A person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. Often builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. May integrate elements, but sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background. Compared to their peers who have lived their entire lives in a single culture, TCKs have a globalized culture.

A child who moves overseas because of parents’ career(s). Where is home? Often a very simple question for most people, yet the hardest for a global nomad. Norma McCaig revealed a secret world of ”cultural chameleons” who travel the world, connect with others and understand foreign cultures better than most.

Children of military, who move with parents to different places (countries, states). Often experience other cultures within the confines of a military installation or compound possessing some traits of the home country.

Children whose parents are members of the home country’s political framework. Often exposed to a higher standard of living afforded through benefits of a parent’s work—like chauffeured cars, or housekeepers—many times these children do not realize these are not perks of the everyday American.

An expatriate (sometimes shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (“out of”) and patria (“country, fatherland”).