She fell in love with traditional Japanese homes during a high school trip. At 24, she bought one in the countryside.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A traditional Japanese farmhouse covered in a blanket of snow during winter.
Coline Aguirre, originally from France, bought a traditional house in Japan when she was 24 years old.

Coline Aguirre.

I moved to Malaysia in my 30s. I didn't know where to go or what to do, so I started a club to connect the expat community.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A man posing in front of a street hawker in Malaysia.
Joshua Webley settled down in Malaysia last year and started an expats community to meet new people.

Provided by Joshua Webley.

She got in trouble as a teen in New York City, but in Bangkok, she became a beauty queen

Tech Insider : Business
Metinee Kingpayome sitting on the edge of a couch in a white suit.
Metinee Kingpayome

Natthawut Taeja for BI.

Metinee Kingpayome arrived in Bangkok on her 20th birthday.

Southeast Asia's tech startups are chasing the American dream

Tech Insider : Business, Style
The American flag with a upwards stock arrow behind it being viewed through binoculars

OsakaWayne Studios/Getty, Anna Pogrebkova, Tyler Le/BI

I thought my only choice was to grow up, get a job, and start a family. Instead, I moved to Thailand.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A woman sitting in a Thai cafe with bamboo on the walls. She has a coconut with a straw on the table in front of her.
Martina Smidova quit her job and moved to Koh Samui, Thailand, in search of a slower and more meaningful life.

Amanda Goh

A Gen Xer was laid off from her job in LA and moved to Bali to retire early — 7 years later, her mom followed suit

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Two women sitting in a heart-shaped frame in Bali at the rice fields.
Debbie Welsch moved to Bali after being laid off from her job

Debbie Welsch.

The 10 best cities in Asia for expats

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Economy
Singapore downtown buildings and cityscapes from Kallang area
Singapore was ranked 30 in Mercer's Quality of Living City Ranking 2024.

Calvin Chan Wai Meng/Getty Images

He bought a ski house in Japan for $6,000. He says people shouldn't buy them just because they're cheap.

Tech Insider : Business
The renovated exterior of the house.
Matt Guy bought a traditional Japanese house in a ski town in Japan.

Matt Guy.

The most auspicious year for Chinese births is almost over. For dragon babies, the competition is just getting started.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Technology
Torn up red envelope with a dragon.

Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI

They bought an abandoned house in rural Japan for $6,500. Now, they're renting it out on Airbnb for $130 a night.

Tech Insider
The exterior of the akiya.
The Benton's akiya has been transformed into a guesthouse.

Dani Benton.

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