Expat Focus

When American, Samaki Dorsey Schneider moved to France permanently five years ago, the last thing the 44 year-old expected was to need to take a driving test. But that’s the reality for some expats who can’t simply exchange their existing driver’s license for a French one. Keep listening to find out why this is the case, what the testing process is like in France, some of the costs involved and the road rules that might be a little different to what you’re used to.

Today we’re exploring some of the need-to-knows if you’re planning a move to Vietnam. My guest is Creighton Wong, an American who owns a digital marketing agency. In more normal times, he would be based not just in Vietnam but in other parts of the world too, as a digital nomad. Creighton’s going to share his opinion and experiences with visas, Vietnam’s healthcare system, working in the country as a foreigner, finding places to live, and learning the language.

I first spoke to Max Lee just over a year ago on the show, and he was preparing to move his young family from North America to Taiwan. It was a move abroad that they’d been planning for many years, and Max intended to focus on his music career in their new country, while his wife would be remote working for a company back in the States.

One year on, I’m excited to find out where they’re at - what went to plan, and what plans changed.

When American Sara Dyson moved to Croatia in 2012, she couldn’t find any local resources in English to help her. So as she figured things out - like residency and healthcare, Croatian culture and learning the language, she posted about it on her website, expatincroatia.com, to help other foreigners. Close to a decade later, Expat in Croatia is a full-blown business, and Sara is about to become a Croatian citizen.

In this interview, we talk about why Sara moved to Croatia, the ‘one giant grey area’ that is local bureaucracy and how to work through it, and what she loves about the Croatian way of life.

We are chatting to one of our regular columnists today, Ben Zabulis, who I’ve interviewed in the past about his decision to retire to Hong Kong. Now, lots has been happening in the world since our last chat, so I’m really keen to check in with him and hear his perspective, and also find out how he and his partner keep themselves well and healthy as retirees abroad.

I hope you enjoy this conversation, and if you are looking for expat health and wellness resources yourself, head over to our website, expatfocus.com.