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Yay! You’ve decided you’re moving abroad! You’ve arrived at your new home away from home, bags in tow, but now what? Here are some tips on how to make a painless transition after moving abroad!
find a routine
This might be one of the most important things to do when you settle into your new home. Moving abroad can be hectic, time-consuming, and exhausting. But getting back into a solid routine can really help you minimize the shock factor. If you went to a gym at home, find one here. If you made sure to shop at your local farmers market once a week, find a way to do that here. Routines are great because they allow you fully settle into this new life you’re developing.
go out and make friends
The quickest way to feel burn out after moving abroad is trying to do everything on your own. Most likely, there are going to be people around you who are wanting to help you out. They know that moving abroad can be a challenging process, even if they haven’t done it yet themselves.
As humans, I’m convinced that the one thing we crave more than anything is human connection; the desire to be understood and to have companions. Making friends and people to hangout with make moving abroad easier. Find people on the expat Facebook groups, through the company that brought you abroad, Instagram, just to name a few! With digital nomadism normalizing living abroad year after year, there are endless resources at your disposal to help you out.
adjust your body clock
I’m a bit proponent of getting enough sleep when you’re going through major transitions. Your mind is wired more than usual and the to-do list is daunting and never-ending. This is why it’s even more important to be getting enough sleep as you go through this transition.
Now, if you’ve moved to another country in a different timezone, that’s even more of a reason to get some sleep. You want to be well rested for anything that might happen during the transition.
stay hydrated
While this one might seem pretty self explanatory, it’s one that people forget the most. In the rush and exhilaration of moving abroad, hydration can take a back seat. However, it’s the most proactive thing you can do to stay healthy.
The last thing anyone who is moving abroad needs is to get sick because they weren’t consuming enough fluid. So get a water bottle and a giant jug of water and CHUG.
Personally, I have three that I use the most often and help the most in the extreme heat.
–24oz and 40oz Hydroflask
–Tumblr with lid
be organized
This might be one of the single most important things you need to remember when moving abroad. Organization is key! Anyone that knows me knows that while the rest of my life might sometimes be in shambles, my travel plans and reservations are well organized and ready to go at a minutes notice.
A few key things I would keep readily available are:
-copy of your passport on your phone or in your wallet
-photocopy of all major credit cards and IDs (kept in a safe place)
-emergency contact information
-emergency contact numbers of the place you’ve moved
– copies of your visa (this one had strangely come in handy quite a bit for me)
I personally keep all of these things on my phone in a locked folder, in my OneDrive and Google Drive and have them emailed to my brother just in case.
be flexible
Alright, this is actually the most important thing you to remember when moving abroad. You are in a new country. Things are not going to be the same as they were at home. People might inadvertently lie to you. They might try to take advantage of your good nature. You might even find out that your situation is a little different upon arrival than it was made to seem over email.
Regardless, you are on the adventure of a lifetime. Try to not let yourself get bogged down by the things that are different and go with the flow. When I first moved to Thailand, all the other teachers who were working at my school got deported. Like… the first day. If that wasn’t a wake-up call that I was no longer in the states, then I don’t know what would have been. (Although now it might now be so different… but I digress).
The key to having a good time and making that smooth transition is staying flexible with whatever this life throws at you.
I hope these tips help you as you make your transition to move! When I first moved abroad 5 years ago, I really wish I had known these simple yet powerful tips. Moving to Thailand was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I hope that your experience abroad is nothing less than one of the best things to ever happen to you.
xo
-Ari
If you’re reading this and want to move abroad, but are unsure how to make that work, read about how I started my life in Thailand, here.
