The InterGlobal Expat

Life expectancy in Japan is extremely high. There a number of people over 100 who are still active and mentally healthy. According to both the UN and WHO, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world. The average is 82.25 years. While men live to be an average of 79 years old, women reach  Read more »

If you’ve visited Bali, you’ll know that while it is enchanting in many ways, it has become somewhat of a tourist trap, which takes away some of its magic. However, not far from Bali are Lombok and the Gilis, a cluster of islands in the province of West Nusa Tenggara that have been referred to  Read more »

Asia is known for its mix of new and old, traditional and modern, hip and historical. Singapore is an exception; a city-state less than a century old, it’s more new than old, especially when it comes to architecture. When it comes to the country’s shopping malls, “new” usually means built within the past two years,  Read more »

With fresh food markets on every street corner and more than 10,000 restaurants and eateries, Hong Kong is a food lover’s dream come true. The city’s interesting and varied food culture has earned it the reputation of a gourmet’s paradise, and it is certainly one of the world’s better cities for eating out. Expats who  Read more »

It seems like just the other day that I was standing at this exact spot – outside the ticket office at the Gran Teatro Falla in Cadiz collecting my ticket to Jorge Drexler’s first ever performance in this city. Now, just 18 months after his groundbreaking debut, singer songwriter Drexler – a Uruguayan expat living  Read more »

With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Gibraltar not only offers all the ingredients of a relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle, but all of the benefits you would associate with a British overseas territory. When you add the robustness of the housing market and the favourable tax regime – no VAT, wealth, inheritance or capital gains  Read more »

Despite having a population of only 200,000, Jerez is the largest city in Cadiz province and sits at the heart of the region’s commercial and transport system. Although it clearly punches above its weight, it is often neglected by expats living in Spain, receiving far fewer visitors than other Andalucian cities like Seville, Granada or  Read more »

The Bay of Gibraltar, at the southernmost point of mainland Europe, has been a population hot-spot for thousands of years. The story of human settlement in the area charts back to Neanderthal times, long before the British arrived or even the days of Al Andalus and its subsequent reconquista by Spain. Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman  Read more »

Thanks to its position along the equator, high temperatures and humidity make Southeast Asia a popular breeding ground for dangerous mosquito, food, water and air borne diseases, which can catch newly arrived expats unaware. Heavy monsoonal rains and year round temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius or higher mean more vectors for disease transmission, while undeveloped  Read more »

Thailand is famous for a lot of things. Its beaches, its nightlife, its food, and its smiling people have drawn tourists to the tropical Asian country for decades. A new reason to visit the so-called Land of Smiles has prompted some to come visit this sunny southeast Asian destination in recent years: low-cost healthcare. As  Read more »

Though Singapore is home to some of the best hospitals in the world, many locals and a growing number of expatriates are finding relief from chronic health ailments at reputable Chinese physicians, homeopaths, chiropractors, reiki healers and other complementary medicine practitioners. Thanks to its multicultural population, consisting or Chinese, Indians, Malays and Eurasians, alternative healthcare  Read more »

Have you ever been to a private clinic? As an expat in your adopted country of residence, what things do you consider when choosing between a private clinic versus a public one? For many, the answer will depend usually on the quality of the public care offered. In some of Asia’s more developed regions, such  Read more »