Bulgaria > Expat Experiences

Who are you?

My name is Caroline May. I’m 64 and retired. I used to be a special school teacher.


Where, when and why did you move abroad?

My partner, Danny (51), and I were living abroad for nearly three years before we came to Bulgaria.    more ...

Who are you?

My name is Martin Stephenson and I am an English artist, author and teacher from Yorkshire.


Where, when and why did you move abroad?

I moved to Bulgaria 10 years ago to semi-retire, as I lost my sister to cancer and decided to live the dream instead of waiting for retirement.    more ...

Who are you?

My name is Daniel Roy. I'm a freelance narrative video game writer from Montreal, Canada.    more ...

George, it's been a few years since we last caught up with you - where are you living now?

Have to say it's very nice to hear from you again and for you to follow up on our progress in Bulgaria 7 years on from our first interview!    more ...

Who are you?

Hello, my name is Rebecca Richardson and I’m a sales and marketing professional from the UK. Before moving to Bulgaria I have worked in Dubai, UAE and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I love to travel and feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to combine my love of travel with my career.

Where, when and why did you move abroad?

I first moved abroad in 2008. I always knew I wanted to work abroad and at the time I was in love with Dubai so I decided to move there and start a new life. After spending two years in Dubai I returned to London for two years but once again I wanted to try something new and was then offered a position in the Dominican Republic.    more ...

Hi I am Joanna Newman. I was a wife, as well as a mother & nana, when I moved here but I am now single. Not sure who I am right now as I am re-evaluating this very question. I am though the face behind "The Secret Garden Tea Room" which raise money for charities in Bulgaria.

I have lived permanently in the Veliko Turnovo area of Bulgaria for 6 years after owning property here for 3 years previously.

I moved here with my husband after we fell in love with the country & the simplicity of life here.    more ...

Who are you?

My name is Eric Helms and I am an American human rights professional working in the fields of Roma rights and human trafficking prevention. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and still consider it my home despite my endlessly itinerant lifestyle.

I have a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a master’s degree in International Human Rights from the University of Denver. Since 2006, I have spent a majority of my time living and working in the non-governmental field in Central and Eastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria and Budapest, Hungary.    more ...

My name is Darrin Best and I am based near the Albena resort and Balchik town, in Bulgaria, about 35km from Varna airport. I moved in 2004.I just wanted to do something different and adventurous, something new.

I faced many challenges during the move. Not only the language and the alphabet, which is in Cyrillic, but also people are very Slavonic and even 'yes' and 'no' are basically reverse nods to the west. Bulgarian bureaucracy was, and is, a nightmare! For example when I first came here you had to register with the police and were only allowed a 30 day stay without a Visa. If you wanted to stay long term you had to get a 90 day visa and then apply for long term residence. Now all this has gone since we entered the EU in 2007, but still anything to do with the government takes time and many civil servants have a soviet mindset i.e. slow and jobsworth.    more ...

My name is George St Clare and I currently live in Balchik on the Northern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. Prior to Bulgaria, I have worked in the computer field in the UK and Qatar, computers and real estate in Russia and real estate in Malta. In Bulgaria, I run three companies - GPS systems, real estate and specialised British Food.

My move to Bulgaria took place at the end of 2004 from Malta. The real estate market was not really moving there at that time and there appeared to be good opportunities in that area in Bulgaria. Malta is a small island and having driven round the whole island many times in a couple of hours, it was beginning to become a lot less interesting than it had been! I am now married to my fourth Russian/Ukranian wife whom I met in Balchik.    more ...

I am Rachel, a British girl, born in North West England. Studied medical biochemistry and then did a law degree and practiced as a lawyer in a high street firm for a couple of years before getting bored with the desk job and 9 till 5. Lived on a farm most of my life until leaving the UK. Family all still in north England.

I moved to Central Bulgaria in October 2006. I had originally visited Bulgaria purely looking for investment purposes. I did put down a deposit on an apartment in the ski resort of Bansko but soon pulled out after seeing all the development and facing problems with the developers. But I traveled around Bulgaria a lot and loved the country. Myself and my partner at the time decided we needed a change of life and to leave the family farm we were trying to run due to financial and other difficulties. I had already started investing in property in Bulgaria back in 2005 and was working part time selling property in Bulgaria in partnership with a small agency there so seemed logical to move to Bulgaria. However, a couple of months before we were due to move out to Bulgaria my partner (now ex) decided not to come and so I moved out alone.    more ...