expatriate online
Good Bye Rat Race
Hello Paradise@
Vocabulary
| retire | paradise | hospitality |
| escape | corporate | in other words |
| exotic | tranquil | respondent |
| ideal | idealist | collaborate |
| export | institute | destination |
| import | venture | earn a living |
| nomad | flexible | opportunity |
| peers | platform | set up shop |
| stretch | flip side | cost of living |
| fulfill | adventure | according to |
| adopt | lifestyle | widespread |
| bonus | civilization |
Escape
These days, you don’t have to wait until you retire to escape from “civilization” and live in “paradise”.
In other words, an increasing number of people in their 30s and 40s are turning their backs on the dog-eat-dog, corporate world to fulfill their life-long dreams of living somewhere tranquil…adventurous…exotic.
While Costa Rica and Thailand have long been favorite destinations, other places such as Portugal and Vietnam are becoming popular.
Earning Money
But most expats still need to earn a living. Many work in educational institutes, import-export businesses and tourism and hospitality.
A growing trend is through e-businesses. They usually work fewer hours than their peers back in the office, and often earn less. On the flip-side, their dollars stretch further because of the typically lower cost of living in their host country.
Flexibility
The main advantage of online work is that it’s flexible and lets “digital nomads” set up shop and live and work wherever and whenever they want to.
A 2014 survey of digital nomads found that 45% of respondents had moved within the last year, according to oDesk, a platform for online work.
A Growing Trend
And adopting this lifestyle is becoming easier thanks to better and more widespread internet access, and ever expanding collaborative opportunities online.
Questions
1. In the past, usually only retired people moved from London to Spain. Yes or no?
2. Do only old people want to live in Costa Rica, Cyprus or Thailand?
3. How do expatriates support themselves? Do they have to work as hard as their previous jobs back home?
4. They have to earn as much money as their previous jobs. True or false?
5. Is becoming a digital nomad become easier or more difficult?
A. Are you a digital nomad? Do you know anyone who is a digital nomad?
B. Would you or your friends like to become a digital nomad?
C. What kind of work could you do? Where would you like to live?
D. What will happen in the future?
