Chances are that if you’re preparing for a move abroad, visiting your new country is one of your top priorities. If you’re wondering how to prepare for this important trip and make the most of your time there, keep reading. Here are my 5 essential tips for you to know before you go: 

#1 – This is not a vacation

Why is this so important to understand? Because normally we think of a trip as time off, enjoyment, relaxation, getting a tourist’s view of a new place. But this scouting trip is an expedition with a mission, a purpose, and a goal: You need to come back to your home country with information that will determine how and where you’ll be living in your new country.

Which region, city, neighborhood will you live in?  Will you have a car? Where’s the best place to live with and without a car? If you have kids, then you’ll also be investigating schools and the availability of kid and family friendly activities.

Although the temptation may be to romanticize this trip as a great adventure – please don’t. The worst outcome would be to return home after a huge investment of time, money, energy, expectations and realize you didn’t gather important information, or you failed to investigate a vital aspect of life in the new country.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t relax and enjoy yourself on the trip, but overall your mindset  should be to gather information to reach a specific outcome or decision. You need to keep yourself focused on the goals for this scouting mission.

#2 – Your long-term life goals

Moving abroad is a life-changing event. You’re uprooting yourself from your home country and placing yourself and your family into another country with a completely different culture. This decision comes with a huge investment of time, money, physical and emotional energy. Be sure this move abroad aligns with your long-term life goals. Does this move bring you closer or further away from these goals? Now is the time to look at it in the big picture while your investment is still relatively small.

#3 – Everyone needs to be involved

If you’re moving abroad with your spouse, children or other family members like a parent, it’s important that everyone’s thinking is united. The trip will help determine not only your long-term life goals but your family members’ goals as well. There will be challenges and bumps in the road. If you or family members do not understand why you’re making this huge change or know what you’re moving for, your hard times will be that much more difficult.

#4 – Record and register everything

Do not trust your memory. After a couple of days of traveling and investigating your new country, everything will become a hazy jumble of events. You won’t remember the names of the places you visited, the streets, neighborhoods, parks, schools. 

Write everything down in a designated notebook with notes of your impressions, likes, dislikes, thoughts, and feelings about what you’re seeing, experiencing, and living. Write everything down as it happens or use your phone’s voice recorder or camera to create a video. How you choose to record your scouting days doesn’t matter as long as you have everything registered. 

If you’re going with another family member, have this person do the same thing for themselves. These different records will be helpful later on when you compare and contrast each other’s impressions and experiences. 

One more piece of advice: Take the time to download and label everything you’ve recorded. Ideally, you’d do this when your memory is still fresh from the experiences. Maybe you label your photos and videos during dinner or when you’ve settled in your rooms for the night. But if you neglect doing this important step, two or three days later you’ll be asking yourself, “What? Where the heck was this? Why did I take this photo?”

#5 – Make a daily goal

Every day on the scouting trip write down your goal for the day. One or two things that you want to accomplish or information you need to find. These goals will be part of your decision making process. Be sure that everyone who’s on the trip is also aligned with this daily goal. Sharing your goals with your guide or agent can also be of help when exploring different districts and neighborhoods.

And lastly, if you’d like more information and help to have the best possible scouting trip, take a look at my online course, How to Prepare your Scouting Trip for Success. 

This is a comprehensive course that will take you step-by-step through the process. You’ll have access to assignments and worksheets, like the day-to-day scouting trip guide. You can download and print this worksheet, which is essential in creating your plan and goals. The course also includes a 1:1 one-hour session with me that gives you an opportunity to ask specific questions, share and troubleshoot your scouting expedition.

PS: Ready to take your move abroad to the next level? Join the Expat Journey Program and replace guesswork with a framework and get everything done. 

Moving to another country can be a very daunting project. And packing for the move can be equally as daunting. This may be a simple project, but it’s not an easy one. 

Remember that during this transition, you’re in the process of both letting go of your past life and looking forward to your new life. Because of the implications of this huge life event, all your possessions will take on a greater meaning. Your things aren’t just stuff. They represent you. The harder it is to let go of something, usually means that this thing is significant and holds emotional value for you. 

As you sort through all your household and personal things, keep this idea in the forefront of your mind: 

You’re belongings fall into two categories, emotional and practical

.

The Practical…

Clothing is a good example of the practical items, because what you pack depends on the climate you’re moving to. If you now live in a place that is super cold and you ski but your new location is hot and tropical, it will probably make more sense to leave behind your ski gear and woolen sweaters. 

And once you’ve decided not to take the ski gear and winter clothes, the second decision will to be to figure out if you’ll sell, donate, or put these things in storage. 

Other practical items that you’ll need to decide about might include kitchen appliances that may be hard to find in your new country or books that would be hard or impossible to replace. Technology such as laptops, tablets, printers, also may not be easily found in your new country, so it will be important for you to do some research on the subject. Also, find out the voltage compatibility of your electronics in your new location. Some appliances may not work well or not at all, which will be a deciding factor whether they go or stay. This is the practical side of packing. 

The Emotional…

Now, for the emotional stuff, which is usually where the problems with packing begin. 

There are always certain clothes, books, artwork, decorations, curtains, pillows, or something that you’re sure can’t be left behind. I’ve seen and heard all of the reasons, whether it’s your children’s toy sets and bedroom posters, or paintings that you’ve had on your living room walls for years. Or, there may be a vase or a table that was passed down to you from a family member.

You Can Have Both…

Language learning is a huge part of adjusting to a new country, so it’s no surprise that my clients have this challenge. Let me tell you about Grace – we worked together when she was preparing for her move to Portugal from the US, and like most people, she wanted to learn Portuguese because it was “the right thing to do”. Very quickly she realized that pleasing other people – the locals – was not enough to make her book her classes and do the homework. 

So she defined her goal – she wanted to have a 5-minute conversation, completely in Portuguese with an Uber driver. That would make her feel independent and functioning in her new country. That also seemed attainable enough. 

She gave herself 2 months to achieve the goal and focused her studies on phrases and words she’d use in this type of situation. 

When we met one month later, she celebrated the fact that she had been able to have a 5-minute conversation with an Uber driver without using English. And right after the celebration, she set herself a new goal: go to a yoga class in Portuguese and not ask for help in English.

Starting to learn a language can be daunting. But when we have the right structure to organize what we want, when we want it, and how we want it, the abstract becomes tangible. 

Our desired outcome becomes ever more real so our language teachers can help us get there faster.

Get the Free eBook Move Overseas with Ease Here 

PS: Ready to take your move abroad to the next level? Join the Expat Journey Program and replace guesswork with a framework and get everything done.

When we are starting to learn a new language we typically jump into the details of vocabulary, grammar, pronouns, and verbs… the list is extensive. 

But what if I told you that there is a step – and a crucial one – that precedes language learning per se? And what if I told you that this step is so crucial that it can fast-track your language learning progress? 

It’s all about setting your language learning goal. 

Many times we want to learn a new language but we are not clear on what we want the language for. We tell ourselves that we need the language to work in a new country, or to communicate with locals, or even because it’s the “right thing to do” when we live abroad.

And all that is great. Nothing wrong with that. But it typically is not enough to keep us motivated throughout the learning curve. There will be moments when it’ll be hard and if our motivations are external, it’s almost certain we will procrastinate and not know how to deal with the frustration. 

That’s why creating a language learning goal is so crucial – it’s the prize you will keep your eye on when things get tough. And it’s important that the proverbial prize be something that comes from within – ideally a feeling you’ll get when you accomplish the goal.

It can be hard to dig deep into our motivations on our own. Let’s face it – we might not even know what questions to ask ourselves to create this so-called language learning goal. If that’s you, you’re in luck because I’m going to share some important tips to help you create a language-learning goal that makes sense and feels motivating.

Know what you want the language for

When thinking about your goal, make it very specific and simple. Sometimes we say “I want to be fluent” without defining what fluency means to us. So, when starting out creating your language learning goal, think about where, with whom, and in what context you want to use the language. 

Is it for work? Are you going to study? Are you going to use the language in daily conversations? 

Visualize the situations where you will use this new language and write it down.

Make sure to consult reputable sources, such as embassies and official agencies, to stay up-to-date on the latest regulations. Beware of outdated information from unofficial sources, as rules can change frequently. Remember to use tools like Google Translate if needed to understand foreign websites and resources.

Another source of help can be a family member. Families typically rely on one person for this task, and it can be overwhelming. Make sure to delegate and distribute tasks so no one bites off more than they can chew.

One of the most common reasons that we don’t reach our language learning goals is that it seems too vague or too big. When you are specific, you make it less vague, but it might feel unattainable. 

So start small. Make your goal tiny and build up as you go. 

Sometimes when creating our language learning goal we feel goal FOMO – if we choose a small goal we’re missing out on bigger achievements. But here’s the thing – once you reach a goal, you can always create another one, a bit bigger. And little by little you get to your ultimate goal, keeping up your motivation and stamina.

Language learning is a huge part of adjusting to a new country, so it’s no surprise that my clients have this challenge. Let me tell you about Grace – we worked together when she was preparing for her move to Portugal from the US, and like most people, she wanted to learn Portuguese because it was “the right thing to do”. Very quickly she realized that pleasing other people – the locals – was not enough to make her book her classes and do the homework. 

So she defined her goal – she wanted to have a 5-minute conversation, completely in Portuguese with an Uber driver. That would make her feel independent and functioning in her new country. That also seemed attainable enough. 

She gave herself 2 months to achieve the goal and focused her studies on phrases and words she’d use in this type of situation. 

When we met one month later, she celebrated the fact that she had been able to have a 5-minute conversation with an Uber driver without using English. And right after the celebration, she set herself a new goal: go to a yoga class in Portuguese and not ask for help in English.

Starting to learn a language can be daunting. But when we have the right structure to organize what we want, when we want it, and how we want it, the abstract becomes tangible. 

Our desired outcome becomes ever more real so our language teachers can help us get there faster.

Get the Free eBook Move Overseas with Ease Here 

PS: Ready to take your move abroad to the next level? Join the Expat Journey Program and replace guesswork with a framework and get everything done. 

I’ve been working as an expat coach for about 8 years. During this almost decade long career, the first thing that people think about when preparing for a move abroad is the logistics and paperwork.

Don’t get me wrong. That aspect is crucial – but it can also be such a source of overwhelm and confusion that I decided to write this article. If you are preparing for a move abroad, this will be very helpful.

It really doesn’t matter if we need to apply for a visa or not – moving abroad means changing every single thing about our lives. And the paperwork represents many areas of our life.

So in this article, I’ll share three important tips to get you started on the right track and make this part of the move as smooth as possible.

To begin, it’s essential to categorize your paperwork. Start by organizing them into distinct categories. Health-related documents, such as dental and medical records for yourself, your family, and even your pets, fall under one category. Insurance, including policies that apply in different countries, should be considered. Another category involves personal identification documents like passports, IDs, and driver’s licenses. Additionally, educational documents, such as school transfers, grades, and transcripts, should be sorted accordingly. If you own real estate, you’ll need to gather related documents. Lastly, taxes and tax returns make up another significant category. By separating your paperwork into these categories, you establish a foundation for efficient management.

Once you’ve identified the categories that are important to you and your family, it’s critical to set deadlines for fulfilling each one. When confronted with a large number of documents and deadlines, many people become overwhelmed.

Create a timetable outlining the start and finish dates for each category to overcome this. Begin by determining how many categories you have and how much you can do in the following two weeks. Two weeks is a good length for focusing without feeling pressured.

If you have a lot of time before your relocation, you can take your time with the process. However, if time is of the essence, prioritize properly. Remember that some tasks, such as acquiring apostilles and filling out forms, may require more time.

Remember, you don’t have to face this paperwork challenge alone. If the process becomes too overwhelming or stressful, consider seeking professional assistance. Relocation agencies or immigration attorneys are available in most countries and can help you navigate the complexities of paperwork.

We often worry about how much these services will cost, but professional help is often more affordable than you’d expect and will give you peace of mind. These experts can ensure that you consider all the necessary factors and help you organize your documents effectively.

Make sure to consult reputable sources, such as embassies and official agencies, to stay up-to-date on the latest regulations. Beware of outdated information from unofficial sources, as rules can change frequently. Remember to use tools like Google Translate if needed to understand foreign websites and resources.

Another source of help can be a family member. Families typically rely on one person for this task, and it can be overwhelming. Make sure to delegate and distribute tasks so no one bites off more than they can chew.

Managing paperwork as an expat may seem daunting, but with the right strategies, you can handle it smoothly. By categorizing your documents, setting timelines for completion, and seeking assistance when necessary, you can streamline the process and reduce stress. Remember to consult reliable sources for accurate information and stay updated on changing regulations.

Moving abroad is like a marathon – consistency is key. Make sure you are breaking down the steps into manageable bites, and ask for help so you can also enjoy the scenery.

If you found this content helpful, check out the International Relocation Starter Course, a free resource that provides essential insights on preparing for a confident and connected move abroad.

PS: Ready to take your move abroad to the next level? Join the Expat Journey Program and replace guesswork with a framework and get everything done. 

Moving abroad is an exciting and life-changing experience, but it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the most common aspects that hold people back from making this life-changing step is fear.

In my practice as an expat coach and intercultural psychologist, the people who have the hardest time overcoming this fear are solo movers.

It is completely understandable, as moving to a place where we don’t speak the language and don’t have friends can be quite intimidating. But what I hear most from my solo clients is that “it would be a lot easier if I were in a couple or had a family”. I’ve heard this so many times that I decided to write this article to shed some light on this topic.

Whether you’re considering a solo move or simply curious about the topic, read on to gain a deeper understanding of this unique journey.

We tend to think that the “grass is always greener” on the other side. But I see people’s lives behind the curtains. During the 1-1 calls with my clients, they share their challenges in a way that they probably would never show on social media.

One amazing upside of moving solo is freedom and empowerment.

When we move abroad alone, we have the freedom to make decisions according to our own preferences and needs. We don’t need to consider the desires and opinions of others. We can choose where we want to live, how we want to live, what to bring, what to leave, and when to move.

We can determine if we want to have an intense social life or if we want to be more low key. And if something doesn’t work out, we can change, redirect, and recalibrate.

Moving alone also eliminates the need to compromise on important decisions.

While couples and families often need to find a middle ground that satisfies everyone, solo movers have the luxury of making choices solely for themselves. Whether it’s the type of accommodation, the duration of your stay in a particular place, or the level of commitment, you have the autonomy to decide what works best for you.

Are there downsides to moving solo?

Yes, there are – and I’m not one to sugarcoat the reality and challenges of life abroad.

Moving abroad alone means shouldering all logistical responsibilities and emotional challenges without the support of a partner or family.

Tasks such as finding a doctor, dealing with paperwork, or even getting through a bout of illness can feel daunting when you don’t have someone to rely on. It’s essential to be prepared for these situations and establish a strong social support system before your move to ensure a smoother transition.

While this downside is real, there are ways to minimize the negative effects and reduce the risks.

Solo movers may sometimes experience feelings of isolation, especially if they haven’t established a supportive network in their new location. Unlike couples or families who have built-in companionship, solo movers need to actively seek out like-minded individuals and invest time and effort in building friendships. Taking proactive steps to connect with others who understand your journey can help combat loneliness and create a sense of belonging.

Making friends when moving abroad can be challenging sometimes, so if you want to create a strategy to jump start your friend making when moving abroad, the Master Your Move Program might be perfect for you.

Despite all the websites that promise all the check lists and solutions to moving abroad, this is a deeply personal experience, and there is no right or wrong way to approach it. Each individual has their own boundaries, preferences, and unique circumstances. What matters most is aligning your choices with your values and living authentically.

Find what works best for you where you are on your journey. When we are true to our values and priorities, we forge a path that feels right, no matter where we want to be.

Get the Free eBook Move Overseas with Ease Here

PS: Ready to take your move abroad to the next level? Join the Expat Journey Program and replace guesswork with a framework and get everything done.