Between thinking about moving abroad and actually moving, there is a bit step. Do you know all the to-dos before, during and after an international move? How can you know if moving abroad is the best choice for you and your family?
Moving to another country can be easy or complicated, it just depends on how you want to see the glass. You can think about as just picking up some suitcases and take a flight or as an intricate process, in which you don’t have to sort out your own paperwork but the one of the whole family. The truth lies at some point in between. Moving abroad implies organizing your move and sorting out some paperwork, but it isn’t as complicated as many think, if you count with the right support and information. The important thing is going knowing.
Leaving aside the particularities of the specific destination and your specific family situation, there are some general tips that any family planning to move overseas should try to apply:
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Learn about the destination
It is said that knowledge is power and this is 100% true. How can you make the right decisions if you don’t know about it? Even if you are moving back to your home country, some things might have changed at home and you come from a period living abroad, which means that your situation is also special (regarding taxes, schooling situation…).
With the right information, you can know from the beginning which are the important things to be done before arriving at the destination and start organizing it. For example, you might have to get a health insurance for all the family or turn on the basic utilities.
It’s also worth to search which activities your children could do in their free time – if they can keep up with their current ones, or if there are alternatives ones available-, where the best place to live is or where the best schools are located. If you have the support of a relocation company, they can highly likely help you on this. Otherwise, you can search this type of information on your own, by checking expatriate forums, visiting relevant sites or directly contacting the authorities or the organizations.
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Discover the local culture
The more the family knows about the new area, from its history until the social norms, the easier will be connect with the people of the country and settle in. This specially important if your family is planning to move to a country really different from South Africa.
If you can, try to visit the new city before moving abroad, as it will help you to get an idea about the culture, the people and the most important places.
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Find a school
Establishing some routines is really important for the children, especially after a move and starting school immediately after arriving in the country can help them in having a routine. If you can start searching for a school before arriving at the destination country, you will avoid the last minute stress and the worries about whether or not your child will have a vacant place. The ideal would be to contact the schools of interest well in advance and organize visits to get all the necessary information, see the facilities and discuss any doubts.
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Involve everyone
Communication among all the family members is essential. Inform everyone about the move and about how the move preparations advance. In case important decisions need to be done, make sure that they are taken as a family, and not by one person.
Do you need help in organizing your international move? Get a free moving quote.