Expat Focus

Travel writer Carly Hulls joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about slow living, and why it's worth trading a fast-paced life abroad for one you can actually savour. Carly is an Australian who moved to Vienna in 2012 after a season as a tour guide and a whirlwind romance that began in an Austrian après-ski bar. She explains how Vienna's long lunches, Sunday closures and Heurigers first set her on the path to slow living, and how burnout and a pandemic move back to Australia made her rethink how she wanted to live. Now settled with her family in the Alpine region of Tyrol, Carly talks about the seasonal rituals that make slowing down feel natural, and the less picturesque side of the countryside dream, from empty holiday homes to the learning curve of growing your own food. She also shares practical advice for new arrivals in Austria, including joining a local Verein to get out of the expat bubble and giving yourself at least 18 months before deciding whether to stay. If you're living abroad and feel like you're still running at your old pace, or you're dreaming of a quieter life in Austria, this episode offers an honest look at what slow living really involves: the joys, the trade-offs and the small daily choices that make it work. #SlowLiving #LivingInAustria #MoveToAustria #ExpatLife #Vienna #Tyrol #ExpatFocus 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Introducing Carly Hulls 00:54 From Tour Guide to Austria 04:38 First Months in Vienna 06:50 What Makes Vienna Great 10:42 How Vienna Sparked Slow Living 12:49 Burnout and a Pandemic Pivot 16:07 Why Move Back to Austria 20:29 Slow Living in Tyrol 27:05 The Reality Behind Slow Living 28:35 Holiday Homes and Empty Streets 31:10 Growing Your Own Food 33:55 Advice for New Expats: Learn German 34:45 Joining a Verein 37:10 The 18-Month Rule 39:30 Carly's Vienna Guide and Wrap-Up 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/austria/podcast/expat-life-in-austria-slower-cheaper-better 📝 Show Notes Carly Hulls – https://carlyhulls.com 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com

Richard Hammond, founder of French Connections HCB, joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about what it really takes to move to France. Born in France to British parents and raised between two cultures, Richard has spent nearly a decade helping English-speaking families relocate, and his team now handles 30 to 40 visa applications a month. He explains why the visa process is more straightforward than most people fear, especially for retirees, and why the real difficulty has shifted from filling in forms to knowing where in France you should actually live – because a move can succeed on paper while quietly failing on everything that matters. Carlie and Richard also dig into the truth behind the viral remote work stories, what's really happening with early retirees and the French healthcare system, and the financial proof you need for a visa application: the 1,400 euros a month figure, why it's more complicated than a single number, and why Richard tells clients to approach it like a mortgage application. If you're weighing up a move to France – whether you're two years out or already deep in the admin – this one will save you from the mistakes that are hardest to undo. #MoveToFrance #LivingInFrance #FranceVisa #ExpatLife #FrenchBureaucracy #Expat 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Introducing Richard Hammond 02:57 Living Between Cultures 08:06 Building The Relocation Business 15:00 Moving To France In 2026 21:33 Choosing The Right Region 29:43 Region Matcher And Scouting 36:10 Remote Work And Healthcare Myths 45:11 Visa Financial Proof Explained 49:55 How To Get Help 52:14 Wrap Up And Next Steps 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/france/podcast/how-to-move-to-france-in-2026-visas-money-and-picking-your-region 📝 Show Notes French Connections HCB – https://frenchconnectionshcb.com Move to France HCB – https://movetofrance-hcb.com/ French Connections HCB on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@frenchconnectionshcb 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com

Financial advisor Scott Schwartz joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about what it really takes for Americans to build a life abroad. Scott has flown as an international airline captain, sailed around the world, and now lives part-time on his boat in Malta. He's spent over three decades advising Americans living overseas, and his new book, Adapting Elsewhere: A Practical Guide for Americans Moving Abroad, tackles the parts of the move that nobody puts in the brochure. Scott explains why moving abroad has shifted from a romantic retirement dream to a practical strategy, and gets into the financial traps that catch Americans out: FATCA reporting and why banks turn US citizens away, PFICs, worldwide taxation, and the biggest mistake of all – leaving the country before you've sorted out your financial institutions at home. He and Carlie also cover residency routes from Malta's reworked citizenship by investment programme to retirement visas, why international health insurance matters more than most people expect, and the case for the "Schengen shuffle" as a low-risk way to try somewhere before you commit. #MovingAbroad #AmericansAbroad #ExpatFinance #LivingInMalta #ExpatLife 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Welcome and guest intro 01:07 Scott's global backstory: pilot, sailor, advisor 03:24 From the cockpit to financial advising 05:28 Why he wrote Adapting Elsewhere 07:43 Building community, and life in Malta 09:57 Why Americans are moving now 13:09 Money traps: FATCA, PFICs and banking 16:44 Residency, golden visas and citizenship by investment 18:40 Where to start, and how to build your team 20:34 Working, retiring and healthcare abroad 22:39 The Schengen shuffle and exit plans 27:05 Mobility as a financial hedge 32:01 What a first advising conversation looks like 36:03 How to get in touch, and the next book 37:34 Wrap up and call to action 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/international/podcast/fatca-pfics-and-golden-visas-a-us-expat-money-guide 📝 Show Notes Adapting Elsewhere: A Practical Guide for Americans Moving Abroad – https://www.adaptingelsewhere.com/ Scott Schwartz, International Asset Management – https://iamadvisors.com/ 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com

British author Chris Ruffle joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about three decades of life in Asia — and the vineyard and Scottish castle he built in rural China. Chris left Yorkshire in the 1980s with a degree in Chinese and has since worked across China and Taiwan as an investor, winemaker and writer, most recently publishing the audiobook In a Strange Land. He explains how a frustrating search for a decent bottle of wine led him to plant a vineyard in Shandong, why the winery ended up looking like a granite castle in Aberdeen, and what it really takes to operate a business in rural China — including the handbag a safety inspector requested before signing off on the build. Chris and Carlie talk about homesickness, the friendships that come and go with every move, the letters his mother quietly kept for decades, and what future historians will make of a generation that stopped writing them. If you're weighing up a move abroad, already living far from where you started, or just curious what three decades in Asia actually looks like, this episode is full of stories you won't have heard before. #ExpatLife #LivingInChina #ChinaExpat #ExpatStories #MovingAbroad #Audiobook #ExpatFocus 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Welcome 00:30 Why Chris left the UK 03:13 How the vineyard dream began 05:01 Building a Scottish castle in China 07:14 Bribes, handbags and doing business 09:46 The audiobook: In a Strange Land 11:29 What exile teaches you about displacement 15:17 Where is home now? 17:22 Letters, emails and lost history 19:43 Voice actors and finding new perspectives 23:21 Chinese soil, grapes and wine 26:16 Where to find Chris 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/china/podcast/a-vineyard-a-castle-and-three-decades-in-asia-chris-ruffles-expat-story 📝 Show Notes In a Strange Land – https://linktr.ee/InAStrangeLand Treaty Port Vineyards – https://www.treatyport.com 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com

Toni Torres joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about the realities of moving to Málaga in 2026. Born and raised in the city, Toni has watched it transform into one of Spain's most popular expat destinations — and he sees both sides of that story every day, working with foreigners settling in while his local friends deal with rising rents and a tourism-first building boom. He explains what has changed over the past five to ten years, why the city draws so many people, how locals really feel about the influx of foreigners, and where he thinks the local government has fallen short. Toni also gets practical: what newcomers need to know about a rental market now among the most expensive in Spain, why you should start your search three or four months ahead and lean on WhatsApp and Facebook groups, and how to avoid the "expat bubble trap" that catches so many arrivals. He unpacks why the language is the biggest obstacle most people face, what actually works for learning Spanish, and his honest take on making Malagueño friends as an adult. If you're considering a move to Málaga — or you're already there and stuck inside the bubble — this is a useful reality check from someone who bridges both worlds. #ExpatLife #MovingToSpain #Málaga #LivingInSpain #SpainExpats #DigitalNomad #ExpatFocus 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Welcome to Málaga 2026 00:49 How Málaga has changed 02:12 Why everyone visits 04:27 Locals vs tourists 08:41 Housing and rent reality 10:31 Finding a place to live 13:07 The expat bubble trap 14:56 Making local friends 16:43 Learn Spanish faster 20:26 Tough love advice 21:47 Where to find Toni 22:53 Final thoughts 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/spain/podcast/moving-to-malaga-in-2026-what-you-need-to-know/ 📝 Show Notes Toni Torres – https://spanishtoni.com/ 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com