LIFE ABROAD

How to start a new life in a new country in 10 steps

by Natasha|Published 09/04/2020-Updated 01/07/2020

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How to start a new life in a new country? Should you? Could you? I took ever a year to mull over all the options, possible scenarios, my dreams for my future and all the many second thoughts I had. It is not a decision I took lightly. When I first told my friends I am planning to move to France, I was met with many different reactions: lots of questions, support, and even some denial. No matter the reason for moving to a different country, it is a difficult decision and it affects a lot of people.

I have moved more times I would even bother counting and I lived in 4 countries at the time of writing. I’m currently in the process of another move, that will probably be delayed by the global lockdown. However, it is still present in my head and we are still planning to move to a new country, so I thought I would share the main considerations with you. The steps below are a framework I wish I had when I was just considering moving to a new country, a step by step considerations in order of priority. These are all the major questions you will want to the answers to for a smooth transition to your new life.

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Is studying abroad a good test run for moving to a new country?

How would I know? I have done 2 semesters in Krakow, Poland in the last year of my studies. I shared an apartment in university owned private residence, together with another exchange student and a Polish not-student. I loved my experience abroad, it changed how I think of myself and how I relate to the world, but I was always very cautions in thinking living abroad was an easy peasy move.

Life as an exchange student vs. life abroad

Being a student or volunteer abroad and even travel in some aspects can give you a sense of what life abroad could be like, but it is nothing like actually living in a country as a fully fledged adult. As a student, all the basics of life abroad are provided for, housing, university schedule, you get built-in friends disguised as classmates, and a full array of mentors to help you adjust and adapt.

Living aboard, however