Is it all swimming pools, excitement and endless cultural opportunity, or is life as an expat tougher than it looks?

We went to question and answer site, Quora, to find out some of the advantages and disadvantages of expat life.

The never-ending sunshine is not to be underestimated according to Alaskan Kyle Pennell who has lived in Colombia and Mexico.

“(More sunshine and free time) are some of the finest things in life. I get a lot more of them by living in Latin America. I come from a place that values short vacations and long hours,” he wrote.

By freelancing in Latin America, Pennell said he can support himself while working fewer hours than he would have to in his native Alaska. “This allows me more time to exercise, study, read, and spend time with people,” he wrote. The warm temperatures allow people to be outside more and “create wonderful public spaces like Zocalos (a town square or plaza in Mexico)”.

Pennell found dating and flirting easier too. “Back in the West Coast USA, I'm just another not-so-fashionable tall white dude with the same old short haircut,” wrote Pennell. “In Latin America, with my height, light-brown hair, and accented Spanish, I'm an exotic blonde northerner with a tricky to pronounce name.”

Language anguish

Father-of-three, Yoni Passwell, co- founder of travel website Voyjer.com, said that while living in China, the language barrier was one of the hardest challenges, particularly not being able to ask for simple things in simple situations “it once took me an hour to find salt in the supermarket,” he said.

Another difficult issue to handle is boredom, especially if you are following your spouse, because it is hard to find a job or other things to do. “This is the main reason for expat ‘failure’, whenever one spouse is not happy about the situation, it's go home time for all.”

“My one tip to make it work -- keep an open mind about all things and people and try to have a good time,” Passwell wrote.

Fish out of water

Website community manager Marc-Olivier Meunier who is French but now lives in Finland warned of a disconnect with his family at home, he wrote “ it is now difficult to avoid conflicts with my family because we have very different ideas on many topics. I feel (at) home in Finland and in France. But not like before leaving France.”

After spending time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Courtney Pruitt, explained that one of the main disadvantages for her was adapting to a drastically different environment. “The city of Buenos Aires is as unorganised as the people's arbitrary use of slang…or as they call it ‘lunfardo.’”

She also felt that expats naturally will purport some sort of stereotype because of their nationality. “When I asked people living in Buenos Aires what they thought of when they thought of Americans, it was someone who was obese and went to KFC every day. Not the choice group to be associated with,” wrote Pruitt.

Quora respondents are required to use their true names under the site’s Real Names policy. To help ensure legitimacy and quality, Quora asks some individuals, such as doctors and lawyers, to confirm their expertise.

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