5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Move Abroad

       So you’ve been on Instagram; stalking all of your favorite bloggers, globetrotters, and jet setters and you think it’s time you too discard your job and make the move abroad. Well, who am I to tell you that you too shouldn’t hop on the gravy train of awaking to beautiful scenery and traveling to places you only saw on television and Instagram of course. I’d never tell you not to make the move, but I will give you a few things to ponder.

1.Why am I relocating abroad?

This is perhaps the most important question that you need to ask yourself. Are you relocating for financial or personal reason, or are you relocating for both reasons. The answer to this question will determine where you relocate and how well you will adjust. As with anything knowing the purpose behind your actions assists your mental transition as well as contributes to your ability to explain to others why you are relocating.

2. How will I earn money?

A common mistake expats often make is assuming that relocating half way across the world does not come without a cost. Sure there are easy jobs to secure such as teaching, but if you have grown accustom to a certain lifestyle and desire to maintain a certain way of living this probably is not the job for you.  Consider if your current employer will allow you to work remote, if transferring to the local office where you would like to live is available. Often times you must be a citizen or your place or employment must be able to prove why a foreigner can better perform the job of a citizen to be permitted a work permit.  Another route to earning money is entrepreneurship. Hone your skills, polish off your resume, develop a webpage and start networking before you enter the country to ensure that you will have clientele.

3. Do I adapt well to change?

Your day to day life will not always consist of photo worthy snapshots for social media. Moving abroad is terrifying and is filled with surprises that you could never imagine. Even if you move to a country where you speak the language and have read a ton of books on their culture it will NOT prepare you for everything that you will encounter. Are you a person who is easily frustrated, impatient, and irritated about the differences between “home” and a new place, if so reconsider packing your things and catching the first thing smoking to a new experience.

4. What is the style of the government?

The style of government will directly impact all of your decisions as well as the attitude of the people that you encounter.  Governance will affect everything from your religion practices health codes and care.

5.  How will this affect my relationships?

We would like to believe that being worlds apart and living in different time zones is not a strain and we would be wrong. You must ensure that your relationship(s) are strong enough to endure missed phone calls, delayed emails, and lost care packages. You have to remember that at least two people are being affected. The people that you left behind also have lives to live. So while your loved ones are also experiencing missing you and wishing they could see you. They have not put their lives on pause to sit and wait for your phone calls. 

Once you can answer these questions earnestly, you can truly make a decision if living abroad is right for you and if it will be temporary or permanent.