International Moves: How to Prepare for the Overseas Transition

Millions of Americans have decided to take the leap and begin life anew in a completely different country. Whether they chose to remain in the North American region and relocate to neighboring Canada or move to a completely different atmosphere in Europe, every one of those Americans living abroad had to prepare for the change that an international move brings. So how can you better prepare for this major transition in your life?

The first things to consider are whether or not you are relocating with your family. Naturally, moving abroad won't be as stressful if you don't have a family in tow. But if you have a significant other, spouse, children, and a pet, the stress of an international relocation can become overwhelming.

The best source to help you and your family cope with the change is to speak to other people that have lived abroad. If you don't know anyone that has relocated overseas, start doing your homework on what organizations to visit soon after your arrival that are targeted towards new arrivals in the community.

The next thing you need to work on is securing all the right paperwork. Aside from making sure that your visa is squared away, you have to start making the rounds of every record you and your family has. This means calling all of your doctors and pediatricians for copies of everyone's medical records, contacting the dentist for dental records, and the veterinarian for your pet's history. Once you've got the medical records covered, move on to your financial, tax, and legal records.

Do you have a home already provided by the company you're moving for or do you have to do your own house hunting? Ask yourself whether you are going to buy or rent. Find out what the best resource is for house hunting internationally. Remember, you can always use Google maps and the satellite view to check out a potential neighborhood from thousands of miles away.

You've got the family covered, the paperwork covered, and the house covered. Now all that's left is finding the right international movers. Just like any other move with professionals, you need to check and see if the moving company you want to hire is the real deal. Visit the Better Business Bureau to make sure the movers you want to hire are well-rated and double check their license through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

With the right amount of preparation, and solid professional movers backing you up, you should be well on your way to enjoying a smooth transition to your new home overseas. Keep in mind that you need at least three months to adequately prepare for your relocation, so avoid procrastinating at all costs.

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International Moving: 5 Tips For A Smooth Transition

Moving anywhere will always present a wide range of challenges, from logistics, to getting organized to settling into your new home and establishing a routine. However, moving internationally can be even more complicated, and requires some extra planning. Moving overseas means not just getting used to a new city and neighborhood, but also a new culture, a new system of doing almost every common thing, and often times a new language. I have done this a number of times so I am well aware just how overwhelming it can sometimes be.

But I also know that there are some steps you can take ahead of time to help you prepare for all the changes, and to help you get settled in and feeling at home as quickly as possible. Here I will share five practical tips for a smooth move to a new country. This of course is not an exhaustive list, but they are things that you may not have thought of. They go beyond the obvious moving tips.

The first tip is to research ahead of time what the requirements are for drivers licenses in your new country. Each country will have different rules, so you will need to explore your specific country. If you are moving as an employee relocation, your company should be able to help you with this. You could also contact the consulate of that country, or they may have specific information online. The requirements are often dependent upon your immigration status. If you are on a temporary work or student visa you may be able to drive with your American license. However, other more permanent residency statuses will likely mean you need a new license. Again, this is country specific, but you should explore this ahead of time in accordance to your specific situation.

The second tip is to remember that different places around the world have different electrical systems. You US electronics may not work where you are going without an adapter. This means you should carefully consider what equipment you will bring along, and what is better to purchase there. My suggestion is to bring your small, personal electronics such as cameras and laptops and purchase an adapter or two. Larger items like televisions and stereos are better to purchase in your new location.

The third tip is two set up a money transfer strategy ahead of time. You may be needing to move money back and forth between account s in different countries, and you don't want to carry a lot of cash when you travel. Set up paypal or other account to your bank accounts to do this. It is easier and usually the exchange rate is the best this way.

The fourth tip is regarding language. In many countries you will be able to get by with English, but it is always beneficial to learn some basic skills in the new language. There are many tools that can help you with this. Start with basic words you would use to ask important directions and so on.

The last tip is to research ahead of time to find a social group of people from your home country. Almost anywhere you go, there will be an expat group or a group of Americans that are working abroad. It's great to meet the locals and expand your horizons, but you will find out that sometimes it is very nice to hang out with people with similar backgrounds and that speak the same language.

Those are just five tips that I would suggest for moving to a new country. Moving is more than logistics, you want to feel at home as quickly as possible, and you want the transition to be as uncomplicated as you can make it. This calls for a little planning ahead.

Planning an international move? Check out our other international moving tips as well as recommended International Movers.