Home is where the heart is. But what happens if your heart feels like it’s miles away, across the globe. Then maybe it’s time to live abroad as an expat.
Then, maybe it’s time that you considered moving to live abroad. It’s no easy thing to leave familiarity behind, pack your bags, and hop onto a plane to another country. But for some people, this turbulence (no pun intended) is exactly what they need to motivate them. The unrest creates a sense of fulfilment in a seemingly mundane world. Whatever stage you’re at in your life, some time abroad can be a great refresher in a daily schedule that is full of repetition and obstacles. The benefits of living in another culture are countless. The challenge of moving away just proves how resilient and strong you are. So, you know there are a whole host of reasons why becoming an expat is amazing, but you still have some doubts. Don’t worry this is natural. Healthy, even. How do you know this is the best decision for you? How do you guarantee that this is not something you’ll regret a couple of months down the line? Here are seven signs that can tell if you’re ready to move abroad.
If you relate to all of these, take it as a definite sign to start looking into flights.
1. Passion for travel
Where to next? Rome – done. Taipei – toured. Cape Town – touchdown. Whether you’ve seen a lot or a little, you have the overriding need to see more…MORE! The travel bug never stops nipping at your heels, and you find yourself looking at cheap flights as a pastime. You have a passion for travel. But is this enthusiasm a small-time itch that can be filled by a couple of holidays throughout the year, or do you yearn for a larger adventure – maybe a more permanent one?
Do what you love. And if you love to travel, why not do that? Travelling fascinates people for several different reasons. Some people like the freedom that comes with being somewhere unknown. Other people enjoy the learning aspect of exploring the world, expanding their horizons with each new country. Some folks just like the bragging rights that come with travelling. They’ll find every opportunity to bring up their gap year in Nepal. Whatever drives you, hold onto it. Assess whether it could drive you out of your house and to the airport. If you do decide to take the leap, you’ll need that passion to hold onto when you have a rough day away from home. You’ll need it to remind yourself why you wanted to become an expat in the first place.
2. Fixation on one country in particular
Don’t open your cupboard. If you do, your piles of photos, posters and plushies will come spilling out onto your bedroom floor. So, you’re a little obsessed and one look at all this paraphernalia is a clue that you’re obsessed with one country in particular. Whether that’s Korea and its K-pop idols or France and its fashion, you are the number one trivia champ when it comes to your country of choice. But, how do you know when that fixation goes beyond a mild appreciation for another country to wanting to live there?
Ask yourself this: do you only like your favourite country because of the food? Although, in my books, this is as good a reason as any to want to move to another country, it helps if multiple parts of the culture interest you. Liking Brazil only because of the football might not be enough to sustain an interest in the country while living there. If you’re also interested in Brazil’s history, vibrant carnivals and stunning landscapes, then your passion for the country goes a little deeper. It could be downright fixation. And if you’re in denial about being a little obsessed, ask for a friend’s opinion. What do they think of when they have to guess your favourite country? Once they say that, you know it’s time to start packing.
3. Feeling like you’re holidays could always be longer
For some, a two-week vacation with the family is quite long enough – any longer and someone is going to be thrown into the swimming pool. For others, the shadow of the return flight lingers over them the entire trip, and there’s a bittersweet sadness at the thought of going home. If you find that you belong in the second category, living as an expat might be for you. Holidays abroad are a great way to relax and soak in some sought-after weather. They’re also a brilliant way to learn about the culture of another country and understand the history or geography of the place a bit better. On the one hand, you might be sad to leave your hotel because you dread work on Monday morning. However, you might also be sad because it means you won’t have time to see that ancient building you wanted to travel to. It’s this cultural FOMO that is a good signal that you might need a little more time abroad. Perhaps you should extend your holiday indefinitely.
Although vacations can be a great indication of whether you like a country or not, they’re not the same as living there permanently. Remember, on a vacation you’re unlikely to feel the pressure of work that you might have when living as an expat, and the safety of a return flight is a nice comfort if the holiday isn’t going as planned. You should always remember that travelling for life and leisure are not the same. For example, one stellar holiday in the Maldives shouldn’t be the only reason you decide to move there. Couple this point with a few other signs on this list, however, and you might have a more definitive answer.
4. Boredom in your everyday life
At 8:00 a.m. your alarm rings. By 9:00 a.m. you’re at work. Lunch is at midday and dinner is once you get home. Finally, you go to sleep and wake up to do exactly the same thing the next day. The spiciest part of your waking hours is when Kelly from accounting tells you about what movie she watched last night. You’re bored. Even your weekends seem dull and lifeless. How can you change your life so that it’s fun, stimulating, and, dare I say, unpredictable? You could start a new club down at the local community centre. But the thrill of that new venture won’t last very long. A month at most and then it becomes another chore on your weekly cycle. How about moving to another country? The uncharted challenges that a move of this scale could bring are sure to keep you entertained for a while.
They’ll be the administrative tasks to keep you busy like sorting out accommodation and utilities. They’ll be new people to meet to keep your conversations interesting. And they’ll also be a whole country to explore on your weekends, with cities and culture galore. This new adventure will come with a whole host of emotions. Wonderment. Excitement. A little stress, yes. But there will certainly be no boredom to contend with. Consider moving abroad to shake things up and step out of your comfort zone.
5. Distancing yourself from your home life
It’s not easy to pick up from your day-to-day life and move to another country. This move can be especially difficult if you have an established job and a family to care for. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start a new journey as an expat abroad. With remote working and great international schools, the world is your oyster at any stage of life. Nonetheless, many people will find it easier to move abroad if they’ve already begun to distance themselves from home. Now, don’t take that the wrong way! You don’t need to delete all your friends from your contacts and cut all ties with your family. But you’re in a better position to move abroad if you’ve, for example, picked a resignation date or you’ve come to the end of your rental agreement.
If you’ve found yourself getting your affairs in order and happily closing chapters of your home life, it’s a definite sign that you’re ready to move abroad. Maybe you’ve just finished your degree and you think now is a great time to explore the world before tying yourself to a job. Or perhaps your youngest child has just packed up and moved out, leaving you with a ton of time and continents to discover. On a more negative note, the loss of a close family member may also disrupt your status quo, causing you to look for a break from familiarity. Whatever you’ve been through, whether it’s an intentional change or something out of your control, a distance in the life you knew could be the sign to travel the world.
6. Language learning
A big turn-off to moving abroad is the language barrier. I get it. Learning a language isn’t easy (read about how much I struggled here). The short phrases you learnt at school won’t help you in most situations. But deep down, your brain is preparing for the move and you’ve begun to pick up a little ‘Bonjour’ here, or a ‘Konnichiwa’ there. If you’ve actively begun studying a different language, this is a strong sign that you want to move away. After all, what’s the point of all that hardcore homework if you never get to use your newly acquired vocab on a native speaker. Eventually, it’ll be time for you to put down the textbook and live as a bilingual champion in a different country.
Even if you’re sitting here all smug, knowing you already speak multiple languages or you’re only interested in countries that speak the same language as you, you still have homework to do. Research the culture, absorb yourself in foreign TV and try to learn how not to embarrass yourself in an unfamiliar country. After all, just because the US and the UK both speak English, doesn’t mean they have the same culture, and even confusing the colloquial language of these two countries could leave you in some awkward situations (imagine asking someone to show you their new pants in the UK). You’re learning everything there is to know about a country. I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds like you’re pretty set on going and living there.
7. Researching VISAs and entry requirements
Okay, it’s time to cut the jokes. We need to get serious. The free-spirited, backpacking dream where you throw a pin at a map and travel where it lands is all well and good, but it helps to have the tiniest bit of foresight too. After all, it’s going to be difficult to leave the airport without the right documentation, and your life abroad might be cut short if you can’t sustain yourself money-wise. With these caveats in mind, you’ve already begun researching VISAs and travel requirements. You might find that you can live stress-free for up to three months in some countries, while others may want you to have some mad dollar in the bank account before you can set up shop as an expat abroad. If you’re undecided on which country to spend your time in, the entry requirements may help to whittle this list down, as some VISAs will be easier to nab than others.
You might rock up in your new home and find that you very quickly have to buy a return ticket because you haven’t got a job to support yourself. Being able to find a suitable job is extremely important when making the decision to live abroad. With remote working, this is easier than ever and you may be able to work anywhere in the world while being attached to a familiar company. Otherwise, it’s time to job hunt, taking into consideration language barriers and differing qualifications. Another option may be to study abroad, combining travel and learning. If you’ve been looking into study abroad courses, it’s a sign you should try your hand at living away. Getting these logistics in order isn’t just a faint nudge that you should live abroad, it’s a glaring neon sign screaming that you’re fully ready for the move.
Every expat has to start somewhere
These are a solid seven signs that you shouldn’t be reading this blog anymore, and instead, you should be booking plane tickets. You’re passionate about travel and you think about one particular country all the time. Your holidays just fall short of satisfying your wanderlust, and you’ve been researching the ways to move on with your stagnant life by studying the culture, language and logistics of a country you’re interested in. Seriously, stop reading and go already. If you don’t do it now, you might never do it. Now, you only need to give your family a hug goodbye and shove that travel dictionary in your pocket. Okay, you’re good to go. See you out there.
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