Expat 101: The 10 Must-Have Apps

Living abroad is one of the greatest experiences a person can have. It opens us up to new cultures and expands our knowledge of life on this vast globe of ours. But living the expat life isn’t always easy, what with language, custom, technology and even measurement barriers.

We can help ship your possessions safely to and from your exciting new residence, and these apps can help you to settle in overseas after the move.

10 Must-Have Apps For Expats:

1. Smart Traveler

This awesome app brought to you by the State Department is a great way to stay safe when abroad, supplying you with embassy locations as well as updates on security alerts and maps. This app will help keep you safe when traveling–which means you’ll be able to convert that worry into fun!

2. HiConverter

This app is absolutely a must-have for expats as it helps convert all the various measurement discrepancies from around the world, telling you their US equivalent. From kilometers and other metric measurements to shoe and clothing sizes, this app helps you put things in perspective and make the right choices, like whether a museum is within walking distance or whether those pants will fit your father.

3. TuneIn Radio

Homesickness is a common and often unavoidable fact of expat living. While this app won’t replicate your mother’s spaghetti and meatballs, it will let you tune in to radio broadcasts of your favorite home stations.

4. Lingolook Flashcards

Loaded with translations of 500 basic words in seven languages, this app will help break up the language barrier. The addition of a real voice doing the pronunciations versus a robot is a tremendous advantage!

5. PackingPro

This is the perfect app for large families or forgetful travelers, allowing you to make a list of necessary items to include in your packing. Of course, you’ll still have to remember to check the list.

6. SitOrSquat

As bathroom situations are often a high-priority item for travelers, this app helps you find the nearest public restrooms while traveling as well as informing you of their particular “style” of commode.

7. World Customs and Cultures

This is a great app to help keep you from committing a disastrous faux-pas while visiting another country.

8. Lonely Planet City Guides

An expensive app but it’s like having a personal travel guide with you wherever you go, and without broadcasting yourself as a blatant tourist. What’s also great is that the information is loaded to the app when you buy it so you won’t have to incur roaming or data charges to use it.

9. WiFi Finder

As phone use abroad is expensive, this app is a huge money-saver. With over 650,000 locations, you can find the nearest WiFi spots wherever you are in the world!

10. Moonpig

Well maybe not a must-have this app is a great way to connect with people back home and send them personalized postcards made from your favorite photos–a good way to show family exotic locations and assure them you haven’t been thrown in a prison.

Written by Alex Bach

Moving is never easy.  There’s the cleaning, the packing, the stress, the uncertainty and that’s all before the actual moving day! The difficulties of moving are always compounded when there are kids involved.

A move across town involving a new school can present a whole range of problems for kids; so what do you do when you’re moving not just across cities or states but across countries?

Here at Schumacher Cargo we know moving can be difficult, after all we’ve helped countless families with moving to and from the U.S.and the more that we can help the better. That’s why we’re offering these tips to help get your kids acclimated to the new country and expedite the fun and enjoyment of their new expat life!

Explore!

Almost every kid loves exploring, whether it’s a new house, a creepy basement or a forest. And what better place to explore than in a completely new country! You’ll want to go with your kids, but encourage them to indulge their inner explorers and take walks through the various neighborhoods, countrysides or museums.

Get Involved in Local Culture

No matter what country you’re in, there’s always going to be a difference in culture; but don’t be afraid of the new culture, embrace it! Find out what makes your new country unique and get your kids to participate. If you’re in China, have your kids learn about Tai Chi or local martial arts.

Cook!

Part of local culture is local cuisine and this might be one of the hardest challenges to overcome with kids whose palettes aren’t as open adults. One of the best ways to counter this is to cook local cuisines at home and have them help in the cooking. They’ll be able to see (and choose) what goes into the dish, discarding the scarier items, and the fact that they’re making it will likely compel them to eat the new dish.

Learn the Language

One of the most isolating things about moving to a new country is not knowing the local language.  Sign your kids up for classes in the local language; it will get them involved in the culture, give them something to do and look forward to, and help break down the walls between them and their new country.

As we said, moving is never easy, but hopefully these tips will help your kids focus on the exciting aspects of the move and through that become better acclimated.

Written by Jenn Cosgrove

The United States is still one of the most mobile countries in the world:

According to recent surveys, 24 percent of Americans reported moving from their city or area in the past five years. That’s comparable to New Zealand (26%), Finland (23%), and Norway (22%).

New U.S. Census data show that the great slowdown in migration caused by the recession is starting to give way. In 2012, “domestic migration” was as high as it’s been in the past five years,nearly 16.9 million people moved between counties, with long-distance interstate moves accounting for about 7 million of those.

Movement between counties largely reflects people moving because of jobs, demographers said.

Overall, the increase signals both a healthier economy and future growth because it means more workers are being matched with jobs that suit their skills.

Among those moving more were 25-to-29-year-olds, indicating that many young people who were stymied by the weak labor market of recent years were finding jobs and moving on with their lives, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution.

The American Moving & Storage Association reports that in January and February, 5.4 percent more households moved this year than last. The report is based on data from the nine largest moving companies.

Americans are also making more international moves. The annual rate of expatriation is growing as over 150,000 Americans moved internationally in the past year.

According to U.S. Department of State figures, between 1966 and 1999 the number of Americans living abroad skyrocketed from just 70,000 to an estimated four million.

Fourteen years later, the U.S. Department of State again released estimates of  the number of American expats living abroad.

The new government estimate (January 2013) placed the American expat population at 6.89 million, about a 68 percent increase over the 1999 estimate and a 9.4 percent increase over its 6.3 million estimate in July 2012.

What to do when your life partner is apprehensive about moving overseas…

Moving can often put strain on a relationship, especially if your spouse does not really want to move. Moving internationally involves a lot of planning and change. Here are some things to consider when negotiating this major relationship decision:

Timing

This is a big decision that requires a lot of thought, planning, and often entails quite a bit of stress. That’s why you want to choose a time when your partner is in a good mood and has the time and emotional energy to process what you have to say.

Communication

There is no substitute for open and honest communication. Be supportive and sensitive to your spouse’s feelings on why they may not want to move. This type of decision won’t be made by your partner overnight, so be patient, don’t jump ahead and start talking about packing stuff from home, even in a hypothetical manner.

Be open to the idea that convincing your partner to do something they don’t think will make them happy may not be the right thing to do.

Don’t dismiss or minimize your partner’s concerns. When you’re talking to your partner about moving, listen closely, don’t move on to your next point without acknowledging what they’ve said. Discuss the difficulties you’ll face along the way, and work together on solutions.

Plan a vacation

Start by taking a trip and treat it as a vacation.  Maybe stay for a weekend and plan for a longer trip in the future.

Allow for your spouse to get acclimated to a new place. They may just start to adjust to the idea of living somewhere new. More likely, this first small step will lead to a second, bigger one.

Think about compromises

What might your other options be? Would you be open to the idea of trying it out for a few months? Would a long distance relationship work for a period of time so you can have the experiences you want but your partner doesn’t need to leave their job, friends, and family?

No doubt relocating is difficult in many ways. With sensitivity, understanding and support, you can make the move the best thing not only for you, but your partner.

Written by Jason Lowder

The world’s happiest industrialized nation

For the third year running, Australia has been revealed as the world’s happiest industrialized nation based on criteria including satisfaction, work-life balance, income and housing.

So what’s Australia’s secret besides the alluring backdrop of sun and surf, or great year-round climate and famous outdoor Aussie lifestyle that makes Australia one of the happiest places on the planet?

A Solid Economy

Australia recently celebrated it’s 21st consecutive year of economic growth. Think about it, no economic recession for 21 years. No other developed nation in the world demonstrates the underlying resilience of the state in the face of challenging conditions.

Australia is moving ahead consistently showing solid growth.  According to the International Monetary Fund, Australia is set to be the best performing major economy in the world over the next two year.

Australia is blessed with natural resources like, iron ore, coal and gas which are key contributors to the countries economic success. China currently is Australia’s largest trade partner, largest source of imports and largest export destination.