What is an Expat or Expatriate? Living Life Abroad

What is an expat or an expatriate? Expat is a shortened term for expatriate. An expat has left their home country and resides or lives in a different country.

So if you are backpacking Europe for six months without coming back, does this make you an expat? Yes, it does! How about living in South East Asia teaching English for a year or two, and maybe you decide to stay indefinitely? Once again, you are an expat.

How Many Expatriates Are Around the World?

People have tended to move around the world throughout the history of man. As of now, there are around 258 million expats, and by 2050 an estimated 405 million people will be expats:

Is an Expat an Immigrant?

An immigrant is someone that goes to live in a foreign country permanently. Immigrants have a goal in mind to live permanently in a new country.

Becoming an Expat

Leaving your home country, local food, family, and friends is not an easy task. Going to a new country where the food is different, the customs are different, and the foreign language can bring on some culture shock to many people.

Why Do People Become Expats?

There are many reasons people may become an expat, from learning a new language to going to school, or most likely because a job relocation has sent you abroad.

What is it Like to Live as an Expat?

You leave to experience new cultures and new places to share different ways they do things.

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