Melissa and Patricia have a talent for bringing the expatriate lifestyle alive, using their own anecdotes and those of others around the world to draw the reader into this rich experience. ...I commend this book and its wealth of information to anyone contemplating relocation overseas. It can help simplify, untangle, and enrich what will be one of the greatest experiences of your life.

-- Alma Powell, wife of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell

The Expert Expatriate is a bible for families facing the simultaneous, peak stresses of moving abroad -- changing jobs, homes, schools, neighbors and colleagues, and cultures. It demystifies the adventure and encourages positive coping strategies, from careful planning to reaching out to reconnect in one's new surroundings and ask often for help.

-- William Courtney, Former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia and Kazakhstan

For anyone considering a move overseas, The Expert Expatriate is a must-have. Authors Brayer-Hess and Linderman have written the definitive guide to living abroad, filled with practical advice, invaluable tips, and rich resources on how to cope with every challenge from learning a new language to helping children and pets adjust. This book won't sit on the bookshelf. It will be consulted often.

-- Christine Grosse, Professor of Business Communication, Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, Glendale, AZ

Melissa Hess and Patricia Linderman's book contains a wealth of advice and ideas for any would-be expat, all of it coming from the best possible sources, that of firsthand experiences. Anyone going to work on a foreign assignment or just to live in another country will find this book a valuable resource. It won't make culture shock go away but it will prepare and equip readers to better cope with it and all the other practical issues and problems such a move involves, before, during and afterwards. ...I really think that this sort of book should be 'standard issue' before a move.

-- James Simpson, former Director of Organizational Effectiveness, Texas Instruments Europe

Anyone overwhelmed at the idea of moving abroad need not bother to make a single preparatory list. The authors of The Expert Expatriate have done all the work, offering more moving checklists than appear in any other book on relocation.

-- Robin Pascoe, Culture Shock! author and noted expatriate activist and speaker, http://www.expatexpert.com

The Expert Expatriate will make experts of its readers whether they are facing their first or a successive move overseas. Only personal experience and real life challenges could have produced a book of such depth, truth and wisdom.

-- Joanna Parfitt, journalist, speaker and author of A Career in Your Suitcase,
http://www.career-in-your-suitcase.com

Moving overseas can be an overwhelming process, but this book is like having your mother -- or, even better, Mary Poppins -- show up, make you a cup of tea, and take over. The reassuring yet practical tone taken by authors Patricia Linderman and Melissa Hess is just right, and this book covers absolutely everything you could think of about moving to a new country -- and some things you haven't thought of as well. The chapters follow a logical sequence and give step-by-step advice that will help you sail through the moving process, and the text is interspersed with anecdotes from the authors and others who've 'been there.' The Expert Expatriate may well be considered the new 'bible' for those about to embark on the adventure of their lives. Don't leave home without it.

-- Francesca Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Tales from a Small Planet, http://www.talesmag.com

I wish that The Expert Expatriate had been available when we first joined the U.S. Foreign Service some 30 years ago. This is not yet another dispassionate and footnoted treatise on moving and cultural adaptation. Rather, The Expert Expatriate is brimming with wise, compassionate and usable advice from its sensitive and perceptive co-authors. Because the two authors have either lived or are living this life, their comments all have the ring of authenticity. Anyone who is about to embark upon an expatriate existence should read this book before doing so. His or her capacity to adjust and to thrive will be all the more enhanced for having done so.

-- Mette Beecroft, President, Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW), http://www.aafsw.org

The Expert Expatriate weaves practical tips, insightful advice and first-hand experiences into an informative guide to life abroad. Melissa Hess and Patricia Linderman have done a tremendous job addressing both the challenges and rewards expats face during all stages of expatriation and repatriation.

-- Betsy Burlingame, President, Expat Exchange, http://www.expatexchange.com

The Expert Expatriate? Don't make a move without it! Brayer Hess and Linderman cover the transpatriation cycle from the first whisper of a sojourn through reentry with impressive breadth and depth of detail. Clearly written by two who have lived - and deeply appreciated - life in the global corridor, the book is of particular value to parents guiding their children through experiences likely to enrich and inform the rest of their lives.

-- Norma M. McCaig, Founder, Global Nomads International, and President, Global Nomad Resources

Finally, a hands-on, real-life guide to successful overseas relocations written by women who've been on the move for years. Authors Patricia Linderman and Melissa Brayer-Hess demystify everything from the nerve-wracking countdown to moving day to getting settled in a new home half way around the world with kids, and more. With The Expert Expatriate at your fingertips, you'll get it right the first time.

--Ritta Yee and Vera Nicholas-Gervais, http://www.expatcoach.com