Moving abroad is one of the biggest lifestyle decisions that you could ever make. It changes your location, living situation, and the culture and people you’re surrounded by. In other words, it is not a decision that should be made lightly.
For many people, this change is a dream come true. However, some people are not reluctant to move because of the reasons mentioned above. Instead, they’re intimidated by the logistics of this international relocation. While this is a legitimate reason to postpone such a decision, the truth is that you can’t let fear (especially fear of making an effort) govern your life.
With that in mind and without further ado, here are several important steps to help you get ready to move abroad.
Talk to Your Family
The first thing you need to understand about moving abroad is that it won’t change things just for you. You’re also taking your family with you, which means that your partner and children will have to change schools, circles of friends, and even the entire culture that they live in. Even your friends and relatives who stay behind will have to come to terms with the fact that you’re… well, no longer there.
Seeing as how this affects a lot of people, it is vital that you postpone this conversation until you’re 100% sure that you’re actually moving abroad. When that happens, make a list (it can be a mental list, as well) of people who need to know and start breaking it down to them (preferably as gently as possible).
Most importantly, try to make your family understand why this is so important and why this has to be done. Explain all the benefits (pro arguments) of moving and promise them that you’ll do all you can to help them make up for the things they left behind. Now, here’s the hard part, you actually need to follow up on this promise to make them adjust.
Transporting Your Belongings
When looking for a clean start, you might just decide to leave everything behind and move abroad. However, from a financial standpoint, this is definitely not a good idea. Instead, you need to think about transporting your belongings and gathering as many items as you possibly can. If we’re talking about furniture, you might want to look for freight services.
Even then, it’s vital that you prioritize. You won’t be able to take everything and, depending on the cost of the freight and the size of your inventory, this might be less than cost-effective. Nonetheless, it is a calculation worth making, seeing as how it doesn’t save you just the money but the effort of acquiring new furniture, as well.
Lastly, if you have a personal vehicle, you might want to look for car shippers to help you out. There is one piece of advice that many people forget about when it comes to this – not everyone drives on the same side of the road. Therefore, it might be better to get a new vehicle if your steering wheel is on the “wrong” side (from the country’s perspective that you’re moving to). It is also worth your while to get a couple of driving lessons once you get there.
Moving Your Pet
One of the biggest issues that you will encounter is the idea of moving your pet. This concept is far from simple, seeing as how they might not have an easy time handling the international voyage.
So, look for a flight that allows pets (flight is the quickest form of transportation, which means they’ll suffer the shortest). Also, discuss with their veterinarian the prospects of sedating them for the flight. This is not taking an easy way out. It’s about minimizing their struggle and unnecessary suffering.
Remember that there are probably a lot of certificates to obtain, as well. For instance, you might have to vaccinate them properly before they’re allowed into a new country. Also, you’ll probably need to get a passport for them and closely study the pet import law of your target country. Overall, there’s far more paperwork here than you would expect.
Temporary Storage
Another thing you need to consider is the issue of temporary storage. Will you be able to move in immediately? Are there some renovations that you’ll have to handle on your own, which means that they won’t be finished by the time you’re ready to move abroad?
So, what do you do with all your belongings before you proceed to furnish the place? Ideally, you would find reliable and affordable storage at your target destination. Keep in mind that skipping this step and not scheduling it all in advance can cause a major halt in the process. This is something you can’t allow to happen.
You should also keep in mind that reorganizing your future home might depend on its layout. For instance, you may move to a bigger house than you originally had, which means you could get some more furniture or add an extra area or two. You could finally make a home office that you deserve.
Then again, your future home might be smaller than its predecessor. This would cause you to prioritize and choose to leave some of the items behind. It all comes down to a broader context of your move.
In Conclusion
Preparing to move abroad is not a simple task. However, it is something you are not likely to do many times in your life. Also, since this is a significant change, it is bound to be quite stress-inducing. This is why it is important that you take your time, plan everything, and always work with professionals. Check the professional reputation of people you’re working with to reduce the odds of an unexpected problem.
Most importantly, remember that you’re not in this alone and that things won’t change for you alone. Talk to your family and make sure that they’re on board before you set out. This may sound quite difficult, but you would be surprised at just how easy it is to reason with someone if you were just to try.
