15 of the Best Expat Blogs

Of all the entertaining varieties of travel blogs out there, there’s one category that sets itself apart in a way that I find most appealing – and that’s the expat blog. I’m a wannabe expat myself, so clearly that’s part of the draw for me, but I also think the way an expat approaches blogging is inherently different from any other travel blogger. In fact, many of them wouldn’t even consider themselves travel bloggers, and there’s a good reason for that.

It’s because they’re not.

Being an expat blogger can mean writing about cultural observations about one’s chosen home, or about the new cafe or shop or museum one discovers in the getting-to-know-you phase of living in a different place. But once you’re settled in, it can be hard to continue to look at where you live as a traveler might. Which is why so many expat blogs are one part travel guide, one part cultural anthropology class, and one part “what I had for breakfast” blog.

Obviously, with this kind of ingredient list it takes a good writer (or photographer) to keep things interesting. So in this article I want to highlight a few of what I think are the best expat blogs out there.

15 of the Best Expat Blogs (in No Particular Order)

Miss Expatria (Rome & Montpellier) – Christine Cantera, AKA Miss Expatria, is one of my favorite bloggers, period. She’s hysterically funny but also unfailingly charming with her enthusiasm for everything. She’s like a kid in the candy store of the world, and no matter where she is she’s in love with something enough to tell you about it. Reading her blog, you feel like you’re chatting with an old friend over coffee. Or wine. Or both.

David Lebovitz: Living the Sweet Life in Paris (Paris) – David’s a food writer who lives in Paris, so the blog is equal parts food porn and Parisian (sweet) life. His cultural observations are amusing as well as interesting, and a recent post about what he’d miss if he moved away from Paris was particularly enlightening. (His Twitter updates are immensely entertaining as well.)

Alexandre Gervais (Tokyo) – Alexandre Gervais’ self-titled blog is a showcase for his photography, and what beautiful photography it is. He’s from Montreal, and moved to Japan to learn Japanese – thankfully he’s also a top-notch photographer who enjoys sharing his surroundings with the rest of the world. The words are minimal on the site, but the pictures are huge; and, for photo-geeks, the technical details of each picture are provided, too.

Traveling Mama (Morocco) – Tina and her family are, technically speaking, in the middle of something of a round-the-world trip. It’s just that they’ve been in Morocco since early 2007 and her husband runs a language school there – so I think it’s probably more accurate to call them expats than travelers at the moment. Either way, the blog is beautiful (the fact that Tina’s husband is also a skilled photographer doesn’t hurt!) and the writing lovely.

Danish Accent (Portland) – One of the best things about an expat blog is the potential for seeing your own home country in a new way, so finding expat blogs in the United States is particularly fun – especially when that blogger lives part-time in your home city, too! Peter Fogtdal is an author who splits his time between Copenhagen in his native Denmark and Portland, Oregon, where he’s a literature and writing professor. His blog includes posts about his travels and cultural observations, as well as information about the books he’s written.

Still Life in South America (Buenos Aires) – As the about page of this blog states, it’s “part travel journal and part resource for fellow travelers,” which is a pretty good combination for an expat blog. It’s written by an American writer and English professor who moved to South America in early 2008 with her husband in order to learn Spanish, and they’ve lived in Buenos Aires since mid-2009. You may never know the name of “the writer,” but the writing is great, and the photos are plentiful.

Isoglossia (Slovenia & Bulgaria) – I’m oddly drawn to Isoglossia, despite it feeling like it’s more about things like potty-training and other child-rearing topics than about travel, because the author is bitingly funny. John is an American who recently moved his family from Slovenia to Sofia, Bulgaria, so it’s possible the new environs will inspire more travel-esque posts in the future. Even if that’s not the case, however, the site is worth stopping by for a good chuckle now and then (as is the Twitter feed). And any travel trivia freak will be happy to know just what an isogloss is.

Rome Photo Blog (Rome) – There’s no shortage of “daily photo blogs,” but I particularly like Jessica Stewart’s. She’s a talented photographer who has a knack for spotting things in her adopted city that you might miss if you were just passing through (she’s particularly fascinated by street art). Looking at her photos makes me look at my surroundings, wherever I am, in a new way – which is a great attitude to have whether you’re traveling or not.

Diary of a White Indian Housewife (Mumbai) – Sharell met the man of her dreams in a Kolkata nightclub while on leave from her job in Melbourne, and that changed her life forever. They got married and moved to Mumbai, where she is – as the blog title indicates – a “white Indian housewife” who writes about travel in India for About.com and about life in India on her blog. There are cultural observations, travel tips, and tidbits about daily life – and there are also lots of pictures.

Le Franco Phoney (La Clusaz) – As you can probably tell from the cute blog name, this blogger has a sense of humor. Australian April Hollands moved to the French Alps after two stints living in England in order to be closer to snow (she loves winter sports), and has been blogging since mid-2008. April’s a writer with a background in journalism, but don’t worry about getting overwhelmed by hard-hitting serious topics on her blog. You’ll find more in the way of funny observations about life in France on the blog than anything else, and that’s one of the things that makes it so delightful.

Touching Up My Roots (Croatia) – This blog is about one American family’s journey tracing ancestral roots in Mrkopalj, Croatia. The blog’s author, Jennifer, is the one with the Croatian family ties, but her husband and their two kids are along for the adventure, too. There’s evidently a book in the works, but you can follow along before publication on Jen’s Croatia blog – full of photos and colorful local personalities. And for fun, check out the kids’ blog, too.

From Russia With Love (Rostov-on-Don) – Eileen Emch is a missionary in “the largest city in southwest Russia,” Rostov-on-Don, and has lived there since 1999. She’s been blogging since 2006, and her blog is full of observations on both the local culture and what travel is like in the former Soviet Union. She’s an experienced and eager traveler (not to mention an eager blogger), and she takes lots of pictures.

Living in Egypt (Cairo) – As Maryanne Stroud Gabbani says on her website, “I have experienced Egypt myself as a tourist and then as someone living here on a day to day basis. I know the difference.” Maryanne’s been in Egypt since the 1980s, blogging since 2003, and she now leads horseback riding tours in Giza. Her perspectives as both a long-time local and yet still an outsider make for an interesting read.

Emilie Johnson (Paris) – There’s a nice mixture on this blog of travel tidbits and what Emilie’s daily life is like in Paris, plus she takes lovely photos. The cast of characters includes her French husband and his adorable daughter as well as her in-laws, so you get a feel for French family life in addition to expat life. Read up on Parisian life quickly, though, as it appears Emilie’s returning to New York (with her French family in tow) in early 2010. Let’s just hope she keeps blogging.

Ahoy, Hanoi! (Hanoi) – Although the author of this blog is starting to bounce around a bit location-wise, he’s still firmly outside his home country and pretty funny no matter where he is. Ben August had planned to spend six months in Hanoi, but then he met a girl – you know how that goes. He ended up staying for more than a year, and even returned after traveling for awhile. Ben’s got a great sense of humor, and posts lots of photos and video of his life in Vietnam and his travels throughout the region.

Finding Expat Bloggers

We’ve all heard how everyone has a blog these days, and sometimes that feels true – which is why I said this is only a list of some of the great expat blogs out there. There are, as you might expect, a kajillion (that’s a technical term) expat blogs, and a huge number of them are really interesting.

If you’re looking for more expat blogs, one handy place to look – especially if you’re looking for blogs in a specific location – is the Expat Blogs site. You can find blogs by country, and you can also find information about living in that country.

And if your favorite expat blog wasn’t included in this list above, please let us know what it is in the comments section below. We love finding out about new expats worth following.

About the Author

BootsnAll staff writer Jessica Spiegel is midway through the excessively long paperwork process involved in becoming a legal immigrant to Italy, and in the meantime she continues to write about Italy travel for BnA on WhyGo Italy. You can also find her on Twitter @italylogue.

photo by mangpages

Eight Paintings Every Traveler Should See (And Where to See Them)

Many travelers have a bucket list of places they want to go before they, well, kick the bucket. They want to see new sights, scale soaring mountains and tap their toes in exotic seas … and slowing down for a museum tour isn’t always high on that list. But sometimes it should be.

Here are eight classic paintings every traveler needs to add to their list before it is too late.

The Mona Lisa in the Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

Some experts speculate that the Mona Lisa is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

So maybe you’ve heard Leonardo’s leading lady is a disappointment. The painting is small, it is hard to see and the crowds are overwhelming. Well, it is all true. The painting is small and the crowds are big, but few paintings in the world have stirred as much mystery as this 16th century portrait. And even if she is a tad tiny, the Louvre is the largest national museum in France, the most visited museum in the world and is a 12th century landmark in the City of Lights … it can’t all be disappointing, right?

Starry Night in the Museum of Modern Art – New York City, New York, USA

Don McLean’s song “Starry, Starry Night” is based on this painting

Although he only sold one painting in his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh is a big star in the artistic world. Arguably his most famous painting, Starry Night is one of the most replicated prints in the world and is a must-see masterpiece for vacationers heading to the Big Apple. Located in Midtown Manhattan, The Museum of Modern Art has been called the most influential museum of modern art in the world.

Guernica in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía – Madrid, Spain

The painting revealed Picasso’s horror at Nazi soldiers in Spain

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting depicts the bombing of Guernica, Spain by German and Italian planes during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. The mural was commissioned by the Spanish Republican government to adorn the Spanish Pavilion during the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. It is currently on display at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid where it serves as global reminder of the sobering catastrophes of war.

The Birth of Venus in the Uffizi Gallery – Florence, Italy

Botticelli’s political connections saved his painting from fires that destroyed other “pagan” art

The Italian Renaissance was born in Florence and thus, it is only fitting one of the most famous Italian paintings, the Birth of Venus, is housed in Florence’s oldest, and most famous, museum-The Uffizi Gallery. There is much speculation in the art world as to when and why Sandro Botticelli created his masterpiece-which depicts Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, emerging from a seashell and being handed a flowered cloak by the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. However, there is no denying The Birth of Venus should be added to every art-loving traveler’s list of must-see paintings.

The Kiss in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere – Vienna, Austria

Klimt liked closeness-similarly nestled couples appear in two of his other paintings

Gustav Klimt’s Der Kuss, or The Kiss, shows a couple in varying hues of gold mosaic-like colors sharing … that’s right, a kiss. Painted during Klimt’s golden period, The Kiss is considered his most famous painting and it is believed that Klimt himself, along with his longtime partner, Emilie Flöge, modeled for the painting. In 2003, a €100 Painting Coin, was issued with The Kiss on one side and a studio-bound Klimt on the reverse. The painting is currently housed in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna.

The Scream in The Munch Museum – Oslo, Norway

This painting has also been referred to as “The Cry”

If one is good, then four is better … or at least Norway-native Edvard Munch thought so. He created not one, but four versions of his most-famous painting, The Scream, which portrays a tormented sexless figure against a blood-red landscape of Oslofjord. One version of the painting is housed in the National Gallery in Oslo, another is owned by Norwegian billionaire, Petter Olsen and the remaining two paintings are property of the Munch Museum. However, one of the most famous versions, a 32 inch X 30 inch tempera on cardboard, was stolen from the museum in 2004 and has yet to be returned. Now that is something to scream about.

American Gothic in the Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois, USA

Notice how the pitchfork is echoed in the farmer’s overalls

Every traveler has seen a parody of this painting in some form or another, whether it was Kermit and Piggy, Mickey and Minnie or Homer and Marge. But Grant Wood’s original American Gothic masterpiece-who was modeled by his spinster sister and his dentist is proudly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Interestingly enough, this famous Iowan couple never modeled together for the painting and neither of them ever stood in front of the Carpenter Gothic house that sits in the background.

Water Lilies in the Musée Marmottan – Paris France

Monet suffered from cataracts when he completed many of the Water Lilies paintings

Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series is a compilation of 250 oil paintings from the flower gardens at his home in Giverny, in northern France. The paintings are dispersed throughout the world in major museums in France, the United States and Japan. The largest collection of Monet’s work is housed in a 19th Century mansion, the Museè Marmottan, that was the beneficiary of more than 130 paintings, watercolors, pastels and drawings when Monet’s son left them to the museum in his will.

Read about author Cherrye Moore and check out her other BootsnAll articles

Additional photo credits:
Picasso by Mark Berry on Flickr, Botticelli by MrOmega on Flickr, American Gothic by Opacity on Flickr

Tony Wheeler in Afghanistan, at Christ-e-Sharif

Tony in Iraq

Walking to the Soyuz bus, just before launch

Cycling past Jupiter in Melbourne

5 Reasons to Visit British Columbia that Have Nothing to Do With the Olympics

Even if you’re not a sports nut, you’ve probably heard that the 2010 Winter Olympics are in Vancouver, British Columbia. (This fact has been drilled into your head especially hard if you live in or near British Columbia.)

I don’t doubt that there are people all over the world – people who are not athletes or related to athletes – who’ve been planning their BC trips ever since the Vancouver location was announced. But I’m not an Olympics junkie. So instead of thinking of all the Olympics-related events in and around Vancouver come next February/March, I’m focused on all the exceptionally cool things about BC that people who pay attention only to the games will miss.

To be fair, there are places in British Columbia (especially in the north) that won’t be fun during the games. They’ll be “cool,” but not in the good sense of the word. So while I’m making this a list of great reasons to visit British Columbia that have nothing to do with the Olympics, I’m not suggesting that you should do these things in the dead of winter. That would be silly. Olympics junkies, I suggest you take this list as an open invitation to return to BC next summer.

(Everyone else, make your BC summer travel plans now before the Olympics junkies reserve everything.)

5 Great Reasons to Visit BC (Besides the Olympics)

1. The tourism department kicks ass.

What happens when a city wins an Olympics bid? If they’re smart, they splash out gobs of money on things that’ll last (and serve a purpose) well beyond the games. In addition to things like building the Olympic Village and building or renovating places where the various events will be held, the clever folks at BC Tourism beefed up their services throughout the province.

Some of their efforts may not last too far beyond the Olympics (like the longer hours at Tourist Information offices, some open until 9pm), but the brand-new TI buildings and top-notch travel guides are, I’d guess, here to stay. As long as you’ve got a branch or two of BC Tourism along your route, there’s almost no need to have a guidebook – they’ve got detailed magazine-like guides for each region of the province, not to mention friendly and helpful staff at each office.

And I’m seriously in love with their slogan, too – “Super, Natural British Columbia.” Well done, advertising people. You nailed it with that one.

2. The people in British Columbia are some of the nicest on the planet.

When I got back from Scotland, I announced that the Scots were the warmest people on earth. And I still think they’re right up there. But I now think they might have some competition from the folks in BC (not counting the dummy in the picture, of course). Given the amount of money BC had clearly spent on their TIs, I actually wondered at some point if every single resident of the province hadn’t been put on some kind of payroll – it’s like they all work for the chamber of commerce.

You don’t have to stand on a street corner holding a map and looking lost, all you have to do is wear a smile and a local is bound to come up and start a conversation with you – and, in the process of just being friendly, dole out some great travel tips as well. British Columbians (I’m guessing here, I have no idea what they call themselves) are proud of the place they call home, and with good reason, but their level of openness was notable.

They make you feel welcome. They make you feel instantly like family. They want you to love BC like they do. And it works.

3. Haida Gwaii. That is all.

Since a stay on the islands of Haida Gwaii was the main purpose of my recent visit to British Columbia, and since it not only didn’t disappoint but exceeded all expectations, I now think it’s a place everyone should go once in their lives. This archipelago off the northern coast of BC (called the Queen Charlotte Islands by most of the world, but Haida Gwaii – meaning “land of the Haida people” – by the people whose opinions, in my opinion, count most) can be challenging to reach, especially by water, and even during the summer. The rewards for those who make the effort, however, are great.

Haida Gwaii may be most famous for the ancient (and slowly disintegrating back into the earth) Haida village sites dotting the islands, one of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But even without a field trip to one of those sites, there are good reasons to spend time on the islands. There’s the excellent Haida Heritage Centre, which features not only superb examples of Haida carving and art from many moons ago but also a carving shed where Haida artists are continually working on new totems. And you don’t have to be a bird watcher to get a kick out of seeing what can only be described as herds of bald eagles and ravens all over the place. I kept wondering why people weren’t more excited about all the bald eagles until I remembered it wasn’t their national bird.

But even beyond the sights and physical things that make Haida Gwaii worth visiting, there’s a peacefulness on the islands – there’s a sense of calm, and the feeling that you’re very far away from, well, everything. It’s the kind of thing that permeates the skin. When you hear over and over again that “such-and-such a place will change you,” you’re bound to scoff (I did). But I get it now, and I firmly believe what I was told a few times before I went myself: Haida Gwaii will change you.

4. The food in British Columbia can be downright fantastic.

Maybe it’s just me, but when I heard “British Columbia” I didn’t immediately think “great cuisine.” (Maybe it’s the word “British” that’s doing the damage.) So imagine my surprise when nearly everywhere I went I was treated to excellent food made with fresh and local ingredients.

Sure, in some places that meant a big plate of fries piled high with battered and fried fish, but it was – and I’m not joking – some of the best fish & chips I’ve had in my life. I didn’t ask how long ago that fish had been breathing (wait, do fish breathe?), but given the proximity much of the province has to water, it couldn’t have been long between that fish’s last breath and when it became my lunch.

In a hand-built cottage-cum-restaurant on Haida Gwaii, I had the best fish chowder on earth and a salad made from stuff that had been picked moments before it was served. In the Okanagan Valley, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to fresh produce, with fruit and veg stands lining the roads, and I don’t need to tell wine lovers about the embarrassment of riches the vineyards in that area produce.

In short, half the time even when you’re expecting typical ho-hum diner food, it turns out to be great. And if you’re seeking out even reasonably good restaurants, you don’t have to look too hard to find pretty wonderful meals.

5. There’s an even better view around the corner from the one you just gushed over.

The trip that recently brought me through BC was a road trip I took with my mother – a trip that had been talked about and loosely planned for years. My mother’s a good photographer, but I’m convinced one of the reasons she brought me along was as the trip’s “official photographer,” so she could just point at something and say, “Oh, take a picture of that, please.” Which she did. And which I was happy to do.

But perhaps my favorite moments as the “official photographer” came during our drives from one place to another, along often recently-paved and nearly-empty highways tucked between impossibly and ruggedly beautiful vistas, when one of us would sigh at the loveliness of the view. Such a declaration was dangerous, as it was typically followed by a sudden decrease in speed as the driver would flick on the hazard lights and pull over to the side of the road (these were highways, remember) so I could jump out of the car and take pictures.

It became somewhat comical – especially because (and here we are, getting to the title of this item finally) there was inevitably something more stunning and photo-worthy just around the corner from the view that had, moments before, been the prettiest thing ever. And yes, we’d screech to a halt again and hop out of the car for more pictures.

As a side note, remember #2 above, the thing about the super-nice locals? One late-night photo-op caused a driver coming in the opposite direction to zip across four lanes of the highway (all empty, mind you) to pull over beside us and find out if we were okay. “Yes, fine thanks, just taking pictures of all the pretty.” I said, sheepishly.

But wait, there’s more…

I’m barely scratching the surface here when it comes to all the reasons to visit British Columbia. I haven’t mentioned all the cool islands around Vancouver Island, or the already-well-known cities like Victoria, or the excellent BC Ferries, or the portion of the Inside Passage that isn’t Alaska. I’m leaving out Smithers, the town name I always had to say with my best “Simpsons” impression and which then proved to be more gorgeous than funny, and Prince Rupert, which was not only perfectly adorable but was also where I had the best coffee of the entire trip.

In short, although I’m only recently back from my sojourn north, I’m already trying to figure out a reason to plan a return trip. Which is what you should be doing – Olympics or no.

>> If you’re planning a trip, be sure to check out the official BC Tourism website, as it’s nearly as wonderful as BC itself. And before you ask, no – BC Tourism had nothing to do with my trip or this article. I went to British Columbia on an honest-to-goodness vacation, told almost no one that I’m a travel writer, didn’t ask for (or get) discounts in exchange for anything, and haven’t contacted BC Tourism since I got home. I simply loved it up there and was treated amazingly well, simply because I was a visitor with an interest in BC.

all photos in this article by Jessica Spiegel & may not be used without permission