Monday, December 16, 2013

Expatriate to Asia


Expatriate-to-Asia.com is Dan Pickens' blog for new or considering expats with a focus on Asia.

Dan writes about Asian culture and language from an expat perspective. He will help you understand how moving to a new culture is like getting a new phone. Uncomfortable at first, but after you get used to it, you won't know how you ever lived without it. He explains how to deal with this uncomfortable feeling and avoid the notorious 'Shell Trap".

Dan also writes about learning new languages. It's important to understand the value of social learning such as strengthening your new language over the dinner table. Linking language learning to entertainment is also very powerful. This includes such things as finding local music that you like and even playing locally made computer games.

Dan's blog can be found at: http://www.expatriate-to-asia.com

There's also a direct link here to an article on his blog that I wrote with tips for expats thinking of going to Vietnam.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Flight Tips - Introducing ITA Software Matrix


ITA Software is a division of Google that focuses on travel industry software. It is effectively an air fare search and pricing system.

By using their matrix, here, you can find the cheapest deals on air fares all over the world. Although you can not buy tickets directly from ITA, you can email the itinerary to a travel agent to ensure you pay the cheapest fare. In any case, the ITA Software Matrix is a useful reference tool when comparing flights.