Community Blogs

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

• Jan 22

Saudi Arabia offers family attractions including Al Shallal Theme Park, Fakieh Aquarium, Kingdom Center Sky Bridge, and educational heritage sites across Riyadh and Jeddah.

Fatima Hassan

62

Moscow, Russia

• Jan 22

Russian banking includes 350 supervised banks with cash transactions dropping to 31% as digital payments via Visa, Mastercard, and Mir networks expand.

natasha

59

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• Jan 22

Motor and health insurance are compulsory in the UAE, with employers arranging coverage for staff and 62 insurance companies offering various protection options.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• Jan 22

UAE work visas require employers to process entry permits, Labor Cards, and residency visas in 2-4 weeks, with options including Green Visas and Golden Visas.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Jan 22

Professional English proficiency in the Netherlands increases salaries at international companies, with B1 intermediate level requiring 400 study hours and multiple course types available.

Paris, France

• Jan 22

French state pension requires 42 years of work for full benefits (50% of average earnings), with retirement starting at age 62 and three-pillar pension structure.

olivia

133

Bern, Switzerland

• Jan 21

Switzerland ranks ninth globally in education, offering free public schools in canton languages, private international schools with IB programs, and education from age 6-15.

Ingrid

101

London, United Kingdom

• Jan 21

UK weddings require 29 days notice at Registry Office, cost £17,300 on average, and offer both civil ceremonies (82%) and religious options for couples.

Priya

87

Europe

• Jan 21

Maintain eye contact when toasting across Europe to avoid bad luck—each country has unique drinking customs from French wine etiquette to Dutch jenever challenges.

The Expat Collective

95

Pretoria, South Africa

• Jan 21

Online transfer services offer the fastest, cheapest option for international money transfers in South Africa, while traditional banks charge higher fees but provide secure SWIFT transfers.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Jan 21

Dutch takes 600-750 hours to intermediate level. Learn through courses (€500-2K), apps, immersion, and daily practice with natives.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Jan 21

Intensive Dutch: daily 4-6hr sessions, boot camps, immersion. Cost €500-3,500. Programs: full-time, boot camps, online, government-sponsored (free), private tutoring (€40-100/hr). One level in weeks.

Madrid, Spain

• Jan 21

Spain: laidback lifestyle, 300+ sunshine days, affordable (€1,500-2,500/month couples), excellent healthcare. Lower salaries. Work: teaching, tourism, tech. Housing €100-300k smaller cities.

Emily Johnson

188

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• Jan 21

UAE offers extensive English entertainment: VOX/Reel/Novo cinemas (AED 35-75), Dubai Opera, Etihad Arena, live music venues. TV: OSN, beIN, BBC, CNN. Papers: The National, Gulf News.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Jan 21

Netherlands: 13 research universities, 43 applied sciences. Top schools: Amsterdam (58th), Delft (61st), Utrecht (112th). Bachelors 3-4yrs, masters 1-2yrs, PhD 4-6yrs (often paid).