Moving to a New Country
Table of Contents
Getting on a plane and finding yourself in a completely different country…Don’t we all dream about this from time to time? Well, why not be real? Think about it, it’s a great chance to leave the past behind and build a brand new life for yourself. Isn’t it great? Everything changes when you move to a different country and get to know yourself.
Have you ever seriously considered settling in another country? Many people consider relocating to another country for many reasons. Being abroad often means a new life, new career, new people… Let’s start with looking at the answer to the question of why you should move to a new country.
Advantages of Moving to Another Country
Are you trying to find valid reasons why you should move to a new country? Many reasons can be listed. However, we’ve compiled a few of the most important for you.
Get To Know Yourself Better
First of all, going to a new place and starting a new life is a fantastic experience. You should know that when you move to another country, you’ll experience a new “you”. If your goal is to advance in your career, living abroad can be very good for your job. For example, you may find yourself on a completely different path. Or, you can stay in your own field and experience developments that you’ve not experienced before. Also, moving to another country for work will look great on your resume.
Meet With New Cultures
Another good part of moving to a new country is meeting a new culture. Getting to know a new culture means getting to know another new way of life. These changes will be good for you. Moreover, of course, getting to know a new cuisine. There’s no better way to shake yourself up than by opening yourself up to new foods. Open yourself up to different tastes and give yourself an opportunity to find out who you are. Enjoy the cuisine of your destination to the fullest.
Gain Experiences
There are very few people who have moved to another country and are unhappy. Many people who dare to move to another country say that they live in much better conditions and are much happier. So, even if you don’t always want to stay where you’re going, you should at least try to live somewhere else for a while. When you return, you’ll have many good memories to tell to those at home. That'll be an awesome experience for you.
Learn Not To Give Up
We know that taking the first step to move to another country can seem difficult. However, believe us, the aftermath will be beautiful. You’ll make new friends, get a great job, and discover a lot of things. Moreover, you’ll find a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. This is a very important thing. You’ll learn to embrace new opportunities. This will help you a lot for the rest of your life. You can think of moving to a new country as a kind of training.
Change Yourself
Are you a shy person? You’ll be shocked by the confidence you gain after moving to another country. It’ll be a little difficult in the beginning, the adaptation process is always difficult. However, afterward, you’ll realize that you’ve experienced very exciting things and that you’ve overcome them very well. You may be lonely at first. But you’ll have new friends. This is one of the biggest advantages of living in another country. You’ll meet many people from different parts of the world with different experiences. This will also help you adapt to where you’re going. So, don’t worry, making friends won’t be hard at all.
Learn a New Language
Moving to a new country means learning another language. In the beginning, it’ll be difficult for you not to be able to communicate with the local people. However, the best way to learn a language will be to speak to people that speak that language. You’ll learn the language faster because you are exposed to it a lot. This is a very different experience than trying to learn from books. It’ll be much easier.
Disadvantages of Moving to a New Country
But it’s not all sunshine and roses…Here are some cons of moving to a new country.
Adaptation Problems
When you go to a new country, it can be scary to encounter a completely different culture. One of the ways to overcome this shock is to be outside and try to adapt to the culture as much as possible. This may also require you to eat foods that seem strange to you from time to time. But, trying to cope with culture shock at times will be difficult. It might overwhelm you.
Language Barrier
Moving to a country where your mother tongue is not spoken can be challenging. It’ll be very difficult for you to communicate with the people there. For this reason, maybe you can try to learn the language of the place before you go. Learning the language gets harder as you get older, but you can learn certain things and try to communicate, albeit at a basic level. After going there, your language learning speed will increase. However, in general, it can be very challenging for you at times.
Budget Problem
When you move to a foreign country, there’s no guarantee that you’ll find a job immediately. Life can be difficult when there’s no fixed income. Therefore, you should have a reasonable budget when moving to another country. Balancing the budget could be difficult. Especially when you first go to the country, you’ll want to buy many things you see. Unfortunately, you have to control that.
Fear of Loneliness
When you move to a new country, the adaptation process will be challenging. This is normal. There’ll be a lot of people you don’t know around you. You’ll be foreign to the language. Maybe you won’t even understand the jokes around you. This can be very depressing. However, don’t worry, you won’t be alone forever. You’ll eventually have friends. But trying to adapt to this situation for a while can be very difficult for you.
Steps of Moving to a New Country
Now, if you’ve decided to move to a new country, let’s briefly talk about which steps you need to pass through.
#1
Do Research
Make sure to thoroughly research the country you'll be moving to. This research should be multifaceted. You should research everything, from the average cost of living to the health system. There are many websites that can help you with this. It’ll be useful for you to use them. Especially if you’re considering moving to another country alone as a woman, you should do thorough research on gender equality in the country you’re going to.
#2
Get a Visa
Getting a visa is a tedious process. The stress of rejection is scary. To avoid this, it’ll be useful to collect your documents well. Make sure everything is complete. These documents will depend on the country you’re moving to. In order not to take risks, don’t leave the task of collecting documents to the last minute. You can consider also getting professional help.
#3
Be Prepared
Keep a copy of your documents with you so you can be prepared for any situations you may encounter. Make an extra copy of your passport, driver’s license, and credit cards. You can make another set and entrust it to someone you trust. This preparation will help you prove who you’re in complex situations.
#4
Find Your Accommodation
If your move has been arranged by your company, maybe your accommodation has already been booked. However, if you need to arrange it yourself, it’s best to do it early. Searching for an apartment, room or house can be a challenging process. You can use various applications for this. But don’t forget, it’s important to find a reliable one. Again, working with professionals can save you headaches.
#5
Find a Job
Wherever you go, unless you’re very rich, you’ll have to work for a living. You should carefully examine the job options. Sometimes you may have the opportunity to start your own company. But, this may not always be possible. It helps a lot to know the job options available there until you get there. So, you’ll know where to go after you move.
#6
Make Research About the Health System
Health systems vary from country to country. The healthcare you receive may depend on your visa. Therefore, before you go, you should know whether the health service you’ll receive will protect you there. You should also be familiar with the vaccinations required at your destination. If you have a prescription drug, find out if you can get it there. In this way, if you can’t get it, you can be prepared.
#7
Find Out the Budget-Friendly Places
It’s important to research cheap places before you go to avoid budget problems. We all have the right to drink a beer, but we don’t want to burn a hole in our pockets. That’s why it’s good to learn about cheap bars before you go. If you don’t like hanging out in bars, also look for cheap cafes. One of the most important is to find a cheap market. Trying to shop around the main street can cost you a lot depending on the country. For this reason, it’ll be very useful to know where you can shop cheaply.
The Bottom Line
There you have it…Some of the things you should do when moving to a new country… Of course, moving to a new country is a big decision and has many aspects. But you should start your preparations at some point and we hope our article has been helpful.
Good luck with your new life!
FAQ
Is it worth moving to a new country?
Definitely yes! You’ll have different experiences, and get to know new people. Moving to a country is one of the best ways of doing it.
If you have your own reasons, be brave. All you have to do is want to move to a new country if you have the opportunity. The most crucial step is motivation. Give yourself this chance to get to know yourself, have different experiences, and meet different people. Now, let’s look at what pros and cons of moving to a new country.
What happens when you move to a new country?
Your life changes. Every day is another adventure. There are new people around you. You’ll have a new job. If you’re looking to make a fresh start in your life, moving to a new country can be the best route.
What to do before relocating to another country?
There are many things to do. However, if we need to list the main ones, we can say:
- Visa application
- Buying plane tickets
- Choosing and researching your destination
- Preparing a suitcase
- Guaranteeing the health insurance
- Make a budget
Make sure to have your own moving abroad checklist before you start planning.
Is life hard abroad?
Of course, it can be hard at times. For example, you may run out of money, be unable to find a job, or feel lonely from time to time. But don’t worry, there are ways to deal with all of these.
What is the best country to start a new life?
It depends on what you expect in the country you’re going to. However, we can list the recently popular countries as follows:
- New Zeland
- Australia
- Canada
- Holland
- Norway
- Sweden
- Portugal
- Denmark
What are the common problems of moving to another country?
The common problems are:
- Not knowing the language
- Culture shock
- Loneliness
- Anxiety about conformity
- Budget problems
How long does it take to adjust to living in a new country?
It may take about two years for you to have everything fully settled. After two years, you’ll most likely have nothing missing. For some people, this period can be shorter. This depends on your character and personality traits.
Can I move to another country without a job?
Yes. You may struggle, but yes. There are many people who do this. Of course, it’s difficult, especially if you don’t have enough savings.