Top 10 Tips for Moving Abroad
If you're anything like me, lockdown has you ready to hop on a plane and not worry about any of the logistics, which admittedly has worked out pretty well for me overall, but there are a few things you should absolutely think about before you disappear to a foreign country. These are the top 10 things that I have learned in my travels, and a lot of these I learned the hard way! In no particular order;
1) Don't pack everything including the kitchen sink.
If you're anything like me you like to have stuff, this stuff is not useful, it just fills up empty space and makes moving to a new country more complicated than it needs to be. One suitcase is enough, remember, everything is replaceable.
One helpful way to figure out what you actually NEED is to put everything you use the month before you move into a nice neat pile separately from the rest of your things. At the end of the month whatever you have used can come with you, everything else can be stored or donated. Note that this only works if you're moving somewhere with a similar climate to where you are currently living, there is no point packing your snow boots if you're moving to the south of Spain!
2) Get a decent suitcase.
There is nothing worse than walking along with your suitcase and having a wheel fall off, or having the seam rip, or having the zipper tag snap off. I had a cheap suitcase from Walmart and the wheels wore down so quickly that by my 3rd trip with it I was literally having to drag it along because the wheels no longer turned. I picked up this suitcase from Amazon as a replacement because it was so cheap and would be big enough to fit all of my things, I also knew I wanted a brightly coloured one so that it would be easy to spot on the belt, so the bright pink colour was perfect for me.
3) Get health insurance.
This one is really important! Depending on where you are moving you may or may not need insurance, for example as a Brit in Spain (pre Brexit) I didn't need to get any insurance as I was covered under the EU reciprocal healthcare agreement; however, I was very lucky not to get seriously sick while I was travelling in Asia as I didn't have any health insurance, a friend of mine got seriously sick while she was teaching there and ended up spending a LOT of money on hospital fees. While I was living in Canada I was covered under the Alberta Health Services, but I also got TrueTraveller insurance which covered a lot of things that the free healthcare didn't such as ambulance rides and reparation if the worst happened. Fortunately I never had to use it, but the GP's in Canada are excellent the few times I did have to go in and see them for minor illnesses.
4) Prepare your meds.
Linked with the health insurance, you should also make sure to stock up on any prescription meds, especially ones that might be difficult to get in a foreign country. Birth control for example might be tricky depending on where you're heading, in Hong Kong I could buy it over-the-counter relatively inexpensively, but in Canada the same medicine wasn't available at all! It's best to check before you go how accessible different medicine is.
5) Book temporary accomodation.
Whenever I move somewhere new, I always make sure to book somewhere to stay in advance for at least the first week. Depending on your budget you could either book something low cost like a hostel, or something a bit more private like an AirBNB.
Both of these are great options, I have stayed in hostels all over Asia and I have met some excellent people while doing that! Most people staying in hostels are solo travellers so finding people to explore your new city with is usually really easy, especially if you're an outgoing person. Hostel World is a great resource, they list all of the hostels in the area and you can filter by location or price. I almost always book through them!
If you're travelling with a partner or your family, or you're more of an introvert then I would recommend booking an AirBNB instead. The cost for an AirBNB can vary a lot depending on the location and the quality of the property. I have used AirBNB for road trips around Canada and around Spain, and it meant getting to stay in some weird and wonderful properties, and getting to meet locals who can direct you around the area.
6) Learn the basics of the language.
You would be amazed at how many people overlook this, but knowing the basic words and phrases in the local language will make a world of difference. Knowing how to say simple words like "hello", "this one please", and "thank you" will take you a long way, and usually will get a good reaction from the locals who appreciate the effort you are trying to make. I got by in Hong Kong with pretty much just these phrases along with the phrase "stop the bus" for those crazy mini busses that don't have the stop buttons. You will naturally pick up a few extra words along the way, but knowing the basics is a great way to meet new people and impress the locals.
7) Download apps.
There are so many useful apps these days, so hit up a few expat forums for the country you're heading to to find out which ones will be the most useful for you! I personally always make sure to download a map through Google Maps to use in offline mode, get a transport app like Lyft or Uber (depending on the country), and if there is some kind of subway or metro download a copy of the map to your phone.
Another useful thing to consider is an app like TextMe or Talkatone which allows you to create a phone number to use while you're connected to the internet, which is incredibly useful for a digital nomad like myself who needs to get a new sim card and a new phone number every time I move to a new country.
Depending on the country, an app like WhatsApp or WeChat will be super useful too, I now use WhatsApp for everything and I can't remember the last time I sent a real text message. Remember to check if any apps are banned in the country you're moving to, both Google and WhatsApp are banned in China, so unless you have a VPN there is no point in downloading them if you're heading there.
8) Find an activity you're interested in, then join it.
Moving to a new country alone can feel isolating and challenging, so find your niche and then join it! For me that has always been roller derby, I've now played for teams in the UK, Hong Kong, Pan-Asia, Canada, and Spain. Finding a group of people who you can spend time with and explore with will make you feel much more confident and at home in your new country. A lot of places will also have facebook groups to organize meetups and sometimes language exchanges, which is a great way to expand beyond the 4 phrases you learned earlier and meet new friends from all over the world.
9) Ensure you have access to your money!
This is not something that I had to think about until I suddenly REALLY had to think about it. Different countries have different types of bank cards, so when I moved from Hong Kong to Canada with my non-visa bank card I suddenly couldn't withdraw any money! I had to do an international bank transfer to my UK bank account which took around 10 days to go through, fortunately I had enough put away in the UK account already, and I had a credit card, so I was able to manage with the money I did have access to. Countries in South-East Asia also charge really high withdrawal fees at their ATMs for international withdrawals, so make sure you take cash with you to avoid this until you can set up a local bank account to transfer your money to. It will also be worth finding out if the country you're going to mostly works on cash payments or card payments, many places in South-East Asia are still cash based economies, so there is no point in attempting to pay for anything with your credit card.
10) Pick up a sim card as soon as you arrive.
In many countries, getting a sim card (even a temporary one) from the airport is the best option, it means you have access to the internet immediately in case you get lost or you want to call an Uber. If you're almost anywhere in Europe or Asia these sim cards will be no more expensive than if you were to pick one up in the city and it will be one less thing for you to worry about later. They will vary in price depending on where you are, but in Spain I got one for 10 Euros with 3GB which was more than enough to get me by until I got an unlimited data one from the city later in the month.
With all that said, the absolute most important thing is to have fun! Exploring a new country is an exciting adventure, and one that everyone should try at least once in their life! Don't over think any of it, when I made my first move I made the decision, got a job, booked a flight, and was in a foreign country within a month with very little money, no health insurance, and no idea what I was doing, but I wouldn't change that for the world, it was the best decision I ever made.
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