Why Moving to a Different Country Might be Your Best Decision in Years

No matter how much you love the town or city where you live, you have most probably thought what it would be like to live somewhere on the other side of the globe. A place with different people, different cultures, away from bad memories and the hustle and bustle of city life. A place on our very own earth, yet so alien to you. A place of fascination and discovery, full of opportunities distant from your previous life mistakes. A new start to a new life. Of course, as good as that sounds, it might not always be so simple. Moving somewhere across the world usually requires some sort of preemptive planning, or enough money to not have to care about things of that calibre.

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Wanderlust

First of all, let us talk about the obvious. Living somewhere else in a completely different climate and time-zone can be quite the exotic experience for the average westerner. Moving to a different country will prove to be much better than any sort of tourism could ever prove to be. No longer will you exclusively stick to the tourist-beaten paths of yesteryear just to see those same postcard-esque locations seen by just about every tourist who made it out of the airport. You will be able to explore off into the much more real expansive reaches of the landscape. Filled with locals and small local businesses rather than camera-bearing tourists in Hawaiian shirts. The real visage of the town and country will lie bare just in front of you, waiting to be discovered. With more than just two weeks of time at your disposal, you will become more familiar with the traditional local foods rather than just getting the same old panini from Starbucks. This will most definitely prove to be a rather culturally enriching experience

Buying rather than renting?

If you come from any sort of bigger city in Europe, the UK or the United States, chances are you are no stranger to ridiculous house prices. Regardless whether you are looking to rent a flat, or buy a whole house, the prices are probably out of this world and far beyond the reach of the average person, unless you want to go in debt for the next 20 years. Buying a house abroad is a very viable option for most working class people. Places like Southeast Asia have considerably cheaper living expenses, not limited to the housing alone. The price of food, transport and other basic commodities also tend to be a lot cheaper. Anyone who wants to move abroad should consider actually buying property due to how much drastically cheaper it is. If you have a surplus of money in the first place you should probably invest in new property in somewhere prestigious like Kuala Lumpur, alternatively somewhere back in the west. If you are just looking for ownership of property with relatively average wages, buying abroad seems like a much more feasible option.

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Staying afloat

While it is cheaper abroad, it is mostly cheaper due to earnings being higher in the west. Favourable currency exchange and several other factors have a big part in this. If you started working somewhere where you are planning to buy the house, chances are the previously drastic change would be nowhere near as impressive. Think about where you are working now, can you somehow make this into a freelance situation? Could you take your current profession and get your own clients rather than having them get processed through a company first? Can you come to an arrangement with your boss to allow you to work from home? All these are options very much worth considering since they allow you to maintain your usual wages but from the other side of the world where they are considerably more impressive. Maybe you are in a position where you own a company of your very own? It is very possible travelling back over, taking care of business and then leaving can still be profitable and very much on the affordable side. Planning important events that require your presence out of season and booking in advance can reduce plane ticket fees by huge chunks of the price. Of course ideally, if you have a company then the best case scenario would be just being able to manage it from afar. In the modern era of technology, communicating with all your staff and business partners should not be an issue whatsoever. Either by phone, or via the internet, there is most definitely some sort of program which will suit your needs. The biggest problem in this case would be timezones. and even then that is an easily avoidable problem. Rearranging your daily routine to fit a few phone calls or online meetings should not be much of an issue.

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New career opportunities

You should not rule out the possibility of new career opportunities opening up when you move. Even if you do not feel like you have some highly sought after qualifications, that might not be entirely accurate in a completely different part of the world. Skills which you do not even consider out of the ordinary may be in high demand in your new place of residence. One that people often seem to forget about is the language you use in your daily life. With the English language being used on such a wide scale across the world, it is no wonder English language teachers are in high demand across the east. Very often you do not even need any proper teaching qualifications, being a native English speaker, or of a native level is more than enough to land you several jobs overseas. Often, just a conversation partner who is fluent in English is enough for students to learn pronunciation from, not requiring much more from you than properly speaking basic English.

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What if you change your mind?

Many people get homesick, the culture shock, different weather and general longing for something more familiar just proves to be too much, leaving many questioning their previous decisions. Keep in mind, even if the house you bought or are buying is not fully paid off yet, it is a great asset to possess. If you do not feel like living too far from home permanently, the option of having a free holiday house always stands. Why splash ridiculous amounts of cash for hotels when you can go to your very own house in a tropical paradise? Whenever you are not there, you can either rent the house to someone or even set up an Airbnb location which often proves to be very profitable. This is a relatively stress-free business opportunity and allows you to gather clients from around the globe who just happen to be going on holidays to wherever your future house may be. Put all your personal clutter away into a storage cupboard under lock and key, then just advertise the rest of the house as a place perfect for holiday goers. Chances are you could hire someone to clean up the house whenever the people renting are gone, ready for your next clients. Of course, if worst comes to worst and you want to back out of the situation entirely, you can just sell the house itself. If you managed to renovate it somewhat, kept it in good shape and it is in a decent location, you probably won't have many issues finding buyers willing to pay much more for it than you invested into it in the first place. That’s after you have already had a tropical holiday house for a decent amount of time.

The Ten Things To Think About When Buying Abroad

Paradise Abroad

Moving abroad, or buying a second home abroad is exciting and full of new opportunities. Maybe that’s why you are moving; to have new opportunities available to you in life, in love or even in work. Or maybe you’re moving because you feel in love with somewhere on vacation or traveling. But in amongst the planning, packing, travelling, and choosing of your new home, there are parts of moving abroad that people don’t tend to think about. Like the political stance of the country they are moving to, or the significant cultural differences you should probably be aware of.

But one of the most important things you should be aware of before moving abroad is the different living expectations in other countries. Not just the various types of buildings, but the methods of housing within those countries, and any relevant information you should know about owning a house in that country.

A lot of the time you will need to secure a visa or a living permit before being able to buy a property in certain countries, and sometimes you have to live in the country for a certain amount of time just to achieve that permit. There can also be a lot of restrictions on what you can buy and where you can buy just because you’re not a native citizen - which does make sense when most citizens have a hard time getting onto the property ladder without the houses being prioritized to foreigners.

Affording It

The move itself will be pricey, there’s no getting around it. And living in a new country might be more expensive than you thought - particularly if you are moving to a major city within the country. New York is more expensive than Richmond, Virginia for example. Spend some time saving and doing some research.

Work It

The easiest way to know if you can afford the move is to know that you have a job waiting for you on the other side. If work is the reason you are moving then great - but make sure that it is a stable and confirmed role. Negotiate your contract so that it is airtight, have everything in writing, and uphold your end of the contract.

You will also need to see whether or not you will need a visa, and if so which kind. There are over a hundred different types of visa’s within the US alone, so make sure you are applying for the right one.

Finding The Right Place

Finding your new home might take longer than you think, it would be a miracle if you woke up one day wanting to move abroad, called someone and had something secured by that evening. It doesn’t work like that. You can look at local (in that country) estate sites like this one for Bekasi in Indonesia: http://rumahdijual.com/bekasi/rumah-harapan-indah. Or you can use local (to you) travel real estate agents to help you source your new home.

Politics

Each country is racked with its own political differences, some are worse than others, and some seem better than they actually are. Consider the political feel of the country, or area of that country, that you are moving to. The difference between one place and the next may be extreme. It is worth researching and understanding the politics of your chosen country before you move.

What Are You Letting Go Of?

The worst thing that can happen is to regret your choice of immigrating. Not only will it wreak havoc on your bank account if you choose to move back, but it can have repercussions on your mental health. Before moving think about what you will be leaving behind; loved ones, memories and a way of life.

On the flip side, also think about the reasons you are moving in the first place. If you are going to secure a better place for yourself, and maybe for your family, then is it worth it?

Language

The biggest barrier you are going to face when moving abroad is communication. So get ahead by learning before you move. No one is expecting you to become fluent overnight, and it is always easier to learn a language when you live in the country. But knowing the basics will help you immensely.

Currency

There will be a significant amount of time before you stop checking every coin and note as you pay for things. And you’ll find it hard for a while not to constantly compare prices to the prices in your home country - which you can do here; https://money.howstuffworks.com/exchange-rate.htm. The quickest way to become familiar with the new currency is to go to the post office and exchange some money. Make sure you get one of each coin, and the major notes, and just have them at home. You can devise a test for yourself and your family - which will help any children you have to get used to the new money too.

Food

Seeing as you’re moving to the country, it seems a shame if you don’t try the local food. Besides, once you move there might not be many chances for a roast dinner. Start experimenting with food either at home or a restaurant. Not only will you get accustomed to the food, but you’ll also hype up your excitement for your up and coming move.

Traditions

If you are moving to a heavily traditional country, it’s an idea to become acquainted with some of them before moving. For example, if you are moving to an Islamic country you might want to learn a bit more about the religion and the times of prayer. If you are moving to Thailand, you should become familiar with their near-worship of elephants, or how in Poland it is considered rude to pick at or refuse food. You will be the minority and you don’t want to offend anyone.  

If you are moving to a country that favors different cutlery, like chopsticks, it’s about time you learn, or you’ll find yourself stuck when you eat out.

Transport

Learn which side of the road to drive on! This isn’t something that you should wait until after you have moved to learn. Also, have a look at the public transport available - UK residents are quite spoiled with regular trains to most corners of the country (even if we grumbled about it now and again.)