You have made your decision and you’re both excited and nervous. Of course you are. It’s a huge step. Preparing to begin this adventure of living overseas can be a stressful and tedious undertaking. It will not be overnight and will take some effort. However, with proper preparation over time, you can make the transition to an expat life. Once you are settled into your new home overseas, you will appreciate all of the hard work you put in to get there. The key to making the transition as painless as possible is preparation. In order to prepare yourself, lets go over some rather important checklist items.
Save Money And Lots Of It
I’ve read that a good rule of thumb is to save for 3 months of expenses and a return ticket home if it doesn’t work out. I’m going to change this up a bit by also recommending you save enough money to set yourself up again at home. This includes house, utilities, car and anything else you will need. Having this money will offer you peace of mind given it doesn’t work out the way you had hoped.
Learn Everything You Can About The Country
While you’re busy saving that money, take the time to learn about the country where you will eventually live. Researching the country, especially the area of the country you will live, can greatly reduce any culture shock you would experience otherwise.
Culture
Try to do as much research on the culture as possible. What is acceptable in your culture may be completely inappropriate in another. Personally I am fascinated by other cultures and try to immerse myself into the culture as much as possible. It’s also a great way to meet new people.
Where To Live
Start figuring our where you want to live. The sooner you know, the sooner you can start apartment or house hunting. You want to choose an area you are comfortable with. Does it have WiFi, stable electricity, grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants and any other essentials you think you may need.
Expat Community
There are many expat communities throughout the globe. Most of these groups have an online presence (usually in the form of a forum). They are the boots on the ground and an invaluable resource for learning all about the area you want to live.
Laws
Understand what the you can and can’t do in other countries. For instance, in Thailand it is a crime to speak badly about the king. It is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Exchange Rates
Be sure to learn how much the foreign currency is worth compared to your currency. This way you will get a feel for exchange rates at currency exchanges, banks and ATMs. Here’s a secret regarding exchange rates. You will get robbed. The key is to get robbed for as little as possible.
Renew Your Passport
Most countries require your passport to be valid for at least 6 months to a year before allowing you entry. Also, if you receive a visa from the country you plan on living, it will never be valid past the expiration date of your passport. Trust me when I say the student, work or retirement visa is not an easy process. You don’t want to go through the process again after 6 months.
Visa
There are many types of visas. Student, work, retirement, marriage, tourist and so much more. The process is usually tedious and will some work on your part. There are services out there which will help you with your visa application as well as expediting your passport application. I swear by these services and use them often. You can read more about these services here.
so… what about all my stuff?
You have a few options.
Purchase a storage unit
You can rent a storage unit and move most of your belonging in there. I recommend forking over the extra money for a climate controlled storage unit. However, if you’re going to be gone for a long time, the storage bill can add up over time. I left my belongings in storage for over 10 years before I realized the amount I paid in storage fees equaled the amount all my stuff was worth. I could have shipped all of my belongings for cheaper in the first place. In the end, I donated everything I had.
Sell everything you own
I personally endorse this method. Sell all your furniture, appliances, entertainment center, dishes and the rest. Not only is it easier and cheaper to move overseas, you now have extra cash to help purchase these items when you arrive.
Ship Everything
You could have everything shipped, but there is a lot of coordination and logistics involved. It will cost thousands of dollars and usually take quite some time to arrive at your new home.
Banking
Notify your bank and credit card providers of your travel plans. This is so your cards are not locked for suspicious activity. Most major debit cards should work in foreign ATMs and purchases. After you have settled into your new life, it would be good to get a second bank account in your host country. Some countries require you have a bank account with a minimum balance in order to live there.
Bring Cash with You
Don’t worry about buying foreign currency before you leave. Most airports will have currency exchanges upon arrival. This would also be a good time to test your debit card in the airport ATM and pull out local currency. Hopefully you researched currency exchange rates to know if you are getting robbed a little or a lot.
Most people and companies like Amazon are not going to mail you anything overseas. However, there are specialized services which offer something called ‘Virtual Mailboxes’. Essentially, you pay the company for a special address with them. You have all of your mail sent there. They will then ship your mail overseas to you for a fee.
Your other option is to have your mail sent to family or friends to forward to you later. My father handles my mail and I’m eternally grateful to him for that.
Insurance
Chances are your health insurance doesn’t cover you while living abroad. Plan ahead to obtain international broad coverage health insurance or research obtaining health insurance in your destination country. Fortunately, most developed countries can offer quality medical care on the cheap. I once went to an award winning board certified dentist office in Phuket, Thailand to have a deep cleaning, 2 root canals, 2 crowns and 5 fillings for the equivalent of about $550-600. That was the cost before I handed over my international insurance card. If These procedures were done in the United States, it would have cost me many thousands of dollars.
Say Your Goodbyes
You have saved and worked hard. You are as prepared as you can be for this moment. All you have is your money, luggage and the clothes on your back. Leaving can be bitter-sweet, but you are about to embark on what could be the adventure of your life. Anyone can continue communication with family and friends via the phone or social media. However, not everyone can walk to the local market and order their food…. in Japanese.
