As the world appears to get smaller, families are increasingly offered the opportunity to move abroad and experience some of that fabled expat life. Whilst preparations for this exciting yet daunting adventure progress, families often forget to take into account what could happen to those left behind.

What concerns do they have about their relationships whilst living apart?  How do they cope with this new situation? Living miles apart, either in the same country or on a different continent can cause difficulties for the whole family.  Research has shown that grandparents find it especially hard to be separated from their grandchildren. Having experienced this dilemma first hand, Peter Gosling, himself a global grandparent for almost 20 years, and Anne Huscroft, a well-travelled expat and relocation expert, decided to combine their unique view points and write How to be a Global Grandparent.

Their researches enabled Peter and Anne to discover how people, from all over the world, coped with a situation that provided them with new challenges. 

Unsurprisingly, some coped better than others in learning how to find new ways to keep those special relationships active.
 
The first part of the book addresses such issues as when to go out and visit the newly expatriate family, which is not always straightforward or easy to organise.  There can be many pitfalls when visitors find themselves totally immersed in a new culture and a new family unit.  To ensure you’re invited to visit more than once, read the suggestions on how to behave while you’re there.  Don’t forget that overseas families often struggle to fit visitors into their new lives and routines, no matter how glad they are to see them.  Just as important are issues relating to what to do when the family descend during the summer holidays.   How will you deal with being used as somewhere to sleep and eat whilst your family catches up with their friends back home?  How can a compromise be reached to accommodate everyone’s requirements?  Using feedback and real-life experiences (both good and bad) from families worldwide, the book makes some practical and often “relationship saving” suggestions for survival.

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