Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re talking about moving internationally. I’ve lived in Finland, China, Portugal, the US, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, and others. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to share both the positives and the negatives of travel, whether it’s short-term or long-term. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate about international moving.
Hate #1: Homesickness
When you move abroad, you inevitably leave behind loved ones. Missing friends and family back home is the number one drawback to living abroad. You also miss out on a lot of events and traditions. We’ve missed weddings, funerals, birthdays and holidays. If you move abroad with kids as we’ve done, they will also miss their friends. Luckily, this has gotten easier with communication tools like Skype and FaceTime. Make sure you encourage your friends and family to come visit you, but also try to plan a visit home every once in a while to keep those connections strong.
Hate #2: Making Local Friends
Often when people move abroad, they tend to find expat communities and stick together with other expats. It’s great to have friends going through the same experiences as you, people you can reminisce about your home country with, but if you really want to learn about the local culture and the local language, it helps to make friends with some of the locals where you live. Learning the local language goes a long way towards immersing yourself in the local culture and you will quickly gain respect by making an effort.
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Hate #3: Learning Cultural Differences the Hard Way
Let’s face it, when you move to a new country, there are going to be customs that you aren’t familiar with, and you’re going to goof up. In Germany, you better be right on time for anything. In Portugal, dinner at 8:00 means you arrive around 9:00. And then there are the logistics of everyday life: how do you sign up for cable, how do you find a doctor or dentist? This where the expat groups come in handy as your fellow expats can help give you a head’s up on issues they faced.
Hate #4: Illness Abroad
Getting sick while traveling sucks, and it’s no different when you move abroad. If you get sick, you may not know where to go or how to find a doctor. In many countries, the pharmacist can see you and give you a prescription. In other countries, you need to see a doctor or go to hospital. Then finding a care provider who speaks English can be challenging. The best way to alleviate some of this is to figure it all out right when you move, rather than when you are actually sick. It will be easier and then when you do get sick, you’ll be prepared.
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Hate #5: Packing & Moving
The actual act of moving can be a real pain, no matter where you are moving to. Moving overseas brings a lot of challenges when it comes to deciding what to pack and what to leave behind. Do you sell all your belongings? Put some things in storage? These decisions can be difficult, and you usually don’t have a lot of time to mull them over. Once you decide what to bring, then you have to decide how to get it to your new home. The entire moving overseas process is a headache, and then it’s no better when you are moving back home at the end of your assignment.
Love #1: Amazing Experience
The entire experience of moving, and living, abroad is an amazing experience. Living in another country is such a unique opportunity to really experience a new culture, language, cuisine, and atmosphere. Most travelers get to spend one or two weeks in a foreign country at a time, and they get to see the highlights. By moving abroad, you really get an in-depth understanding of a new place.
Love #2: New Friends
Another cool thing about moving abroad is all the new friends you will make. Whether they are locals or fellow expats like yourself, you now have a new support system in your adopted country. Just like your first school mates, your first friends in a new country will always be near and dear because they will help you settle in and adapt to your new surroundings.
Love #3: Travel Opportunities
If you are coming from the United States, you will be amazed at the travel opportunities that open up when you move abroad. In the US, it can take hours or even a full day just to cross one state. If you move to Europe, you can easily take a drive through a couple of countries in a single day. You can hop on the train and go to a new country for the weekend, or even take advantage of the many low-cost carriers for weekend excursions throughout the continent.
Love #4: Family Bonding
When you move abroad with your family, it really makes you a lot closer and reinforces your family bond. When you first arrive, you only have each other, and you are all going through this new experience together. You’ll have so many fun stories and memories of the things you did together and this really strengthens the family bond. Moving abroad has also helped our two boys become best buds, as they always have each other to lean on when we move to a new place.
Love #5: Bringing Culture Home
When you live abroad and experience a new culture, you get to take the best of that culture back home with you. Whether it’s special meals that you cook, celebrations you have or even some fashion or music tastes you picked up, you can always take a little bit of that new culture back home with you. After living in China, we now have tea more often at home. Simple things like this will be a great reminder of your time abroad.
Moving internationally is such a cool experience, but there are drawbacks to be aware of before you make that decision to move. Of course, the hates are not enough to stop us from moving abroad, just small obstacles to overcome. Want more travel tips? Check out these blog posts: