Expat News - EasyExpat blog

Tourist Tax in America

texkourgan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:28:08 +0100

Travelers to the USA may be looking forward to saving some money as the value of the dollar has diminished, but they will have to pay a new tourist tax first.

When?

On September 8th, 2010 the new tax will be initiated. The Travel Promotion Act was signed into law by President Obama in March 2010.

How much?

It is a $10 fee with a $4 administration fee equalling $14. It will only be collected once every two years.
The fee will fund up to 50 percent of America’s promotion activities. The tax must be paid in advance, electronically (by debit from a credit card). This is usually done in tandem with the application through the ESTA to enter the United States. The four dollar administration fee is non-refundable, even if the application is refused.

Who?

This tax will be placed on all travelers entering the US under the Visa Waiver Program.

Why?

Entitled the "Travel Promotion Act", the basic goal of this fee is to encourage travel to America. The country has seen a drop-off in the amount of foreign visitors and this act seeks to fund a large scale ad campaign promoting the USA. The US welcomed 2.4 million fewer overseas visitors in 2009 than in 2000. This initiative is not only relying on the fee to foreign travelers, but is funded by will be funded by up to $100 million in private sector contributions.

Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)

The ESTA is another new addition to US travel procedure. Started this January, it applies to international travelers who are seeking to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

You are a citizen or eligible national of a Visa Waiver Program country.
You are currently not in possession of a visitor's visa.
Your travel is for 90 days or less.
You plan to travel to the United States for business or pleasure.

Applications are made online and concern the identity, health, morality and the possible criminal background of the applicant. Status of an application can also be checked online.

Controversy

Many nations, and the EU as a collective, have criticized this new tax. The European Commissioner responsible for security matters, Cecilia Malmström, has said that the new American tax was "inconsistent with the commitment of the United States to facilitate mobility".

Some feel the tax is directly detrimental to the US tourism industry as it appears to be an attempt to "protect the frontier".

56 countries already levy a tax to enter their territory. And the fee is decidedly low. In others countries they fee may be as much as a hundred dollar.

For more stories on the tax...

For more information about the Travel Promotion Act, please visit http://poweroftravel.org or http://www.ustravel.org.

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

The Hotel Alternative

texkourgan — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:56:45 +0100

The excitement of heading to a new city and seeing the sights can occasionally be eclipsed by the cost of the adventure. One of the largest expenditures is the cost of housing whether it be a hotel, bed & breakfast, or condo. A hotel room may have a mint on the pillow, but leave visitors missing the sense of home. Several hotel alternatives are challenging this notion.

The convenience of a hotel and the comforts of a home can now be found through a variety of social networks devoted to resident's offering their own homes as short-term rentals. Sometimes called social B&B networks or peer-to-peer hotels, there is a growing market to rent a room in someone's home. The accommodations range from 5 star luxury suites to a spare couch in college dorm coziness.

Hundreds of thousands of these listings can be found across the globe ensuring almost any major city has at least one place to stay off the official hotel grid. There are over 3,500 short-term rentals in New York State alone. And the networks are growing.

The Pros

People are not only advertising their own living spaces for rent, they are connecting online, making friends, and becoming temporary hosts and ambassadors for their cities. This is unique way to share culture, stories, experiences.

Person to person rentals like on craigslist leave people open to risk as they don't know anything about who they are renting to. There is a lack of accountability that can lead to damage to property, fraud, theft, or even personal injury. The social networks implemented with these sites seek to make strangers into friends before they even step into the home.

Many of these spaces offer a way to save money in hotel fees. Taking a cut in comforts can cut costs to a minimum. They also offer an alternative when traditional hotels are over-booked.

There is an added bonus that users may not only save money when traveling, but can actually make money on renting out their own apartment.

The Cons

Some official hospitality vendors have been quick to point out that some of these situations are under the counter and not completely legal. Unlicensed and uninsured properties are also an issue. In Paris it is illegal to rent a residential apartment for less than a year, which doesn't mean that it is uncommon. In New York City, most units are not allowed to be sublet without permission from the landlord or co-op board. This has not deterred many people from connecting via these networks, but could be a problem.

How to Book

Unlike most large commercial search engines (www.expedia.com, www.kayak.com, www.orbitz.com, www.travelocity.com/, www.hotels.com), most of these sites rely on a social network to make bookings. This usually includes a short profile, picture, and preferences. Making friends, both online and off, works to give yourself instant references.

Searches can be narrowed down by traditional methods of lowest price, location, and size. But since those listing the places are also compelled to give personal information, you can further define your search by picking the luxury apartment in north London over others because of a shared interest in vintage clothing.

Payment is arranged depending on which site is used. Most often payment occurs through the site before the rental, but there are some exceptions. Paypal is also frequently used to exchange payment in a secure manner.

Sites

Couchsurfing

This is one of the first of the social networking B&B's, started in 1999. Accommodations vary widely for the price of free, from a spare couch to a private room to space on the floor. There are also options for people to just meet up for coffee or offer advice without having to completely open up their home. Today there are nearly two million people in 238 countries as members.
After signing up for a free account, people can connect to other users and make friends, writing reviews for visitors and hosts. This helps to ensure safety and comfort for both sides. In addition, members can pay a small fee to be verified, enhancing their reliability.

AirBnB.com

The largest service, users can find a room in 6876 cities in 157 countries. The site began in San Francisco with Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, roommates who decided to rent out their spare bedroom to an over-booked conference.
Again there is a great variety of spaces listed, but these spaces are actually rented increasing expectations from sites like couchsurfing. Detailed accounts of private rooms or apartments are listed as well as reviews from people who stayed there. Payment until 24 hours after guests check into an accommodation in order to fend off potential scammers.

iStopOver.com

One of the newest sites at only a year-old, this project began in Toronto and specializes in providing housing during large events where traditional hotels might sell out. World Cup, the Olympics, and other large scale events can make it extremely difficult to find a convenient or affordable spot and iStopOver.com alleviates some of that pressure. Sites are mainly within North America, Europe and South Africa.
A protection feature built into the system is that to claim payment, hosts must be told a code given to the renter. If a listing turns out to be fraudulent or mis-stated, you can refuse to give the owner the code, and the fee is refunded in full.

Crashpadder.com

This two-year-old British site is now covering 59 countries. Not as popular as AirBnB.com, this European version is still quite popular. Featuring peer-to-peer listings, there are some extremely competitive prices.
Once you have narrowed your search, you can contact hosts directly through an internal messaging system. Hosts can ask for the money either up front or upon arrival. Credit card payments are used to verify guest identities.

Roomorama.com

Another new company, this site features higher-end properties. The service is especially prominent in New York City, but also features another 36 cities.
Prices range from $30 to $5,000, plus there is an additional 8-12 percent booking fee.

MetroFlats.com

Working in tandem with social networks like Facebook.com and twitter, this site caters to vacation rentals. Hosts and rentals are thoroughly screened by the site.

Second Porch

Also catering to the vacation rental crowd, Second Porch allows users to create their own page and share recommendations and reviews.

Traditional Booking

If you are looking to EasyExpat to fit your last minute hotel needs:

for Hostels: http://www.reservations.bookhostels.com (in partnership with EasyExpat.com).

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Guide for expatriates in Oslo, Norway

easyexpat — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:11:35 +0100

We are proud to launch our new city guide for expatriates in Oslo, Norway.

The city of Oslo lies on the southeastern region of Norway (Known as Norge, this section of Scandinavia lies to the northwest of Finland and its immediate neighbour, Sweden on Europe's most Northern peninsula.).

Oslo is Norway's capitol and the largest city (total area of 454 km2). There is a population of around 590,041. The city is also incredibly safe with one of the lowest homicide rate in the world.

The metropolitan area of Oslo accounts for 25 percent of Norway's gross domestic product. The region has one of the highest per capita GDPs in Europe.

Oslo is a global city, ranked "Beta World City" (major world cities) in studies performed by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network in 2008. It has also been consistently named as one of the most expensive cities for expats (ECA) and one of the best cities to live in.

You will find the usual articles in our guide to prepare your expatriation to Oslo and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experience in Norway in our forum.

How To WWOOF around the World

texkourgan — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:15:42 +0100

What is WWOOF?

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, was created in England in 1971 by Sue Coppard. The idea of volunteer workers and organic farmers coming together in a symbiotic relationship seems like the perfect expression of modern organic farming. And indeed the idea has spread to over 6,000 farms worldwide.

How does it work?

WWOOF is actually the network that connects volunteers with hosts. In return for about 4-6 hours of labor a day, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic farming and lifestyles. There isn't a global WWOOF group, but many different groups organized by country. Each group has slightly different fees and set-up, but operates in a similar way.

A person becomes a member of the WWOOF group in the country in which they wish to volunteer by paying a small membership fee. Membership is for 12 months. Once a member, or WWOOFer, they receive listings of organic farms who accept volunteers. Farms give a short description of their operation, the jobs they need help with (like planting, harvesting, animal husbandry or maintenance, or a combination), and often a description of the host. This may be distributed in the form of a hard copy member directory which also acts as a membership card (like with WWOOF USA). The book is usually updated several times a year, so it is best to order it shortly before you plan on leaving.

From here, it is up to the WWOOFer to choose a host farm and make direct contact with the host. It is important for both parties to feel comfortable with each other and have well laid expectations.

Exactly how many hours will be worked per day?
What duties are expected?
Accommodations?
Ask questions about the area and confirm it fits your lifestyle

Once an agreement has been reached, the WWOOFer must travel to the host farm. If this means securing visas the WOOFer is personally responsible for completing that process. Once at the farm, the WOOFER should provide their WWOOF membership card and then adhere to the terms of their agreement with the host.

How long?

The usual length of stay is from one to three weeks, but it is up to the WWOOFer and host to decide on a duration that fits both of their needs.

It is possible to stay for as short a time as 7-10 days. Most groups determine that 2 nights is the minimum stay. To make stays like this work best, select a farms close to transportation to save time in travel.
It is also possible to stay longer. Some WOOFers have happily stayed as long as a year.

Where?

There are over 50 countries with WWOOF organic farms. You must become a member of the WWOOF organization in the country or region you wish to serve. Many of the regions are further broken down into WWOOF by country.

Regions

WWOOF in North & Central America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean etc)
WWOOF in South America (Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil etc)
WWOOF in Europe-Middle East (European Union, Turkey, Israel etc)
WWOOF in Africa (Cameroon, Uganda, South Africa etc)
WWOOF in the Asia-Pacific (Australia, India, Japan etc)

More information about locations can be found at http://www.wwoof.org/wwoofaroundtheworld.asp and http://www.wwoof.org/natorgs.asp.

Who?

WWOOF is open to all nationalities.

There usually is an age limit on who can actually be a member. In the USA that age limit is 18 while in Australia WWOOFers may be 17. Some farms do allow members to bring children. This is something else that would need to be worked out between the WWOOFer and host.

WWOOFers must also be reasonably in good health. An athlete is not necessary, but someone who is willing and able to do the work is mandatory.

How much?

Prices range depending on different programs. Contact the country WWOOF list of your choice to find out. For example, the USA is USD$20 for a single membership or $30 for a double.

Tips

Consider purchasing your own travel insurance in addition to the basic plan provided with membership
Communicate clearly with the host. Make sure you have shared expectations.
Be prepared to entertain yourself.
Do not commit for a long time. Start with a short term contract and if it goes well, it is usually easy to extend the contract

Links

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Rome guide for expats in French / Guide pour expatri�s sur Rome en fran�ais

easyexpat — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 15:08:05 +0100

We have now fully manually translated our original guide in English into French.

Rome, the Eternal City (la Città Eterna), or Capital of the world (Caput Mundi in Latin,) is surrounded by seven hills. The Capitoline, Palatine, Viminal, Quirinal, Esquiline, Caelian and Aventine hills determine both the city layout and geography of the historical centre. The Tiber (il Tevere) winds south through the heart of Rome and derives from the Aniene River (l’Anio.) The Tyrrhenian Sea is located 24 kilometers east of the city centre.

Capital of Italy and located in the central-western region of Latium (Lazio), Rome (Roma in Italian) has a population of over 2.7 million residents, while the full metropolitan area consists of about 4 million inhabitantsThe Urban Area of Rome, which is the entire metropolitan area, extends to 5,352 km² (2,066 sq mi). 156,833 residents in the comune are of foreign nationality, making up 6.2% of the total population.

The French community in Italy is (according to last figures provided by the French Embassy) 44 497 registered (French nationals in Italy), plus an estimated 34,500 non-registered residents (December 31, 2006). In contrast there are over 380,000 Italians living in France.

The French cultural network in Italy is particularly extensive: In addition to the Cultural Service of the Embassy and Cooperation Office and Artistic Linguistics (BCLA in Rome), there are five types of cultural organisations and linguistic cooperation (CCCL), Florence , Milan, Naples and Palermo, plus two cultural delegations in Turin and Bologna, and a delegation of the French Alliance of Paris in Italy and a dense network of fifty French alliances with those of Genoa, Bari, Aosta, Venice and Bologna.

The French Cultural Centres and Institutes in Italy, under the supervision of the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Italy, is a network of institutions to publicize productions and news of French culture in Italy. They plan cultural events on the visual arts, performing arts, cinema, books, music and all French manifestations.

A global system, coordinated and facilitated by the Office of linguistic and artistic cooperation of the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Italy, covers the Italian territory, involving specialized staff, French and Italian educational institutions. You will learn French in French schools in Italy and in sections of bilingual schools in Italy. It also offers the opportunity to learn French in the French Cultural Centres and Institutes and the French Alliance network.

In Rome there are:

a French cultural center
two French schools
one Consulate (+ Embassy)

You will find the usual articles in our guide to prepare your expatriation and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experience in Rome and Italy in our forum.

Guide pour expatriés sur Rome en français

Nous venons de terminer la traduction française manuelle de notre guide en anglais.

Rome, la Ville Eternelle (la Città Eterna) ou Capitale du Monde (Caput Mundi en Latin) est entourée par sept collines. Le Capitole, le Palatin, le Viminal, le Quirinal, l'Esquiline, le Caelus et l'Aventin ont dessiné la ville et la typographie de son centre historique. Le Tibre (il Tevere), affluent de l'Aniene (ou Teverone), traverse le cœur de Rome en direction du Sud et débouche par un delta dans la mer Tyrrhéenne 24 kilomètres plus bas.

Capitale de l'Italie, Rome (Roma en italien) est située dans la région centre-ouest de Latium (Lazio) et compte plus de 2,7 millions d'habitants, 4 millions si l'on inclut la périphérie de la ville.

La Zone Urbaine de Rome, qui représente l'ensemble de la ville et de sa périphérie, s'étend sur 5352 km². 156833 résidents de la commune sont de nationalité étrangère. Ils représentent environ 6,2% de la population totale de la ville.

La communauté française en Italie est (selon le décompte de l'Ambassade de France) de 44 497 inscrits (registre des Français établis en Italie), auxquels s'ajoutent une estimation de 34 500 résidents non inscrits (au 31 décembre 2006). A l'inverse on compte plus de 380 000 Italiens vivant en France.

Le réseau culturel français en Italie est particulièrement étendu : outre le Service culturel de l’Ambassade et le Bureau de Coopération Linguistique et Artistique (BCLA à Rome), on dénombre cinq établissements de type centre culturel et de coopération linguistique (CCCL), à Florence, Milan, Naples et Palerme, auxquels s’ajoutent deux délégations culturelles à Turin et Bologne, ainsi qu’une Délégation de l’Alliance française de Paris en Italie et un réseau très dense de cinquante Alliances françaises dont celles de Gênes, Bari, Aoste, Venise et Bologne.

Les Centres et Instituts culturels français en Italie, placés sous la tutelle du Service culturel de l’Ambassade de France en Italie, constituent un réseau d’établissements pour faire connaître les productions et l’actualité de la culture française en Italie. Ils programment des manifestations culturelles sur les arts plastiques, les arts vivants, le cinéma, le livre, la musique et toutes les manifestations de la pensée française.

Un dispositif d’ensemble, coordonné et animé par le Bureau de coopération linguistique et artistique du Service culturel de l’Ambassade de France en Italie, couvre le territoire italien, associant personnels spécialisés, établissements d’enseignement français et italiens. Il permet d’apprendre en français dans les établissements d’enseignement français en Italie et dans les sections bilingues des établissements d’enseignement italiens. Il offre aussi la possibilité d’apprendre le français dans les Centres et Instituts culturels français et dans le réseau des Alliances françaises.

A Rome on compte:

un centre culturel français
deux établissements d'enseignement français
un consulat (+ambassade)

Comme d'habitude, vous trouverez toutes les informations dans notre guide pour préparer votre expatriation et de gérer votre vie une fois là-bas: présentation générale, emploi, passeports, visas, déménagements internationaux, trouver un logement, travail, avantages sociaux et fiscaux, l'emménagement, l'éducation, la santé , le vie sur place (banques, transports, commerces ...), divertissements ...

Vous pouvez également discuter et partager vos expériences à Rome et en Italie dans notre forum.

[Source: http://www.ambafrance-it.org/]

Singapore guide for expats in French / Guide pour expatri�s sur Singapour en fran�ais

easyexpat — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:50:54 +0100

Singapore was first mentioned as early as the 3rd century where it was referred to as Puluozhong, a Chinese translation of Pulau Ujong, literally ‘island at the end' (of the Malay Peninsula).

The Malay archipelago was under European colonial rule for much of the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, starting with the Portuguese in Malacca which than gave way to the Dutch, who developed a stronghold in the region. All this changed with the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 when he signed a formal treaty with the Sultan of Johor to establish a trading post on the island. However, Singapore did not become a full British colony until 1824.

It was Raffles who decided then that Singapore should become a free port.

If the city has never been part of the Francophone area, thousands of French people, famous or anonymous, have visited or have lived there (Pierre Loti tells about it in 'Pêcheur d’Islande'; Segalen, Clemenceau, Cocteau, Malraux stayed).

The French community in Singapore is constantly growing and its structure is very specific: it is young, feminized and family oriented.

4976 French are listed in the Register of the Consulate of France in December 31, 2006 (for comparison, 113,000 registered in the United Kingdom in 2009). This figure is increasing steadily since 2000: 3080 to date (progression 2005> 2006 is approximately + 15%)

The French are particularly young in Singapore (1750 persons under 18 years - 35%) and nearly 42% (all ages combined) are women. However only 20% of the latest are working.

It is a vibrant community, with a high level of senior professions, which tends to settle on the whole of the city-state.

A lot of French companies have settled in Singapore. The city had in 2006 nearly 400 companies or branches in 2006, with nearly 25,000 French employees of different nationalities. Half of the French used by these companies are in the manufacturing sector (ST Microelectronics, Thales, Gemplus) and in the service sector (mainly in banking, less in hotels). Finally, all the major French brands with an activity related to consumer goods are present in Singapore, particularly in the luxury sector (Christofle, Baccarat, Chanel, Hermes, Cartier, LVMH).

The French workers in Singapore are a vast majority of managers or senior positions.

The length of stay of the French in Singapore is increasing: nearly 23% in 2006 have lived on the island for over five years, and only 13% in 1997.

While until recently they were focused on the Holland - Farrer - Orchard area, the property boom of the 2000s changed the situation: the French are now more willing to settle near the French Lycée in the center of the island (the district of Ang Mo Kio became the third island in size of population) and to the east, in the direction of Changi International Airport (East Coast area).

We have now fully manually translated our original guide in English into French. You will find the usual articles in our guide to prepare your expatriation and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experience in Singapore in our forum.

Guide pour expatriés sur Singapour en français

Singapour apparaît dans des textes pour la première fois au 3ième siècle où l’on parlait de Puluozhong, a traduction chinoise de Pulau Ujong qui veut dire littéralement «l’île de l’extrémi» (de la péninsule malaisienne).

L’archipel malaisienne a été sous l’emprise coloniale européenne pendant toute la période du 16ième au 19ième siècle, commençant d’abord avec les portugais à Malacca qui laissèrent la place aux hollandais qui développèrent une place forte dans la région. Tout cela changea lorsque Sir Stamford Raffles en 1819 signa un traité avec le sultan de Johor pour établir une place marchande sur l’île. Toutefois Singapour ne deviendra une colonie britannique à part entière qu’en 1824.

C’est Raffles qui décida que alors que Singapour deviendrait un port affranchi.

Si la ville n’a jamais fait partie de l’aire francophone, des milliers de Français, illustres ou anonymes, y sont passés ou y ont vécu (Pierre Loti en parle dans Pêcheur d’Islande ; Segalen, Clemenceau, Cocteau, Malraux y ont séjourné ).

La communauté française à Singapour est en constante progression et sa structure est très spécifique : elle est jeune, féminisée et familiale.

4.976 français sont inscrits au Registre du Consulat de France au 31 décembre 2006 (à titre de comparaison, 113000 inscrits au Royaume Uni en 2009). Ce chiffre est en progression permanente depuis 2000 : 3.080 à cette date (la progression 2005 > 2006 est de l’ordre de + 15%)

Les Français de Singapour sont particulièrement jeunes (1750 mineurs de moins de 18 ans - 35%) et près de 42% (tous ages confondus) sont des femmes. Ces dernières ne forment en revanche que 20% des actifs.

Il s’agit d’une communauté active, très orientée vers les professions intellectuelles, qui tend à s’installer sur l’ensemble du territoire de la Cité-Etat.

Singapour est traditionnellement un lieu privilégié d’implantation pour les entreprises françaises. La Cité-Etat comptait en 2006 près de 400 filiales de sociétés françaises employant près de 25.000 salariés toutes nationalités confondues. La moitié des Français employés par ces sociétés se retrouvent dans le secteur manufacturier (S.T. Microelectronics, Thalès, Gemplus) et dans le secteur des services (essentiellement dans la banque, moins dans l’hôtellerie). Enfin, toutes les grandes marques françaises ayant une activité liée aux biens de consommation sont présentes à Singapour, notamment dans le domaine du luxe (Christofle, Baccarat, Chanel, Hermès, Cartier, L.V.M.H.).

Les actifs français à Singapour sont à une grande majorité des cadres ou des membres de professions intellectuelles.

La durée de résidence des français à Singapour tend à s’accroître : près de 23% en 2006 sont présents sur l’île depuis plus de 5 ans ; ils n’étaient que 13% en 1997.

Alors que jusqu’à une période récente ils étaient centrés sur la zone Holland - Farrer – Orchard, le boom immobilier des années 2000 a modifié la donne : les français s’installent désormais plus volontiers près du Lycée français au centre de l’île (le quartier d’Ang Mo Kio est ainsi devenu le troisième îlot en volume de population) et à l’est, en direction de l’aéroport international de Changi (quartier d’East Coast).

Nous venons de terminer la traduction française manuelle de notre guide en anglais. Comme d'habitude, vous trouverez toutes les informations dans notre guide pour préparer votre expatriation et de gérer votre vie une fois là-bas: présentation générale, emploi, passeports, visas, déménagements internationaux, trouver un logement, travail, avantages sociaux et fiscaux, l'emménagement, l'éducation, la santé , le vie sur place (banques, transports, commerces ...), divertissements ...

Vous pouvez également discuter et partager vos expériences à Singapour dans notre forum.

[Source: http://www.ambafrance-sg.org]

World Cup Fever

texkourgan — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:19:46 +0100

Vuvuzelas made their last trumpets, tvs flickered off around the world, and the Dutch returned the 120 caravans they rented to attend the world cup in South Africa. The furious month-long competition (June 11th to July 11th, 2010) is suddenly put to rest as one team has claimed the title of champions of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

South Africa's World Cup

In South Africa, there was wild anticipation as well as an edge of apprehension. It had been a long road to getting an African nation selected as host. This was the first World Cup bidding process under continental rotation and African nations could bid. In 2004, the international football federation, FIFA, selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the finals. South Africa had been only narrowly defeated in its 2006 bid and this selection marked a change in Africa's status, worthy of international sports play.

Since the announcement, South Africa, and Africa as a whole, have been working to create the transportation, facilities, and hotels necessary to host a World Cup. The Gautrain is a sleek, modern, high-speed train that was completed just in time to serve the hordes of Cup fans. Unfortunately, this did not abate the need of residents who deal with little or no public transportation. There has also been an emphasis on "cheer" as one South African expat puts it. Kay Johnstone (an expat in South Africa reporting in the Daily Telegraph, last June) comments:

"employees have been encouraged to wear football jerseys to work every Friday - known as Football Fridays. And we've even been subjected to a daily "countdown” on the radio."

This kind of forced cooperation can be hard for people to enjoy.

Nevertheless the enthusiasm was, at times, uncontainable. Kay continues:

"...I happened to be in one of our local supermarkets just before kick-off at 4pm. The public address system came on, and it was announced that the staff would sing the national anthem as a gesture of support to the team. As their voices soared out of the loudspeakers and from the tillpoints, many of the customers stopped their shopping and joined in – and it was beautiful."

This pride and excitement of one expat was echoed across the world as people rooted for the countries they were born in, rooted for countries they had adopted for their own, and many people simply rooting for Africa.

Along with standard worries about transportation and hotels, critics of the Cup being held in Africa were worried about South Africa's controversial history, financial instability, and crime. In the past, football/soccer has been a "black sport", where the white people of the region favor rugby. But the World Cup passed without major incident and with this competition all South Africans, Africans, and people across the world felt a togetherness watching Africa host a successful competition. Global goodwill has never been stronger in the world of sports.
Africa's success has even brought talk of a bid on the 2020 Olympics.

More information in our guide for expatriates moving and living in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Expats and the World Cup

Soccer, football, or simply "the beautiful game" has long united very different countries in match-ups that are both competitive and a sharing of cultures. This 19th cup has been called "the first real digital World Cup" and was expected to be the most-watched television event in history with about 70 countries and 26 billion people around the globe tuning in. "With games airing live on cell phones and computers, the World Cup will get more online coverage than any major sporting event yet," said Jake Coyle of the Associated Press. For one month, eyes around the world united on one event.

The World Cup is special in unifying players from the same country. So often professional players are expats themselves, playing in countries far from their home. The Global Herald put together a chart showing the most represented national leagues at the World Cup 2010. English leagues had the most players in the cup, with the Germany league the next best represented. No doubt each player is proud of its professional team, but one of the reasons the World Cup holds such special regard is the national pride of the countries best playing under their flag.

Besides the players, there are multitudes of expat fans that celebrate the World Cup. FIFA set up six large scale viewing stations around the world, with an additional nine in South Africa for fans to watch, cheer, and mingle. Aside from these large scale viewings, in almost every city, every town, expats gathered to watch "their" team. Morning, afternoon, evening, or very early morning, expats came together and found common ground.

The Finals: Netherlands v. Spain

The 32 teams were whittled down to an all European final of Netherlands v. Spain. Uruguay and Germany had played on Saturday to determine their positions (4th and 3rd, respectively), and Sunday, July 11th, was the final in Soccer City, Johannesburg. Both Netherlands and Spain had never won a World Cup before, but Spain was recognized as the favorite as it entered the cup as the current European champions.

The match was rocky, with thirteen yellow cards given out- mostly to the Netherlands. Brutal and combative, it was not a pretty game. English referee, Howard Webb, added to Netherlands problems by dismissing defender John Heitinga. The game continued into extra time and in the 116th minute Andrés Iniesta finally put Spain ahead with a spectacular long range goal. Spain won the FIFA 2010 World Cup!

As the players return to their respective countries and adopted leagues, it is important to remember the things that unite and define people, even when they are away from home.

For Kay Johnstone's full story and more from expats around the world and the 2010 World Cup:

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Best cities to live in the world in 2010

texkourgan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:26:06 +0100

What makes a city truly exceptional? The perfect place to live, work, and play? Monocle magazine knows what makes a city great to live and have compiled a list of the 25 best places to live. These cities aren't just OK, but are "benchmarks for urban renaissance and rigorous reinvention in everything from environmental policy to transport". The results of their annual survey were published on June 17, 2010.

25 Best Places to Live

1. Munich, Germany
The city is the epitome of everything valued in the survey. Excellent location and transportation system allow for easy access to the rest of Europe, as well as the world. Monocle boasts that the city has the best airport in Europe. There is also a boon of cultural heritage and events and plenty of green space to make living in the city enjoyable. On top of these benefits, there is an extremely low crime rate. Apparently Munich parents agree with the magazines assessment as the city is one of the few reporting an upswing in birth rate. Prost!

More photos in our album: Munich

2. Copenhagen, Denmark
This city comes in second again. As well as being one of the safest places in the world, Copenhagen hosted major climate change conferences and sets the standard for low-emission urban living. It is setting the bar for eco-capital of the world.

3. Zurich, Switzerland
Last years top placer, Zurich still has plenty to be proud of. This economic center has recently become a hotbed for smaller companies. This has actually livened up the somewhat stuffy city as more young people come into the area.

4. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is always one of the most exciting cities and newly created green space is making it more livable. The current city planning expects to create 200 hectares of green space and 200,000 new roadside trees by 2013. Technology, shopping, and high-rise buildings in Japan's capital are first rate, as is their dedication to a clean and eco-conscious center.

5. Helsinki, Finland
This is Helsinki's third year in the fifth position. Finland's welfare system ensures a high quality of life, free education for everyone, and free wifi. The city is also conveniently located with flights to New York and Asia taking about 8 hours. One complaint- a shortage of bike lanes.

6. Stockholm, Sweden
This Scandinavian beauty is also eco-friendly. The city has some of Europe's cleanest air and offers clear waters for swimming in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter.

7. Paris, France
The city of lights moved up the list with improved suburbs and rail connections. The charm of Paris is hard to beat, but gentrification of the city and not enough open hours in shops is still holding it back.

8. Vienna, Austria
This culturally progressive city can suffer from an overly conservative government. It does, however, have excellent health care, reliable public transportation, and many acres of green space.

9. Melbourne, Australia
Known for its fun-loving cultural image, Melbourne has been increasing as a business center.

10. Madrid, Spain
Named as a cultural highlight of Europe, Madrid is new to the list of top 10. The Rio Project has helped as it seeks to revitalize the area along the river and urban beaches.

11. Berlin, Germany
This city of history, nightlife, and culture is ever changing - maybe to a fault. Complaints about the amount of building has Berlin slipping out of the top 10.

12. Sydney, Australia
This sunny port city offers a unique lifestyle to its residents and plenty of places to enjoy it. A 1000 benches dot the urbane landscape.

13. Honolulu, Hawaii
This is the highest ranking US city. This little island of paradise is conveniently located between North America and Asia.

14. Fukuoka, Japan
Japan's 8th largest city has great shopping and is well connected to the rest of the region.

15. Geneva, Switzerland
Last year's number 24 takes a big jump up. It's beautiful location on the largest lake in western Europe, Lake Geneva (or Lake Léman), certainty helps.

16. Vancouver, Canada
The city has benefited from hosting the 2010 Olympic Games. Those improvements plus its gorgeous coastal location make it a wonderful place to live.

17. Barcelona, Spain
Vibrant cultural activities and wonderful weather make this city appear alive. Unfortunately, all that living can make a city a little dirty.

18. Oslo, Norway
Although the city is expensive, all that money provides for excellent public transport, state hospitals, and residence for elderly.

19. Montreal, Canada
This city is a bikers paradise, has international flair, but not much green space. A scant 3.3 percent.

20. Auckland, New Zealand
Preparations for the 2012 Rugby World Cup has led to improvements in the city and much excitement in the air.

21. Singapore
Dropping from position 18, the magazine states that more money could be spent on cultural activities and less on casinos and shopping malls.

22. Portland, USA
This laid-back, tolerant city is known for its bike-friendly culture and eco-centered lifestyle.

23. Kyoto, Japan
A traditional city, Kyoto has recently experienced a business boom.

24. Hamburg, Germany
Recently Hamburg has been losing its edge to its neighbor in the east- Berlin. However, Hamburg's port remains busy and the city hip and trendy.

25. Lisbon, Portugal
This capitol city is the gateway to South America. A rejuvenated waterfront, legal same-sex marriage, and low crime set the city apart.

Criteria

As acknowledged by the editor of Monocle, "this type of classification is 50% science and 50% of subjective criteria." Cities are evaluated on transportation, living Environment, response time for emergency services, local entertainment shops, community atmosphere, safety, quality of education, and access to green spaces. The survey is trying to find the cities that "have it all".

Some cities you would expect to find on the list are conspicuously missing. Chicago is left off the list because of its high murder rate (453 people per 2.85 million in 2009). On the other hand, Dusseldorf had only two murders, but is missing some of things that make a city a joy to live in. Hong Kong also is missing from the list because of traffic congestion, air quality, and a lack of housing. Possibly the most notable absences are from New York and London. It is crime that knocks both cities out as London has the worst burglary rates in Europe and NYC (though recently improved) still suffers from high rates of crime of all types.

To check out the interactive map of cities, go to http://www.monocle.com/specials/35_cities/.

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Most Expensive Cities Worldwide in 2010 (EAI)

texkourgan — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:15:36 +0100

People's standard of living can vary greatly according to their wealth, personal choices, and willingness to do without. However, there are some cities, that are expensive no matter what choices a person makes.

EA International is a world leader in managing employees around the world. EA offers data and advice about everything concerning expatriates and the companies that hire them. The most recent list of the most expensive cities worldwide was published on June 10, 2010.

Top 20 Most Expensive Cities Worldwide

1. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo ranks as the most expensive city in Asia and the world for expatriate and citizens alike. This is the first time Tokyo has taken the top spot since 2005.

2. Oslo, Norway
Oslo is consistently among the most expensive European cities and the strengthening of the Norwegian krone has bumped the city to the second slot.

3. Luanda, Angola
Ranked first in 2008 and 2009, this comes as a surprise to some casual observers. However, living in a developing country can elevate the costs of acquiring basic goods because of transport fees. Angola, in particular, has suffered through decades of war making acquisition of goods especially difficult.

4. Nagoya, Japan
The strengthening of the yen has led the way for several Japanese cities to take top spots.

5. Yokohama, Japan

6. Stavanger, Norway

7. Kobe, Japan

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

9. Geneva, Switzerland

10. Zurich, Switzerland

11. Bern, Switzerland

12. Basel, Switzerland

13. Libreville, Gabon

14. Helsinki , Finland
Like Norway, Finland is seen as a safe haven for investors in comparison to Euro zone countries.

15. Moscow, Russia
Increases in oil prices benefited Moscow as Russia is the largest producer of oil in the world.

16. Paris, France
Prices remain high in this romantic capital.

17. Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire

18. Abuja, Nigeria

19. Tel Aviv, Israel

20. Seoul, South Korea
Appreciation of the Korean won has allowed it to surpass Hong Kong.

Criteria

Cost of living rankings are calculated upon annually surveys conducted in March and September using a basket of day-to-day goods and services. Certain living costs such as accommodation, utilities (electricity, gas, water costs), car purchase and school fees are not included in the survey.

The comparison is created by composing a base of costs within developed countries. ECA's cost of living data compares a basket of 125 consumer goods and services commonly purchased by international assignees in over 370 locations worldwide.

Food- Groceries; dairy produce; meat and fish; fresh fruit and vegetables
Basic- Drink and tobacco; miscellaneous goods; services
General- Clothing; electrical goods; motoring; meals out

Recent Changes

Currency fluctuation are the major reason behind changes in ranking. For example, growth in most western countries has slowed considerably while Asian cities were much more resilient. Asian economies cushioned their citizens against rising fuel and food costs through subsidies and price controls while Western nations suffered through economic free fall.

Asia

Tokyo's yen has helped to make Tokyo the most expensive city. The Korean won has also done well and pushed Seoul into the top 20. The Thai baht and the Indonesian rupiah have also increased in value.

On the other hand, locations in mainland China have become cheaper. Hong Kong has also fallen lower on the list as SARs is still detracting from the city's business sector. Karachi, Islamabad and Kolkata are the cheapest locations in the region

Europe

Some of the standard cities at the top of the list have been replaced by other European capitals. Oslo has replaced Copenhagen as the region's most costly location. Oil prices have benefited the region and Scandinavia's abstinence from the Euro has allowed it to avoid some of the issues currently troubling mainland Europe. Sweden and Finland have also gained favor from investors. Scandinavia is the most expensive area in Europe for expatriates.

Moscow had fallen in the rankings in 2009, but the rouble has strengthened. An increase in oil prices has been the most important change.

The United Kingdom has also fallen in rank as the sterling continues to be weak throughout the last year. Locations within London like Chelsea may still be quite costly, but the city as a whole has dropped in comparative costs significantly.

Americas

South America has traditionally been on the lower end when considering expensive cities, but Rio de Janeiro is now the most expensive location in the Americas.

In general, US locations have fallen down the rankings slightly, reflecting the weakened dollar. Manhattan is the most expensive location in North America but is only ranked 29th worldwide. Honolulu, Hawaii is the second most expensive.

Canadian dollars have actually strengthened, with Vancouver holding the most expensive position.

Australasia

Australia has become significantly more expensive in the past year. The economy has developed steadily and their currency has strengthened. Canberra is currently the most expensive location.

Africa & the Middle East

Luanda was ranked as the most expensive city in 2008 and 2009, but has slipped to third in the 2010 survey.

South African locations rate as some of the in among the cheapest.

Tel Aviv made it into the top 20 and is the most expensive place for visitors to the Middle East. Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is the cheapest

Don't forget our cost of living calculator for planning your life abroad and your expatriate move.

We are using the data provided by the UBS study in our Cost of Living Calculator on Easy Expat. Our nifty machine allows you to calculate the salary you should make regarding you current wage and your style of life. Unselect the category of goods you wish to exclude, enter your current salary and choose the current city and the one you want to compare with.

In order to compare different countries, all our data are translated into indexes (e.g. if London/food index is 100, Paris/food index is 93). Therefore the same currency or index is represented in both boxes.

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Eyjafjallajokull: summary of a volcanic ash cloud story

texkourgan — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:21:31 +0100

What is it?

Volcanic ash consists of small tephra (particles of rock and glass smaller than 2 mm). This ash can be spewed into the air during eruptions. Volcanic ash can be hazardous as it can affect breathing and cause malfunctions in machinery.

Eyjafjallajokull's Eruption in Iceland

The volcanic eruption in Iceland of Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) is believed to have started on March 20th, and led to a worldwide transportation disaster. The ash cloud hovered over the Atlantic Ocean and caused a week-long suspension of air traffic in Europe. Ash turned the sky hazy and tinted it a dirty yellow. Volcanic ash particles cans stay in the troposphere for weeks, and the finest tephra particles remain in the stratosphere for months. This suspended material can create spectacular sunsets. At its greatest height, the plume reached 33,000 ft (about 11 km) into the air. The controlled airspace of many countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic resulting in the largest air traffic shut-down since World War II.

Day-to-day life in Iceland continued with very little disruption. Businesses were open as usual and people went about their usual routines.

Effects of Volcanic Ash on Airplanes

Sandblasting effect- Ash can "blind" pilots by sandblasting the windscreen requiring an instrument landing, damage the fuselage, and coat the plane.

Clogging of the plane's sensors- Accumulation of ash can also block an aircraft's pitot tubes. This can lead to failure of the aircraft's air speed indicators.

Electromagnetic wave insulation- Volcanic ash particles are charged and disturb communication by radio.

Combustion power failure- Damages the machinery as large amounts of air are sucked in during combustion operation, posing a great danger to aircraft flying near ash clouds. Very fine volcanic ash particles (particularly glass-rich if from an eruption under ice) sucked into a jet engine melt at about 1,100 °C, fusing onto the blades and other parts of the turbine (which operates at about 1,400 °C).

Airspace was largely re-opened on April 23rd, 2010, but was intermittently closed in different parts of Europe in the following weeks. To track the ashfall, the Icelandic Meteorological Office issues daily forecasts of ashfall. By the 21st of April, 95,000 flights had been canceled. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that the airline industry worldwide would lose €148 million (US$200 million) a day during the disruption.

Alternative Options

The closure of the airspace left five million travelers stranded around the world. Airports in the east, such as Portugal, Morocco, and Turkey were open. Once inside Europe, many people tried to reach their final destination by train or road. Once travelers made it to France, travel conditions continued to be poor as there was an ongoing rail strike affecting long-distance trains.

Compensation from airlines and travel insurance was received to some, but the vast majority of people were out considerable sums of money and time.

Since many travelers were stranded in Great Britain, Eurotunnel allowed driving access from the island to mainland Europe. During the worst parts of the crisis, bookings rose 30 percent. One-way fares cost about £150 per car. This can include up to nine passengers plus luggage. Travel off-peak and lead-in fares are from £44.

Eurostar (08432 186186) was another option as this train carried an extra 110,000 people during the ash shutdowns. Cheapest return fares are around £69 from London to Paris. However, they did reach capacity and Eurostar passenger trains were solidly booked.

Ferries (0871 244 1400) offered yet another option, departing from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander. Peak pricing for ferries to Santander start at £675 return for a car and four people, including en-suite cabin accommodation. Journey time is 24 hours.

Coach operator Bus Éireann tried to aid the heavy ferry traffic through Ireland by arranging extra Eurolines services between Ireland and England via ferry.

Some passengers were ferried to Britain after the British cabinet crisis response committee (COBRA) decided that Royal Navy ships should be utilized to repatriate stranded British travelers.

Important Links

Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences - University of Iceland, Provides status reports.
International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group (IAVWOPSG) - Manages international monitoring systems for volcanic activity.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)- A specialized agency of the United Nations, this council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure, Flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation.
Euro Control - Agency that manages European air travel.
Ash Cloud Leaflet

How Has The Volcanic Ash Cloud Affected You?

Tell us your story in the comments below...

Erin Ball
Freelance Writer from Seattle

Guide for expatriates in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

easyexpat — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:22:07 +0100

We are delighted to launch our new city guide for expatriates in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The city of Rio de Janeiro is artistically bordered by magnificent mountains, white-sand beaches and spectacular blue ocean, and lush rain forests. Residents of the city are known as Cariocas. The undisputed cultural capital and major international transportation hub of Brazil, the city is a dense, cosmopolitan gem.

The area of the city is 1182.3 square kilometres or 456.5 sq miles. The city is dense, with about 6.1 million people in the city and 11-13.5 million in the greater metropolitan area.

The city sits within the geological structure called Brazilian Crystal Basement where rain forest, Atlantic Ocean, and a mass of city dwellers come together. The Tijuca Forest defines much of the landscape as the largest urban forest in the world. On Corcovado, one of the area's highest points, there is the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer. Another peak, Sugar Loaf, is also a landmark and towers over the entrance of the bay.

The city is the nation's top tourist attraction for both Brazilians and foreigners. The sea, mountains, and events like Carnaval and New Year´s eve still attract visitors, but issues with crime and over-development have taken a toll.

The city retains its attraction for companies. State-owned companies such as Petrobras, Eletrobrás, Caixa Econômica Federal, BNDES, Intelig, Oi and Embratel all have headquarters within Rio. Big multi-national companies such as Coca-Cola, IBM and El Paso also have offices in the city. Many Brazilian entertainment organizations are based in Rio de Janeiro like TV Globo (Globosat, Globo News, SportTv, Telecine, Tv Brazil), NET, Sky and WayBrazil and also some of Brazil's major newspapers: Journal do Brasil, O Globo, O Dia, and Business Rio.

The announcement that Rio would host the 2016 Olympic Games only confirmed its upwardly mobile status.

You will find the usual articles in our guide to prepare your expatriation and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experience in Brazil in our forum.

Guide for expatriates in Seoul, South-Korea

easyexpat — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:24:54 +0100

We are proud to launch our new city guide for expatriates in Seoul, South-Korea.

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and is one of the most highly populated cities in the world, located in the north-western part of the country on the Han River. With the establishment of South Korea (the Republic of Korea) in 1948 it became the capital, except for a short time during the Korean War.

The traditional heart of Seoul is the old Joseon Dynasty city, which is now the downtown area, where most palaces, government offices, corporate headquarters, hotels and traditional markets are located. To the north of downtown is Bukhan Mountain, and to the south is the smaller Namsan. Across the Han River are the newer and wealthier areas of Gangnam-gu and surrounding neighbourhoods. Yeouido is a large island in the middle of the Han River and is home to the National Assembly, the major broadcasting studios, and a number of large office buildings, as well as the world's largest Presbyterian church.

Seoul’s skyline is impressive and notable high-rise buildings include the Korea Finance Building, Namsan Tower, the World Trade Centre, the six-skyscraper residence Tower Palace, the Star Tower, and I-Park Apartments

A number of world renowned companies such as Daewoo Corporation, Hyundai, Samsung and Kia Motors have their headquarters in Seoul. The Gross Regional Domestic Product of Seoul contributes to roughly a quarter of Korea’s national GDP.

You will find the usual articles in our guides to prepare your expatriation and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experiences in South-Korea in our forum.

New classifieds for expatriates

easyexpat — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:37:35 +0100

We have fully redesigned our classifieds section and add a few new features.

The classifieds are now first ordered by continent/countries (and possibly cities according to the list available in EasyExpat guides) and in each of them a series of categories is listed:

Houses For Rent
Houses For Sale
House Search
Flats For Rent
Flats For Sale
Flat Search
House/Flatshare Offer
House/Flatshare Search
Home Swap
Holiday Rentals
Furnitures
Au Pair & Babysitter Search
Au Pair & Babysitter Offer
Clothing/Accessories
Baby/Kids stuff
Books/Games/DVDs
Electronics (*for this category, only ads submitted by individuals, not companies, are permitted)
Conversation exchange
Cars/Motorbikes
Other (*for this category, only ads submitted by individuals, not companies, are permitted)

It is possible to add a photo to illustrate the ad (very handy for example for accommodation). Also you will notice that you can now contact the author of the classifieds straight at its bottom, and that will send immediatly an email to the poster and guarantee they can deal with your message.

Of course, as usual in order to add a message, you must be member of the forum and connected.

To register on the forum click here (it's free and immediate).

To login click here.

I remind you that if you want to alter your ad, just delete it and resubmit a new one. You can easily remove yourself your ads by logging into the classified ads section and clicking on the "Delete" link that appears at the bottom of your ad.

There is also now a search tool to find easily the relevant classifieds.

The latest classifieds are also displayed in all other pages of EasyExpat.com, including for the relevant City Guide (example: latest classifieds in London for the London guide).

For your offers and searches for employment, EasyExpat provides a Job section where to post job offers and CV.

Job offers posted in the classifieds or the forums will be deleted!

France, I love you, I'm leaving

easyexpat — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:05:38 +0100

Journalist (France Inter) based in London, Christian Roudeau has just published "France, je t’aime, je te quitte" (France, I love you, I'm leaving - Fayard edition), which deals with opinion of expatriates on France: a "virtual country" made of 2.5 million people and still growing.

There are 2 parts in the book: who are the French expatriates and what do they say about France. Profiles have evolved a lot and we are no longer talking (only) about the rich business man voting conservative. All categories are represented and while, before 2007, the vast majority of French expats voted for the candidate of the French conservative party, the last election showed the same trend as the global result.

He compares expatriates in countries with similar economic development to France: USA, UK, Germany... etc. He interviewed a lot of people (some celebrities too) and talks about expatriates who left to avoid discrimination based on race, ethnicity but also where they lived or their degrees; expats in English countries, especially London, who have seen the advantages of flexibility in business; those who criticise the weight of authority inside French companies...

But on the other hand French expatriates praise public services and the health system and say to those who stay: learn to appreciate the good French way of life too!

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts takes over Brussels from May 7th to 29th

easyexpat — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:07:04 +0100

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts’ 15th edition is about to start in Brussels, offering an international program and taking place in dozens of welcoming theatres and art houses for 3 weeks in May. It will, this year again, feature performing arts and visual arts, by Dutch- and French-speaking, Western and non-Western artists.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts is a festival dedicated to new creations, intended for artists with a personal outlook on the world and spectators willing to question their own views, a cosmopolitan city festival. We are increasingly becoming part of a complex network of communities that cross and redefine national, linguistic and cultural borders. The city is the environment “par excellence” in which this cosmopolitan society can be seen.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts takes place in Brussels, the only city in Belgium where the country’s two largest communities live together. Several Flemish- and French-speaking institutions are involved in the project. Fundamentally conceived as a bilingual undertaking, it contributes to encouraging dialogue between the communities living in the city.

Discover over thirty new works, most of which have been coproduced by the festival.
Listen to what they have to say, here and now, and through them take stock of the times in which we live.

Where?

In over 30 different places, but the festival’s centre is set in KVS BOL, Lakensestraat 146 Rue de Laeken (1000 Brussels). You can buy your tickets and gather information there.

When?

From May 7th to May 29th, 24/7!

For more information

check our website: www.kfda.be
Or call the box office: +32 (0) 70 222 199

Getting a Bargain on Hotel Rooms

audrey — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:41:16 +0100

In planning a trip for business or pleasure, one of the most important considerations is the hotel accommodation. Whether your desire is to find a home away from home featuring an array of amenities or simply a clean, quiet place to sleep during your holiday, it is possible to find a hotel room to fill your needs. With a bit of planning, finding the right hotel won't empty your bank account.

Package Deals

Frequently, booking a hotel room together with a flight means significant savings, especially when using online travel resources such as Expedia or Orbitz. You can often refine your search by many factors, including hotel star rating or price level, location in the city center or on the outskirts, and specific amenities. However, to obtain these discounts, you must prepay for your travel package.

Online Hotel Discounts

Another way to find cheap hotel rooms is to utilize an online hotel discount search service like Priceline or Hotwire. Like online travel services, you can refine your search by hotel location, amenities and price level. You will also be required to pay for your accommodations right away to guarantee booking. However, you will not learn the actual name of your hotel until after your reservations are final and paid.

Groups and Clubs

If you are a student, a senior, or belong to an organization such as AAA, you may be entitled to discounts rates for hotel rooms. When booking a hotel online, check for an option to indicate your special status. When making reservations with a reservations agent or travel agent, inquire about specific group discounts. Be prepared to show an ID card or membership card to verify your status when you check in to the hotel.

Direct Hotel Reservations

Try contacting the reservation agent for a specific hotel directly when seeking a discounted rate. Sometimes the hotel will extend a rate discount if you book during the off season. You may also receive a room upgrade for the same price as you were originally planning to pay.You will probably need to guarantee your reservation with a credit card, but the card will not actually be charged until you check into the hotel.

Tradeoffs and Compromises

Decide what features and amenities are necessities, and be willing to compromise on those that are not. Turn-down service, a spa or gym on the premises or even room service are all features that can raise the price of a hotel room. If you can enjoy your holiday without them, you'll have more money to spend for local events and souveniers.

However, booking a hotel far away from the city center may be a false economy if you plan to spend a significant amount of time sightseeing or pursuing cultural activities. You'll likely spend more time and money getting back and forth than you'll save. Boutique hotels that emphasize bold colors and stylish furnishings, convenient locations or a rooftop bar are also often less expensive than luxury hotels, according to Kate Silber, writing for the Away.com website.

For More Information:

Audrey Henderson
Freelance writer based in Chicago

All Aboard! Train Travel Gains Popularity in the United States

audrey — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:07:53 +0100

During much of the history of the United States, train travel was the primary means of long-distance overland routes. With the invention of the airplane, train travel suffered a rapid decline. However, in the 21st century, Americans have begun to rediscover train travel. Between May 2007 and May 2008, Amtrak, the nationally subsidized railway system in the United States, had a 15 percent increase in ridership for long-distance routes and a 14 percent increase in ridership for short-distance routes. Americans are learning what other travellers around the world have always known; train riders enjoy a number of advantages over their counterparts who make overland journeys by bus, plane or automobile.

Getting There is Half the Fun

On a train ride, passengers enjoy scenery that is frequently little more than a "fly over" on a plane ride. Trails and Rails is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and Amtrak designed to make the most of this advantage. National Train Day is one of several programs sponsored by Trails and Rails as a day of celebration for American railroad systems. For 2010, National Train Day is scheduled for May 8, with programs planned for cities across the country, including Washington, D.C. , Chicago and Los Angeles.

On long-distance train trips, passengers can book a sleeper berth and treat the trip as part of the vacation. Passengers who purchase a sleeper berth enjoy the same convenience as cruise passengers, who unpack once during a trip and use their means of transportation as a base of operations. Meals are also often included in the price of a ticket for a sleeper berth.

Less Hassle and Inconvenience

As of April 2010, there was no "3-1-1 Rule" on trains requiring passengers to limit liquids in their carry on luggage to three ounce bottles or zip-top bags as there is for airplanes. Passengers are not required to remove their shoes to board the train. A change in travel plans or missing a departure carries less financial penalty for train passengers than for those traveling by plane.

In fact, many trains do not even require reservations; passengers can arrive minutes before departure and board right away if there are seats available. Train seats are also more comfortable and offer more legroom than cramped airline seats. Train passengers have little restriction in their freedom of movement, while airline passengers are often confined to their seats for the entire duration of a flight.

Short train trips can be nearly as time-efficient as a plane trip, when the time is added for getting to and from the airport through security checkpoints at the airport. Another advantage of train travel is that train stations are often located in or near the heart of the city, while airports are often located far from the center of town. Getting into town from the airport in many locations requires an expensive taxicab ride, because public transportation options are limited or nonexistent.

A Greener Alternative

Train travel frequently has a lower ecological impact than other forms of transportation, especially driving alone or flying, according to a report by Carbonfund on its website and also described on the Planet Green website. This calculation includes both carbon emissions and fuel efficiency for cars, trains buses and airplanes. Driving alone in a car with average fuel efficiency or flying resulted in the greatest environmental impact of all forms of transportation. Bus travel often had a lower ecological impact than train travel, but with much less comfort, especially for long trips.

For More Information:

Audrey Henderson
Freelance writer based in Chicago

Guide for expatriates in Hong Kong

easyexpat — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 23:22:52 +0100

We are delighted to launch our new guide for expatriates in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is situated between the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Taiwan Straits, and has several deep natural harbours protected by mountains.

With a population of over 7 million people squeezed into an area of 1104.3 km2, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, although many of the outlying islands remain uninhabited. It is still in the midst of land reclamation and is already bigger than it has ever been. The two official languages are Cantonese and English and the population is made of 94,9% chinese, 2,1% filipino and 3% others (mainly europeans).

Runned by the United Kingdom, the handover to China happened on the first of July 1997. The handover did not change fundamentally the way Hong Kong is administrated apart from some symbolic changes like the word ‘Royal’ has been dropped for most institutions and the post boxes are now green rather than red.

Hong Kong economy is still driven ad rules by Hong-Kong itself, at least for the next 40 years or so. The island is a free market-enterprise society and will not change for a while. Hong Kong’s rank is third from the Global Financial Centres Index after London and New York and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the 6th in the world.

You can also discuss and share experiences on Hong Kong in our forum.

Community: new forums for EasyExpat

easyexpat — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:53:48 +0000

We are proud to present the new community on EasyExpat.

Users will be able to see a complete new presentation and enjoy loads of new features.

1- New structure

For each destination in the world we have now a forum.

In some forums, you will also find sub-forums, for immigration issues and discussion on some specific cities (i.e. London, New York City, San Francisco, Hong Kong...etc).

[Click on the images to see them bigger]

In addition you will find the usual general forums:

Departure: You plan to go abroad or you're leaving? You can put here all your general questions or answers about customs, transfer, move, tax back...
Moving Back / Repatriation: Global discussions about repatriation related topics and issues, moving back home again.
Open Bar: General chat. This forum is dedicated for subjects not covered in the forums above. However, please keep it sensible...
Announcements: Forum open to general announcements and events about expatriation, meetings and seminars organised for the expatriate community. This is a read only forum and each announcement must be sent beforehand to the administrator of the forum before publishing.
Travel: Tourism, travel insurance, flights, train tickets, cruise, hotels, guides...: Easy Expat Travel provides a range of services and choice of companies to organise your holidays. You can discuss the different offers, the service, your feedback, give advice here.
The EasyExpat website: Forum to discuss problems encountered on this site, announce new products, to propose amendments or additions of new studies or tools.
BlogExpat | expat blogs: Discussions about expat blogs and the Blog Expat website.

All the forums are multi-languages. You can post in any language (although I would advise that you restrict to the most common, in order to get more readers, and possibly to the language of the country or the community you are addressing).

Also, all users should have read the rules to respect on the forums. Especially:

If your message is related to accommodation offers or searches, DO NOT USE the forums but instead go to the small ad section. Same things for jobs: use the job listing section.
Please do not post volunteer programs, in the forums. We have nothing against those offers, but there is a specific space dedicated in the Job offers/Voluntary jobs.
Do not advertise for your site, your services or your products, or a friend's website : your topic and your account would be removed without warning and you could be banned from accessing the forum in the future. You can submit your website in the directory if it is related to expatriation (a link exchange is mandatory). If you wish to advertise on Easy Expat, you will find our advertising conditions and prices here.

Failing to respect the rules might result into immediate banning / all posts and account deleted without warning.

2- New features

New information: More details are available about users, including their nationality, their country of location (optionally the city where they live) and the languages they speak.

Friends/Foes: You have the possibility to had some users as friends (or foes ) to follow them specifically and allow for specific actions. The list of friends is shown on your profile. Posts made by foes will be hidden.

Wall: you have now a wall in your profile were the community can leave short notes. Of course you have the possibility to allow everyone to view/comment or to restrict to the list of your friends only (or to disable the feature completely).

Status: You can use the status tool and describe in a few words what you are doing to the Community. It will be displayed below your name in your posts.

Avatar/Profile picture: You can add an image to your profile (see your User Control Panel). You can either enter the URL of the location containing the avatar image you wish to link to, upload your own picture (max size 150x150) or choose one of the picture in our galleries.

Bookmark: In addition to EasyExpat's bookmark tool where you can bookmark any page of the website (and access it in MyExpat), you can also specifically store forum topics in your profile using the bookmark tool (icon at the bottom of the forum/topic/page).

Report abuse: On each post you will see an icon to report an abuse . It will display a form to report the selected post to the forum moderators and board administrators. Reporting should generally be used only if the post breaks forum rules. Moderators will also be able to warn user who will be temporarily banned after several warnings.

Manage subscription: In addition to automatically being notified by email when a reply is posted in a topic you wrote in, you are now able to subscribe to a forum to receive notifications when new topics/posts are made (icon at the bottom of the forum/topic/page). You can manage your subscriptions in your User Control Panel.

Drafts: When you create a new topic you will be able to save it as a draft before to post it. You can then decide to post/amend/delete the message in your User Control Panel.

Mail or print topics: You have the possibility to email or print topics with a simple click on the icons at the top of the topics.

We hope you will enjoy the discussions on EasyExpat and will have great pleasure to participate to our vibrant community of expatriates

Exploit in Ad Servers on EasyExpat Allows For Malware [FIXED]

easyexpat — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:40:30 +0000

If you have got a warning in the past 24 hours about malware being on easyexpat.com we apologize as our ad server was attacked through an exploit in our OpenX software.

We have been in contact with Google about the situation and they have confirmed with us that it has been resolved and the site is back to normal.

The situation is now cleared with Google certification:

What is the current listing status for http://www.easyexpat.com?

This site is not currently listed as suspicious.

Part of this site was listed for suspicious activity 1 time(s) over the past 90 days.

We completely checked and re-installed the file structure in order to protect our readers from getting any malware. We have also upgraded some third-party applications and protected sensitive areas.

The situation was described by this website.

A group registered in Russia and constantly moving around Scandavavia on a daily basis using the domain newtickepicker.com has hacked into many of the OpenX Ad servers including ours to insert a plug in. It then places itself into a one pixel unit on a graphic position for an advertisement. The plugin is called “mergedDeliveryFunctions.php.”

UPDATE 05 April 2010:

We have now migrated to another solution for running ad campaigns: Google Ad Manager / AKA DFP Small Business