Amanda Cuffe

Writer

Author of The Excess Baggage Column

Profile

Join date: Jun 17, 2025

About

Meet AC (that’s me!)

I’m a self-proclaimed overthinking expat with a lot to say about life when you’re always on the move.Currently setting up shop on the Cayman Islands, I have bounced between Sydney, Melbourne, London and now the Caribbean.What started as a Substack post about my impending move to this tiny rock, turned into an overflow of thoughts about my expat life; where is my “home”, why is building and maintaining resilience so tiring, how can I gift myself the best present of presence and most importantly, where can I buy some vegemite.And so, with all those thoughts, this column was born!

Welcome to my expat life and all the Excess Baggage that comes with it.

Posts (7)

Nov 2, 2025 ∙ 4 min

Privileged Problems

Life as an expat in the Cayman Islands brought unexpected challenges when my contract ended and tough decisions had to be made. What felt like overwhelming problems soon shifted into lessons of resilience, perspective, and gratitude. Now, back in London, I’m embracing this new chapter with clarity and control.

Apr 29, 2025 ∙ 3 min

I hate Tuesdays.

Tuesdays and the monotony of routine scare me, but bouncing around on adrenaline forever probably isn’t sustainable (or maybe it is?!) Someone please help this overthinking expat who is constantly on the see-saw of adventure and regime (whoops - I meant routine!)

Jan 21, 2025 ∙ 3 min

The Lives We Could Live

An ode to a good friend and the “lives we could live”.