Once you've been living in your new home for a while, you'll know where to buy everything and you may even find places to acquire your favourite items from back home. But until you've settled in, it can be a challenge, so it's useful to bring some things with you when you first arrive. If you're moving to Cyprus, here are a few of the items you might want to pack on the journey over.    more ...

Here Be Dragons! That's the ominous title of Ben Zabulis' latest column: he's describing a boat festival that happens every year in Hong Kong.

If you're not ready for dragon-based entertainment and instead you'd like a quiet life, take a look at this list of the best rural locations in the UK, according to a recent survey by Halifax.    more ...

Moving abroad is stressful at the best of times, but when you face discrimination just for being who you are, it can be even more complicated. We're currently running a series of articles about being a transgender expat, and this month we focused on Canada as a destination.

On the other side of the stress scale, a recent survey has revealed the happiest countries in the world. Unsurprisingly, the Nordics are at the top again. How do they do it?!    more ...

Once a month, we like to round up important expat news from around the world for our readers. These are then published as three updates: finance, healthcare, and general news.

This month has been particularly interesting in the Middle East on the healthcare front, with several countries updating their healthcare options for expats.    more ...

Visas are an integral part of moving abroad, and it can be even more complicated if you've recently started a business which you want to continue working on in your new home. Luckily for expats moving there, Thailand has a new kind of start-up visa specifically for tech entrepreneurs.    more ...

Australia's visa system uses a points-based method to determine who can live in the country. This can seem complicated when you first look at it, but we've got you covered. Take a look at our article to see how you can increase your points and get your Australian visa!

While we're on the subject of visas, we also have a guide to the Romanian residency visa, and what you need to do if you want to live there.    more ...

We have a bit of a focus on Germany this week, with two articles looking at life there. First of all, how to drive in Germany; navigating the roads in any new country is scary to begin with, but take a look at our article to ease your concerns.

Teaching is one of the most popular ways of making money abroad. Expat John Siskar moved to Germany on a whim, and since being there has taught everything from Kindergarten through to secondary school. Listen to this week's podcast to learn about his journey and discover what he found most challenging.    more ...

In her latest column, June Finnigan explains how her local town of Certaldo is trying to attract more weddings from abroad. So if you've been thinking about getting married elsewhere, check out the article!

In our latest podcast, Tony tells us what it's like to live abroad with a big family which is spread over two continents.    more ...

Here at Expat Focus we love sharing your experiences of life abroad. Seeing how other expats have dealt with the same frustrations, challenges and joys you're facing can be a great way to feel like you're not alone, even if you're far from home. This week we spoke to Yvette in Paris, Larry in Taipei, Kate in Chicago, and Jacqui in Buckinghamshire.

If you'd like to be interviewed, just fill in the questions here and send us your answers!    more ...

We have quite an eclectic mix of articles for you this week. It's a bank holiday weekend here in the UK, but we're still bringing you content from around the world as usual.

First off, Hong Kong and how to meet new people when you're an expat living there. Finding friends can be a challenge, but if you open yourself up to new experiences you might be surprised at the welcome you'll receive.    more ...