Six Tips For Moving Abroad

Posted on by Roshan Leave a comment

Moving abroad can be exciting, but stressful at the same time. There’s a lot of decisions to make, and a lot to plan if you’re seriously considering such a big move. Here are some simple tips to make the decisions a little easier.

  1. Give it some time after you move. The excitement of moving to a new country can wear off quickly when the realities of living in a foreign country hit you. The first months can be stressful, as you try to negotiate a new culture or not speaking the language. Even if you’ve moved to another english speaking country, challenges like sorting out bank accounts, setting up utilities, and struggling to make friends can make the transition difficult. Give it six months for these things to settle down, so you can tell if you actually don’t like your new home or just don’t like moving challenges.
  2. Find a relocation expert to help you find a new property. Where finding quality properties is half of the challenge, it’s important to get smart help to help you not only find the home, but negotiate the legalities of buying or renting abroad.
  3. Resist going home while you’re still getting used to your new country. Even if there’s a great flight deal, if you head home while you’re still settling in, it can set you back in negotiating your new life. When you’re home, everything is easier, with no language barrier or culture confusion. The ease might tempt you to call time early on living abroad before you’ve given it a fair chance.
  4. Pick up some language basics. As a tourist, you can get away with very limited use of the local language, as long as you struggle through the pleasantries like hello, goodbye, please and thank you. As an ex-pat, you’ll need a little more. It can help you to settle in and start to build connections, and will show your new community that you’re trying. Learn some simple phrases, like ‘this, ‘that, some numbers, and the words for ‘here’ and ‘where’. This can help you ask for directions, book a taxi, buy food and lots of other things. Whether you ask for ‘two please’ at the cinema, point at a map with ‘here please’ in a taxi or point at a cake and say ‘that one please’, your new words can open up a lot of options.
  5. Ask other ex-pats for their survival tools. Bonding with the ex-pat community can really help you to find the best resources for life abroad, like apps or websites. For example, maybe they can recommend a takeaway with english menus, a handy app to navigate local public transport or a Facebook group for local ex-pats.
  6. Try to avoid making comparisons. Life can work differently in other countries to the way you’re used to, and it can be easy to make unfavourable comparisons. If you find yourself wondering why the stores close earlier, or the banking system is complicated or why you can’t buy your favourite cheese anywhere, try and balance it by noticing the things that are better, like better options for public transports, cleaner streets or better coffee.

Moving Abroad? Time To Sort Your Finances

Posted on by Roshan Leave a comment

How many times have you dreamed of starting a new life abroad? You may be at the stage of just staring at far-flung destinations on Instagram, or you may have travelled extensively abroad and know exactly where you want to relocate to. Whatever stage you’re at, you know that moving overseas takes money. And if you’re going to make the move in the next few years, you’ll need to think about a savings plan sooner rather than later.

Revisit Your Budget

It’s not a wise idea to go anywhere without a pot of savings to cushion your arrival. You may experience delays in starting work or have to pay out for things like rental deposits on a place to stay upfront, plus you should always have enough money saved to get home should you need to. Start by making the most drastic changes you can to your current budget. Look at the biggest costs you have at the moment and see if you can can minimise them. Could you do without a car for a bit and cycle to get around instead? You could also look at resources for rent prices in the city you live in, or the one you will be moving to, to make sure that you get the best value for money. Consider the little costs which can add up as well – cancel any unused subscription services and switch to store brand items in your weekly food shop. Small changes really can add up if you make enough of them.

Sort Out Your Overseas Finances 

To get up and running in your new home country, there are also some financial steps you need to take. Getting organised early is key, as it can take some time to get everything up and running. First, looking into setting up a bank account overseas – it will make things so much easier when you arrive. Each country has different requirements, so make sure that you know what they are – some places will require you to have a residential address already. Then, you’ll need to transfer your money into your new domiciled account. Most banks make this process unnecessarily expensive and complicated, so look into using a specialist money transfer service instead. You should also search out an overseas credit card or a prepaid travellers card before you arrive – it’s a convenient way to pay for the essentials as a stop-gap until your bank account is up and running. But make sure that you’ve chosen one that doesn’t charge fees in your destination.

Look Into Taxes

Being an ex-pat doesn’t mean that you become automatically exempt from all taxes in your home country. If you’re still receiving any form of income, for example from renting out your old home, you may still be liable to pay tax on that, plus the tax that you have due in your new country. Make sure you understand the situation where you are going, as you may have to submit tax returns or pay tax separately from your income rather than having automatic deductions. With a little foresight and planning, you can move your life abroad and keep your finances intact.