Since the sale of Andrew’s company, we’ve been talking about the possibility of having (or wanting) to move somewhere else. It’s a topic we’ve discussed a lot in theoretical terms but suddenly it’s become a real possibility. We’d love to move somewhere with a better climate (but not too hot says Andrew). We’ve talked about trying island life (but not too isolated says Alison). We’ve even talked about trying somewhere else in Canada (ugh winter we say in unison). We learned a lot of hard lessons about how NOT to do an expat move, so if/when the situation arises again, hopefully we won’t make the same mistakes.

This morning, while taking a break from editing through piles of garden photos, I googled the best and worst places to live as an expat. There were tonnes of articles, and it was hilarious that many places were listed on BOTH lists, for different reasons, the two most notable of these being India and China.

Business Weekly had an interesting looks at The Hardest Hardship Posts. They include a slide show with more detail on each location.

Forbes looks at World’s Best Places To Be An Expat, again with a detailed slide show.

Irony Alert: Canada makes the Best list at 6th place (tied with The Netherlands and Germany). Belgium? # 4! Seriously?!

“Capital city Brussels, home of the European Union headquarters, tends to attract expats for long periods of time, while decent accommodations just a few metro stops from the city center is available and affordable.”

Truuuue… but obviously weather wasn’t one of the critera.

In Second place, The US and the UAE are tied – neither being a country I have a particular desire to live in, unless of course San Francisco could become it’s own republic. And the top spot? Singapore. Hmmm… Good food, hot, no chewing gum and it’s an island. I could live with that.