts-on-repatriation/
And the Facebook page she set up following her repatriation experience: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IAmATriangle/
APPENDIX: Meet Some of My Contributors
https://www.hhh.org.uk/index.cfm.
https://www.thrivingabroad.com and https://www.facebook.com/thrivingabroad
https://thethreeunder.com https://www.facebook.com/TheThreeUnder.
https://www.dutchgirlidaho.blogspot.com
