The word expatriate evokes images of the Lost Generation writers and artists in 1920's Paris. This group included Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Henry Miller, Josephine Baker, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and many others. They formed an expat community, who gathered at the salons and cafes of Paris. Gertrude Stein wrote “America is my country, and Paris is my home town.” While Stein -- like other members of the expat community – regarded Paris as home, they rarely integrated with the French locals. Some never even bothered to learn the language. They left the United States because they no longer connected to its politics and culture. Ironically, in Paris, they lived among other US citizens, rarely connecting with the people of France. This alienated them from their country of birth, while disconnecting from their chosen “home town.” Sadly, 21st Century expats engage in the same type of behavior. Some people come to a new country, but choose to live in gated communities, isolating themselves from any kind of local contact or communication. If someone fails to understand them, they simply repeat their sentences in their native language, only louder. Eventually, the expat lifestyle overwhelms them. Feeling frustrated, lonely and helpless, many return home. Others stay, but use social media communities to post nasty comments about their adopted country. Ironically, bad-mouthing their local country prevents them from getting the help they need. Many locals frequent the expat social media groups, either to practice their second language, or to befriend or assist the people who have chosen their country as their new “home town.” The words “community” and “communication” stem from Latin words, which means join, unite, make common, share, fellowship. Without communication, there is no community.

1. The Global Lifestyle: How to Live
a Life Less Ordinary

2. Introduction

3. Reasons to Travel
● Global perspective
● Education
● Build an international network
● Study a new language
● Visit the places you read about in books and
see in movies
● Live a less ordinary lifestyle

4. Planning Ahead

5. Checklist
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How to save money (couch-surfing, home-stays, etc.)
●
Learn about documents visa, reciprocity fees
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Plan a route, but leave room for serendipity
●
Explore the different options for traveling between multiple countries
● Study the language, history and culture of the countries you plan to visit
● Use Social Media to meet people from different cultures
● Join online groups of expats
● Learn about interesting festivals at different times of the year. These do not
always take place during high season
● Explore volunteer possibilities
●
Keep track of the currency exchange rates
●

6. Cultural Communication

7. Importance of Communication Skills
●
If you can't communicate, you will feel isolated and lonely in your new environment
●
In case of a medical emergency, you will have trouble expressing what you need
● You might accidentally say something that is offensive to the culture
●
Different gestures and non-verbal cues mean different things in different countries
●
Organize a language exchange group
● Participate in local activities, and don't spend all your time hanging out with expats and other
English speaking people
●
Watch local television shows to learn the common colloquialisms
●
Show a willingness to learn. Patronize smaller, family run stores, and learn the local
translation for “how do you say this in (local language). Point to the item in question write
down the translation. Most people really love to help.

8. Sensitive Subjects

9. Be Careful When You Talk About
● Soccer in South America
● Baseball, especially in Boston MA
● Prominent political figures (feel out the person's
ideas on the subject)
● If come from the USA, do not refer to yourself as
“American,” especially in South and Central
America and Canada. They are also “Americans.”
US citizen is your best answer, unless you are a
citizen of the world.

10. The Digital Nomadic Lifestyle

11. Location Independence: Make
Money While Traveling
● Writing
● Photography
● Web Design
● Social Media Management
● Tour Guide
● Consultant
● Graphic Design
● Language Tutor
● Traveling Nurse

12. Tourist or Traveler

13. Two Different Perspectives
●
Tourist holidays end as soon as they return home
●
A traveler's journey has a profound effect on the rest of his or her life
●
Tourists visit places so that they can check them off their bucket list
●
Travelers choose to “be” in a specific destination
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Tourists want predictability
●
Travelers like surprises
●
Tourists impose their cultural values
●
Travelers learn new values
●
Tourists stuff their suitcases and come back with nothing, except for
what they buy in the duty free shops
●
Travelers pack light, and come back with many things that you would
never find in a duty free shop
●
Tourists diligently follow their maps
●
Travelers take the road less traveled, and that makes all the difference

14. The Conscious Traveler

15. Follow Your Instincts: Not Your
Itinerary
● Avoid, “If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium”
syndrome
● Leave room for serendipity
● If you are so exhausted from daily travel to
different towns and countries, you will be too
tired to enjoy the experience
● By the time you return home, you won't know
which place was which

16. The Expat Experience

17. So You Decided to Stay
● Learn the rules about visas and residency
● Seek out local brands, instead of imported brands from your
home country
● Accept and respect local customs
● Get to know fellow expats, but do not spend all your time
with them
● For heaven's sake, do not move into a “gated community”
● If you start a business, build one that complements, not
condescends to the local culture

18. The Traveling Volunteer

19. Volunteer Options
● Flying Doctors
● The Peace Corps
● Habitat for Humanity
● Karumba
● World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)
●
Kibbutz Volunteers
● Help Exchange (helpx)
● Cross Cultural Solutions
● Discuss what it takes to be an international volunteer
● Add More Organizations

20. Modes of Travel

21. Transportation Shapes the
Experience
● Ferry Travel: Organic, dates back to Odysseus
and the archetype of the voyage
● Train Travel: Best for starting conversations
with others
● Bus Travel: Best for getting to remote places
● Car Rentals: The most expensive, but allows
for greater independence
● Bicycle Tours: Best for the athletically inclined

22. Saving and Sharing

23. How to Sustain Your Travel
Memories
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Blogging
●
Social Media: Post Updates
●
Gadgets
●
Slide Shows: TripWow or Stupeflix
● Send yourself a daily postcard with details of your day
● Fill a shadow box with meaningful items
● Old Fashioned Journal
● Add people you met while traveling to your social media networks
● Keep in touch through Skype
● Get involved in causes you learned about during your travels
● Incorporate new values into your lifestyle at home