Would you / could you (and where) would you swim in your current location? Would you / could you listen to a podcast at more than 1.0 speed? (Are we better at 1.5?) Would you / could you pay for the cost of your job interview if it was in another country? Would you / could you live the same life in two countries if you are splitting your life between them? Our favourite things Kirsty – Starstruck Season 2, Somebody Somewhere (HBO), The Betty Broderick...

What happens when expat love turns sour. Two stories of betrayal, young love and then twenty years on, how do you protect yourself from getting burnt? Why is an expat betrayal any different. We decide on the best medical face mask to fly with. Stop overs in a time of covid, if you can’t fly direct what do you do in transit and how does it affect your choice? We’ve also got all of our favourite things. Ukrainecast – we’re both tuning in daily Pivoting – Nikki loving...

This week in would you/could you? Would you/Could you go out without a mask where you live? Would you/Could you call Lunar New Year Chinese New Year? Would you/Could you travel with just a ticket and a passport? We speak to Bridgee a Kiwi in Saudi. If you’re unaware of the situation in New Zealand and what it has been like for their expats and residents you NEED to listen to this interview – plus there’s an insight into the online trolling expats have...

We put a call out to the Fatterati and today we have an absolute gift for you. Sit back and enjoy some beautiful expat love stories. How did you meet? Where did it take you? Have you ever had a ten day first date? From a chance meeting on the dance floor in Guatemala, to running into someone while grabbing a coffee in rural china – in their own voices the Fatterati have shared their stories. Also, Nikki and I play our first game of “would you/could you” to compare our covid lives. How...

What did we talk about in 2021, quite a bit! Here’s a recap of the best bit. February Kirsty – It’s a Sin Nikki – Bridgerton March Kirsty – I made an adult (Tracey Crisp) The Adelaide Fringe Nikki – The Test Kitchen April Kirsty – Grace Tame – Press Club Speech Nikki – The One June Kirsty – Motherland Nikki – Mare of Easttown July Kirsty – Physical Nikki – Day X – New York...

Is there such a thing as your best Christmas ever? If so, where was it? We run through some of our favourite locations and moments as well as offering up some advice from the Fatterati on what made their Christmases so special. Nikki and I came to the general consensus that we have failed with Christmas this year – if you haven’t tell us what your secrets are. Our few of our favourite things Mohammed Hussain’s views on his first celebrated Christmas Twitter thread (from...

Omicron has broken the hearts of many expats this week. With some of us being days away from getting on a plane before flights were cancelled and strict quarantine procedures rolled out. This week we talk about making plans in the world of Covid. Is it crazy to make plans? Or do we just need to be ready to pivot at all times? Small talk. Does it disappear in the expat world or is it sitting there discreetly a different form? Favourite things It’s never to late to pick up...

This week we discuss Austria’s decision to make covid vaccinations compulsory. Who’s next? Can you keep your job while being a vacine hesitant expat? We also take a look at a new app designed to assist families to connect. It’s kind of like Tinder for families, would you do it? Will this narrow our expat world or expand it? Our three favourite things. Kirsty is in love with the story of Dani Laidley. She’s also discovered Lady Marmalade in Doha and found and episode of The Briefing...

This week we discuss the pros and cons of returning to your “home” country for the festive season. We’re also talking Christmas markets in Europe – will they happen this year? Nikki’s trying to not get her hopes up after last year’s heartbreak of watching the markets in Hamburg appear one day only to be dismantled and taken away the next. Nikki wants to know if magic mushrooms are back in fashion? Did they ever go out of fashion? Is it more common now? Do you still get arrested? Has...

How much sh*t do you ship? And what effect is it having on the planet? In the week of COP 26 we look at shipping containers and personal belongings and how we can be better at moving our things from home to home. How does a third culture kid react to a fellow TCK telling them that they’re not really from where they say they are because they’ve “never lived there”. We have some ideas. We answer a question from a listener regarding online therapy for expat children. We...

This week we talk about the death of the expat blog. Did Bloggers become influencers? Did Instagram kill the art of storytelling? Do we even want to read expat blogs anymore?? Then Nikki talks about her recent Saturday night and why it might signify that she now feels ‘at home’ in Denmark? This week’s favourite things Helen Garner’s lockdown diaries 2021 (this is the link to the audio) Invisibilia. Poop Friend episode (podcast) Ordinary Joe...

This week we talk about the things you didn’t know you needed until you got there. Nikki is all over her new phone cover for her bike (something she didn’t need in the US). What have you needed in one country that became irrevelant in another? A portrait of Ghaddafi to show your allegiance? Winterized tyres in the Middle East? What has been your hardest goodbye and why? We talk about ours and how we possibly could have made it easier. We’ve also covered our favourite...

This week we talk about the best vaccination for international travel. What’s the most widely accepted? And will there be restrictions on where you can go and what you can do depending on your vaccine? We also talk about getting the cold shoulder when you arrive. Are you going to be welcome when you return home? Are you better off staying away until travel is a little more accepted? Here’s the links to the articles we talked about and a few of our favourite...

Business Travel. Are you ready for it? Are you busting to do it or are you a little bit wary? Personal travel is different (there’s a lot more margaritas) and you get to choose the destination and the activities – but business travel may have you heading towards a red zone, stuffy conference rooms and having to knock back that first offer of a hand shake. We also talk about dress codes in International Schools. Why is it that some schools refuse a uniform but demand a dress code? Is it...

Our two fat questions are vastly different this week. We cover how will menopause affect my expat life? And then what shall I buy as a hostess gift when I go to stay at someone’s house? Broad enough for you? Seriously though, what do you do if you’re an expat and you think you’re perimenopausal. Is it affecting new friendships? Is it stopping you from doing your job properly? Do you have someone to talk to? And how do you even know if you’re perimenopausal? The truth is...

If you had a chance to have a job in your home country (that you could do from anywhere) or a job locally, what would you choose? What makes more sense? Keeping one leg in the employment market at “home” or getting overseas experience? Does it affect how you settle into your new location? Nikki wants to know how  you follow local media in a new country? Particularly if the language is not your own? If you only have headlines are you missing the context of what’s actually going...

Nikki gives us an insight into life in Denmark without covid restrictions. Spoiler alert…there was a buffet table! We discuss what airlines are doing to keep customers “on board” . Nikki mentioned this article https://thepointsguy.com/guide/airline-elite-status-coronavirus/ Do you re-invent yourself with every expat move? Can you do it both professionally and personally? Or is re-invention just an expat myth. Here’s just a few of our favourite things this...

Okay I’m just going to put this out there. I talked about my clivia not flowering – and if that sounds really really naughty and rude it’s because you’re possibly not across the beautiful South African native. So if you want a smirk and a school girl giggle listening to me earnestly talk about the excitement of my clivia flowering might be it. Onwards! This week we talked about finding a new home and the trust required when you’re making a decision in one country and the...

Are you trying to get into Australia? This week we spoke to Sarah from Mindful Migration. Sarah explained the options for getting back into Australia, and more importantly how you’ll get out once you’ve got in! Nikki talked about her recent move to Denmark. In case you missed it while Denmark has mandated it’s third covid shot (booster shot) it is officially opening up. Drop your masks, forget the tests, covid? What covid? These were a few or our favourite...

Kirsty has lost her tree, what was once a flourishing jungle appears to now be a burnt stump. Nikki on the other hand is trying to work out where the top of the tree begins. Who do you call when something significant happens? Kirsty wanted to know what Nikki wouldn’t be leaving Hamburg without which took the conversation to Libya, Canada, Jakarta, South Africa, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Kirsty’s favourite things: Physical City Row The Two Fat Expats Live Footy...

With Europe and the US opening up, but Australia shutting down who are the expats who will make it home for Christmas? Also we talk International Schooling, when do you decide where your children will finish their schooling? How soon is too soon? Kirsty’s three favourite things: Australian Story – A Balancing Act Catch of the decade Feel Good Nikki’s favourite things Snowpiercer The Bold Type Day X – New York Times Cheers!

How do you keep your medical records up to date when you travel? Have you registered your Covid vaccine in your home country. Nikki’s decluttering, Kirsty’s rowing on her brand new water rower. Nikki is reading – The Mindful Way Through Depression – Freeing yourself from Chronic unhappiness. She’s also dowloaded “Insight Timer” a meditation app. Favourite things for Kirsty Motherland You can’t ask that Baby Surgeons Favourite things for...

Okay, let’s get the down low on digital vaccine passports. When and how will they work? What’s your small world story? For Nikki it’s her new apartment in Copenhagen, for Kirsty it’s all about the egg cups in Libya. Our favourite things for the week: Kirsty 1000 hour eyebrow mascara The Power of Being Yourself – with Travis Boak (podcast) Julia Roberts movies Nikki Mare of Easttown – HBO Max BabyMacbeth’s instagram stories...

Kirsty opened a can of worms in the Two Fat Expats Facebook group with a question (that with hindsight) was always going to be problematic. “How do we make International Schools more accountable?” So how do we? We discuss in today’s episode what makes a great school. Is accrediation important? How do you measure the success of a school and what types of International schools are available? Nikki wants to know about the most boring or cliche expat question you’ve been asked? So,...

In our four fat questions we discuss what will happen to the expats who cannot be vaccinated, those who are highly allergic, is this the end of their expat experience? We talk about the most successful moving stories, and is there a cap on how many times you can reinvent yourself in the expat world. Our Favourite things Nikki The One – Netflix Queen of the South – Netflix Conference presentation.- Finally! Kirsty Grace Tame – Press Club...