A dozen new features on site for you!
Getting through the holidays overseas.

November has been a very busy month at GoSouthExpat.com and it’s exciting because we’re growing continually as a community. Here are some of the brand new features we’ve put in place for you on the site:

FAMILY ROOMS: We now offer expats a completely different way of communicating with their families overseas. You can now get your own private, password protected forum on site. Our family rooms function just like our expat forums do. We call them our family rooms. We’ll set up a private page for you online where you can enter messages and upload photos to share. However, only your invited guests can enter your family room. See how they work here:

YOUR STORIES: Our on site Reading Rooms are collections of hundreds of expat-related articles organized by subject and are the most popular section on the site! Some of our Expat Experts have their own Reading Rooms where they post articles for you to read. Through their reading rooms you can also comment on their articles or post your questions, for a truly interactive experience. And now, if you want to write about your experiences as an expat, share your knowledge about a specific country, or help inform other expats on a certain subject, we’ll create you’re a reading room just for you to share your articles with us. It’s free! Take a look at how it works.

FIVE NEW EXPAT GUIDES: We hope you’ll use these new sections to help orient and inform other expats. It’s very easy to enter information using the forms on each of these pages. We’re looking for comments and recommendations regarding hotels, restaurants, schools, housing and neighborhoods, and realtors for expats who are contemplating moving to anywhere in South America – and rather than simply listing hotels, restaurants, schools, etc. your personal reviews will help us provide truly top rate first hand information.

THE HOTEL GUIDE – post your reviews or recommendations of hotels anywhere in South America in our new Hotel Guide.

THE DINING GUIDE – tell us (or warn) us about restaurants in city’s you’ve visited or lived it.

THE SCHOOL GUIDE – your opinions of schools you or your children have attended can help another expat family make an important decision.

THE HOUSING GUIDE – describe a neighborhood in a city you’ve lived in, recommend or warn against others.

THE REALTOR GUIDE – recommend a trusted real estate agent in any South American city (or warn us about any we shouldn’t use).

SEARCH AND BOOK HOTELS ONLINE: On the Hotel Guide home page you’ll also find you can search for and book hotels in each of the 10 countries we feature right here online. We’ve partnered with HotelClub.com, ABetterStay.com, HotelsCombined.com and others to provide you these instant search options all in one place.

THE EXPAT KITCHEN: Share your favorite recipes, tips and techniques online. Most of us have encountered a time when we just couldn’t find the proper ingredients in our host countries to make our favorite recipes. If you’ve found a way to replace an important ingredient, invented a delicious recipe of your own, or just want to share your kitchen expertise, this is the place.

EXPAT NEWS ROOMS: Our news rooms aren’t new. You can get the latest daily news on any of the 10 countries we feature in our news rooms as usual. What is new is our expat news show, now posted on the News Rooms home page here. Make it a habit of checking out current events first while you drink your morning coffee.

OUR NEW ANDEAN GIFT SHOP: Now you can shop for gorgeous Andean handcrafts from multiple countries in Latin America (all the way from Mexico to Argentina) in our Andean Gift Shop. Products are provided by National Geographic and Novica – through the end of December you’ll find beautiful Christmas handcrafts too! Shop online now.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: We wanted to give expats in our community the opportunity to give back to some of the countries they’ve called home. In affiliation with GlobalGiving.com you can now donate to any one of 40 charities all over South America, right here online. This is your chance to help make a difference in the lives of the people who welcomed you into their countries.

SOUTH AMERICA TOURS: As expats we’re in a unique situation. We can tour the host countries we live in easily without each trip including an overseas flight. Take advantage of your time and get to know your host country. See our Tours page for dozens of themed tours. Not sure you want to live in South America yet? Take a tour first and then decide!

A SPECIAL HOLIDAY MESSAGE FOR YOU:

"Hi, Heather Markel here. With the holiday season upon us, I know many expats will be far from home. I know very well what it's like to be far from home during a time of year you're used to being with friends and family. It can be even harder if you're in a place that doesn't even celebrate the same holiday - such as Thanksgiving, which is uniquely American. This is a time that could lead to bouts of depression if you focus on not being home.

However, you also have the choice to see this as a time of discovery, and welcoming in new traditions. One of my favorite Christmases was spent in Normandie, France, with wonderful friends in their home. Instead of the traditional meat or potatoes I'm accustomed to, we ate fresh oysters, and stayed up to the wee hours drinking and celebrating. I got to know my hosts even better and share tons of laughter. Read my article for some additional tips on how to avoid holiday depression!"

Find out how she’s helping expats learn to get over the fear of new places, eliminate relocation depression from their lives, prepare in advance for what they’ll face overseas, and much more. Companies and other organizations are FINALLY beginning to take notice of the importance of actually preparing their personnel culturally for overseas life.

I with you very Happy and Healthy Holidays!

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