Category: Advice for Living Abroad

Life is made up of our choices. We cannot be all things for all people at all times in all places. We must choose what rings true to our destiny. Those choices will necessarily bring us close to some and further from others. For those who choose to travel, the physical distance can be overwhelming at times. Thankfully, there is something beautiful that happens in shared moments as well as shared absences. And there is a way to not only survive, but thrive in the long distances without friends and family.

It’s tempting to take what we know of the Middle Eastern part of the world and hold some skewed opinions or even pronounce certain judgments upon them without taking time to understand or visit the object of our scrutiny. Once we can learn to be aware of their cultural traditions, religious heritage, and the foundational value of respect they hold for each person, there is much about the U.A.E. which we can cherish for a lifetime. These are the cultural taboos to be aware of in the U.A.E.

Food in Abu Dhabi: Five things not to be missed on your next trip to this amazing place. Is there good food in the desert? You bet!

I’m sure that we all have things that we would have done different when preparing to go away, because lets face it, we weren’t blessed with the gift of foresight and problems will always occur. Which is why we are here to share with you the things that we would have done differently to better prepare you the reader. Here are my top 3.

To plug in or unplug? This is the modern traveler’s quest(ion) worth pursuing. I suppose there is a time for both, as well as a natural inclination toward one option or the other. I would guess that as the world advances in the area of technology, the temptation is to be increasingly wired. Of course, that’s all subjective to your level of addiction.

All seasoned wayfarers know that the art of living like the locals isn’t built solely on the constituent of what gestures and words to avoid. These veterans are able to adopt certain rules and gestures just as well as they avoid those that would offend. This second part of this series offers 5 gestures to do while traveling in South Korea.

Cultural rules can always be learned the hard way during travels, but the transition to a new country is made seamless when research is done and the traveler already knows the dos and don’ts of the culture. In this 2-part piece, the top 5 dos and top 5 don’ts of South Korea cultural rules will be shared for all novice wanderers to take note.

We all know Valentine’s Day to be a beautiful day drenched in roses, wine, chocolates, and fairy tale-like romance…unless you’re single. Singletons around the globe dread the creeping date of February 14th no matter in which country they reside. For those currently unattached and living in Korea, the sobering awareness of a single’s relationship status in February tends to be amplified more so than in any western countries because of Korea’s “couple culture”.