Product Review: The Xpat App
By Chilaeya Ezell
EXPAT LIFE APPEALS BLACK AMERICANS
It is estimated that 8.7 million Americans live outside of the United States in over 160 countries, with some estimates reporting closer to 9.5 million expatriates living in nearly 200 countries. This total includes a growing number of Black Americans.
While growing in popularity, expatriates is not a new concept for Black Americans. Quite the contrary. Black Americans have been living abroad since before they gained the right to vote. In 1845, Frederick Douglass looked with "wonder and amazement at the transition" from the U.S. to Ireland. A legendary performer in France and throughout Europe, Josephine Baker’s return to Broadway was well-documented by LIFE in 1951. James Baldwin lived in France and Turkey; Maya Angelou in Ghana. The list goes on.
Some sought an escape from racial tension and mistreatment based on the color of their skin. Some gave in to the desire to reconnect with ancestry roots. Some wanted adventure.
Black In Portugal Expat Community
When asked about his motivation to live abroad, Culture Travels founder Leroy Adams shared, “I didn’t even know what an expat was - I just wanted to travel. My experience in Taiwan ignited in me a desire to see more of the world and see more of me in the world.”
It seems for some, expat-life finds them.
As a military brat, I lived in Japan - both on the mainland and in Okinawa. I have had the privilege of traveling to several countries as an adult. And, periodically, I toy with the idea of living abroad again. The thought of discovering parts of myself that can only be found while simultaneously becoming immersed in the language, music, food, and land of an unknown country is intoxicating. Once the last of my consumer debt is paid (less these student loans), I fully plan on packing my pets and my bags and adding “expat” to my IG description.
A few months back, I Googled “How to become an expat,” and in one of the numerous articles I read, an app recommendation was made - The Xpat App.
Travel community in Brazil
Sharolyn Wynter created the Xpat App to be “a space where we are the default.” Their mission - to improve the social mobility and overall well-being of the Black community by providing exposure and access to experiences, networks, and opportunities abroad.
My first thought after downloading the app? It’s like Facebook for current, past, and aspiring Black expatriates!
Setting up my account required responding to a few questions (such as my expat status and experience with studying abroad), completing my profile, and less than five minutes of my time.
I would consider the app fairly user-friendly. The home page defaults to the activity feed where one can see the most recent posts by other users. New members are encouraged to introduce themselves via a post including #Intro and photos. Anytime I have logged into the app, it is encouraging to see introductory posts from new members ranging from those curious about expat life, like myself, to the seasoned.
Setting up my profile on the Xpat App.
In addition to the activity feed, the home page also displays the groups the member has enrolled in. The available groups are quite diverse - with current groups including Accessibility, Coaching, Fellas ONLY, Over 60, Writers & Readers, numerous expat destinations, and more. Members are encouraged to join groups applicable to them, and there isn’t a limit to the number of groups one can join. I joined the Central America group as there are multiple countries in this region on my list of potential places to live; I have found the posts and suggestions by others within the group quite helpful as well as encouraging.
Black in Bali Expat Community
In addition to self-enrolled groups, all members are automatically enrolled into four groups:
Start Here: A quick-start guide on how to utilize and get the most out of the Xpat App.
Official: More details regarding the app, to include a demo video and informative posts from the creator.
Community: Mandatory group for all 14,000 members of the app - the posts from the home page can be found here.
Xpat Chats: My group as it features stories of and from Black expats, nomads, and study abroad students. Their stories are inspiring and make living abroad a tangible goal for the listener.
Other app features include messaging between members (I appreciated that you had to accept the initial message in order for the conversation to continue, which is a nice feature and likely reduces a plethora of undesired messages from being received), access to tools & resources, and a job opportunities board.
Did I mention this app is free?!
Overall, the Xpat App is a great tool for aspiring and veteran expats alike. The community Sharolyn has developed is inviting and cultivates the traveler in us all.
To learn more about the Xpat App, visit www.xpatinnc.com or the @XpatChats page on Instagram. Founder Sharolyn Wynter can be found on Instagram @feetmeetsland.