Moving abroad is always going to be a stressful and overwhelming prospect. You’re going to experience a whole new culture and lifestyle which can be difficult to get your head around! We’re going to run through some essential steps which will help your move, to ease the culture shock, and get you stable and ready for your new life overseas.
Get Yourself Covered
One of the most essential steps to take before you leave is to get yourself insured and covered against all eventualities. The last thing you need is to be kept awake at night wondering what may happen if you fall ill or have an accident. In fact, for some countries, proving you have adequate health insurance is part of the visa process, so this step is absolutely essential!
International travel health insurance is an absolutely vital must-have before your move. Make sure you go for an all-encompassing, trusted, and verified provider who will cover you against any eventuality. You can use a comparison page such as internationalinsureance.com to get yourself a free quote and find the deal that’s best for you. Some of the very best providers offer 24-hour helplines in case anything happens, so help is only ever a phone call away. Don’t leave anything to chance, get covered before you move.
Making Friends
One of the major challenges in moving abroad is making new friends. Having friends around you will help you to settle in and feel at home. Also, having friends in the local area means that they’ll take you to all of the best places that only the residents would know about! That’s great for avoiding tourist traps and scams.
There are many apps available that can connect you to like-minded people around the world. You simply input your hobbies and interests and the app will connect you to other people who match your criteria. This can be great to get yourself out and about and to establish yourself more fully in a new culture without feeling lonely or distant from home.
Finding your Dream Job
Many people move abroad due to a transfer or new job opportunity, but if you’re moving for any other reason, the climate, the lifestyle, or the money, then you could be in an overseas job search!
There are many job search websites that focus specifically on jobs overseas. These can really help you to see what’s available and what kind of jobs are in demand. You can work on your resume from there. Do your research into the local work cultures to see what employers often value. The chances are your resume for jobs at home won’t quite fly in your new destination!
For short-term employment, you can always head to a local bar or answer some ads in the papers! The old school approach still works! For bar, kitchen, and hospitality jobs, most of the time all you need is some experience and a smile!
Finding a Place to Stay
Finding a new place to call home is a big decision. You need to do your research and find out which exact location would suit you best. You could decide your new home-town based on culture, size, weather, amenities, and surroundings. There are so many things to consider!
This is why we recommend renting when your first arrive. This will allow you to move easily and try out the new areas around you! It will also give you the adventure of hopping around a new country and seeing everything it has to offer, so why not try a rental site for living abroad and start your journey in one of the thousands of rental properties on the international market.
Keeping Yourself Afloat
Moving to a new country is a very costly endeavour. The flights, logistics, paperwork, rentals and everything on top can become very expensive very quickly. Also, if you’ve not got a job to walk straight into on your arrival then you may have to survive by yourself for a little while before you can get a solid income.
We recommend saving enough to keep you going for around 3-6 months to give you a chance to get settled. This can seem like a very intimidating prospect, but using a savings app or drawing up a plan can help you out! You’ll need to be preparing your finances well ahead of time, but once you get there, you’ll be very thankful for the buffer.
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Moving to a new country is always going to be a difficult challenge, but if you follow these easy steps, the whole process should be far easier and much less stressful. The most important thing to do is to prepare yourself for a huge adventure! Be ready to be exhausted and to give it your all!
