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| Worldwide - General |
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| Information Sources: |
| OUTPOST Expatriate Information Centre |
| OUTPOST is the centre of a world-wide spouse-to-spouse network providing Shell families with practical information about living conditions in expatriate locations around the world. Click here to find out more about OUTPOST and the Information Network Centres. (See also "Information Sources" within other regional pages). Shell employees can also access Expat Plaza for Shell expatriation information. |
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outpost@si.simis.com +31 (0)70 377 6530 +31 (0)70 377 1487 |
| SEC - Spouse Employment Consultant |
| The Shell Expatriate Spouse Employment Support scheme provides information and advice to Shell spouses who wish to pursue career interests while expatriated and upon return to their base country. |
|
spouseemployment@si.shell.com
+31 (0)70 377 6005 +31 (0)70 377 1487 |
| KIT (The Royal Tropical Institute) in Amsterdam |
| Provides cultural orientation courses and country briefings, including book lists, etc. (at a commercial cost, of course). They have an extensive resources library. |
|
ibd@support.nl http://www.kit.nl/ +31 20 568 8711 +31 20 668 4579 |
| Farnham Castle (The Centre for International Briefing) in Farnham |
| A comprehensive cultural briefing service based in UK (actually in a real castle in Farnham, Surrey). Also does language training. Some employing companies are willing to sponsor future employees on briefing courses at both CIB and KIT (above)- they are well worth attending, and CIB has creche facilities so that both partners can participate. |
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cib.farnham@dial.pipex.com +44 1252 721194 +44 1252 719277 |
| ECA (Employment Conditions Abroad) in London |
| A consultancy with 800 member companies which provides Accommodation Reports, Country Profiles and other advice on living in places where you might be posted (again not a free service - contact your employer first as they may have access to copies of some of these reports). Ranks different locations using a "comfort factor" based on culture and security. Often gets write-ups in the Sunday Times, eg. "Find a nest before you fly" (28/7/96) and "Top places for working overseas" (10/11/96). (See Sunday Times in UK Websites below). |
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eca@ecaltd.com +44 171 351 5000 +44 171 351 9396 or 171 352 0698 |
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| Media - Books: |
| There are many well-known travel guides for different countries and parts of the world, including the Lonely Planet Guide’s Travel Survival Kit series, Insight Guides, Fodor’s Guides, Let’s Go Guides - plus many good travel books and maps published by oil companies such as Shell, Mobil, Esso. (See Worldwide Websites below.) For more detailed information on where to eat, and what to visit in individual towns and cities, the Michelin Guides are indispensable. You can buy many of these general travel books in a good bookshop, or use one of the books-by-post services, such as the Good Book Guide (tel: +44 171 490 9900/fax: 9908) or the Sunday Times Bookshop (tel: +44 990 134 459/fax: +44 1326 374 888/email: bookshop@sunday-times.co.uk). Or check out the general travel guides websites below. |
| The following are examples of some of the books available which can prepare you for expatriation: |
| "Culture Shock" Series |
| "One of the paradoxes of this century is that
a man can be uprooted from a familiar environment, flown
halfway round the world, dropped into another clime and
culture, and be expected to function as usual." This series is a comprehensive guide to the customs and expectations of your host country and prepares you for the sometimes unpleasant surprises of culture shock. Titles include Burma, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore/Malaysia and Thailand. Published by Times Books International, Singapore. Also "Culture shock! Successful living abroad, a parent's guide", and "Culture shock! Successful living abroad, a wife's guide", by Robin Pascoe, 1993. Many "Culture shock!" books can be ordered via the Internet from http://www.amazon.com or http://www.BarnesandNoble.com. |
| "The Expatriates’ Handbook" |
| A guide to getting the best out of overseas employment. Bill Twinn & Patrick Burns, Kogan Page, 1993. |
| "Living Abroad: Keeping your life, family and career intact" |
| Overview of problems faced by people living overseas, from preparing to move, daily life abroad, through to relocating back home. Cathy Tsang-Feign, Hambalan Press. |
| "The Traveller’s Handbook" |
| From WEXAS - everything you need to know about travel, from health to hygiene, food to photography, and maps to motoring. A useful "highlights and hassles" guide to the globe. |
| "Life on the Move" and, recently published, "Life Now" |
| Experiences and snapshots of expatriate life from Shell expatriate families all over the world. Published by the Shell Ladies Project - for more details and how to order, click here. |
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| Media: Newspapers/journals |
| Destinations |
| OUTPOST's quarterly expatriate magazine. Includes articles on round-the-world experiences and expatriate life. If you are a Shell employee or partner anywhere, and would like to submit an article for publication (or would like to receive a copy), please contact OUTPOST - contributions are most welcome. |
| The Resident Abroad |
| A monthly magazine for expatriates published by the Financial Times, covering money and tax, education in UK and abroad, property reports worldwide and practical advice on specific expatriate dilemmas such as repatriation. |
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+44 1444 445520 +44 1444 445599 |
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| BBC On Air magazine | ||
| Monthly magazine from the BBC World Service, giving full details of schedules and how to tune in worldwide. |
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+44 171 257 2211 +44 171 240 4899 |
| Lots of newspapers now have on-line sites on the internet - click here to access a large selection of them. |
|
| Media - CD ROMs: |
| There are some great atlases and maps available on CD ROM format, including Microsoft Encarta 97 World Atlas (includes maps you can zoom down to 1:500,000 scale, country portraits and statistics), Dorling Kindersley’s World Reference Atlas (with the look and feel of a paper atlas, with text and statistics), and the Times World Atlas. |
|
| Websites: |
| Many websites listed here focus on international expatriate communities and seek to share the global experience of expatriation. We also list websites containing basic and useful location information, as well as some individual observations about life in different countries. Many are "lists of lists", covering different countries and subject categories and are therefore placed in the general section here rather than within each country to which they apply. |
| Our lists of websites are only a small selection of those we have travelled through - we hope you will find them useful, and welcome your comments and additions. |
| This is quite a long list, so your browser may take a little while to load it all. |
| Euroshell Route Planner | Take the hassle out of
planning a journey by road through Europe by using
Euroshell's Route Planner. Gives detailed routes with
costs and travel time, in English, Dutch, French or
German. http://www.euroshell.com |
|
| Relocation Tips and
Resources |
Lots of useful ideas on
relocating from BR Anchor Publishing, for example in the
Library there is an item on "Successful relocations
for employees with disabilities". http://www.branchor.com |
|
| Living Abroad Magazine | Individual country extracts
include useful summaries on culture, documentation,
everyday life, housing, tax, banking, fast facts, etc. http://www.livingabroad.com/ |
|
| Expat Exchange |
An online community
exclusively for expats - you can connect with others
living abroad to request information and share your
experiences. Contains links to information on various
aspects of living abroad. http://www.expatexchange.com/index.html |
|
| Escape Artist - A Website
for the Borderless World |
A well organised collection
of resources relating to global mobility - country links,
expatriate resources, immigration resources, book lists,
plus new online magazine planned. http://www.escapeartist.com/ |
|
| Expat Forum | A new website for
expatriates, with information on cost of living and
electrical current worldwide, plus an "Expat
Chat" message board and links to other international
websites. http://www.expatforum.com/ |
|
| Overseas Digest Online | Collection of information
for expatriates living, working and studying abroad,
including planning life abroad, education, local
organisations, safety and security, medical matters, plus
highlights and free E-mail version of newsletter for
Americans abroad. http://overseasdigest.com/expat1.htm |
|
| Transition Dynamics | Selected articles on the
international expatriate experience, organisations of
interest to expatriates and links for the internationally
mobile. http://www.transition-dynamics.com/resources.html |
|
| Global Nomads | A non-profit organisation
working with organisations, governments, educators,
families and individuals to encourage understanding and
constructive application of the "global nomad"
experience. http://globalnomads.association.com/gniintro.htm |
|
| Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO) | An international network of
clubs in 34 countries worldwide for American women living
and working abroad. http://www.fawco.org/clubtabl.htm |
|
| Lonely Planet Online | You’ve read their
"Travel Survival Kit" guidebooks now check out
their cyberspace travel guides, with latest travel
information from authors, researchers and fellow
travellers. Their country pages include sections on Facts
at a Glance, Environment, History, Culture, Events, Facts
for the Traveller, Getting Around, Recommended Reading,
Travellers’ Reports, and often include detailed City
information. http://www.lonelyplanet.com |
|
| Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP) | This is a useful directory
to "great outdoors" internet sites around the
world, by region and by category, incl. features,
books/maps, trips, and country-by-country listings.
Useful summaries for each site listed. Includes regional
directories for Africa, Asia, Australia & NZ, Canada,
Europe, Central & South America, Indonesia and USA. http://www.gorp.com/gorp/location/main.htm |
|
| CityNet | Online travel guides to a
multitude of countries worldwide. Each country has
sections on Country Information, Culture and Language,
Education, Maps, News and Weather, Travel and Tourism,
plus City information. http://www.city.net or http://city.net/countries |
|
| World Travel Guide | Comprehensive online guide
to the travellers' world, from AT&T and Columbus
Press. Destinations can be accessed from the Region
Selector, plus special "Country of the Month"
feature. http://www.wtg-online.com/ |
|
| Relocation Journal | List of sources of
information for many countries, plus articles on living
and working abroad. http://www.relojournal.com/world.htm (Specially selected articles of interest from the library on http://www.relojournal.com/lbartcls.htm ) |
|
| Rough Guides | Brief but descriptive
impressions of countries, main cities and tourist areas,
with seasonal advice. http://roughguides.com/travel/index.html |
|
| CIA World Factbook | Lots and lots of data. Some
rather dry, but including masses of information about
many countries worldwide, incl. their economies,
population statistics, communications - eg in Oman there
are 6000 km of paved and 20000 km of unpaved roads .... http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html |
|
| World Weather | Index to weather around the
world - five-day forecasts for temperatures and rain -
from USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/basemaps/wworld1.htm or this one which gives you a quicker view, by region or by city: http://www.weather.com/weather/int/ |
|
| World Electric Guide | Plugging in electrical
appliances can sometimes bring problems. Check here first
to find out about electrical supplies and running your
computer. The URL has changed so update your Bookmark. http://kropla.com/electric.htm |
|
| Natural History Book Service | Want to know what books you
can buy about the flora, fauna or environment of the
country you are being posted to? Now with over 35,000
titles online, this is your answer. Fully searchable/
browsable online catalogue with direct ordering link by
email. http://www.nhbs.co.uk |
|
| The Internet Bookshop | Search for (and order) a
book in this extensive UK-based listing of over 1.2
million titles. http://www.Bookshop.co.uk |
|
| Amazon.com, Earth's Biggest Bookstore | An alternative US-based
source of available book titles. This one has three
million titles online! http://www.amazon.com |
|
| Travellers’ Checklist - Currency | Summary of restrictions on
import and export of local and/or foreign currencies
worldwide, plus exchange rates, listed by country. http://www.travel.com.hk/currency.htm |
|
| Foreign Exchange Rates | Just enter the currencies
required for an up-to-date exchange rate. http://www.dna.lth.se/cgi-bin/kurt/rates |
|
| How far is it? | This site will tell you the
distance from one city to another, worldwide. http://www.indo.com/distance/ |
|
| The Time Zone Page | Visit any one of the
following sites if you want to check out what time it is
where! http://www.wco.com/~doo/cgi-bin/time.cgi http://www.mich.com/~timezone/ http://www.01digital.com/time/ |
|
| Airlines of the Web | Links to websites of almost
every individual airline in the world. Go to Airlines
(not Virtual Airlines), and then select the appropriate
region to access individual airlines' home pages. http://www.itn.net/airlines |
|
| EasyJet Flights | The easyJet website offers
online booking, flightmap and price information for its
UK and European routes. http://www.easyjet.com/ |
|
| Subway Navigator | The easy way to make sense
of the metro system in worldwide cities, using either
French or English. Just select capital city, and type in
departure/destination stations (maps are provided) to
find routes, changes, line names and ticket prices.
(Excludes non-metro rail links.) http://metro.jussieu.fr:10001/bin/cities/english |
|
| TRANSupport Database | Thinking of buying or
running a vehicle overseas? Want to advertise your used
car to other expats? Follow this link to read about
driving abroad, fuel grades, off-road driving and other
links. Free access following registration. http://www.mapsupport.com/database.html |
|
| BBC services and publication | Your link to BBC
broadcasting services and worldwide publications,
including a searchable database of frequencies for BBC
World Service radio, international sports diary, etc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice |
|
| Voice of America | Details of VoA program
services, schedules and frequencies from the worldwide
radio network of the US Government. http://www.voa.gov |
|
| Radio Nederland Wereldomroep | Details of Radio Nederland's
international broadcasting services, frequencies and
schedules. http://www.rnw.nl |
|
| World Health
Organisation: International Travel and Health |
Vaccination requirements and
authoritative health advice from the World Health
Organisation in English, French, Spanish and Japanese. If
you are looking for good, comprehensive information on
malaria risks and prevention then use the links on this
site. The URL is new so update your bookmark. http://jupiter.who.ch/programmes/emc/yellowbook/ yb_home.htm |
|
| International Travelers Clinic | US-based healthcare service
for travellers planning trips abroad, from the Medical
College of Wisconsin. Some useful links to other travel
health information websites. www.intmed.mcw.edu/travel.html |
|
| Shorelands'sTravel Healthline | Travel health and safety
guide, including country profiles, general health
concerns, preventive medicines, etc. Includes regional
security. http://www.tripprep.com/index.html |
|
| La Leche League | Home page of the
international support organisation for new mothers,
including worldwide support groups and contacts, and
FAQs. If you have any concerns about your new baby or
about breastfeeding, you may find reassurance here. http://lalecheleague.org/ |
|
| Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa and Latin America | An abridged, online version
of Moon Travel’s health guide - useful for those
living as well as travelling off the beaten track. http://www.moon.com/staying_healthy |
|
| Moving with Children | Some useful tips on how to
involve your children in the momentous event. http://www.burkebros.co.uk/kids.html |
|
| Languages for Travellers | Helpful introduction to many
of the languages of the world, whether or not your mother
tongue is English. http://www.travlang.com/languages/ |
|
| Embassies & Consulates Worldwide | Escape Artist's index of
worldwide embassy and consulate resources. http://www.escapeartist.com/embassy1/embassy1.htm |
|
| The British Council | Britain's principal agency
for cultural relations overseas - the British Council
encourages cultural, scientific, technological and
educational cooperation between the UK and 100-plus other
countries. http://www.britcoun.org/ |
|
| US State Department | Travel warnings and consular
information. http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html |
|
| UK Foreign Office | British Foreign and
Commonwealth Office advice for travellers. Includes
"dos-and-donts" sections. http://www.fco.gov.uk/ |
|
| Travel warnings from DFAT | Consular travel advice
issued by the Australian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and
Trade. http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/advices_mnu.html |
|
| Online Newspapers | A comprehensive list of
links to online newspapers on the net, listed
alphabetically by country. With over 1000 links, there is
something for everyone. http://www.webwombat.com.au/intercom/newsprs |
|
| College and University Home Pages - Worldwide | Links to home pages of more
than 3000 colleges and universities, in more than 80
countries worldwide, as at July 1996. http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/geog.html |
|
| Master of Business Administration | If you are seeking to study
an MBA through distance learning programme here are a few
pointers to get you started: Henley College http://www.henleymc.ac.uk/contents.htm Durham University http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dbr0www2/index.html |
|
| Open University | Thinking of studying while
you are abroad? The Open University has study areas in
many EU countries and partnerships with institutions in
Central & Eastern Europe, Singapore and HongKong. http://www.open.ac.uk/OU/Intro/WhatIs.html |
|
| International Centre for Distance Learning | Database of institutions
offering world-wide teaching at a distance, together with
programmes and courses. http://www-icdl.open.ac.uk/icdl/index.htm |
|
| International Baccalaureate Organisation | Considering International
Baccalaureate for your son/daughter's secondary education
overseas? This site gives details of IBO's programmes,
aims and international schools directory (over 750 member
schools in over 90 countries). http://www.ibo.org/ |
|
| European Council for International Schools | On-line directory of
international schools worldwide. Higher education
directory includes information on applying to colleges
and universities. http://www.ecis.org/directories/index.htm |
|
| All Movie Guide | Puzzled by the film reviews
in a language you don't yet understand? Check out the
latest films in this simple-to-use film and video
database.This is a new URL so update your bookmark. http://www.allmovie.com/index.html |
|
| Worldwide Dive Clubs | Explore another aspect of a
new location through the sport of Sub Aqua. This site is
a diver's resource, containing lists of diving clubs
worldwide. http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/ukdiving/world/clubs.htm |
|
| The Choir Links Page | Another activity that
crosses cultural boundaries - this site contains lists of
choirs around the world, with contact details. How about
joining the Vocal Vikings, a barbershop chorus in
Stockholm? http://www.abc.se/~m9850/TheChoirLinksPage/ |
|
| CricInfo Master Index | For those cricketing
enthusiasts out there, take a look at the CricInfo Master
Index for access to worldwide cricket information. The
URL has changed so update your bookmark. http://www-aus.cricket.org:8000/link_to_database/ |
|
| Expat Investor | A bi-monthly magazine aimed
at helping expats to manage their finances, with
additional online sections on Leisure and Property. Free
subscription worldwide via their website. http://www.expatworld.com |
|
| Expat Financial | Some helpful tips to consider when buying health
insurance or a financial plan. www.expatfinancial.com/helpful.htm |
|
|---|---|---|
| Guide to the Internet and Cyberworld | Search the internet for
further information on the topic or country you want by
using a search engine. As a starting point look at
OUTPOST's own advice page. Internet Cafes and the Cyber World |
|
| The Real Estate Library | A useful compilation of
website addresses providing tips and countdown advice for
a smoother move. http://relibrary.com/6mt1.htm |
|
| Residential Moving |
Handy tips on moving pets,
antiques, computers and more. http://www.stevensworldwide.com/resident.html |
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| Have you come across other useful websites of interest to the worldwide expatriate community? Please let us know by using the Feedback button below. | |||||||||||||
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