Just curious out of all the FlyerTalkers if anyone is actually an Expat??? A couple of my friends currently are over in HKG and one is in the process of moving to AMS.

Does Drew Bledsoe post here?

Not currently, but in the past I was an expat in Saudi Arabia for 2 years, and an expat in Hong Kong for 2 years.

Was sorta an expat for 2 years in France. Had a place there and often stayed 2 to 3 weeks at a time, but did return to the U.S. often spliting the time between the 2 almost evenly. So I'm not sure that one qualifies as expat.

Biggest headache for me being an expat? Doing the taxes. I like doing my own, but not in those years. I handed 'em over to pros.

I did however, enjoy the tax benefits of expat living.

I think I've been stuck here in Holland too long to be called an expat

BTW: I hate Holland...

Anything interesting you were able to negotiate??? I know my friends got some really odd incentives...

My best negotiated incentives package was during my work in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to all the normal stuff like compound housing, meal allowance, etc. I was assigned a personal bodyguard/translator/facilitator (a great big hulk of a guy, George, a wonderful gentleman from Egypt), plus 5 days per month anywhere in the world including First Class airfare (usually taken in Europe), and 2 weeks per Quarter vacation including First Class airfare anywhere in the world.

You see, as a expat single man living in Saudi Arabia, there are not many, how do I say it, "opportunities" for "social interaction" with members of the opposite sex.

These were considered "mental health" perks.

I didn't always use some of my travel package as the normal course of my work took me traveling quite a bit, and I would often combine work and pleasure trips into one, saving the boss the additional separate airfare (not that he really needed the money from the savings).

Ex-pat living in France.

The "cloggies" getting you down?

I did 2 years in Den Haag back in the early 90's - glad I went but even more glad when I came home!

Still stand for the National Anthem so I think I have a bit of "Pat" in there somewhere, but I guess the boulder of salt with which I take much of CNN's news has grown significantly by now after 4 years in London, a year in Germany, my ongoing 12 year (so far) stint in Tokyo. So I guess I qualify a bit, but all those expat benefits sure sound great to this local hiree.
Mike

Former 4 year expat in Tokyo here.


The USA is one of 3 countries worldwide requiring its citizens abroad to pay taxes (one of the others being the Philippines).

One of the advantages of being in Japan as a non-US, non-permanent resident (work visa renewed every year) was that one never sees a tax return form. The employer deducts income tax (quite low), health insurance, and retirement fund payment (reimbursed after departure) from the paycheck.

No tax on assets, property abroad, capital gains, etc

I just visited some expat friends in BKK. They have a fulltime maid and driver and Chevron does all their taxes. Prior to Thailand, they had a posting in Angola. They went from the airplane to the helicopter to the compound and never left the compound. At one point a missile - not live - was launched into the compound. Apparently the compound was deliberately placed on the water so they could evacuate by boat, which is what they did at the time.

I'm an expat: first I stayed a couple of years in Hong Kong, now in the US.
Hoping to return to Hong Kong sooner or later: wonderful place, second to none in my book.

I read several replies from expats hating Holland, why?

I have spent more time working overseas than in my own country (Australia). I am now in Japan on a "contract". In the past I have lived and worked in Canada, USA, UK and China.

It's okay but one does get tired of travelling sometimes. My family sometimes hate it and at other times life is good. We do miss being stable though - whatever that means.

Expat in Mexico City. Although it is considered a Hardship country and I receive an additional bonus, it isn't THAT much of a hardship to receive the paid vacations. I would have to live in China to get that perk!

Considering renewing the contract for a second time which would extend my time here to 2005 (6 years). I'm in no hurry to go back to the rat race at the corp. office!

Was in Paris for 3 years as an expat and had a wonderful time. Did quite well financially and took the opportunity to travel on 'holiday' throughout Europe and North Africa, rather than returning to the States as most (or at least many) expats seemed to do. We also lived in a French community rather than the expat ghetto in the 16th.