Top Australia Blogs From UK Expats

expat network

Top Australia Blogs From UK Expats

MoneyTransfers.com have created a list of the Top 20 blogs from UK expats giving their insight into life as an expat in various locations around the world. Here we publish their article listing these blogs with a brief description of each.

Originally published by MoneyTransfers.com and re-published here with their agreement.

Love the idea of joining the existing 1.3 million Brits working down under in Australia? One of the best ways to prepare yourself for moving to a completely new country is to hear some first-hand accounts of people who have been there, done that, and are now enjoying life in a new culture. With inside knowledge on settling down halfway across the world, the following blogs are all founded by UK expats who document their own experiences adjusting to life in a foreign country and the adventures that come with it.

MoneyTransfer.com update this list regularly so if the destination you were thinking about moving to hasn’t been added yet it may appear in the future.

UK Expats in Australia

Australia is the most popular destination for UK expats, with over 1 million Brits currently living there. Australia is a popular choice for a number of reasons. First, the fact that it’s an English-speaking country is a big appeal for many expats, making things like finding a job, setting up a bank account to send money to Australia from home, and dealing with visa requirements much more straightforward.

Other reasons why Australia is so popular amongst Brits is the comparatively higher-salary job opportunities, warm climate, and rich wildlife – if you can deal with the inevitably bigger and scarier creepy-crawlies!

Some of the top blogs for UK expats based in Australia include:

In Search of a Life Less Ordinary | https://insearchofalifelessordinary.com/

In Search of a Life Less Ordinary (ISOALLO) is a blog started by Russell Ward, who left the UK in 2003 in a quest for less stress and a “fuller way of living life”. Whilst he was based in Sydney (now living in Squamish, B.C.), Russell produced some fantastic guides about expat life in Australia specifically but has also written extensively about moving abroad and creating a life with more emphasis on the things that matter, providing an inspiring read for anyone interested in stepping off the beaten path.

Getting Down Under | https://gettingdownunder.com/

Getting Down Under was launched in 2006 by Mark, who moved to Australia in the same year with his wife, their 4-year old son, and two cats. Mark writes about everything from getting a visa in Australia to the best jobs for UK expats.

You might also find the forum on Getting Down Under helpful – with sections including ‘Thinking About Doing It’, ‘Made The Move’ and visa advice, this is a great way to connect with other expats and get your questions answered by people already living the lifestyle.

Fran Can | https://francan.co.uk/

Fran Can was founded by Fran Cormack, who moved from Yorkshire to Australia and has documented his travels ever since. Fran’s blog provides some great insights into road trips and excursions other UK expats might love to try especially in the Perth area – and also gives an interesting insight into how he and his partner dealt with travel coming to a halt due to the pandemic.

Londoner in Sydney | https://londonerinsydney.com/

Londoner in Sydney is packed full of excellent tips and resources for expats travelling around Australia. The site was founded by Annie and Steve in 2014, who started Londoner in Sydney with two main goals in mind. First, the site shares some amazing hidden gems for travelling around Australia, with detailed guides and videos to plan trips off the beaten path.

Secondly, Londoner in Sydney offers an insight into living in Australia as an expat, with tips on moving to the country, settling in, and a wealth of related guides.

Bob in Oz | https://www.bobinoz.com/

Bob in Oz was founded after Bob moved to Australia from the UK permanently in 2007 with his wife, Karen, and their daughter, Elizabeth. The site includes over 1,000 guides all about life in Australia, as well as a number of posts and videos documenting the family’s experiences living in Australia as expats.

General Expat Blogs

If ‘live abroad’ is on your bucket list, but you don’t quite have the where nailed down yet, there are a number of more general expat blogs that you’ll still find helpful. The following blogs can provide a great overview of popular UK expat destinations, as well as tips and necessary information on visas, job opportunities, finding accommodation abroad, and how to make the most of immersing yourself in a new country.

Ship It | https://www.shipit.co.uk/blog/

This blog has some great travel guides for popular expat destinations, as well as useful info on shipping your belongings to the other side of the world (without paying a small fortune to do so!).

Expat Info Desk | https://www.expatinfodesk.com/

This is a great one-stop blog for expat guides, resources, and services whether you’re just considering a move or are already living abroad. Expat Info Desk also has a forum which can be helpful for connecting with other travellers.

The Expater | https://theexpater.com/

The Expater was written for women abroad in mind, with a host of travel guides and tips to keeping safe when on the road. Nina also shares interviews and stories from other female expats on their own experiences living in a foreign country.

Where in the World is Nina | https://whereintheworldisnina.com/

Featuring travel guides, packing lists, numerous destinations guides, and information on working abroad or running an online remot business, Where in the World is Nina has some useful tips for anyone considering living and travelling abroad.

Expat | https://www.expat.com/

The focus of this blog is community – bringing expats together to connect and make friends when living in an unfamiliar part of the world. With over 2 million members, this site can be useful if you’re feeling isolated as an expat and would like to meet some like minded people.

Investments for Expats | https://investmentsforexpats.com/

Covering financial matters such as pensions, investments, tax, and property tailored specifically towards expats living and working abroad, this website has numerous helpful blog posts and case studies to help you get your finances in order.

Expat Network | https://www.expatnetwork.com/

Expat Network lists jobs, events, guides, top destinations, money q&a’s and more, this long-standing blog has thousands of useful articles for would-be expats and those already living abroad alike.

Choosing our top expat blogs

We have provided every blog on this list with this badge, so they can proudly display that they are recognised for being one of the best expat blogs in the UK.

For a brief insight into how we picked the blogs listed in this guide, we considered the following criteria:

Relevance: All the blogs listed above provide relevant, useful information for expats, whether you’re moving to a specific destination or simply looking for some entertaining anecdotes about life abroad.

Updates: We made sure to consider blogs that are regularly updated from people still living the expat life!

Layout: A well-structured blog with great photos creates a much better user-experience for readers, so this was one of our main criteria for selection.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.