It’s only appropriate for foreigners to be mindful of their friends and family back home at Thanksgiving. Because nobody else observes the same holiday identically, expatriates may feel tempted to sneak away and eat a turkey platter. But there are plenty of other ways to celebrate Thanksgiving overseas that are just as enjoyable and special as at home. For this reason, we’d like to offer you these 6 suggestions to help you have the best possible Thanksgiving celebration overseas!
-
Visit a regional cultural festival
Gaining knowledge of diverse cultural practices and customs is one of the delights of living overseas. Carnaval de Las Tablas, a leading festival in Panama, can be an example of this for an expat looking to move to Panama. Even if the celebration’s tone might be opposite of your usual, if you walk in with a positive attitude and forget your preconceived notions, you probably stand to have an unforgettable experience.
-
Prepare your own Thanksgiving meal
Bring some pals over and prepare your Thanksgiving meal if you’re a good chef. Bring in some overseas acquaintances if you are unfamiliar with any other Americans in the area; they’ll probably be thrilled to have Thanksgiving dinner prepared in the tradition of the United States.
-
Search for fancy dining options in advance
For everyone else, it’s just another Thursday, so don’t anticipate anything unusual at eateries. Nevertheless, restaurants that serve Americans might serve turkey on that specific day! Just ask over the phone! They could even direct you toward a restaurant serving authentic Thanksgiving food that is serving expats. On the other hand, you might consider exploring Caribbean cruises on that particular day with your expat friends to make the most of the Thanksgiving celebration.
-
FaceTime with relatives celebrating at home
It’s now simpler than ever to commemorate the occasion with your family, even if they live hundreds of miles away, courtesy of the internet. Just schedule a meeting on Skype or Zoom with your loved ones at home. You can greet each other by passing the device around. If a significant number of people surround you, it could be somewhat noisy, but it should lessen the sense of missing out.
-
Go local
Keep in mind that even though we all long for the taste of home, you’ll shortly be spending Christmas dinner there. One may choose to enjoy the native cuisine and take an opportunity. To achieve this, you might substitute regional ingredients in your meal, such as couscous for stuffing when you’re vacationing in Morocco or raclettes in place of mashed potatoes when snowboarding in Switzerland.
-
Live the moment
Not to mention, remember to enjoy the simple pleasures in life when traveling! To constantly reassure yourself of how thrilling the whole thing is, periodically take a step back. To help with your nostalgia, make an inventory of why you miss home but also feel thrilled about the fresh meals, experiences, and tales you can share.
These are the top 6 tips to be remembered in order to find community and solemnize Thanksgiving abroad. Let us know if you have ever commemorated Thanksgiving abroad!
