And it has some official backing.

The latest annual ranking[1] by the Economist Intelligence Unit claims Vancouver is the most liveable city in the world.

The survey scores locations according to five factors: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Vancouver topped the poll with 98 out of a maximum 100, as it has done for the past two years. Toronto came fourth, with Calgary fifth.

Mercer’s annual Quality of Living Survey[2] holds Vancouver in similarly high regard – it placed fourth in the 2010 rankings, behind Vienna, Zurich and Geneva.

Meanwhile, this year’s Mercer survey also compiled a list of cities with the best eco-ranking, basing scores on water availability and potability, waste removal, quality of sewage systems, air pollution and traffic congestion. Calgary came out top, with Ottawa in joint third, behind Honolulu.

Canada scores

Indeed, Canada as a whole usually fares well in the various international surveys and rankings.

I may not have been to Vancouver, but I have visited Canada. OK, so a holiday is hardly the same thing as living there (especially as I never experienced the harshness of a Canadian winter). Still, it wasn’t hard to see why the country consistently ranks so highly: huge space … stunning and varied landscapes … diverse recreational activities … reasonable living costs (at least compared to the UK and parts of the United States) … a vibrant economy.

Expat choice

It seems many expats have come to the same conclusion. Canada is the second most popular destination in terms of total number of expatriates from the United States. Among Brits, it ranks fourth.

Expats in Canada seem pretty happy with their lot as well.

HSBC’s 2010 Expat Experience survey[3] asked expats from around the world how they found:

a)      Setting up in their new country of residence.

b)      Integrating into local society.

c)      Their quality of life compared to where they used to live.

Having topped the league in 2009, Canada slipped to second place in the 2010 report. But as HSBC noted, the country “still ranks high for expat lifestyle.”

Not that it is all great, of course. For one, there are those long, cold winters to get through.

The sheer scale has its downsides too – just getting anywhere can take an awfully long time.

(I remember going for a beer one evening during my trip – there wasn’t much to do in the small town where we were staying, so we were driven 90 minutes across the border to a bar in the States!)

And while Canada boasts a host of attractive cities, they can’t boast the same cultural riches as those in Europe and Asia.

Still, nowhere is perfect.

Related posts:

1. Swiss Watch
2. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
3. Looking for Quality of Life?

Mind you, I wasn’t so enthused when I looked out the plane’s window as we came in to land. The pilot informed us (a little too cheerily, I thought) that it was -3°C, and the sky was an ominous grey.

Still, the city soon made up for it.

I had a few hours to kill before a business meeting, so I took the opportunity to amble around the Old Town, before finding my way through the winding streets to the Kunsthaus art museum.

The museum lacks the grandeur and wealth of treasures that the Louvre, National Gallery or the Prado can boast. But with a collection of works spanning six centuries – including some beautiful pieces by Canaletto, Monet and Van Gogh – it is well worth a trip.

And Zürich has a lot more to offer. The cafes, restaurants, shops, and its beautiful lake make Zürich an enviable place to live. Easy access to Switzerland’s world class ski resorts has a certain attraction too!

The Swiss advantage

And Switzerland’s appeal is not limited to its culture or sporting activities.

In its most recent annual survey, the World Economic Forum crowned Switzerland as the most competitive nation in the world for the second year running.

Switzerland was followed by Sweden, with Singapore third in the rankings. The United States slipped to fourth. The United Kingdom was 12^th.

Running like clockwork

Such rankings were underscored on my way home.

The Swiss, of course, are famed for their timekeeping and efficiency. When the trains say they will arrive at a certain time they do, and to the second. They are smooth, clean and comfortable. Getting around Zürich is a cinch.

By contrast, getting back to my home in the UK was anything but smooth and comfortable. London’s Underground system was ground-breaking (literally) when it opened 150 years ago. Now though it is showing its age. There are constant repairs, and too many people jostling to get on.

The subsequent overland leg of my train journey was even worse. Broken signals, delays, overcrowded carriages. Suffice to say, it eventually took me twice as long to get from London’s City airport to home as it had taken me to fly from Switzerland to the UK.

Having lived abroad for many years, I know that nowhere is perfect.

Britain has its faults, for sure – the climate, the overstretched transport infrastructure, the lack of space, its cost of living. Yet coming back to live in the UK has helped me see it with new, more sympathetic eyes, better able to appreciate the wonderful things it does have to offer, and not just the bad bits.

Still, I can see why there is so much interest – especially among those well-paid financial types – in relocating to Switzerland.

Much of the reason may be to do with the favourable tax regimes they can expect to find in the country’s various cantons.

But I’m sure Switzerland’s long-trumpeted quality of life advantages must be as much of a draw.

Related posts:

1. Swiss Watch
2. Tax Threat to UK’s Global Competitiveness
3. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist

So here are some of the key issues to contemplate when deciding where to live:

1)      Education

For any parents, the quality of education available to their children – whether in the local state system, a private institution or at an international school – has to be a crucial factor.

If a country’s educational options are poor, think again. Your child’s future is too important.

2)      Language

Which languages do you speak? Where in the world will you find it easiest to integrate, and feel most comfortable living, as a result? Which languages will prove most beneficial to your prospects going forward?

At the gates of my daughter’s school here in Britain I hear many foreign accents. One big attraction for these parents of raising their children in the UK is the English fluency they are achieving. As the world’s dominant business language at present that will stand them in good stead in the years to come.

3)      Quality of life

Definitions of quality of life vary from person-to-person. But common considerations include the location’s relative cost of living, the climate, career opportunities and earning potential, access to leisure activities, the country’s political freedoms and cultural mores.

For instance, the UK is renowned for its high cost of living and poor weather. However, HSBC’s latest Expat Explorer Survey[1] ranked it the top country for entertainment, and reported that it is an easy place for expats to integrate.

The important thing is to determine which quality of life factors matter most to you.

4)      Social network

It is great to have family support and contact. Yet for many people living abroad often means having to do without that.

In such situations, it is important to be in a location where there are plenty of opportunities to develop a strong circle of friends who can offer emotional support, and with whom you can share the good times.

5)      Future prospects

Looking ahead, what sort of life will your location offer?

Does it hold out the prospect of attractive career opportunities, for you and any children you may have?

If you are considering retirement there, is it affordable?  What sort of social life can you expect? How do the healthcare system, and healthcare costs, stack up?

Answer these crucial questions before you leave home and you have a much better chance of finding happiness and contentment when you arrive.

Related posts:

1. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad
2. Canadian Charm
3. Agassi’s Open Secrets to Living Abroad

Are there certain days when your cat or dog is more irritable than others? Do creatures in the wild go through mood swings? Or is it just humans?

I ask because I read this week about Cathal Morrow, an author living in Madrid. Back in June he embarked on a quest to live for a year without unhappiness, in an attempt to prove happiness is merely a state of mind.

As he writes on his blog, http://imhappyandiknowit.com/:

“What I’m attempting to live is my belief that happiness is entirely independent of the highs and lows of my little life, that it’s far bigger than me. That happiness is a permanent state for us all, if only we allow it to be.”

Being happy. We’re all looking for it, aren’t we?

Yet that appears to be the root of the problem. We’re searching for it, as if happiness is a destination that will be reached once we’ve got X, Y and Z in place.

Thanksgiving

It’s an important issue, brought into focus by this week’s Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.

While it began as a festival giving thanks for the year’s harvest, Thanksgiving has since developed into a more general expression of gratitude.

And therein lies Mr Morrow’s secret to happiness – a determination to see the everyday brightness in life and be happy for it.

Seeking a better life

Which brings me to moving abroad.

Why is it so many people around the world – including millions of citizens in some of the most prosperous countries on the planet – want to relocate elsewhere?

For most people the interest is spurred by a desire to find a “better life,” whatever their definition may be.

Many are stirred by the potential benefits they hope to find by relocating – better weather, more leisure opportunities, lower living costs, attractive employment openings. Others see moving abroad as an escape from the unfulfilled lives they are living in their current location.

Finding Happiness

However, this desire for movement is not necessarily the path to happiness.

Yes, moving abroad can lead to a healthier, happier, richer life. But switching one country for another won’t by itself be enough. Ultimately it is an internal shift, rather than the external one, that leads to happiness and fulfilment.

Hence the importance of gratitude.

Rather than think about the things that are wrong with our lives, we should devote more attention to the things that are right.

It could be your health, or the health of your partner or children, the love of family, laughter with friends, the joy of a sunrise or waves on the beach, thanks for the food you have to eat.

Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t want to improve your current situation. It is human nature, one of the driving forces of evolution. But by stopping to give conscious thanks for those daily blessings we too often take for granted, the chances are you will be a happier person, wherever in the world you happen to find yourself.

Who could ask for a better life than that?

Related posts:

1. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
2. Is Your Family Ready for Your Move Abroad?
3. Good Housekeeping Article on Moving Abroad

As a leading centre of European culture for hundreds of years, it is a city steeped in history and beauty. In spite of the bombing endured in World War II, Vienna remains an architectural delight – so much so that in 2001 the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are also world-class museums, fine parks, a rich musical tradition, and a multitude of wonderful cafes and restaurants.

Quality of Life Survey

I wasn’t surprised, therefore, to learn that Vienna claimed the top spot in the Mercer 2010 Quality of Life Survey, released last week[1].

The survey evaluates 420 cities worldwide, assessing the living conditions across 10 categories, which include the political and social environment, the economic environment, health and sanitation, schools and education, and recreation.

Having also come first in Mercer’s 2009 survey, it seems Vienna is cementing its status as the city offering the world’s best quality of life.

Meanwhile, Europe as a whole had 16 cities amongst the top 25 in the world. It underlines just how much the continent has to offer for prospective expats.

Happy Living

So what does all this mean for expatriates? Well, it is a useful guide into the ease of life you can expect to find when moving abroad to a new city.

For instance, while in Vienna a couple of weeks ago I got talking to two guys – one from Spain, the other from Colombia – who have both moved to Geneva. Their comments about the life they lead there certainly chime with its 3^rd-place ranking in the Mercer survey.

But when looking at reports like Mercer’s there are a couple of provisos to bear in mind:

1)      By their nature, such considerations as quality of life are subjective. Mercer goes to great pains to compile valid statistical comparisons across its 10 life assessment categories. But these won’t necessarily mirror your judgements or priorities. (Furthermore, you may not even want to move to a foreign city, but instead plan to be by the beach or in the rural hinterland, where the situation may be very different to the country’s urban centres.)

2)      Quality of life ? happiness – it may be a contributor, and an important one, but happiness comes from a broader range of factors.

But that’s a topic for another time.

Related posts:

1. Canadian Charm
2. Swiss Watch
3. What Quality of Life Can You Expect Abroad?

At the time I remember thinking ‘Blimey, that’s the life.’ Writing a few hours a day and then trailing around the French countryside the rest of the time.

Hardly a deep, or unique reaction I know. Everyone thought the same, which was why the book went on to sell so many copies and turned Peter Mayle into a rich and famous man.

What was perhaps different was my next thought – ‘That’s what I want to do.’ Become a writer, first and foremost. And live abroad.

Well, I’ve done the moving bit all right – first to the States, and then six years ago to Spain. But now, at last, I’ve got a book coming out too, which I hope will be the start of an even more wonderful journey.

There is, after all, a certain kudos to being a writer.

Millionaire novelists like J.K. Rowling, John Grisham and Stephen King spring to mind. Or perhaps the literary cool of an Ernest Hemingway, Jay McInerney or Zadie Smith.

And the non-fiction arena is an even bigger market. Self-help bibles, business success stories, health and fitness guides, even cookery books have the power to turn their authors into celebrity figures.

And even if it doesn’t make the New York Times bestseller lists, a book can act as a badge of status that a writer can leverage for speaking engagements, workshops, coaching programmes and a host of other money-spinning activities.

No wonder so many people dream of becoming an author.

But the traditional publishing world has an uncertain future.

There are the big success stories of course, with millions of copies of certain titles – not least the Harry Potter series – flying off the shelves.

Nevertheless, reports indicate that for years the general public as a whole has been reading less and less. It doesn’t bode well for your business then if demand for your product is steadily falling.

Plus publishing has an idiosyncratic business model. For while the publishers bear the expense of producing and – less frequently these days – promoting their books, any unsold ones can be returned by the retailer without having to pay for them. The publisher then has to find warehouse space to store them, or pay for them to be pulped.

In other words, they face all the risk for the success or otherwise of their products. Can you imagine any other business working that way?

So it’s no wonder publishers are keen to focus on what they think will be surefire successes – the celebrity writers with marketable names, and established literary big guns with a track record.

Which isn’t to say new writers can’t break in. Arguably those that are good enough, and keep submitting, will get noticed by agents and publishers, who are full of talented people as keen to sign the next literary superstar as the writer is to be one.

But it’s not easy for the aspiring debutant. And the rewards for all that work are often pitiful.

Meanwhile a mass of mediocre books continue to hit the display stands, largely on the strength of the author’s name blazoned across the top.

But an alternative future is emerging … which I’ll come to in Part II.

Related posts:

1. Expat Book: The Long and Winding Road
2. Expat Living By the Book
3. Endless Summer – The Postcards Tour Finale

Like so many other journalists, I too have been dreaming of that publishing deal that would set me on the road to literary fortune. In fact, my journalistic career was more happenstance than design, a by-product of my early book writing efforts, rather than the other way around.

The impulse to write has been with me since my exercise book-filled scribbles at infants’ school. But it wasn’t until a backpacking trip around Spain with my wife in 1997 that I took the all-important step, and committed to become a writer. And that means consistently putting pen to paper.

I remember it now. Sitting in front of our tiny tent under the pine trees and stars, enveloped in the warmth of a Valencian spring evening, I opened my newly-bought notepad and with a cheap ballpoint began to recount our adventures.

In the 12 years since I have written something practically every day.

In amongst the hundreds of magazine and newsletter articles for my day job there has been that original backpacker’s tale, several novels, a host of short stories, TV programme pitches, and a work-in-progress screenplay.

The investment of a lot of time, a lot of work and a lot of hope. It’s been a long, and at times frustrating, journey. Indeed, given my lack of publishing fame and fortune you’d probably be justified in thinking it’s about time I gave up.

But although the dream of being a full-time author has seemed a million miles away at times, I have never lost sight of it. So I persevere.

Still, rightly or wrongly – and I’m sure there were glaring deficiencies in my work that merited the stack of rejections – I haven’t had much joy thus far with the traditional publishing world.

Which is why for “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” my guide to the pros and cons of expat living, I decided to go down the internet route by writing an e-book, and setting up a website to support and sell it.

The internet is a fantastic evolution in the spread of the written word. For it has provided the opportunity for anyone with a message to reach out to a global audience, even if at times it can be difficult to get that message heard.

But the thing is, you never know when someone is listening. And that’s when one of those serendipitous events occurred to me.

Somehow Bea Stanford, founder of global network community Inside Twente (http://www.twenteinside.com/), stumbled on my website and signed up for my Moving Abroad-opedia newsletter. Apparently she liked what I wrote and asked if I’d share my blog posts on her site.

Through Bea and Inside Twente my book reached the attention of Jo Parfitt, the author of numerous bibles on expatriate living, including “Expat Entrepreneur” and “A Career In Your Suitcase” (http://www.joparfitt.com/).

And I have Jo to thank for referring me to her publisher Lean Marketing Press, who in turn got in touch expressing interest in my book. As a result, we’re now working together to produce a print version of Should I Stay Or Should I Go, which we hope to bring out shortly.

It’s been a strange, circuitous route to publication – certainly not how I imagined it would occur. Nevertheless, it is an immensely exciting prospect, not least because I believe – and many other writers have similarly argued – that the model adopted by companies such as Lean Marketing is the future of publishing. But I’ll go into that another time.

Related posts:

1. Expat Living By the Book
2. Book Publishing: The Future … Part I
3. Expat Book Publication

But now I’m starting up again with a new zeal … for I have just signed a contract with Lean Marketing Press to publish a print version of my book on the pros and cons of living overseas: “Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The Truth About Moving Abroad And Whether It’s Right For You.”

The publishing contract may not come with a $1 million advance and movie tie-in rights as per my J.K. Rowling aspirations, but it’s an exciting prospect nonetheless – one that, hopefully, will help a lot more people get a better handle on the real benefits and costs of moving to a foreign country, and give them a much clearer view on the right path to take. And if it can help readers towards living the lives they truly desire then I will be well satisfied.

This blog then will record the book’s journey to fruition and beyond, as well as being an opportunity to record some of my thoughts and observations on the expatriate life as they crop up.

I hope it proves interesting – and if you have any comments or questions on the way please feel free to add them.

And don’t forget to check out my website, www.expatliving101.com, where you can sign up for my free weekly newsletter. I’ll also be updating and retooling the site with the help of the nice people at Lean Marketing Press for when the book comes out. So please keep checking in.

Hasta luego …

Related posts:

1. Expat Book: The Long and Winding Road
2. Expat Book Publication
3. Book Publishing: The Future … Part I

Not surprising then that year after year Spain has proven to be one of the most popular destinations for expatriates from around the world, with 10% of its 45 million population now made up of foreign nationals.

Yet the beneath the alluring sheen of the Mediterranean sun all is not well.

An article on the BBC website* reported that the country’s industrial output fell 15.1% in November 2008 compared to the year before, the biggest drop on record. This manufacturing slump comes on top of the collapse already witnessed in Spain’s construction sector, showing the country’s woes are spreading across the economy and raising fears of a deep recession.

And there was more evidence of that with the release of figures showing unemployment hit 3 million in 2008, a 12-year high. Not the greatest time perhaps to be relocating to the country.

For anyone considering moving to Spain at present there is a silver lining though, in that the credit crisis has resulted in a plentiful supply of properties and tumbling house prices.

On the flip side however, the strength of the euro means that anyone coming from a non-euro country will now find it relatively more expensive to buy property and live there.

For instance, over the course of the previous year the British pound had a 52-week high of 1.35 euros. At that rate, a 300,000 euro house would have cost approximately £222,000.

But the pound at the time of writing is down at 1.11 euros (having almost hit parity over the Christmas period). So if that same house has dropped even as low as 250,000 euros it would still cost £225,000 for a British buyer.

And the strength of the euro against currencies such as the pound and US dollar has raised the general cost of living in Spain and elsewhere in the eurozone for many expatriates, not least retirees on pound or dollar denominated pensions.

In this sense then it’s a bit of a glum picture. And similar circumstances and scenarios can be found around the world. This recession is of truly epic and global proportions, with apparently nowhere safe from its impacts.

Yet it’s not all bad news for prospective expatriates.

I still read many articles exhorting people to move abroad, bemoaning the parlous state of their home countries and economies, and referencing places such as Australia and New Zealand, Turkey, Costa Rica and Mexico where properties and living costs remain cheaper, and the sun does still shine.

And of course they are right … to a certain extent.

There are always good property deals to be had somewhere in the world. You can always find locations where your food bills or a bottle of wine will be a fraction of what you pay now, and where you’ll be able to soak up some sun while your friends back home freeze their butts off.

But if you are seriously considering moving abroad you should take into account all the lifestyle factors when making your decision. Don’t just base your choice on the latest currency swings or property deals. Think carefully too about how comfortable you’ll feel with the local culture, what health or educational services they have, how far you’ll be from close family and friends.

Consider where you want to be for the long term, not just because of some temporary economic situation. And if that means the timing isn’t right at present to move where you feel you most want to go then don’t be afraid to be patient (as long as it isn’t an excuse for prevarication!). Ultimately it is more important to make the right move later than any old move now.

* BBC News, 9 January 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7819569.stm

Related posts:

1. Currency Exchange Critical to Moving Abroad Success
2. Expat Living By the Book
3. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist

Having been brought up in England in a Protestant household – albeit with a Roman Catholic father (although that is another topic in itself) – it’s not a holiday I was familiar with until moving to Spain. But then so much of Roman Catholic theology and practice remains something of a mystery to me, despite it’s communality with the UK’s ‘national’ religion. Which I suppose is what makes living in Spain – or for that matter any other country – so interesting.

And I have to say, I quite like the idea of squeezing another public holiday in before Christmas too …

Related posts:

1. Celebrating the Holiday Season Abroad
2. Euro 2008
3. Repatriation Advantages