Tips for Moving Abroad for a Year

Moving abroad is an exciting endeavor, but it does require some planning and thinking before you make the leap. There could be many reasons why you are going abroad for an entire year; however, there are some steps you should take regardless of your reasons. Read through these tips for moving abroad for a year before you begin making your plans.

Visit, If You Can

One of the first tips for moving abroad for a year you should consider is visiting the place where you plan to move. Depending on your situation or why you are moving, this may not be possible. If you can visit, you can get a feel for the place you are moving to. If you cannot visit, you should do as much research about the area as you can. You can find a large amount of information with internet searches. These searches can help you learn more about the area and help you plan for your move. You can find out things like the weather where you are moving. Understanding the weather can help you determine what clothes you want to pack for the first few weeks there. You want to be prepared for the temperature and climate.

Passport, Visa, And Vaccinations

Some great tips for moving abroad for a year include understanding what your current and new governments expect from you. You alert the state and federal governments to know you are leaving, especially those offices that handle taxes, benefits, and other monies you receive. If you want to vote while away, you should alert the electoral office to know you are moving. You should ensure that you have a valid passport. You should also ensure that it does not expire for at least six months after your return date. Some countries require this. If you do not have a return date and the passport expires while abroad, you must renew it through your local U.S. Embassy.

It would be best if you understood what the new government requires of you. You may need a specific type of visa that requires documentation in addition to your passport. You should review the country’s government’s website to ensure you have all the required documents. You may need to visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to set up photographs and fingerprints. No matter where you are going, you want to ensure that you have your vaccinations current. Some countries will not allow you to obtain a visa if you are not up to date on vaccinations. You should review the government website for the country to see what vaccinations are required and which are recommended. You may want to ensure that you have all of them. Documentation records are essential for this. You want to have a record of all of your vaccines and the dates you received them. If you have any allergies or take medications, you want to have those records. Having those records may assist you when trying to get prescriptions refilled.

Understand The Culture

Every country has its own culture that extends to the way people talk, dress, and interact with each other. One of the essential tips for moving abroad for a year is to learn as much as you can about the culture in the country where you are moving. For example, gestures are significant, and the smallest gesture or not wearing an appropriate outfit can be seen as rude. You can get yourself into a large amount of trouble if you do not understand the culture. In addition, you should learn about customs, local laws, and regulations. The last thing you want is to end up in legal trouble because you did not know the law. This includes things like rules of the road, speed limits, dress codes, addressing and greeting people, and table etiquette. It may seem strange to you because you have been functioning in public all your life. However, each country has different forms of etiquette, some of which may feel strange to you.

If the country where you are moving speaks a different language, you should attempt to learn the language. If you do not have enough time to have a rough understanding of the language, you want to learn some common words and phrases. Make an attempt with the language. The people native to the country most likely will help you, but they do appreciate it when people try to learn the language.

Important First Steps

Some essential tips for moving abroad for a year include your first steps once you get there. Unless you are moving somewhere where your housing is already secured, you are going to need a place to stay, even if it is for a short period. If you are moving for work, they may have a place for you. Or perhaps you managed to secure a place to stay on a previous visit. If you did not, you need to find temporary housing while you look for something more long-term. You also want to ensure that you have enough cash to cover the costs. You may need a significant amount of money to put down for a place to stay.

You are going to need a bank account. You may even need that before you are able to rent a place. That could be a requirement, so you may want to do that first. You may have to jump through some hoops to open a bank account. If you are lucky enough to have an international bank account already, perhaps it is just a matter of going into a local branch. You will also need to spend money on items, such as food and possibly, clothing. If you are moving for a job, there may be no break in your earnings. However, if that is not your situation, it could be some time before you have money coming in. You want to ensure that you have enough money to get you through. You do not want to find yourself in a strange place with no money.

Relocation And Removal Services

More tips for moving abroad for a year include thinking about your personal belongings. You will require moving services for whatever personal effects you plan to take with you. One option, of course, is to take nothing with you but what you can pack in a suitcase and then buy everything in your new country. If that is your plan, you do not have to worry about moving anything, but you will have to determine what to do with your home. If this move is a relocation for you, your employer may handle all of the details. There are international removal companies that can provide you with assistance with moving. It would be best if you considered getting estimates from several different companies before you pick one. Depending on where you are moving, there could be different rules and regulations you must follow. These companies can help you with all of those details. They may even be able to help you obtain visas, transportation, find housing and schools. If you have a vehicle you want to transport, they can help you with that, also. They may be able to help you with anything you need, including RV repair.

What About Your House?

One of the tips for moving abroad for a year to consider is what to do with your home. First, you must decide if you are going to leave your house vacated, consider selling or renting it out. Each of these options has benefits and negatives. Closing your home is a viable option, but you are leaving it susceptible to water damage from storms, leaking pipes, or something else that may happen in your empty house. If there is water in your home, it is going to cause damage to the house. Water can also cause the growth of mold or mildew. Not to mention you are leaving it open to thieves breaking in once they notice no one is home.

You can opt to sell your house, but depending on the market and the amount of time you have, it may not leave you a lot of time to prepare your home for the sale. If you sell your house but do not buy another house within a certain amount of time, you may have to pay capital gains tax. In addition, you will need to find a new place to live upon your return to the U.S. Another option is to rent your house. You can hire a rental management company to handle every aspect of renting out your home. You will have to pay a fee, which may make not be worth it to hire an outside company. However, if it is worth it to you, hiring a management company can handle finding tenants, background checks, and rent checks. You may need to increase your insurance to cover having renters in your home.

Preparing Your Home

One of the top tips for moving abroad for a year is to prepare your house to be closed or sold. If there are any repairs that need to happen in your home, you must consider doing them before you leave or sell. Areas to consider are roof repair. You want to ensure your roof does not have any holes, gaps, or missing shingles. Plumbing repair and water heater repair can ensure that there are no leaks in your house while you are out of the country. If you plan to rent your home, you want to have any necessary AC repairs done. Before you leave, make sure to get your house in good working order.

All Of Your Items Left Behind

When you are thinking about tips for moving abroad for a year, you cannot forget about what you are leaving behind. You most likely cannot, and should not, take it all with you. You need to assess what you need and what you want to keep. When you know what you do not need to take with you but want to keep, you have to decide if you are leaving it in your house or storing it somewhere. The answer to this depends on what you are going to do with your home. The things that you do not need can either be donated, sold, or trashed. If you want to sell some items, you can take them to a pawn shop and try to sell gold. If you have a car and you want to sell it, you can look for cash for cars options. For the items that can be donated, you can drop them off at a donation drop-off location, or you can contact a charity for them to pick up your items. For the things that can be trashed, you can load them up and take them to the dump. Then, calling a junk removal company to come to collect all of the junk, you have to remove it.

When thinking about tips for moving abroad for a year, there are many ways to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. First, you should prepare yourself for the unexpected. No matter how much you have prepared for your move, something is going to happen that you did not expect. That is to be expected since you are moving to another country. You should know that it will probably take about six months to settle into your new area. It is normal for it to seem strange to you. You have to be open-minded and accept the traditions, culture, and expectations of the new area you are in. When you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to learning how to settle into living abroad.