GeoBlue

🌏 In line with the theme of this year's #WorldTourismDay, we celebrate the amazing impact of tourism on fostering peace and understanding between nations and cultures. Today we're highlighting the experiences of Anthony Hidell, MBA, Vice President, Corporate and Student Sales, who has had the unique opportunity to both study and live abroad. He shares how being a traveler and an expat have changed how he sees himself and the world around him. 💬 "During undergrad, I studied abroad at the London School of Economics while also interning in Parliament. The program was called the Hansard Scholars Programme, and it proved to be a transformative experience in how I viewed the world." 💬 "Earlier in my professional career, I was an expatriate in greater China – I spent one year in Shanghai and two-and-a-half years in Hong Kong. I became a business leader for the first time while learning and navigating a new culture and business environment. It proved to be an incredible challenge and opportunity for me, both professionally and personally." 💬 "Most recently, last year, I got to spend a lot of time in Madrid, Spain studying at the IE Business School in pursuit of my Executive MBA, specifically in the IE Brown Executive MBA, a joint degree program with Brown University and IE Business School." Anthony believes global experiences are the ultimate way to celebrate yourself, grow and expand your thinking. And he emphasizes how interacting with people from other cultures can help us see our similarities, rather than our differences. 💬 "Towards the end of my time in Asia, I had an opportunity to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and learned that we have a lot in common. For example, my junior tour guide’s favorite movie was 'The Godfather, Part I.' They love beer and put Tabasco on pizza. They’re friendly and family-oriented, and they’re curious about the outside world." 💬 "Culture is fluid and ever-evolving, like a living organism – in countries, just as in companies. And people are at the center of it. Thankfully, people are generally good and well-meaning, despite ideological differences." Thank you, Anthony, for sharing your incredible journey. Tourism continues to bridge cultures and bring us closer together. ✨ #WTD2024 #International #Expat #Travel #Tourism #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

September is #NationalYogaMonth, and it's the perfect time to ask yourself a simple question: Are you making your physical and mental well-being a priority? Christina Lonsdale, Senior Internal Communications Specialist here at GeoBlue, recently started adding yoga to her daily routine. She made an intention to practice at least 10 minutes of yoga each morning, instead of scrolling her phone (a habit many of us will admit to 🙋🏽♀️🙋🏼♂️). And that minor change has made a major difference: 🌞 "I quickly found that practicing yoga in the morning was the perfect way to wake up my body and induce a sense of mindfulness as I began my day. It only took a few weeks for me to observe that my new morning routine helped me feel better about the day ahead." 🧘🏻♀️ "Engaging in this routine has taught me that I can choose to set the tone for my day rather than allowing the day to happen to me; I am not a passive participant in my day. Carving out this time for myself in the morning allows me to feel good and show up as my best self." Thanks for the inspiration, Christina! Just 10 minutes each morning feels like something we can all do for ourselves. What’s your favorite type of yoga to practice? Whether it’s Hatha for relaxation, Vinyasa for flow, or Yin for deep stretches, we’d love to hear what you enjoy most! 🧘♀️✨ Drop your favorite in the comments and let us know why! 🗨️👇 #Mindfulness #SelfCare #HealthAndWellness #Yoga #Namaste #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

✨ Exclusive invitation for Global Mobility Professionals ✨ Join us at the Four Seasons Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 29 from 11:30 am - 5:00 pm for the 2024 Minnesota Global HR Roundtable: Adapting to the Needs of a Global Workforce, brought to you by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and GeoBlue. We’ve designed this exciting event exclusively for leaders (HR professionals, brokers/ consultants) in Global Mobility, Rewards and Benefits. Connect with your peers and discuss the unique priorities and challenges for companies that have global workforces. 🍽️ Enjoy lunch and networking 🗣️ Participate in a roundtable discussion with leaders and peers 🍷 Unwind at the networking reception featuring wines of the world Get event information and secure your spot! Register by October 4: https://lnkd.in/en6p4dbf #BCBSMinnesota #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal #GlobalMobility #GlobalWorkforce #Insurance #International

International travel has recovered since the pandemic…and then some! ✈️🌍 Thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for inviting Todd Taylor to speak about how the uptick in global travel underscores the importance of travel medical insurance plans. If you missed Todd or want to learn more about how our plans meet the unique needs of the globally mobile, connect with our sales team: https://lnkd.in/gU5Ys9_E #HealthInsurance #Travel #TravelInsurance #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

With Globaline™, there’s no need to compromise on simplicity or quality. And the same goes for support. 🔷 We’re here for you. Subject Matter Experts from GeoBlue and MetLife Worldwide Benefits work with a dedicated client management staff, which means you have one contact for your medical and life/disability questions. 🔷 We’re here for our members. Our 24/7/365 centralized service model based in the U.S. with local support globally helps members navigate the international healthcare landscape, ensuring they receive the care they need. Globaline delivers best-in-class expat health and ancillary insurance—and support—in a single solution. 👏🏽 Learn more about Globaline: https://lnkd.in/gFTCRxZj #Globaline #GeoBlue #MetLife #ExpatHealth #Expat #Insurance #International

It’s #NationalReadABookDay! 📚 What better time to feed our wanderlust with a good book about traveling or living abroad? Our employee book club members shared their top picks for your next adventure. Settle into a comfy chair and transport yourself to another land with these recommended reads: 📖 Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun (Chris Broad) 📖 Call You When I Land (Nikki Vargas) 📖 The Expatriates (Janice Y. K. Lee) 📖 C’est la Vie (Suzy Gershman) 📖 A Year in the Merde (Stephen Clarke) 📖 A Course Called Ireland (Tom Coyne) 📖 A Course Called Scotland (Tom Coyne) 📖 A Course Called America (Tom Coyne) [Someone is a fan 😉] 📖 The Mosquito Coast (Paul Theroux) 📖 Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle) 📖 Seven Years in Tibet (Heinrich Harrer) 📖 Touching the Void (Joe Simpson) 📖 No Picnic on Mt Kenya (Felice Benuzzi) 📖 The Year of Living Danishly (Helen Russell) 📖 West with the Night (Beryl Markham) 📖 Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) 📖 Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain) 📖 A Cook's Tour (Anthony Bourdain) Have you read any of these? If you haven't yet, which one will you escape into first? #BookLover #BookRecommendations #Travel #Books #Wanderlust #Bookworm #Read #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

At GeoBlue, we not only serve the globally mobile, we are the globally mobile! Many of our employees have lived abroad, studied abroad or moved to the U.S. from another country. Rob Brooks shared his experiences studying abroad at the Universitaet Oldenburg in northern Germany for 6 months in the early 90s. 🌍 "Europe was renewed with the end of the Cold War, the emphasis on positive partnerships between the East and West and the start of modern globalism. These were exciting and heady times to live and travel in Europe." ✈️ "I arrived in Germany early so that I could get settled and get to know the lay of the land. By the time some of my soon-to-be friends arrived, I ended up being the default ambassador, taking them to meet the Hausmeister and helping them in opening their bank accounts and getting them settled – all in German. In other words – I had arrived." 🥰 "What I miss most are the many friends I made during that journey. It was quite a melting pot, and I befriended many from all over the world in that little town in Germany. I have one friend who I still am close with today from the Netherlands. We’ve visited his family several times over the decades and his family has visited ours. We’ve even vacationed together in Belgium, and our kids talk over social media. It’s wonderful to know that something that started so long ago continues to impact our lives." 🍽️ Favorite German food? "Pinkelwurst und Gruenkohl – a simple north German dish of pork sausage and kale. It is a hearty winter staple and very local to where I lived." 🗺️ "I learned that the world is a very big place with unimaginable diversity. I knew that I had chosen the right path and whatever came next would involve working in an international arena. Suddenly my hometown of Baltimore felt very limiting." 💙 "There is no doubt that my experience abroad has shaped my worldview and path forward far greater than I could have ever imagined. I count it as one of the most important things I have ever accomplished." ✨ Advice to someone thinking about studying abroad? "It is a big step like any journey, but take it! It will change the way you view the world, providing you with a broader view of things and, most importantly, give you a different measuring point about how life works at home and how it can work in other places. We all live in our own little bubbles across our big blue marble of a planet and when we experience other countries and cultures, the change in ourselves from the experience can be profound and eye opening." To learn more about our health insurance plans for students studying abroad, contact us  https://lnkd.in/gknwhaPh #StudyAbroad #Adventure #Travel #International #Student #Health #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

Attention, Brokers! 📢 Looking for a comprehensive expat plan that’s easy to implement and manage? Globaline™ has you covered. Free up your time and resources with our streamlined solution: ✔️ Single, consolidated proposal for all lines of coverage ✔️ Single point of contact for all client management and everyday plan management ✔️ Single set-up for billing and enrollment ✔️ Single renewal process with all products and pricing together Experience the simplicity of administering global benefits with Globaline. Learn more at www.goglobaline.com #Globaline #GeoBlue #MetLife #ExpatHealth #Expat #Insurance #International 

#TravelTuesday is here! Today we're sharing a trip that truly inspires us to see the world. 🌍 Our very own Rosailin V. Carter and her son recently celebrated their birthdays with a once-in-a-lifetime European getaway. Drawing inspiration from the pre-travel reports she works on at GeoBlue and her son’s love of WWII history, Rosailin and her son created an itinerary that took them to: ✔️ Palma de Mallorca in Spain ✔️ Berlin and Munich in Germany ✔️ Lake Como and Rome in Italy ✔️ St. Moritz in Switzerland ✔️ Plus stops in Zurich, Milan and Mallorca Their adventure was packed with visits to museums, cathedrals, villas, castles, palaces and local shops as well as scenic drives, panoramic train rides and more. And their culinary journey had them savoring tapas, paella, croquetas, shnitzel, pretzels, carbonera, pizza and cornetto crema. 🍴😋 Rosailin shared, "I feel as though my son and I lived a lifetime in just 17 days. We had an amazing time bonding and created unforgettable memories together. For anyone with a travel wish list – I say to you: Start planning, forget about any fears, and go build memories that will last a lifetime!" 💙 Oh and don't forget to make getting travel medical insurance part of your trip planning! #FamilyTravel #Europe #Adventure #Birthday #Memories #TravelInspiration #Travel #GeoBlue #BCBSGlobal

Thanks to OneDigital for hosting a stellar DMV Summit! 👏🏽 Earlier this month, our own Justin Atwater and Rob Brooks had the chance to connect with fellow DMVers at the event. They discussed the importance of international medical coverage, whether long-term or short-term, for companies of all sizes. They were also excited to share more about GeoBlue® and MetLife Worldwide Benefits’ newest product, Globaline™, which delivers a comprehensive suite of health, life and long-term disability products and services in a single solution. 🎉 We had a blast engaging with regional leaders in our industry! If you missed us and want to learn more about our solutions, just reach out to our sales team: https://lnkd.in/gS9zd2mz #International #Insurance #Globaline #GeoBlue #MetLife #Expat #Traveler #HealthInsurance #BCBSGlobal #DC #Maryland #Virginia