Every second person on social media talks about how they have just quit their jobs and decided to move to a new country. It’s either you catch a reel that shows a person is just about to make a move still feeling so uncertain about moving to unfamiliar territory or you get to watch the reel that shows a person enjoying their new life and their home away from home. The latter reel always makes you feel as if packing up and shipping yourself abroad is the best decision you can make. While it is an exciting process and certainly thrilling, many people don’t know where to start when it comes to making the decision of whether they should quit life as they know it and move abroad.
While we are not encouraging you to leave the life you know behind, we are here to guide you in terms of what to consider if moving abroad is on your mind.
- Consider Your Where and Your Why. While it does seem like a glamorous idea to follow trends, you need to think carefully about why you would like to move and where you would like to move to. If you cannot seem to justify why you would like to move, perhaps there is no need to consider where to move to.
- Do your research on the respective country and the visa requirements. You need to know all the finer details like if a specific visa allows you to live and work in the country. You also need to know how long it will take to get a visa and how long the visa will last for.
- Engage in Discussions with expats.The grass always looks greener until you speak to someone who moved to where the grass looked greener. It is important to converse with expats who moved from your home country to the country that you wish to move to. These conversations can help put your mind at ease especially because you are speaking to someone who has already made this move.
- Scan your home and see what you can take and what you can’t take. It is most important to look around your home in search of what you can take with you when you move and what is impossible to cart. Start selling your furniture .once you ready to move, so as to avoid sitting with the problem of needing to put it in storage. Start making calls to see how you can ship appliances and pieces of furniture that you feel that you will need once you move.
- Start saving up for those “in case” moments. It is easier to quit one job and move to another country only to start a new job in a new country. However, if you quit your job and decided to move without a backup plan, you need to have saved some money in advance for those rainy days. The problem is that most people rush into the decision of moving, they don’t end up saving enough prior to the move.
- Keep your expectations realistic. Again, moving to a new country does come with a fair amount of unrealistic expectations. However, you need to keep in mind that settling in your dream country will never be the same as visiting your dream country for a short holiday.
- Expect to adapt and experience stress because of the change. Like with every change, the change of moving to a new country is accompanied by a fair amount of stress. Be ready to adapt to any situation irrespective of how challenging embracing the change will be.
- Speak to friends and family members and get their blessings. It is always such a relief knowing that your friends and family members are behind you and cheering you on. The prayers of the important people in your life will really help when you settle down abroad.
- If you are finding the idea of changing your lifestyle drastically hard, start by making smaller changes first. The seed of wanting to move may have been planted in your head, but only you will know if you are ready for the move or not. If you are afraid to change your lifestyle rapidly, start by making smaller lifestyle changes. Cut down on certain luxuries in your daily life so it does not feel too overwhelming when you have to change your lifestyle.
- Try not to overthink anything. Your biggest hindrance would be your inability to make the move due to overthinking everything. Try not to overthink. If you haven’t thought about every insignificant detail of your new life, it will be easier for you to open yourself up to this new life and take things as they come.
If you are still uncertain if you should quit a job that you hate and move in search of new experiences, we can reassure that change is sometimes both good and necessary. Only you will be able to tell if the change is a good idea for you or not. According to studies, it is also great for your brain when you try to fathom a novel and unexpected experience.
If you feel inspired and you have given this much thought, quit now and make your move…Nothing in your life will move unless you the one who makes the move!