5 Tips for Moving Abroad: How to Make Relocating Less Stressful for You and Your Family

Choosing to relocate your family is an exciting and life-changing decision – and a time that should be full of excitement for the adventures ahead. However, there are countless tasks to complete before moving to your new city. Documents, flights, and housing must be organized before getting to your new city. This can often become a very overwhelming process that can cause undue stress. Below are some helpful tips to make the transition easier for you and your family.

1.    Do thorough research: Make sure you have researched to find out exactly where you will live and what the local amenities include. If you already have a job in place before you go, it might be worth looking for housing within your budget that is nearby. Consider whether you will have a car or rely on public transport. If the latter, it will be important for you to note transport routes between your home, work, and other amenities like shops and schools. Once you have found a potential neighbourhood, try to find out as much as possible about it. You want to be sure that it is safe and accessible. When making your choice of a place to live, be sure to consider your and your family’s lifestyle: do you want to be near a school, local parks, or beaches? 

2.    Plan your budget: Traveling can be costly – especially when moving permanently! If you are moving with family and have a lot of luggage, household items, and pets, you might be looking at a sizeable financial cost. You also need to ensure your budget is secure for after your travels: You will be in an entirely new country with a new currency – the cost of living in your new location might be very different, too. You want to ensure you aren’t blindsided by the cost of groceries, for example!

3.    Travel documents: While this is likely one of the first things you will have thought of when planning your move, it is vital that you have the correct travel documents in place for you and your family (and pets!) before you travel. For most destinations, this should be straightforward. However, some locations might have more complicated VISA or residence sponsorship processes. Not having the correct information could cause disaster for your move. It may be advisable to check what is required with a trusted travel agent.

4.    Start learning the language of your new home: Communicating in your new city's local language(s) will help you in many ways from the minute you leave the airport. You can start learning helpful phrases weeks or months before you leave and practice them with your family. For more in-depth lessons, you can opt to take lessons. For example, if you are moving to Spain, you might opt for online Spanish classes. This is an excellent option as once you move, you don’t have to worry about leaving your lessons behind, and you can keep up with your online Spanish classes. There will be services that cater to the whole family. Children might prefer group classes, while parents can take targeted online Spanish classes for adults. Communicating with locals once you arrive will help you get to know the culture and immerse yourself in it. It will also stop you from being mistaken for a naïve tourist!  

5.    Make sure your medical insurance is in place: We never want to think about worst-case scenarios – but they can happen. Before you go, consider whether you will need travel insurance for you and your family, your personal items, or your pets. This might be a worthwhile option if you are shipping many household goods to your destination. Additionally, you don’t want to spend any time in your new country without medical insurance that is accepted there. If health insurance is not provided by your job or through your spouse, it is imperative that you do research and purchase an insurance package that suits you.

Conclusion:

Moving abroad should be one of the most exciting times of your life – the last thing you want is for the preparation to become cumbersome and stressful for you and your family. Doing thorough research into your new home and making sure you have a good understanding of local customs will be extremely helpful. Learning the local language will also be very helpful – a simple search for ‘online Spanish classes for adults’ will yield many results for a family moving to a Spanish-speaking country, for example.