Things to Think About When You Are Moving Abroad
In this age when “experiences” are more valuable than material goods, and people are saying they’d rather travel than work, it’s becoming more and more appealing to work abroad. After all, the internet made us all a little more global, learning about each other’s cultures at the touch of a search button. Those cultures have made us hungry for more and more and more people are looking for jobs that will allow them to travel or somewhere new they can integrate into.
However, it is no easy feat. There is a lot of red tape around moving abroad and a few other elements you might not have even considered. If you are thinking about moving abroad, consider our list of things you should think about first.
Your budget
The first step in deciding where you want to live, whether it’s across the world or just down the street, is to look up the average cost of living rate. It varies from country to country, but it will serve as a placeholder that can allow you to make an educated guess on your budget.
If your home isn’t provided for you because of a job, renting is a good choice for when you first move, allowing you to get an idea of the quality and value of homes and shop around a bit before you commit.
If that isn’t an option, a helpful tip is to install a VPN on your computer before you leave. You can shop around under the pretense that you are someone local and research everything you will need to pay for month-to-month. Shop around for figures for gas bills, television packages, commuting prices, etc.
Your transport 
When you are thinking about your budget, you will need to consider getting there and – should you need to – getting back. If you have roots in your home country, it might be the case that something comes up that is important enough to fly/sail/crawl home for, and you will need to take a sizable chunk out of your savings. Don’t just scrape your way there and assume things will work out. Make sure you have enough in your budget to come back, should you need it.
And then there is your transport once you get there. Depending on where you are going, the quality of the public transport can really fluctuate or be non-existent, and you might need to drive. Again, depending on where you’re going, driving might be vastly different from what you’re used to. It might be on the wrong side of the road or have concepts like roundabouts that you rarely see in the US or rules you don’t see at all, and some places might outright abandon driving standards.
Will you get a car once you get there? Or will your car have to meet you there? If you plan on driving once you get there, you will need to look into a top car transport services company like Vehicle Haul. They offer affordable car and motorcycle shipping on a door-to-door basis so that your keys only go through one set of hands. If you are looking to get away from the snow-capped country, they are a trusted name for snowbirds car shipping.
When you are moving abroad: know the social norms
You would be surprised by the things that will offend someone of a different culture, and not knowing them can get you in a tight spot. For example, if you are going abroad for business, would you want to get off on the wrong foot by accidentally insulting an important client?
For example, you wouldn’t want to be eating at a restaurant in Japan and rub your chopsticks together, implying that they are full of splinters and, therefore cheap, offending the host. Or finding yourself giving a thumbs up in Iraq or Iran, where it is considered along the same lines as flipping them off. This is a world where being in some eastern countries means that a shake of the head means “yes” – and when people barely understand your attempt at the native language, they will defect to your body language.
Then there are the things that can get you into tangible trouble with the law. For example, Singapore is proud of its strict cleanliness, which means you can be fined harshly for chewing gum. Venice is so overrun with pigeons that the government has banned the concept of feeding the birds.
Wherever you are going, look up the local laws and customs to make sure you avoid a hefty fine or possibly even some jail time.
