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Articles for those who want to move abroad

Articles for those who want to move abroad

For most, uprooting themselves and leaving their country of birth is a daunting prospect indeed, and not one for the faint-hearted. It requires a tremendous amount of planning, organisation and courage (not to mention a touch of wanderlust).

So we’ve sourced various guides, tips, posts and real life stories to help aspiring expats achieve their relocation ambitions. For ease we have categorised these into: 

Buying Property Abroad

The Expat Blog Guide

The Expat blog is dedicated to providing high-quality guides covering all aspects of expat life. And believe us, there is a guide covering practically every country on Earth.

Featuring a directory, classifieds section, housing and jobs finder and even a forum, Expat Blog is definitely the go-to website for anyone starting their expat adventure.

Property Pros Share their Best Advice on Buying Property Abroad

Purchasing property abroad is arguably one of the more difficult and costly parts of starting your life as an expat, therefore it’s wise to seek the help of property professionals. In this post, 20 property professionals share their best advice on buying a dream house in your ideal location.

The Spain Buying Guide

Spain is one of the most sought after destinations for expats from the UK. It’s warm climate, low property prices and stunning vistas make it a magnet for retirees and expats alike.

This extensive guide gives advice on everything from buying and selling property to living and managing money in Spain, well worth a read if you’re planning an Andalusian expatriation.

Top 10 Tips for Buying Property in France

There are possibly more things to consider when buying a house in France than in Britain, namely location and possible renovations. This article gives a few things to consider if you’re thinking of making the big move.

Buying Property in France

Did you know that there are no property surveyors in France? This is bound to present problems to potential buyers and is only one of the pitfalls to buying property in France. This article from Expat Arrivals outlines some major considerations to buying a French property. 

 

Moving and Living Abroad

Living in Italy

For those of you craving a Mediterranean lifestyle, Italy may be the answer. Considered one of the best places in the world to retire to, Italy has much to offer in the form of laid back lifestyle, midday siestas, stunning weather and food to die for. Understanding Italy has lots of resources for expiates-to-be dreaming of a new Italian life.

No One Tells You About Moving Abroad

Liz bestows her young adventuress knowledge onto her readers in the form of this entertaining article, disregarding common misconceptions about moving abroad with surprising wit and flair. She describes some of her expat experiences and how they’ve affected her personally. Overall a light-hearted article and a fun read.

Moving Overseas With your Family

Budget travel expert Tim Leffel guest posts about his new life in Mexico, which as it happens, is significantly cheaper than his old life in the US. Tim dismisses the stigma that moving to a less developed country is somehow radical or crazy and explains the benefits of such a move. Checking out the rest of Nomadic Matt’s blog too will undoubtedly spark some wanderlust within you.

Tips on Moving Abroad

Derik and Amanda are a real expat couple with real experience in moving their life abroad. Here they impart some helpful advice onto their readers in what to expect from moving overseas. Their top tip – embrace the change! Moving abroad is an exciting experience and should be treated as an adventure!

Tips for First Time Expats

Carole from Expat Child offers some great advice when moving overseas for the first time. Carole stresses the importance of doing as much research as you can prior to moving as well as getting to know the language and meeting new people. The Expat Child blog has lots of other guides, tips and resources for expats as well as financial, legal and transportation advice.

Complete Moving Abroad Checklist for Newbie Expats

Rachel from Hippie in Heels pulls her very top tips out of the bag to make this expat post, and pulls it off. Her checklist includes some things that aspiring expats may have overlooked, be it taxes, visas or sorting out insurance.

Tips for Settling in Abroad

Mapping Megan offers some top expat tips on acclimatising to your new life abroad. Moving can be very frustrating at the best of times so finding ways to help cope with the drastic change can improve your overall quality of life. Things like maintaining a daily routine and keeping in touch with friends and family can definitely soften the initial discomfort.

Stories from Real Expats

The Boxman blog has interviewed four real expats on their experiences when moving. It’s great to get an example of the real challenges people have faced whilst relocating abroad, to avoid potential pitfalls in your own move.

Expat Guide

American expats Julie and Jaro make some great points in their expat guide. Including personal experiences in relocating to Europe, Those Dam Americans focus primarily on their struggles in finding the perfect home in the right area and as it turns out, your first choice may not be your best.

Things you Should Know Before Becoming an Expat

Australia may be an expensive place to live, but it doesn’t stop it being one of the most popular expat destinations in the world. Brooke talks a bit about being an American down under and a few things she wishes she’d known before moving there.

Helpful Resources for Expats

This blog follows Lisa & Sam (and their family) in their new Italian life. This inspirational family describe the beautiful day to day happenings of their new life and urge others to follow their expat aspirations. They even invite you to fly out and stay with them to get the full experience! Definitely a heart-warming blog to read and gather some expat wisdom!

Relocating to Hong Kong

East Asia is another popular destination for expats. Nicole from Mint Mocha Musings explains some of the costs involved with living in Hong Kong and also some tips on getting accustomed to the culture.

The practicalities

Physically Moving Overseas

Shipping your belongings overseas can be a very expensive ordeal indeed. Expatica offers some helpful tips when it comes to transporting your possessions including their ‘sea it or sell it’ motto and the advice of hiring a relocation company to assist you with all that boring paperwork.

How to Pack for an International Move

When it comes to packing for an international move, it can really throw your home life up in the air. With Expat-Yourself’s ‘ship, store or sell’ approach, (similar to the sea it or sell it motto in 18), it makes managing the transportation of your items that bit easier. Also, take great care in shipping your books overseas, they could get very mouldy.

Moving your Household Goods

Selecting a moving company is just one of the many challenges you’ll face as an expat, but this one is an important choice. World of Expats offers up some sound advice when it comes to logistics, be sure to go into much deliberation on what you take and what to get rid of. Remember that electrical items can often incur extra and significant customs charges.

The Sydney Moving Guide

If like many, you’re thinking of relocating to Sydney, this guide is your expat almanac. Featuring expat interviews, resources, a Sydney city guide and lots more, those considering Sydney as their destination should look no further.

Moving with children

Where to Start When Moving Abroad With Children

Smart Relocation guide have a plethora of articles, stories and resources for those considering the big jump into expat life. This article in particular details the steps for preparing children for relocation. Now, it goes without saying that some children are different than others, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the problem, but after reading this post and hiding a few of these tactics up your sleeve, it could help when you need it most.

Preparing your Kids for Living Abroad

There are some top ways to get kids on board with moving. Expat Arrivals covers a few of these ways in their article. Check out the rest of the Expat Arrivals site for more articles, resources and an expat forum.

Tips for Moving Abroad with Children

Preparing your teens for moving abroad can often be a difficult challenge as they have already established their lives in their hometown and may be reluctant to leave their friends and lifestyle behind. This can cause much stress and anxiety within family life. Expat Mums’ suggest some great tips on reducing this emotional impact on your teens.

Preparing to Move Overseas with Children

Mum abroad is a great source of expat info and has lots of articles on many aspects of expat life. This article explains that giving your child choices during the process of moving can really help them in the transition.

Is there a Better Age for Children to Move Abroad?

Is there really a better age for children to move abroad? Susanna from Jump Overseas has often been asked that same question. Susanna believes that children under the age of five would adapt better to their new life as there wouldn’t be the same number of emotional ties as there would be with say, a 12-year-old.

What to Consider Before Moving Abroad with your Child

This great expat article from Your Coffee Break explains the many things to consider when deciding to move abroad with your children, such as learning a new language, education, climate and permission to actually relocate with your child.

8 Ways to Help Young Children Cope with Moving Overseas

Lisa McKay talks about her personal expat experiences with her children and the challenges she’s faced, as well as how to help them to cope better with moving.

Preparing Friends and Family for your Move Abroad

When it comes to moving abroad, some believe that breaking the news to family and friends was one of the hardest things to do. This post advises on how best to break the news and what to do if family don’t support your decision.

Moving Abroad with Children

Finally, Lisa from the Family Life in Spain blog explains that moving abroad demands a well timed and thought out plan, especially when accompanied by children. She’s also added a video pertaining to the timing of moving to Spain with children.

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