I have noticed lately, a number of travel bloggers referring to themselves as expats, after having only been travelling for 6 to 12 months.
To be an expat means “to withdraw (oneself) from residence in one’s native country”. In my eyes, you need to be pursuing citizenship in your new country of residence, not just jaunting through the country on an extended tourist visa or overstaying as an illegal immigrant.
I don’t care what wikipedia says You are not an expat.
You are on a sojourn
you are staying in a country for a while, you may have a home, a job, a lover. If you are not planning on living there permanently (and pursuing citizenship) , you are better described as a sojourner.
A sojourn is a temporary stay. It describes travellers who stay or reside temporarily.
Sojourn accurately describes what many of us long term travellers do. And it’s a much prettier word. Don’t you think?
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You bring up a valid point in this article. I suppose the best way to describe my nomadic life would be to state that I’m on an indefinite sojourn – 6 years & counting.
And that’s great! Who wants to give up citizenship of their home country?
so having left my home some 30 years ago, am I a traveller, a sojourner or an expat? I don’t feel like being any of them, could I jsut stay a wanderer?
Definitely stay a wanderer!
As to whether you’re a sojourner or an expat… That depends on where you consider ‘home’ …if its your new country, then you are an expat. if home is different to where you are living, then you are on sojourn!
“Sojourner” is one of my favorite words! I love that you’re bringing it to more people’s attention.
I haven’t encountered that yet, but it would drive me nuts, too! I travel 6 to 8 months a year–does that make me an expat of every country I visit? If so, how do I tell people where I’m from? =)
Continuing the rant, I’ve met a lot of backpackers on the road who, when asked where they’re from, say “nowhere.” YES YOU ARE. You obviously came from somewhere before you hit the wide, open road! You can’t just be from nowhere, it’s simply not possible!
Hey Kristin,
From what I’ve read on your blog, you’re a repeat sojourner.
And yes! that’s another thing that drives me mad. You’re from somewhere… For me? I’m “from” alot of places, but my heart and allegiance lies with just one (for now, at least). Or worse yet, when people get offended when you ask where they’re from. Seriously, too sensitive!
Sojourner, sounds nice, rolls of the tongue nicely, now which am I? I travel sporadically but never less than a few month at the time, I usually stay in cheap digs and base myself someplace for a few weeks at a time. The idea is to absorb the place and the culture without having to do the tourist sites, often I miss the bigger places for that particular little place at the back of beyond. I am always surprised by the guide book travellers, marking off the sites and hanging out in little groups for 2 weeks of zipping around like mad trying to fit it all in!
Do you mean, are you a sojourner or an expat?
Sojourner is really just a word to describe a traveller, usually long term, but someone who is going to return “home”. Expats don’t plan to return home. Being an expat is kind of like a puppy or a marriage – its for life not just the summer
Thank you. Thank you for writing this. I really hate the overuse of the word “expat”. I do have citizenship in my new country and have fully integrated but the word expat has been thrown around so loosely, and so many people who live in “bubbles” use it on themselves, that I have removed the world from my vocabulary. Plus I’ve held onto my birth country’s citizenship and equally consider myself a part of both countries. So I guess I’m just a dual-citizen.
P.S. I pay taxes in the new country, and vote. So citizen would definitely be my title.
You’re welcome
Glad to hear someone else rejecting a silly and oft misused label. I never liked ex-pat groups. Its like they reject their home country, but aren’t going to commit to the new one either.
Nice post. Intelligent blog. Must follow. SEe my similar post on Feeling at Home blog of Gloria athomeintuscany.