In this episode we are talking to Marco LeGrand who is a returning guest from season 1 but also the co-owner of travel company ShapShap Travel.
We will discuss ShapShap Travel and what they have to offer including destinations, travel options and more. We are also taking a look behind the scenes to hear more about the challenges and opportunities of running an online business abroad.
If you are thinking about booking your next travel, this is how you can see all the relevant detail or get in touch:
Contact Details:
Social:
SAFFA INDEX: Toyota Rav 4
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When starting a job in a new county there are a few things you would wish you would have known sooner. This is also true for the people who join after you, and they might come with a few questions. So that is why we have dedicated this episode to covering some of the questions and answers your new colleagues from abroad might ask you. We will cover the following FAQs:
SAFFA INDEX: Heineken
In this episode Eduan caught up with Danelle Labuschagne from FFG Global.
Danelle is a Tax and Financial Emigration expert.
During the episode we spoke about the VERY HOT TOPIC of "Financial emigration".
Contact details:
SAFFA INDEX: Income Tax Rates
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In this episode the manne from the Onsvirjoupodcast sat around the microphone for an adventurous chat with Marilize Morren.
Marilize lives in the Western Cape (South Africa) and is therefor technically not an expat. However she recently did what most expats can only dream of doing.
She quite her job and used the Workaway platform to travel South East Asia while volunteering and getting first hand exposure to various cultures and different ways of life.
This adventure was also a way to help her understand where her strengths and passions lie so she can choose the best career and life path going forward.
In het own words:
“A few months ago, I resigned from my corporate job to go on a 3-month solo-traveling adventure in South-East Asia to volunteer at various NGOs, through WorkAway.
WorkAway made it easy to get connected to the projects I was interested in. I could make an impact, whilst getting a very authentic traveling experience and exposure to the culture of each country.
I started my journey at an ethical elephant sanctuary (no bathing, feeding, or touching), the Somboon Legacy Foundation in Thailand. For my second month, I traveled up to Laos, to a town called Luang Prabang where I did tourism/ marketing for a farm-to-table and community empowerment organisation, the Mekong Svan. During my final month of traveling, I visited Bali and Java in Indonesia, to gain exposure to teaching.”
Check out the amazing places Marilize volunteered at:
Somboon Legacy Foundation
Mekong Svan
Instagram @mindful_living_with_marilize
If this is something that you might consider doing, checkout the Workaway website and start planning your life changing adventure!
SAFFA INDEX: Bottle water
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We hosted Illa (Ilanda) on the podcast late in November. She actually took the call while sitting on her bed in her cabin on the yacht just of the coast of Genoa, Italy.
Illa left her corporate day job a few years ago and flew to the south of France at the time to explore possible opportunities to work on yachts in the Mediterranean
Over the past few years she gained a lot of experience, made great friends and have some amazing stories to share and "yacht myths" to bust.
Life on the water sounds and is amazing, but it is not all about the glamour and it is certainly not a fulltime holiday!
Tune in for this entertaining episode.
She also share some tips during the conversation for those who would love to explore life on the yachts.
Eduan recently caught up with Andrew and Lizette Watts.
The Watts family (Andrew, Liz, and their daughter Emma) currently live in Italy and is in pursuit of a simpler and meaningful life in the Italian countryside.
They traded in the hustle and bustle of city-life and corporate jobs in South Africa, for an 'adventurous slow-life' in Emilia Romagna.
During the episode you'll hear how the Italian dream came about in the first place.
Liz and Andrew also share stories about Emma's Italian language skills, their vegetable garden, their interesting parking solution during the winter, and they tell us about the wonderful 'Nona' who took them under her 'Italian-kitchen wing' so to speak.
You'll also realise that like most things in life this adventure also has a few hurdles and hoops that the Watts family need to jump through and navigate from time to time (for example the Italian language and the visum/visa that they need to renew each year).
Tune in, sit back and relax as you listen to their inspirational story :-)
Ps. The Watts family has a dream of opening a B&B soon in the Italian countryside. Watch this space! And be sure to follow them on:
https://www.wattsinitaly.com
https://www.instagram.com/watts_in_italy
https://www.facebook.com/WattsinItaly
SAFFA INDEX: Spotify Premium
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In episode 2 of season 3 Corrie and Eduan had the privilege to take time and sit around the virtual microphone with Sean and Suzanne.
Sean and Suzanne moved to New Zealand back in 2017 after Sean got a job opportunity there. After nearly five great years in Wellington they recently moved to Wanaka on the south island of New Zealand where they are now based.
We took the chance to talk to them about covid and how they experienced this period in their personal lives.
Because like a lot of us know, New Zealand were one of the countries that took a really hard stance with respect to covid-19 rules, lockdowns and other safety measures during the pandemic.
NZ basically closed its borders for months on end to the outside world… or atleast that was our perspective of the matter.
But like all things in life, it is never as bad or as good as it might seem.
Therefore we wanted to talk to the two of them to hear their expat story and to hear what impact (good and bad) covid had and still has on their life, work, lifestyle and expat journey.
Being 1000s of kilometers from South Africa, their family and closest support structure they also became parents during the covid pandemic and in this episode they specifically reflect and talk about the joys of this period.
Sean and Suzanne are both really upbeat people and they seem to have figured out the expat life and there are a lot of positive takeaways in this insightful and jampacked episode.
Tune in to hear their story
Welcome back to season 3 of Ons vir jou.
In this season - Bits & Bobs - we will look into a variety of topics ranging from passport colours, to being a business owner aboard and everything in-between.
In this Episode we look back at the past 6 months and we take a closer look at our passports.
We are excited to be back, and look forward to talking about all things expat again.
SAFFA INDEX: Nescafe Coffee
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We are at the end of Season 2 of Ons vir jou…Wat nou?
Join us as we look back and wrap up Season 2 - Ubuntu Tips and Tricks in this episode. We take a look into each episode and highlight the topics that might be worth while to go and have a listen to if you haven’t done so yet.
Here is a list of the topics we covered in Season 2:
1. Costly mistakes – Foute om te vermy
2. Emigration requirements – In conversation with NWI
3. Moving with kids – Parenthood abroad
4. Buying property as an Expat
5. Buying property as an Expat
6. Buying property as an Expat
7. Financial Emigration, tax residency and more
8. In gesprek met Wêreldwyd
9. Taiwan, Oman, China, Canada – Jaco Meyer
We will be back with more expat content and topics…
SAFFA INDEX – Big Mac
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Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet)
We are steaming towards the end of an action-packed season two “Ubuntu Tips and Tricks”.
In this week’s episode all three the Saffa-manne sit down around a ‘virtual’ table conversation with well-traveled and across the globe settler, Jaco Meyer.
Tune in and listen how Jaco takes you through his “ping-pong” globe hopper of a journey all the way from Nelspruit to Taiwan, Oman, Canada and more..
Jaco shares his tips and tricks in areas such as language barriers, settling in quickly and his well-respected boerewors and biltong recipes.
Warra boytjie! Jaco, thanks for the great conversation and sharing your expat story with us. All the best and the Canadian summer is awaiting around the corner.
SAFFA Index: Starbucks
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Shout outs:
Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
In this episode the SAFFA-manne head back to their “moedertaal” and host a very special guest Wereldwyd.co.za an initiative of Afriforum.
Wereldwyd is die ideale platform vir elke Suid-Afrikaner wat tans in die buiteland woon, maar graag steeds in voeling met sy geboorteland wil bly en juis daarom het ons met Sue-Ann opgevang om meer inligting te bekom oor verskillende aspekte wat die platform bied. Aspekte wat die volgende insluit:
- Blogs van ervaring en meer inligting oor Suid-Afrikaners tans in die buiteland
- Nuus gebeure uit die buiteland soos vertolk deur Suid-Afrikaners
- Vermaak (kykgenot, leesgenot ens.)
- Die sogenaamde Wereldgids waar jy rondrits op ‘n wereldkaart opsoek na Suid Afrikaanse bedrywe en bedrywighede in sekere lande
- Die “Kom huis toe” veldtog en Wereldwyd se bystand daartoe
Sit terug en geniet hierdie fantastiese Afrikaanse episode saam die ouens.
SAFFA Index: Kleuterskool
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Shout outs:
Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
Episode 7: Financial Emigration, Tax residency and more and more.
Ons Vir Jou Podcast were fortunate to welcome two specialists from Tax Consulting South Africa in the virtual studio for this podcast episode.
Victoria Lancefield - General Manager of the Financial Emigration business unit and Marisa Jacobs - Head of the Africorp Treasury business unit.
Sit back, relax and have a listen to some of the following topics during the episode:
1. The various options to break tax residency ties with South Africa.
2. General misconceptions with regards to tax residency, financial emigration and our tax responsibilities towards SARS as expats.
3. Various laws, rules, limits and thresholds etc. when it comes to:
4. Possible consequences for not complying to the tax laws in place.
5. FAQs with regards to Financial Emigration (these range from simple to more complex questions). Financial Emigration South Africa | Frequently Asked Questions
6. Advantages of using an authorized dealer (like Africorp Treasury) to send money to and from South Africa
Pay special attention if you are based in the Middle East or in Europe!!
The Tax Consulting South Africa team is heading to these locations for in-person events/presentations to provide a comprehensive update on Expat Tax and to better inform the ‘Saffa’ community on all relevant matters.
Lastly, here are links to some handy articles for more information regarding Financial Emigration and Tax residency:
SAFFA Index: Movie Tickets
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Shout outs:
Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
We are dedicating episode 6 and 7 to personal finance topics that are relevant to us as expats.
As an expat there are heaps of relevant personal finance aspects to consider in your new country of choice. Some of the most important things to pay attention probably include:
- Saving and investing for your pension in your new country
- Tax incentives when investing for ones pension - EPISODE 7
- Transferring money to and from South Africa - EPISODE 6
- Your South African Tax status - EPISODE 7
- Financial emigration from South Africa - EPISODE 7
- Selecting a bank and opening a bank account
- Income tax rates
- Income protection and long term insurance etc.
Episode 6 turned out to be predominantly focused on Pension and how we can potentially use the tax incentives that the government offers to our advantage when investing and saving towards our pension.
CJ and Corrie took control of the episode and directed most of their questions at Eduan (not because Eduan is an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but purely because between the three hosts he genuinely finds this topic very interesting!)
That being said, nothing said on this episode (or any episode for that matter) should be taken as advice. Please consult a financial advisor in the country where you find yourself to get accurate and reliable information on which you can act and take advantage of any pension system that is in place in that country.
The conversation is predominantly focused towards the Dutch pension system (because the hosts live in The Netherlands). But Eduan believes that most pension systems around the world are fundamentally based on the same recipe :
a. Structure:1. Government; 2 Employer; 3 Individual.
b. Tax incentives for the investor (with various limits)
c. Control / restrictions over which asset classes you may invest in
d. Control over access to the money (normally you can only access your pension funds after reaching a certain age) .
Resources to refer to:
The Netherlands: mijnpensioenoversicht.nl
New Zealand: kiwisaver https://www.ird.govt.nz/kiwisaver
Austrailia: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/superannuation
Canada: CPP https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp.htmland RRSPS https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/rrsps-related-plans/registered-retirement-savings-plan-rrsp.html
SAFA index - Transferring money back to South Africa
Sending €1000 back to SA @ an exchange rate of R17:48 to the Euro (as at 28 january 2021)
The receiving bank account will be credited with:....R.... when using the following platforms
* Note, when transferring money abroad, make sure to take both the fees and the exchange rate into account so that you can compare apples with apples.
Azimo - R 17, 200
Wise - R 17 260
Revolute - R 17 430
World remit - R 17 080
Other options:
Your local bank; Western union, Remitly, Xe ... and the standard posduif ;-)
During episode 7 we will have a expert guest in the 'virtual studio' to talk us through all the do's and don't of financial emigration and cutting 'Tax ties' with SARS and South Africa
In this episode Eduan and Corrie are talking to 2 friends; Luzahn in the Netherlands and Jean-ria in the Caymens to discuss their experience of Giving birth abroad.
We look into what their biggest concerns were, we look into the costs and hear some great tips for first timers…
We also discuss how they managed the gap of not having family and the support structures in place that would normally be there when living in your own country.
SAFFA INDEX – Pampers premium
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Shout outs:
Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
CJ and Eduan caught up with Ralf from Expat Mortgages and Cherene from Expat Property Brokers recently.
Both are experts in their field and in the Dutch property market.
Buying a house or property as an expat in a foreign country (or in your new home country) can be a daunting experience. But in The Netherlands this could potentially turn into a very pleasant experience if you have Expat Property Brokers and Expat Mortgages in your corner of the ring.
Expat Mortgages: ralf@expatmortgages.nl ; www.expatmortgages.nl ;+31 (0)20 7173908 ; you can also find them on facebook and instagram
Expat Property Brokers: cherene@expatprop.nl or info@expatprop.nl | +31 30 22 71 99 0 ; www.expatprop.nl ; you can also find them on facebook and and instagram
NOTE: When contacting either Expat Property Brokers or Expat Mortgages please reference "Ons vir jou, wat nou? Podcast" .
Ons vir Jou Podcast recently agreed an affiliation programme with Expat Mortgages and Expat Property Brokers, which might in turn offer a small financial reward for us so that we are able to continue to run this platform and create the awesome expat community that we are striving for in the long run.
SAFFA INDEX – Electricity (Kwh)
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Shout outs:
Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
What a privilege to welcome Sean Kupferberg from New World Immigration in our virtual studio today.
CJ and Eduan, both sitting in a rather cold and gloomy Netherlands each had a cup of Rooibos tea to keep them warm during the episode, while Sean on the other hand recorded from Cape Town and bragged –ever so subtle– about how he would be enjoying an ice cold Klippies and coke after our call.
Sean and New World Immigration (NWI):
Sean has worked in the immigration industry for the better part of a decade. His knowledge and experience is evident. He is passionate about immigration and realistically highlights the challenges and opportunities that NWI comes across on a daily basis as and when they go about their business assisting families and individuals on their immigration journeys.
“New World Immigration, founded in 2009, is a customer-centric organization that focuses primarily on making it easier for prospective migrants to move abroad and live their dreams… On top of our visa services for South Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S., we have a new property and relocation division that was created in 2015 that focuses on aspects outside of the visa process. This value added service comes free of charge to the client… We’re not taking on clients who we can’t help. We do not sugar-coat processes, and we are really open and upfront with our customers. Our open door policy ensures that our customers have access to more than our office. With this type of ‘no nonsense’ approach and putting any potential applicant’s goals and ambitions at the forefront of everything we do, we claim a success rate of 99.4%.” – NWI
Best countries for South Africans to immigrate to:
Criteria to immigrate to a new country:
For this conversation we specifically chose to talk about: Australia, Canada, and USA.
Sean’s advice to each of us is to ask ourselves: “Where can I add value?” before considering the move abroad and targeting a specific country.
SAFFA INDEX – Shipping a 20 foot container from South Africa
Welcome Back
Welcome back to Ons vir jou wat nou and welcome to the kick-off of our brand-new season. Season 2 – Ubuntu Tips and Tricks.
We are back from our Autumn break and ready to discuss more first world problems and hopefully a few solutions.
CJ has been in South Africa again, Eduan ran further than humanly possible, and Corrie started a new job.
We will take a quick look back at season 1 and discuss what you can expect from season 2.
In season 2 we will deep dive into a few specific topics that might help you on your expat journey, regardless of the phase you are in.
Some of the topics we will cover in season 2 are:
· Best countries to immigrate to and why
· Moving to a new country with kids
· Buying a house in a new country
Season 2 - Episode 1: Costly mistakes to avoid
In this episode we are looking into costly mistakes to avoid. We have a lot of very good real-life examples of mistakes that expats around the world have made such as:
· Taxi paid with wrong amount
· Immigration agents charging too much
· Taking the wrong furniture to the wrong country
Sit back, relax and enjoy!!!
SAFFA INDEX – Rental price in the big cities
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Shout outs – Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
We have all heard the saying "you (we) can always come back"
In reality this is not always so straight forward for most Saffa expats who leaves South Africa's borders for an opportunity and a life elsewhere in the world. Whether it is the new job or career, new friends or perhaps a new 'familiarity', the option to move back to SA holds it's own challenges after a few years abroad!
In die "bonus" episode vang Eduan met Stephan Swannepoel op. Stephan (of soos daar na hom verwys word, Swannies) en sy vrou Elsabe het in 2018 Ierland toe getrek.
Hulle het die Iere en die land self onsettend baie geniet! Hulle het gewoeker terwyl hul oorsee was en voordeel gevat uit goedkoop vlugkaartjies om 'n klompie lande te sien regoor Europa!
Die verskil met Swannies hul kom wel in toe hul hul Expat journey beeindig het (op 'n baie positiewe noot en met 'n pro-aktiewe besluit) met die keuse om terug te trek Suid Afrika toe laat in 2021.
Hulle het die besluit en skuif gemaak met die oortuiging dat hul graag in Suid Afrika wil woon. Ierland was baie goed vir hulle en hulle is daar weg sonder om enige brue te brand. Inteendeel, Swannies is oortuig dat die deure altyd vir hul oopstaan daar
Swannies deel ook in die epsiode 'n paar ander adminastratiewe 'tips' om in ag te neem voor mens op die vliegtuig klim terug Suid Afrika toe. Laastens deel hy 'n kragtige lewenswaarheid: "don't follow the trend"
Gooi 'n Whisky. Sit terug. luister. En geniet
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Shout outs - Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).
All good things come to an end.
In this last episode of Season 1 – Die Groot Trek, we look back on the season and the journey of immigration. We also have a chat to a new guest living in London and look into what you can expect in Season 2 of Ons Vir Jou.
In our conversation with Nadia (our guest) we talk about her reason for moving abroad, what she enjoys most about living outside of SA and the adjustments and challenge she faced during this process.
Shout out: To Jaco, one of our listeners and a look into some of his experiences and views.
The topics we covered in Season 1:
- Ek wil trek - First Thoughts
- Waarheen nou – Which Country
- Papierwerk – Ducks in a row
- Hier gaan ek – Time to leave
- Gearriveer – I have arrived
- Voete vind – Settling in
- Aanpassings – What I miss
In the next season of Ons Vir Jou we will take a deep dive into some of the topics we touched on in Season 1. We will look into things like: Costly mistakes to avoid, Best countries to immigrate to and why, Requirements to enter each country, Personal finances in your new country, Moving to a new country with kids, Giving birth in your new country and buying property.
A big thank you to all of our listeners in 23 countries around the world for listening and for being part of this journey with us.
Remember: Home is not a place, it’s a feeling…
SAFFA INDEX – Ribeye Steak
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Shout outs - Music and sound editing: Etienne Swanepoel (from @africa_withet).