Thinking About Starting a New Life Abroad*

There’s a lot of pressure on young people these days. Get the right job, the right partner, the right house. The list seems absolutely never ending. However, for some of us, we want more. We may already have the killer career and all of that, and there’s no knocking it if we have. But for loads of us, we want to see the world instead, or in fact, some of us even want it all. No longer content with a two week holiday to Ibiza or even Italy – as fun as that might be – we want to take the plunge, and become a world citizen, not just a tourist.

How the heck do we do this though? Moving out of the country sounds incredible in theory, but in practice, it’s pretty terrifying. You have to find a new job, find new friends, perhaps new schools for the kids and somewhere to live. You’ll have new routines and it really be a big change for you and your family.

My advice is to just take the plunge. You’ll never know what you’re missing out on unless you go for it, and you don’t want to live a life full of regrets. You can always come home if it doesn’t work out. There are loads of things you’ll have to think of, but you can make it super easy with a ‘moving abroad checklist’. Have a little look before you go about the kind of jobs you might be able to get, and see if your industry is catered for. Remember, if you’re going somewhere where the language isn’t English, you’ll have to brush up on your skills, and learn about the culture, too.

As for packing up your life here, you will have to look at selling or renting out your home if you own it, or letting your landlord know if you are ending your tenancy. Thankfully there are fab companies out there such as SSO Logistics can help you with moving and storing furniture. Some people like my Aunt and Uncle want to take the vast majority of their belongings to their new country as they had no intention of returning, but others simply like to know they’re securely stored in case they ever decide to return.

And then all that’s left to do is just go for it. The expat life can be a scary life – but it can also be the best thing you’ll ever do.