How to Prepare for Living Abroad
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Are you waiting for countries to open up their borders for visitors? Or maybe you are waiting for your work visa to be approved. Then this blog is just for you. Today I’m sharing a few ways you can prepare yourself for expat life while you’re waiting to move overseas.
And if you have a vacation planned, doing these things will keep the excitement and momentum high for your upcoming travel!
Read Books
If you’re a reader then you’re going to like this one! Before I move to a new country, I like to get several books about the location I’m going to and read everything I can. I enjoy learning about the country's history and it gives me an idea on the culture and customs I should expect to experience when I move there. Any prep you can give yourself in this area will help with the culture shock aspect of moving to a new country. I purchased this book before I moved to Angola!
And many of you probably already practice this when travelling but there are countless books out there that will help you plan out your vacations as well. I always like to purchase a DK Eyewitness “Top 10” book for my trips to ensure I don’t miss any of the big attractions.
A little secret - when we visited Florence, Italy on a day trip we accidently missed the David statue! Since then, I always made sure to do lots of research before traveling!
Language Training
Are you moving to a country where you don’t speak the language? Well, take this time you have before moving to practice! I cannot express enough how important it is to at least learn a little bit of the local language.
I understand it’s hard to learn a new language and admittedly I only got to a beginner level in Portuguese and an intermediate level in Spanish. But the language skills I did learn helped me tremendously when doing everyday tasks like taking a taxi or grocery shopping.
Take this extra time you have before moving abroad to learn some language basics. This way when you arrive in your new country you’ll already know a few words and it will make your assimilation easier.
Mindset
To get your mindset right, be sure to get a copy of Mindset by Carol Dweck. When you live abroad, you will inevitably face challenging times. Your new culture won’t make sense and you’ll be frustrated with the way things are (or aren’t!) done. Working on having a positive and growth mindset is key to having a successful life abroad.
When you have a growth mindset you will expect there to be hard days. And when those tough days show up, you’ll know they’re just temporary. To ensure success, create a plan ahead of time to help you get through them. Plan to go on a neighborhood walk or try a new food you’ve been eyeing up. It’s hard to be in a funk when you’re in movement and learning new things!
Research Areas to Live
Before you move to a new country it may be difficult to know what neighborhoods you would like to live in. Maybe after some initial research you narrow it down to the cool, hip neighborhood. But really consider your options and do as much research as possible.
Here are a few things to consider when picking an area to live in:
What do you want to have close to you? Schools, work, farmers markets, shopping, restaurants, bars, etc.
What types of people do you want to live around? Some city neighborhoods have different populations. For example, the Recoleta neighborhood in Buenos Aires had a high population of older people. While Belgrano was known to have more younger families.
What is the overall vibe of the neighborhood? Do you enjoy old architecture and want to live in a historic area of town? Or do you prefer the modern neighborhoods where you have more contemporary buildings?
Does your preferred neighborhood have greenspace to enjoy? If you don’t have a garden, children and family pets would surely appreciate some nearby greenspace to run around.
And finally, picture yourself day to day in that neighborhood. Can you see yourself walking there, picking up groceries and pushing a stroller? Do you see your future self happy living in that location? Close your eyes, really picture your life there and then go with your gut!
Also be sure to look for blogs and YouTube channels like mine to see how people like living in different areas. I created a YouTube video comparing the two neighborhoods I lived in while I lived in Buenos Aires - Recoleta & Puerto Madero. I’m sure other creators are also sharing their overseas experiences to help make your decision easier.
Plan Activities For After Your Arrival
Now that you know where you’re going and what neighborhood you’re interested in, you can start planning some activities to do once you’re settled in. Of course there will be no shortage of things to do once you arrive in your new country but looking ahead and planning will keep your excitement level high while you’re waiting.
This includes travel as well! Before I moved to Buenos Aires, I began looking at all the places I wanted to visit within Argentina. I created a spreadsheet with all the locations I was interested in traveling to and how many days I thought the trip would be (a weekend, 3-5 days or a week plus! Once we moved to Buenos Aires, having this list already created made trip planning easier.
I also created an activity checklist for both Buenos Aires, Argentina and Luanda, Angola. If you’re considering moving to either of those locations, be sure to download them for free! If you’re planning to move to a different country, you can still download these checklists to get ideas of what to do in your new country!
Plan Your Packing
Packing the right things is important to feeling at home in your new country. You may not be able to easily go out and buy things you need or miss when you’re living abroad. Check out this YouTube video I created - How to pack when you’re moving abroad.
I also created an overseas packing checklist you can download for free.
Spend Time with Friends & Family
With technology these days it’s definitely easier to maintain a relationship with your friends and family back home however it still won’t be the same. Use the time you’re waiting to move abroad for much needed quality time with your loved ones.
When you’re living overseas, you won’t be able to attend all the birthday parties, baby showers, graduations, holiday gatherings or weddings. Missing out on those events can be hard but if you really soak up and be intentional with the time you have with loved ones before you move abroad it will help ease the feeling of homesickness.
Get excited!
I’m so freaking excited that you’ve made the decision to move abroad. If I’m this excited for a total stranger then you have to be super pumped for yourself!
Keep your excitement and interest high during the months of waiting. I know in the moment it can seem like forever (it took us almost 9 months for the Angola work visa processing!). But this is a special time where you are between life chapters and you have the chance to be excited and prepare for what’s on the horizon.
The time leading up to your international move will no doubt be hectic with lots of decisions you have to make. But you’ll also have lots of feelings of anticipation and excitement.
Harness that energy and keep it high while you’re waiting for your work visa or for borders to open after the pandemic! It will catapult you into your new life abroad.
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