How to write a book while living abroad

• Categories: Lifestyle, Tips, Travel, Work
• 22 Jul 2026

Writing a book can feel like a huge project, especially if your life is spread across countries, time zones, and changing routines.

However, it could be easier than it feels, if you treat it like a project with clear steps instead of waiting for inspiration. Moreover, for expats, remote workers, and people who move between cultures, that same experience can become the raw material for a powerful book.

The key is not to wait for the “perfect” moment. A book often begins with a simple observation, a difficult transition, or one question that keeps returning.

This guide gives you a simple method to structure your book, write with less stress, choose the right tools, decide where to publish, and actually get people to read it.

Start with the core idea

Before thinking about chapters or publishing platforms, define what your book is really about. A strong book usually starts with one clear promise.

For example:

• What did you learn from living abroad?
• How did remote work change your life?
• What surprised you most about starting over in a new country?
• What do other people need to know before making the same move?

Respond yourself to this:

1. What is your book really about in one sentence?
2. What problem does it solve or what experience does it offer the reader?
3. Who exactly is it for? (age, interests, knowledge level)

A clear idea prevents your book from becoming vague and helps you stay focused over months of writing.

Choose a structure that fits your story

Not every book needs to follow the same formula. Some books are practical, some are reflective, and some mix both. For Hola People’s audience, a flexible structure often works best.

A simple non-fiction structure could look like this:

1. Introduction

• Present the main idea.
• Explain why the topic matters.
• Tell the reader what they will get from the book.

2. Main chapters

• Organize them by stages, themes, or key lessons.
• Each chapter should focus on one main idea.

3. Closing section / Conclusion / Wrap-up

• Bring the story or argument together.
• Offer final reflections or practical takeaways.

4. Extra material (optional)

• Templates, checklists, exercises, resources, glossary.

If your book is more personal, you can also structure it around a journey:

1. departure
2. arrival
3. confusion
4. adaptation
5. discovery
6. belonging

That kind of structure feels natural for expat stories and gives the book emotional movement.

If the book is about living abroad

A book about living abroad becomes much stronger when it is specific. Readers usually do not want vague advice; they want real experiences, details, and honest observations.

Some possible angles are:

• the first weeks in a new country
• the emotional side of immigration or relocation
• remote work across time zones
• bureaucracy, visas, and practical survival
• identity, language, and belonging
• what it means to feel “at home” in more than one place

One strong chapter title, for example, could be: The Day I Realized I Was No Longer Living in Just One Country — that kind of title immediately creates curiosity and emotion.

If the book comes from a blog

Many people already have the beginning of a book inside their blog. If you have written about travel, relocation, remote work, or international living, those posts can become chapter material.

A good way to transform a blog into a book is:

1. identify your strongest posts
2. group them into larger themes
3. rewrite them so they connect better
4. add transitions, examples, and reflection
5. remove repetition and update older material

A blog post can be one spark. A book needs depth, flow, and a stronger sense of progression.

Useful tools for writing

If you live between countries, the best tools are usually the ones that travel well and sync easily across devices.

Some practical options are:

• Google Docs, for simple cloud-based writing
• Notion, for planning, notes, and structure
• Scrivener, professional tool, for longer projects with chapters and research
• Grammarly or LanguageTool, for language support and linguistic corrections
• Canva, for cover mockups and graphics

The best setup is the one that reduces friction. If switching between devices is part of your life, cloud tools will save you time and stress.

Where to publish your book

If you want flexibility and international reach, self-publishing is often the easiest path. It gives you control over price, design, timing, and distribution.

Common options include:

• Amazon KDP, the most well known, for both eBooks and paperback
• Kobo Writing Life, another major eBook platform
• Apple Books and Google Play Books
• IngramSpark, for wider print distribution

You can also publish through your own website (usually in PDF format) if you want more control and a direct relationship with readers.

Your book in several languages

And instead of publishing them all at once, you can do it in that language first. You will likely make corrections; wait until you are sure everything is perfect, and only then, translate it into the other language(s).

For example, I first published my book in Spanish and, the following year, in English.

How to promote it

A good book still needs visibility. Promotion works best when it feels natural, not forced.

You can promote your book by:

• sharing short reflections on social media
• writing blog posts, or produce videos, related to the book’s topic
• sending updates to an email list
• offering a free chapter or sample
• appearing on podcasts or interviews
• joining expat or remote-work communities where the topic is relevant

If the book is about living abroad, your promotion should also speak to that audience. For example, you might share content like:

– “what I wish I knew before moving abroad”
– “lessons from working remotely across time zones”
– “how to build a life in more than one country”

These smaller pieces can attract readers without sounding overly promotional.

A simple way to begin

If you want to start today, do this:

1. Write one sentence about your book.
2. Choose whether it is more practical, personal, or a mix of both.
3. Make a rough list of 5–7 chapters.
4. Pick one writing tool and start drafting.
5. Save a few ideas for promotion from the beginning.

A book does not need to start perfectly. It just needs to start.

Final thought

For expats and remote workers, a book is often more than a creative project. It can become a record of movement, reinvention, and identity. If you have lived across borders, adapted to new places, or built a life outside your country of origin, you already have something worth writing about.

The task is simply to shape it into a story that others can recognize in their own lives.

I hope you find this article helpful!

With love… Esteban Tejedor

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