Research shows that at any one time more than half of us are dreaming of a new life overseas, but few actually succeed in making the transition from fantasy to reality. To completely turn everything on its head and start your life all over again in a foreign country is an incredible undertaking and one that many dream of but most ultimately shy away from. If you would like to make your dream a reality this article will help you find the courage and strength you need to:

Democrats Abroad Austria represents US citizens living in Austria looking to drive political change by voting Democratic. While most of our members are in Vienna, chapters are forming in other major Austrian cities and we have seen our numbers triple in the last year.

Engagement is a fairly recent term in business. In the past the talk was about "attracting, motivating and retaining" expatriate employees. All three strategies focused primarily on money.

Learning to speak the native language of where you will be living is typically just one of many things on your to-do list when moving abroad. Becoming an expat can be one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of your life, but the journey is one filled with a vast range of emotions.

For most people, buying an overseas property is a dream. However, with all the intricacies and complicated procedures with overseas banks, developers and solicitors, a lot of people get discouraged with the concept. However, the overseas property mortgage in the UK has undergone a sudden surge in the recent years.

You do not have to be a one of the Beatles to believe that you get by with a little help from your friends. I help you, you help me -- that is how society works. Whether you are migrating to Madrid, expatriating to Jakarta or leaving for a short-term assignment to Buenos Aires, the process of settling-in and getting connected is one of the most important first steps that you will make.

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods." - Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics The results of the latest HSBC Bank International Expat Explorer Survey were released recently. The third report in its Expat Explorer series looked at the issue of integration, investigating the challenges involved in moving abroad and the ease with which people assimilated into the different countries featured*.

Relocation can be a stressful affair. Selling or renting your home, shipping belongings, saying bye to friends and family, leaving your job and worrying about life and work in the new country are but a few of the pressures one feels before and during a relocation.

If you have been putting off learning German because your stay here is only temporary we hope the information below will motivate you to think again and sign up for a course. It will make your stay here simpler, more enjoyable and also add a new skill to your CV/Resume. German (called Deutsch in German), a member of the western group of Germanic languages, is one of the world's major languages.

Four years ago, a company bankruptcy and children home at university sent my husband and me homewards to New Zealand -- after twenty six years living as expats. Actually, I was on my way home. For my Swiss husband, it was just another country. We made the right moves – packed up, organized freight and bought plane tickets, but my feet dragged – through Viennese art galleries and cozy niches of the coffee houses that I wasn’t keen to leave behind. New Zealand didn’t seem very real or even very attractive after the mysteries of the places we’d lived in.

Given the lifestyle and constant change inherent in expatriate life — multiple moves, excessive work demands, travelling partners, loneliness, homesickness, stress, and peer pressure to name just a few — it isn't surprising that substance abuse is a challenge in global living.

Moving abroad it is an adventure that presents us with a wealth of new impressions and experiences. But these gifts do not come without losses. We had to leave behind people we care about. We can no longer drop in on our best friend for coffee. Favourite foods and drinks cannot be found. Our new apartment may have decorative ceilings, but none of the conveniences we are used to. Even familiar things like possessions and husbands seem different here.

BE SURE - Moving can be extremely stressful, be as certain as you can be that it's the right move for you before you go. If possible visit the country before you make up your mind, don't rely on other people's impressions. Ask yourself if the new culture will really suit you (and your family).

"What do you mean you don't know what your Home Leave plans are yet?" one expat said to another recently. "Don't you know that flights have to be booked months in advance?" piped up another. "It's probably too late now. You could be stuck here all summer." "We have had our tickets for ages, since January in fact! They were booked the minute we got back from Christmas leave! " said a third.

Recently a mother called me, saddened by a conversation with her six-year-old. The children in her class had been asked to talk about where they came from. This little girl who had grown up in Belgium and Austria hadn't known what to say.

In summer, expatriate life grinds to a halt. Children's schoolbooks are tossed in the corner, and many parents grab the opportunity to jet home with their offspring or take off across one or two of Europe's borders. Whether choosing lengthy sojourns at home, or deciding to explore foreign corners of the earth, summer is a time of promise for expatriates. Like the weather it should be a time of constant highs.

"The comfort of having a friend may be lost but not the comfort of having had one" It's that time of year again in the expatriate community. When spring comes so many of our friends, like migratory birds, are fluffing their feathers ready to fly at the first hint of summer.  Many have already left us, in their thoughts. They don't call so often anymore and conversations, when we do talk to them, revolve around moving companies and the worry work of how to manage when they get home -- far away from us.

It's that time of year again, when the expat community experiences an annual turnover. We must say goodbye to our friends and colleagues and prepare for the newcomers arriving soon. The last hike in the Vienna Woods, the last Schnitzel dinner, these are the measurements of time for families leaving Vienna.

Being a student in Vienna is not all party-party, (though it is mostly so.) Here are some essentials that any student should know about before roaming the streets. If you’re a newbie – read carefully and take notes. And if you consider yourself an old dog – don’t disregard this, we might still have a couple of tricks up our sleeves.

Carelessness is the number one reason for a passport application being rejected or delayed or for a passport being lost, stolen, or damaged. What steps are necessary to prevent these things from happening? How can you take care of your passport? Below are 16 practical tips you can follow to acquire your passport, keep it in your possession, and preserve it in good condition.

Mercer’s overall quality of life survey has revealed that Geneva and Zurich remain the world’s top-scoring cities with 106.5 points. Other high-scoring cities include Vancouver and Vienna in joint 3rd place (score 106)

Research shows that at any one time more than half of us are dreaming of a new life overseas, but few actually succeed in making the transition from fantasy to reality.

I am part of all that I have met (Lord Tennyson). Has the time come to turn your back on Vienna? Are you already savouring your last coffee at the Café Central, squeezing in the last few bars of Mozart or Mahler at the Music Verein? Are you wondering how to bid farewell to friends you have shared special moments with?

Successful packing is all about coordinating. Whether you are going on a business trip or for pleasure, stick with a theme. Believe it or not, you should be able to pack for a week to ten days in a carry-on shoulder bag and a 21” expandable suitcase (which could be carried on if you are nervous about checking baggage).

Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cross cultural communication skills:

"Have we met before?" one expatriate woman asked another, a cocktail glass in her hand. "Only on about seventeen other occasions," answered the second women, trying hard not to throw the contents of her own glass in the woman's face. "Really?" said the first woman, nonplussed. "I can't seem to remember your name."

An expat pet was recently put on a diet by a local veterinarian. It seemed he was not getting as much exercise as he could be, and had packed on a few extra kilos since moving abroad. The vet broke the news to both the pet – a Shetland sheepdog – and his owners just as he was about to plunge a needle into the dog's rear end.

A child's culture shock is not that much different from an adult's. It is an initial reaction to an uncertain and different environment. But never forget that your traveling child is not just a miniature adult. A child is, afterall, a child, and will have more needs which cannot be put on a hold as an adult's can. What are some of the causes of a child's culture shock

Family life overseas is a whole lot different than it was at home. It's not that you never had to accommodate change at home. New situations and new people didn't seem to come up as often as they do overseas. Parenting itself, and the interaction of the nuclear family grouping, is fundamentally the same anywhere in the world. But overseas, situations always seem magnified because they are happening abroad, far from the familiar home. This is especially applicable to how the family functions together.

One of the biggest emotional headaches for spouses moving abroad is the temporary loss of the critical qualities which a woman needs to keep her ego from collapsing in total despair – self-confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of her own identity. In my experience, the first social invitation provides the litmus test for how those qualities are faring overseas. If you fail the test, you're in good company.