Ok you have decided to relocate abroad, try something new. But there seems like so much planning and organizing that needs to be done before you make the big move, Where do you start?

Firstly do you know where you want to go?
Somewhere in Europe or maybe somewhere further afield.
What kind of life do you want?
Busy City Life, Beach Resort Life or maybe the Country Life.
Can you settle into different cultures and become part of the locals?
If yes, the countries are endless.
Would you like great temperatures all year round?
If yes, Mediterranean climates are ideal.
Do you have a budget?
If so researching the cost of living in your chosen country is important.

Once you have decided on ‘the place’ to go you need to look into whether you can work easily in that country.
Some countries may require you to gain a Working Visa which may need applying for in advance before you go or some countries may want you to apply when you arrive.

Look on Forums for local job ads on you chosen country and town to see if there are any jobs up for grabs. Think of some well known global companies and see if they recruit abroad.

Next step is to look to see if you need to apply for Residence Permit in advance, again some countries require you to do so within a month of arrival so you need to check out different countries rules.

Make sure you know your financial situation and what you can afford and have enough money saved to allow you to live for a little while in case you haven’t got a job straightaway.

After this the next important step is to if possible have some accommodation sorted out before you arrive so you know exactly where you are going and where you are staying. Then when you arrive you can take some time to get to know the area and decide on where you would like to rent, if you would like to buy a home and you will get better prices face to face rather than on-line.

Health care is important so make sure you have an insurance policy in place as some countries will not treat you without one and others have badly funded health care.

Look into rates of tax abroad and see how much they will be. Make sure that you wont be taxed twice, by your home country and your new country.

Now start planning if you will relocate all of your belongings or just some of them and how will you do this. Either by using a freight company or an airline. Look into different airlines as it may be a cheaper method for you if you are not bringing too much to just buy some excess baggage in advance.

While you are abroad you will need to be able to stay in phone contact with friends and loved ones as and when you want to with a trusted source. I found Pingo.com to be this source, they charge you economic prices and the connection is always reliable.

Lastly buy a travel book or guide on your chosen country to gain more of an insight into what the country will be like. Try and pick up a few phrases or words along the way, the locals will really appreciate you for trying even if you don’t quite pronounce it right.

If you do these important steps you will find yourself on the right path and almost ready to go!

Have you left your home and family to live in a country far away? Education, business, emigration, visiting your family, taking a break or work in general- whatever be your reason for going abroad, whatever be your destination country and whatever be your budget; you can rest assured, that communication with your loved ones back home would never be a reason for concern again.

The expat community, irrespective of where they live, has a lot to cheer about! The reason this can be stated with so much confidence is that unlike a few decades ago, the whole world has now shrunk into one giant global community and expat calling solutions have seen revolutionizing changes therein. The feverish pace, at which networking and communication technology has grown in the recent years, has made expat calling, child’s play. Move over, cell phone roaming and ISD! 3G, 4G and Video-calling are the latest buzz words these days. These, however, have not reached all corners of the world just yet, and there are still many regions, where people prefer sticking to conventional methods. There are two means of communication, which have been there awhile and still feature fairly high on the popularity charts as far as expat calling is concerned.

Cell phone rental services are available in most countries and are still going strong as an inexpensive option for international calling. These are best suited for expats, who are on long-term assignments to foreign countries or students who have a 1 or 2 year course. This is obvious from the fact that, the longer you rent a cell phone service for, the lesser you tariff rates work out, and who can resist the temptations of a good deal, right? Another advantage with this option is that, country specific rental offers work out perfect for most people who want to call relatives and friends in their own countries alone. This also eliminates any additional costs and hassles that are associated with multi-country SIM cards.

Expat calling cards too are extremely lucrative when it comes to getting value for money services. These come with the additional flexibility of not having to spend valuable cash on fancy rental schemes and handsets. As the popular line goes “Keep it simple, stupid”, calling cards follow this truly universal principle to the T. These cards are very convenient, especially for people on short stints abroad. They are easily available and accessible, and they have ridiculously low tariff-rates. Considering that a majority of the expat community consists of people who have come for small duration projects, which do not extend beyond a few months, prepaid calling cards are the way to go!

So if, you are an expat who has just stepped into an alien land, and feel intimidated; do not fret. Just log on to one of the many websites available and pick out one of these two brilliant and time tested means to get back in touch with that familiar voice back home!

As one of my globetrotter friends used to say – “A light travel leads to a happy travel.” However, in this age of technology, which forces you to carry a laptop, a cellular phone, at least 2 different apple products, a point and shoot camera or a DSLR camera covering the list of your gizmos alone, clearly following the travel light mantra does not follow that easy. Whether you are a student studying abroad or are a working professional outside your country, it always helps to keep the minimum essentials on you for a comfortable stay. So what exactly might top the list of the important possessions for an expat abroad?

Well, gizmos aside, an international SIM card is the single most crucial addition in your repository. It helps you achieve the most significant task when traveling or living abroad – communication with your folks back home. All expats would agree how vital it is for them to make regular, economic calls across the international air space. So, what should you look for while buying an international SIM card and how do you go about using them economically? That is exactly what we try to list out here for the benefit of all.

Clearly, for any human requirement in the world there are a thousand and one ready solutions and services, sometimes even more than that. International calling is no different, so it helps to be aware of points to look for while buying your own international SIM card. First of all, you need to be sure about the handset compatibility. Though, if you own one of the new tri-band GSM/CDMA phones the SIM card and handset compatibility should mostly not be an issue as they work over three continents. Also, be sure that you are getting a value-for-money deal for the tariff related to the country to which you are going to travel. For instance, there are country-specific tariff plans that you might avail of, but, if the nature of your travel makes you be in several countries in a single trip, try to go for a tariff that provides for free international roaming over multiple countries/continents.

Though we take some services for granted with our local telecom providers, it is advantageous to check if the international telecom provider is offering value-added services like call forwarding, conference calling or voice mail free of charge. It may seem quite trivial, but it might help a lot to have free customer services like customer care, phone recharge/top-up, etc. You might not need these services all the time, but any service that can potentially add to your international budget is better had free of cost from the beginning. Fewer potential costs to worry about for the wary traveler, right?

Having talked about international SIM cards, I think international calling cards also deserve a notable mention while talking about international communication solutions. International calling cards are better suited to be used on the local SIM cards abroad, without having to worry too much about pre-travel planning. All you need to do is buy a prepaid calling card, punch the pin away on your local phone abroad, and off you go talking. The rates can be quite competitive too, albeit you need to be weary about the proportion of the calling card cost to the effective minutes of usage.

International calling cards also come with affordable data solutions for all our active tweeters and facebookers. Make sure you check the various data and voice plans before getting an international calling card so as to strike the perfect balance in getting the most out of calling minutes, data MBs with optimal investments.

Hopefully, this post boils down the problem of looking for that perfect international SIM card/calling card to the list of must-haves for your own traveling case. A little planning on this immensely significant investment will go a long way in making your international communication highly budget-friendly.

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Backpacking is one of the most popular activities in Australia. While Australia is famous for its various adrenalin-fuelled extreme sports, these are not for everyone. Backpacking is something that the whole family can enjoy, while being a terrific educational experience for young adults. Australia has several backpacking trails that offer guided treks. You can also use any one of these trails to go backpacking without a fixed agenda. Here are the top 10 backpacking trails in Australia.

10. Blue Mountains National Park In

The Blue Mountains are located close to Sydney and make a great weekend getaway if you live in the immediate area. Blue Mountains National Park offers amazingly diverse vistas with unexpected waterfalls, sharp and sudden cliffs, dense forest areas, mountain ranges interspersed with green verdant valleys. The Blue Mountains bushwalks offer several popular trails and guided tours. They are a good option for a family backpacking vacation.

09. Whitsunday Islands in Queensland

The Whitsunday Islands in Queensland are well known for more than just the snorkeling and water sports adventures to be had here. This subtropical national-park island is clad in dense bush and rainforests and is full of hiking trails, some flat, some hilly. Walk through some of these trails and enjoy spotting colorful wallabies and butterflies. The best network of trails is to be found in South Molle, with 360-degree views of the island from its peak.

08. Lamington National Park In Queensland

An amazing 160 kilometers of trails are available for the backpacker in you when you visit the Lamington National Park in Queensland. Not many other national parks in Australia offer such a well-marked network of trails as the Lamington National. The park is located at a distance of 90 minutes from the Gold Coast and is covered in dense subtropical rainforest, strewn with mossy Antarctic beech trees that are about 2000 years old. Soak up the cool mountain air while watching colorful wallabies of birds of all descriptions.

07. Larapinta Trail In North Tasmania

Start your hike from Alice Springs in the Red Centre and hike the 250-kilometer partial desert trail, winding your way through the lofty, crimson-colored McDonnell Ranges. Make sure you hike this trail between April and October when it’s cooler. You can walk the 250 kilometers in batches, spanning several days and camp out to experience the amazing Tasmanian outdoors.

06. Kakadu National Park In North Tasmania

This beautiful World Heritage park has all the delights you can expect of a Tasmanian trail. The trails are full of beautiful cycads, red cliffs, lily-filled lagoons that hide man-eating crocodiles, sudden waterfalls, and more birds that you can identify. The cliffs are full of caves filled with Aboriginal rock art. There’s rock art on the walls of the cliffs on the trails. Don’t forget to take your camera along with you. People take videos of the most memorable parts of these trails as the unique greenery combined with the red cliffs makes for an unforgettable landscape. Whether you’re just taking a small hike or a nice long trip in virgin bushland, the Kakadu National Park is the place to head to.

05. Cape-To-Cape Hike Between Cape Naturaliste And Cape Leeuwin

This rugged cape-to-cape trail has a variety of landscapes for your viewing pleasure. The china-blue waters of the sea glint under the warm Sun as the fragrant eucalyptus forests beckon. The trail goes over white beaches strewed with coastal heath. The cape-to-cape trail in the southwest corner of Western Australia is very popular among backpackers who come here in droves to watch the whales in the ocean and take pictures of colorful and varied wildflowers.

04. The Great Ocean Walk

A long 91-kilometer trek from Apollo Bay to the Glenample Homestead near Twelve Apostles is made for walkers of all kinds. Short-distance walkers can step on and off this Great Ocean Road hike in Victoria to enjoy other sights. Long-distance walkers can enjoy the sights and the pleasure of walking on this long trail and go on overnight hikes and camping trips. The amazing views offer more than the required incentive to go backpacking on this popular Great Ocean Road trail.

03. Freycinet National Park In Tasmania

The beautiful and rugged Freycinet Peninsula is home to the Freycinet National Park that’s a combination of pink granite mountains and azure blue bays bordered with white sand beaches. Lofty and dramatic peaks of the Hazards mountain range welcome backpackers who enter the park to trek the pass overlooking Wineglass Bay. You can hike through the entire length of the Freycinet Peninsula in just three days. Intersperse your hiking with lazy strolls on the white beaches, swimming among the dolphins and spotting wildlife.

02. Maria Island National Park In Tasmania

The Maria Island National Park has everything any avid backpacker wants; untouched sandy beaches, mountains, fossil cliffs, abundant wildlife and to add that extra touch of intrigue, convict ruins. The park spans 28,541 acres of prime parkland with several acres devoted to an exclusive marine reserve. Maria Island National Park is perfect for the long distance backpacker and the short-distance walker. There’s a 4-day guided walk if you can rough it out, and a day trip by ferry if you want the quick and easy, but still wonderful.

01. Cradle Mountain And Lake St. Clair National Park In Tasmania

The trail begins at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and goes to Lake St. Clair, taking anywhere from 5 to 10 days, depending on how fast you can walk. You can also go on shorter walks for half a day or so, if you are not able to handle the longer trek. This 80 kilometer Overland Track is considered the best hike trail in all of Australia.

The park contains many other walking trails other than the well-known Overland Track trail. The park contains very diverse alpine vegetation. You’ll find different kinds of birds and animals in these forests including Bennett’s wallabies, pademelons, Tasmanian Devils, quolls, wombats, echidnas, possums, currawongs and ravens.

Teena Celis works for Adrenaline an Australian experience provider offering a large range of experiences like skydiving, hot air ballooning, rock climbing all across Australia.

Sometimes the daily grind and stressful lifestyle that we lead in our normal everyday life gets too much for us and we decide it is time to leave the rat race behind and look for pastures new.

Normally we are drawn overseas by a hotter climate, a laid back and calmer way of life and healthier living, but it needs to be practical and affordable for us at the same time.

Do I need a Residence Permit in Canada?, How can I move my dogs to France?, Can I work in New Zealand? These are just a few of the kind of questions you may need the answers to before you decide to take the plunge.

That is why I have made things easier for you and collaborated 10 of the most useful websites that I have come across. They are full of useful and invaluable information to either help you decide where is best for you to relocate or if you already know where you are going why not check these websites out for further information on your chosen country.

Here are the Top Expat Websites (Listed Alphabetically)

Canada Anglo Info

This site is great if your chosen destination is Canada. It is a very fact full website that offers maps and news on Canada. It helps you compile a checklist for relocating. It contains links and contact addresses for all important sources that may help you with your move.

Escape Artist

Many guides to living overseas are on here. As well as the popular destinations to emigrate to, it includes the more unusual ones, which are searchable by region or country. It is jam-packed full of information and contains a lot of referenced material. Escape Artist is updated frequently.

Expat Arrivals

There are expat guides included on various countries. There are Q & A’s, blogs and expert advice. You can join an online community and even buy an e-book. Expat Arrivals offers inside knowledge on your chosen culture and procedures to buy property and land plus much more.

Expat Forum

This site covers many countries. There is an individual forum for each country so you can easily find the relevant information you are looking for. It is updated daily so all information is very much current. There are many members and the forums are large. Lots of great articles to read also.

Expatica
Offers 11 of the popular destinations to relocate to. Expatica gives you the important facts you need to know. From where to live to what the healthcare is like. Also features the latest news on each country and has a forum and discussion board.

Getting Down Under

This website gives you an insight into life in Australia. There are communities to be a part of and blogs to read. It tells you the latest news for living in Australia and gives you great hints and tips for your move. Also has useful sections on visas and working.

Just Landed

This site has an extensive range of countries that you may wish to emigrate to. It is easy to navigate around. Just Landed points you in the right direction with getting visas or researching the culture plus loads more. You can be part of the community for your chosen country and find suitable jobs and somewhere to live.

My UK Move

Contains all information to help you decide if you would like to relocate to the UK and planning your arrival. Gives information on costs of living and a general insight to what it is like to live in the UK. It also gives you advice on settling in and finding your way around.

Spanish Living

There site contains a lot of information about Spain and helping you to relocate there. There are a wide range of varied articles. It gives advice covering all aspects from getting internet and telephone to starting up your own business. The site is easy to find your way around.

Turkish Living Forum
This forum offers extensive information on relocating to Turkey. The members tell you about different areas to live and their experiences good and bad. There are sections to help you with all things associated with moving to and living in Turkey. You can communicate with people living there and no what to expect before you relocate there.

So you are the one who is living abroad while whole family is living in your country. What is the most problematic situation for you while living abroad? For most of the people, it is to talk back at home because international calls are quite expansive. Although you can take your cell phone with you and activate international roaming but still the charges are unbearable. Hope never ends and necessity is the mother of all inventions. If you will search properly then you will definitely find a better way to make international calls. I would suggest using expat phone cards as they can offer you great value in fewer prices.

There are different expat cards that are available in the market. Either you can buy an expat card from a book store or a post office or any other shop where phone cards are sold or you can buy it online from the internet. Although, expat cards can help you to save a lot of money but still you will like to save more money on these expat cards too. There is a very simple technique that can be used by you. The technique that is described below is a practical technique and you will definitely it useful for you.

We all know about expat calling cards, you can buy them from nearest store or from the internet. If you want to save on expat phone cards then it is better to buy these cards online. There are so many websites that are selling expat phone cards. Usually the cards that you will find on the internet will be cheaper as compared to the cards that are available in your local area market. You can even find a $30 worth expat card in just $25 on the internet. This will feel crazy but there are certain companies that are giving such offers to the customers to attract them.

What do you need more when you are getting a decent offer? This is your chance to save more on expat cards. Keep looking for promotional offers from different expat card companies. Such companies keep introducing new and exciting offers in which they don’t only give away expat cards on a discounted rate but also offer free expat cards. By winning a free expat card, you can save a lot of money and use it at some other productive place.

In the present era of globalization, the rapid economic growth and urbanization has transcended international borders. While on one hand it means that nations across the world are moving towards a better future with more technological developments, on the other hand it brings about a growing exchange of people and cultures around the globe. This exchange only keeps increasing every year, and very soon there will be a community more predominant in each country that would represent a microcosm of the cultures of the entire world: I am talking of course about the community of expats.

While most expats are very happy to immerse themselves in the local way of life by meeting all new kinds of people, some find it more comfortable to continue living their normal, quiet lives, save for the local festive occasions and get-togethers. But almost all expats would readily agree that nothing fills them up with joy more than communicating with their loved ones back home. Getting that one birthday call from your childhood friend across the globe lightens up your day; a student hearing the good luck wishes from his parents back home over the phone on the day of his exams holds his head proud all day; a working professional gets his peace of mind after hearing his wife’s voice 3 continents away over the electronic lines every night before going to sleep. Such is the importance of staying in touch with family and friends back home.

The one stop shop of solutions for converting all this to reality is a calling card. In age of electronics and communication, the expat calling cards have risen to prominence more than ever. With a growing population of expats, there is a correspondingly growing number of ways of communicating with your folks back home. However, it can be very confusing in this day of explosion of technologies to make the optimal choice. Prepaid calling cards, cheap voice calls over the internet, international monthly tariff sim cards, nation specific calling cards are just some of the many available avenues.

Prepaid expat calling cards have been in the market for a while now. They provide a good flexibility in procurement, a hassle free-usage, and a good usability in the short term. However, the tariff might not be as lucrative as in some of the other long-terms options available. A short-term exchange student, a professional in for a small business trip or even a globetrotter might want to go for this fast and easy option.

Monthly tariff systems, on the other hand, can provide better deals with contract handsets (these might well be one of the latest and most awaited gizmos) and a very reasonable international calling tariff with special plans. Expats who are settled abroad for long term assignments would usually prefer this option.

The country specific calling cards also deserve a special mention. These are much better and economical if you are sure to be calling to a particular destination regularly. But there have been known issues with most of these cards, for instance: complicated usage requirements, like 16 digit pin entering every time you make a call, hidden fees, etc.

It is therefore imperative to find out more about the service providers, take feedback from other expats and then decide on the kind of card you want to go for. There are surely many good services out there with ease of use and reachable affordability for all kinds of expats, students or working professionals alike. “Affordable Calling Cards” is currently offering these services to many expats around the world.

A small mention is demanded by VoIP or internet telephony (For eg: Skype, GTalk, etc), a growing space favored by the student expats over the globe. While it makes international calling to mobile phones and fixed lines highly economical, it is severely limited in the quality of the calls by virtue of the data-packet nature of the signals over the internet. However, with better 3G and 4G services being promised in the near future around the world, the international calling space is poised to see a whole lot of competition, followed by reasonable pricing by most players like www.Pingo.com. Surely, the expat community and all our expat friends won’t have any problems with that piece of news, would they?

An article in UrbanMecca.com announced that Black in Latin America, a new four–part series “on the influence of African descent on Latin America”, is the 11th and latest documentary film from renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

I’m impressed with the ideas brought out in the PBS series concerning the African presence in Latin America, as they are in line with content of my newly released book Born in the Land of the Tango: A Memoir About Identity, Family, and Healing. It’s interesting that scholar, Henry Louis Gates Jr. covers six Latin American countries and explores how each country acknowledges or denies their African roots, and how African descended individuals live and are perceived in their native countries. I’m surprised that Argentina is not one of the countries profiled, and yet it is clear they still categorically tend to deny the African past- despite the presence of many “enlightened” black Argentinians.

The article went on to say “Latin America is often associated with music, monuments and sun, but each of the six countries featured in Black in Latin America including Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico and Peru, has a secret history.”

Fast Facts:

* 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World during the Middle Passage.

* While just over 11.0 million survived the arduous journey, only about 450,000 of them arrived in the United States. The rest—over ten and a half million—were taken to the Caribbean and Latin America and kept in bondage far longer than the slaves in the United States.

* This astonishing fact changes the entire picture of the history of slavery in the Western hemisphere, and of its lasting cultural impact.

* These millions of Africans created new and vibrant cultures, magnificently compelling syntheses of various African, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish influences.

* Despite their great numbers, the cultural and social worlds that they created remain largely unknown to most Americans, except for certain popular, cross-over musical forms.

According to Urban Mecca.com in his new series, “Professor Gates sets out on a quest to discover how Latin Americans of African descent live now, and how the countries acknowledge—or deny—their African past; how the fact of race and African ancestry play themselves out in the multicultural worlds of the Caribbean and Latin America.”

The article in UrbanMecca.com pointed out, “Starting with the slave experience and extending to the present, Professor Gates unveils the history of the African presence in six Latin American countries through art, music, cuisine, dance, politics and religion, but also the very palpable presence of anti-black racism that has sometimes sought to keep the black cultural presence from view.”

Jackie O’Neal is the author of Born in the Land of the Tango: A Memoir About Identity, Family, and Healing. To learn more and get updates, visit: http://borninthelandofthetango.wordpress.com/book-news

I don’t want to return to my country of origin.

There. I said it. (God, I hope my mom doesn’t read this!)

In 2008, I married the love of my life – a handsome, smart, funny, loving man… who happened to live on another continent, belong to another nationality, and claim a language other than English as his mother tongue.

A week later, I was living with him in the Netherlands. Yes, it was rocky at first. Yes I sometimes still have that “what the hell am I doing here?” feeling. And, yes, life in the Netherlands could not be more different from what I was used to in the United States.
But I love it.

Feel free at this point, to argue that I’ve only been here for 18 months and am clearly still in the honeymoon phase associated with culture shock. I see your point and I fully agree. Things can change. But, from where I am now, I don’t see that happening.
The first question I get when I reveal this information is: “Oh, you’re husband doesn’t want to live in the US?”

Actually, my husband would love to live in the US. If I hear him lament about not having a ridiculously spacious garage for storage purposes, an American-sized back yard for the dog to run around, or a gargantuan pickup truck to cruise in one more time, I’m going to scream. Lucky for me, he’s terrified of the harsh working culture in the US, so I may yet avoid having to leave the Netherlands.

“What is it about the Netherlands that you like so much?” is the inevitable follow up.

Feeling like I have to satisfy my enquirer with an answer, I’ll say something like the cycling culture or the healthier lifestyle or better healthcare. Though all those things are true, they’re just the superficial things. It’s the opportunities, the benefits, the liberation I feel, the people, the experience, and really just this feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that tells me that this is home.

In fact, I find it difficult to go back to the US even for a visit. Of course I love seeing family and friends, but I miss my husband and my dog and my friends and my life here. I see with ever increasing clarity that I fit in in the US less and less. My ideals, expectations, wants, needs, experiences, and opinions have changed as my eyes have been opened to new things. I see the world, people and myself in a different way.

I realize that I’ll never truly fit in in the Netherlands either. No matter how well I learn the history and the language, no matter how well I adapt to the lifestyle and culture, I’ll never be Dutch. And I’m okay with that. Because, no matter how much I may have changed as a result of my expatriate-ism, I am still American and I don’t want to give that part of me up. It’s what makes me unique. What makes me… me!

Ironically, it took leaving my home country and moving to the Netherlands to release it.

Tiffany is an American who moved to the Netherlands for love in December 2008. She lives in Utrecht with her husband and their dog. In addition to chronicling her adventures on her blog Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland, she also works as a freelance writer and runs her own company, Little Broadway.

Christmas is a great time of year to spend time with family and friends, to give gifts, and to have great holiday food. But Christmas can also be a hectic time if you’re overbooking yourself for Christmas parties and traveling long distances. And if you are traveling outside the country this Christmas, that can add even more stress to an already jam-packed December. Foreign countries don’t always celebrate Christmas the same way we do in the US, and international travel can make it hard to pack presents with already limited baggage restrictions. But don’t let all these extra concerns turn your Christmas into a nightmare. You can still have a fun and memorable Christmas while traveling abroad.

Open Presents Before Your Leave

I know it sounds like ruining Christmas to open your presents before you leave, but taking extra bags of wrapped presents can be difficult. Before you leave, you can have a little Christmas party of your own with your family. Open up your presents together, have a little eggnog, and sing some Christmas carols together to make it feel more like Christmas morning. Also, keep in mind that traveling abroad gives you an excellent opportunity to buy unique presents at your destination. Giving gifts unique to the location you’ve traveled to will make your Christmas abroad even more memorable.

Bring Decorations From Home

Not all countries and cultures celebrate Christmas the same way, and some don’t celebrate it at all. If you’re longing for a little extra Christmas cheer while abroad, bring a couple of small decorations with you, like a tiny Christmas tree or a stocking. When it is sweltering hot and there aren’t any Christmas lights in sight, you can look at your little tree or small nativity and feel a little Christmas creeping back in.

Embrace Local Culture

Not all foreign cultures celebrate Christmas but many do, just not in the same way. For example, in many Latin American countries, the 6^th of January is a day of gift giving, and the 25^th is more like a New Year’s celebration with fireworks and parties. And just like we have eggnog and candy canes around Christmas time, other countries have their own unique holiday cuisine. Take the time to try it and embrace the local Christmas culture, creating a unique Christmas for all of you to remember for years to come.

Traveling abroad is all about experiencing different cultures and having new experiences. At Christmas time you have even more opportunities to experience unique cultural celebrations around the globe. Embrace these other traditions and have fun. Make your Christmas abroad the best Christmas you’ve ever had.

Gunter Jameson writes about several topics including travel, minimalism and University of Phoenix Programs.