Living in another country

Living abroad is ... exciting - bewildering - fascinating - confusing - eye-opening - infuriating - self-confidence-building - self-confidence-destroying ...

Thanks for visiting Tales from a Small Planet, www.talesmag.com, where personal essays, Real Post Reports and Real School Reports tell you "what it's really like to live there."

We're non-profit, and our mission is to share uncensored and honest information about both the delights (new cultures, fascinating people, unique opportunities, exotic foods) and the challenges (loneliness, loss of identity, struggles to accommodate special needs) of living abroad.

Click here for our Tales: honest personal stories, essays and humor about living abroad

Post Report of the Day

The Hague, The Netherlands

Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?

The Netherlands is a nearly cashless society and a local bank account is absolutely necessary. Currently there are issues that a lot of vendors only take Dutch cards, but their payment system is supposed to...

What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?

Smaller is better, especially if you plan to live in the city. Street parking and garage spots (for those lucky few) are much smaller than in the U.S. People in the suburbs seem to manage...