Social media. You may love it, hate it, or just not understand it. Whatever your attitude, in this day and age, social media is an omnipresent resource which can be used to stay in contact with loved ones, share snippets of your life, and look at funny photos of cats. You can also harness the power of social media to your advantage if you an expat or if you travel a lot for work. While there is plenty of information out there on any given page of the internet, social media has more in-depth aspects which will benefit you. For example, you can get answers to your burning questions as well as helpful tips and recommendations for everything and anything from where to buy washing up liquid to a local hairstylist who won’t turn your hair blue. And you can get it fast.You can network with fellow expats easily and safely on social media. You can find out about local events, meetups and language exchanges. You can read interesting and helpful articles. The potential is limitless!
We’re going to focus solely on the social media Goliath Facebook today; we’ll highlight five great Facebook pages for expats and nomads that you should check out.
Find Something For You: Expat Pages on Facebook
Expat Focus
https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus/
Of course, we had to start with Expat Focus! We’re an expat group with one of the largest subgroup repertoires in the expat community. We have a sub-group for just about any specific country and for many major cities. We offer global relocation advice for those moving abroad, including in-depth advice on visas, residency, overseas employment, buying property, international schools, offshore finance and more.
We highlight real-life experiences from our members, often creating exciting content aimed at expats that ranges from podcasts and video interviews to blog posts and social media posts. Expect researched country guides, city guides, and other useful information and articles on our website, as well as friendly, interactive Facebook pages to sink your social teeth into.
The Local
https://www.facebook.com/thelocal/
Established in 2004, the Local is the largest English-speaking expat news network in Europe. They focus on various European countries, bringing you the latest recent events and current affairs as well as new laws and where to get the best brunch. There’s a real mix in their content between professional reporting, light-hearted vocab posts, and general entries to help you get on with day-to-day expat life.
The website does charge a membership fee to help contribute to costs, but it allows you to read a limited number of articles for free per month. If you want to stay up to date with the latest news in your new home country, then the Local is a great one to join!
Girl Gone International
https://www.facebook.com/GirlGoneInternational/
Girl Gone International is a great community for women all over the world. What started as a magazine has snowballed into a hugely popular social network for expat ladies. They have plenty of sub-pages and groups for different cities and dedicated group managers for each group/city who curate and deal with the heavy flow of discussions and questions that are frequently posted on the group’s wall.
Girl Gone International enjoys a great social atmosphere, both via the page and at the many meetups and events they hold. These range from running clubs to brunches, workshops, hikes and more. If you’re a social woman looking to make some other female friends once you move to a new city, this is hands down one of the best pages you can subscribe to.
Internations
https://www.facebook.com/InterNations.org/
InterNations focuses on offering its members global networking opportunities, organising local events and providing high-quality relevant information. They host around 6,000 events and activities every month and provide various guides and invaluable tips. They have a popular forum where members post a range of questions, as well as a popular blog and magazine.
Expatriates.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/expatriatescom/
Expatriates.com mostly posts job offers from all around the world for expats to browse. You can also see people posting items for sale and looking for rooms to rent. The group is most popular with those located in the middle east, although the website focuses on other areas as well. You’ll benefit most from this group if you are based in the UAE or the middle east and are on the lookout for a job offer or accommodation.
What are your favourite Facebook pages for expat life? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or answer the questions here to be featured in an interview!