Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice while seeking treatment because of something you have read in this article. Please consult a doctor to get the right treatment for your illness. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately dial 999. “Her breathing changed really quickly, welts appeared on her body, and her tongue started lolling out of her mouth,” says Lucie of her now 13-year-old daughter Delilah’s first severe allergic experience. Delilah had eaten nuts before, but…
Author: Emma Morell
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is drawing to a close, and so is this year. We can all agree that 2022 had a few bumps on the road, so it’s hardly surprising that most of us are beyond ready for a well-earned break. Now, you might be wondering where you can even go at this point in the season. Or, you might be torn between taking a short weekend break or going somewhere you’ll need at least a week to explore. Thankfully there are so many destinations offering all kinds of experiences—from ice-topped mountains to beaches that will warm you…
Travel can always be an educational experience if you have the right attitude. From learning the local language and dealing with the country’s currency to involving kids with planning and packing, travel can teach your kids a little more about the world in several ways. That being said, some destinations offer more obvious learning opportunities than others. Here are some of our favourites from a wide range of distances from Qatar. As a bonus, all these destinations have direct flights from Hamad International Airport!Short Haul: 0 to 4 hoursTravelling with small kids can be overwhelming, especially when they are very…
Most people treat holidays as opportunities for relaxation. They see them solely as a break from the norm and a chance to recharge. Because of this, many parents worry, particularly over long school breaks, about their kids regressing educationally and are concerned about the long weeks lacking structured enrichment programmes. However, the truth is that travel can be one of the most rewarding and educational experiences for adults and children alike. After all, is there anything more exciting than learning outside the four walls of a classroom in a new country?Learning the LanguageOne of the most obvious ways to incorporate…
Establishing a network in a new country is daunting and making friends isn’t always easy.It takes time and effort to meet people in any new place but Doha has a community feel to it that is unusual in cities. Expat life without your tribe can be lonely but when you’ve found them, you’ll have friends for life. Get Out of the HouseIt sounds obvious but this is your first step to meeting people anywhere. Almost everyone here has been new once and most in the recent past. The transient nature of Doha life means people are usually open to new…
Most people first think of game drives to see the Big Five in Kenya or South Africa, close encounters with gorillas in Uganda or trekking up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but Namibia offers a lot of the same opportunities but with more flexibility.Africa with kids in towWe were anxious about travelling in Africa with kids. The last time we visited Africa we were on our honeymoon, and and kids were far from our minds. Now we had a seven-year-old and four-year-old in tow to worry about. We had to get extra vaccinations and find kid-friendly anti-malarial medication. I was also worried about their picky eating leaving us…
When people first started exploring the globe, they left home, never knowing when or if they would ever return. Until relatively recently, the idea of travelling home even once a year was just not something expats could do. Yet, in this age of globalisation and accessible travel, we’ve been able to move much more freely around the world.Until now. Now, the planet has found itself held hostage to a threat that doesn’t recognise fences, borders, governments, wealth, or status. Like a cascade of dominos, we collectively held our breath as we watched authorities around the world imposing increasingly stringent restrictions…
It was hard to avoid the news that broke through Bloomberg on 10 June: “The Ministry of Finance instructed government ministries, institutions, and entities funded by the state to reduce monthly costs for non-Qatari employees by 30%.” That number could only mean one thing: many people will be on the move, leaving Qatar forever. In a pandemic, with economies crashing into recessions, there will be just one option for many, and that is to go home. Repatriation is commonly regarded as the hardest move in expat circles. Reverse culture shock, dramatic changes in lifestyle, a significant reduction in income, and…
Working from home during lockdown was certainly a challenge, but there were also a lot of things we learnt that we could hopefully take back with us to the workplace. Below are some of those lessons.1. Challenge the status quo“Because we’ve always done it this way” is not a new thing. In fact, it has been criticised for years, yet it still abounds in many workplaces. If someone had told us in January that the way we worked in 2020 would change as dramatically as it has, we would never have believed them. Yet it did change—as did we. Change…
It goes without saying that mental health issues are not uniquely an expat problem. If a member of the British Royal Family, famous actors, musicians, and other high-profile personalities can experience them, so can anyone else.Poor mental health does not discriminate—it affects people regardless of age, race, income, or geographical location. In fact, an article from The Guardian newspaper reported last year that as many as 970 million people worldwide are estimated to have a mental or substance use disorder. In the same year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said: “Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders make up ten percent…