So, you’ve decided to move abroad. How exciting! But also, how scary…
Moving to another country is a big decision that probably fills you with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and fear. It takes a lot of courage to relocate to a completely different country.
Moving abroad also takes a lot of careful planning and preparation. Whether you’re moving on your own or with your friend or family member, there is a lot of different things that need to be organized before you can move.
Heading to another country is much more complex than moving elsewhere in your home country because of all the legal documentation that is required. You need to apply for a valid passport, visa, and health insurance to successfully live and work abroad.
Missing just one of the important factors could cause all of your plans to fall through, so it’s important that you stay organized. To make your big move as simple and stress-free as possible, we’ve compiled a list of the most important tasks that can’t be forgotten.
Purchase Health Insurance
Organizing health insurance before your moving day is one of the most important things to do if you want a safe and enjoyable time aboard.
Take a look at International Health Insurance Reviews and find a health plan that offers the perfect amount of coverage for your needs. Each plan will be slightly different, so it’s important that you read through the details of a health insurance plan before you sign up.
Your health insurance is there to provide a safety net if you get injured or fall ill while you’re living abroad. As a foreign person, you may not be able to access local healthcare facilities if you don’t have valid health insurance.
Your insurance plan will allow you to access medical equipment and treatment while also subsidizing the costs of this treatment. If your medical bill accumulates to thousands of dollars, you may only need to spend a couple of hundred dollars if you have adequate coverage.
Before moving, try to get a report of your vaccination history from your doctor. This will help you to identify if you need to get any further vacations to enter your new country.
At the same time, ask your doctor for a repeat prescription form so that you will be able to get your regular medications when you move. You can take this prescription to your new local doctor or pharmacy and obtain your medications as part of your health insurance plan.
Research Your New Home Town
If you’ve not yet chosen the exact location that you want to move to, now’s the time to do it! Take some time to research different areas in your country of interest. This is easier (and quicker) said than done, but it’s the most important aspect of your move, for obvious reasons.
There are lots of different factors that you should consider when making your decision, including:
- Types of accommodation that are available
- Local amenities
- Costs of living
- Population density
- Crime rates
Doing lots of detailed research will help you to find the perfect city or town of your dreams. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices to two or three, use Google Maps to view the streets of each location and get a feel for each area. This will make your final decision a little easier.
Start Packing Up Your Belongings
When your final destination has been decided, you can start the packing process. Depending on how long you plan to live abroad, this might take you a few days to several weeks.
It’s best to start with a list. Think about everything that you use in your daily life, particularly the things that would be difficult or expensive to get your hands on in your new country.
If you’re keeping your current property, this relieves some of the pressure off your packing process. You can leave as much as you like and just take the necessities with you to your new home.
But if you’re selling your existing home and starting afresh in a new country, you’ll need to pack up everything you own. You can either take everything with you or transfer it to a storage facility for the foreseeable future.
Pack a suitcase to take with you on the plane so that you have the basic essentials until your international shipping company drops off the rest of your belongings. This will avoid you spending even more money on travel and makes the outbound journey easier and less strenuous for you.
Another quick tip for when you are packing up your belongings – get rid of as much as possible. The fewer items you have, the quicker the packing process and the cheaper your international shipping will be.
If there’s something that you’ve not used in years or no longer need, give it to a friend who will get good use out of it or throw it away.
