13 Things To Prepare Before Moving Abroad

This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission, if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure.

Working abroad is one of the most exciting ways to travel long-term. Not only does it make the travel experience cheaper, but it turns the everyday mundane, like visiting the bank, into an exotic adventure.

Craig and I have lived and worked abroad in several different countries; we’ve worked in London, Dublin, Bangkok, and finally settled in Raleigh, North Carolina.

We loved every minute of it and we highly recommend everyone experiences working abroad at least once in their life (trust me, you’ll get addicted).

That being said, it’s not as simple as packing a suitcase and boarding a plane. There are many things you need to prepare before you can move abroad, from arranging visas to sorting finances, as well as familiarising yourself with the local customs and culture before you go.

To help you out, here is a check list of things to prepare before moving abroad.

Things To Prepare Before Moving Abroad

1. Have reserve money

Working abroad means you often don’t have to save as much money in the first place to travel long-term. It’s one of the major reasons we recommend doing it.

It’s (mostly) cheaper to travel on local currency and you’re always replenishing the purse with each new weekly pay check.

But, it’s really important that you do arrive with reserve money in the bank. This can be used to put deposits on apartments, pay for visas, and just to have peace of mind in the unlikely event something will go wrong.

It might be that you won’t get your first pay check for at least a month, or you might need to pay a security bond for your apartment, or have to furnish a new place.

And of course you want to travel a little bit too.

2. Be prepared for culture shock

I know plenty of people who have been outwitted by culture shock and returned home only weeks into their working abroad adventure.

Change brings chaos, which is only elevated by being in a strange environment.

You’ll love being an expat at first as everything is so new and exciting, but pretty soon that high will come crashing down and you’ll notice how different everything is – in a sucky way!

That’s okay, this is part of the change process. Once you stop being a visitor and start becoming a local, you realise the flaws and pitfalls of a place.

If you understand it’s just that old pest culture shock, you’ll move through it. There’ll be tears and outbursts, but this is great, just let it flow out.

The best way to move through culture shock is to continue to explore and experience what is so great about the area you’ve moved to.

Keep the travel experiences and the fun alive and don’t get bogged down by the everyday life of another country.

We’d frequently go on weekend trips, attend concerts and festivals, and party with new friends. This made the transition so much smoother.

We have tips on managing reverse culture shock which can be applied to culture shock!

3. Cover yourself with international health insurance for expats

Medical bills can be extraordinary in other countries – I’m looking at you, America!

There’s nothing worse than being sick or injured in another country away from the security of your home medical system and the love of your family.

Don’t freak out about this, just cover yourself so you have peace of mind.

Some employers offer health packages as part of their offering, but generally, it only covers minor issues, so we recommend getting health insurance as a backup anyway.

Safety wing is one of the best insurance companies for nomads. See prices below:

4. Prepare your paperwork

I never realised how important this was until I was in Africa and having to chase down paperwork from all the places I had lived previously – London, Australia, Bangkok and Dublin. OMG, what a nightmare!

Make sure you get all references and statement of services from your current job in your home country, and from any other job you do in your working abroad experience. You just never know when you might need them.

Before you leave for your working abroad experience, ensure you have all the paperwork you need for your new job: degree certificates, references, statement of services, resume, resources, and police checks.

And everything you need for your visa: the actual visa, bank statements, anything that proves ties to your home country.

5. Pack with intention

There is a tendency to want to pack your fluffy teddy from when you were six, and every picture frame in your house. It’s nice to bring the comfort of home with you, but you’re travelling to break out of the comfort.

Do your research before packing your suitcase. Remember, you can also buy things when you get there (which may be more fun than bringing it with you!)

Pack considerately and as minimally as you can. You can save a lot of hassle and shipping costs by purchasing what you need in your new destination.

When packing, think about:

• What will the seasons be like?
• Do you need any special clothes or equipment for work?
• What are the lifestyle and material costs in your new destination?

If it works out cheaper to bring your own things, then consider freight shipping and organise it to leave at least six weeks before you arrive, so it arrives when you do – assuming you have your accommodation sorted before you leave.

If not, ask a friend or relative to help you send your belongings over. Here are tips for decluttering and preparing for full time travel.

6. Research costs

You don’t want to go into bill shock in a new country. It’s important to fully understand what you’re being paid each month, and what your expenses are.

Being paid in Vietnamese Dong can make you feel like you’re loaded, but remember one bottle of water is 13,000 dong. Suddenly, your pay check feels smaller.

Make a list of all you need to live comfortably now. Cross out the ones that truly aren’t that necessary, like cable TV, and highlight the ones that are necessity.

Now research what the costs of those things will be in your new country. I’m sure there will be some you now discover aren’t worth paying for and will eliminate from your list.

You can prepare for your working abroad experience by researching the best price and value the different companies offer for those things you really need.

For example phone and internet coverage, rent, transportation costs, and vehicle hire.

7. Research your new area

One way to overcome culture shock is to try to have a little sameness from your life in your own country. Research your new home so you can find where those things are and incorporate them into your new life.

For example, you might love visiting farmers markets, or running through national parks. Find where those places are in your new area.

It’s also great to have a good idea of the layout of your new region and where the best places to live are. This will save a lot of headache and time for when you arrive.

The less planning and running around you have to do when you arrive, the better you’ll feel and the less impact culture shock will have.

Also note the transportation options. It might be a good idea to hire a car for the first couple of weeks to help you in organizing a new place to live and any way you need to furnish it. It will also help you get a good idea of the layout of the city or town.

Make sure you also know the transportation routes available for you.

8. Pre-arrange meet ups and start building relationships before you leave

The world is so much easier for this now with social media and online sites like Meetup.com. You can easily connect with people with the same interests as you in your new country.

If you are moving to a new country with a job already organised you can start connecting with colleagues.

You can also join expat Facebook groups or sign up to dating apps which have a “friends” function – unless you’re looking to date of course!

I moved to the US with a job already in place through a company that employed teachers from around the world.

I already had a network of friends in place and we connected straight away at our orientation meeting. It made a huge difference to our ability to settle in and enjoy the experience.

When I moved to London, I was on my own without a job, but I knew of some people from home living there. We weren’t really friends, but I contacted them to meet up and help me have a little of that home security. It was awesome and one of them is still one of my best friends.

Quickly making friendships in your new home is the best way to ensure you won’t be outplayed by culture shock.

9. Create your bucket list

So, you’re not really moving abroad just for work. Your main purpose is to travel and check off those bucket list items.

Whenever I know I’m moving to a new country, I buy my Lonely Planet books and sit down to my computer to do my research. My excitement is often enough fuel to fly me overseas myself!

Your bucket list is essential. It will remind you why you are doing this during the tough times and will keep you focused on saving and taking the time out on weekends and during holidays to get out and see the local area.

10. Know your tax

Don’t forget to research what sort of tax you will be liable to pay and if you are entitled to receive any back. 

A lot of people overpay tax without realizing it. You could be due tax back if you worked abroad or were taxed incorrectly or perhaps didn’t work for the full year. Thankfully, a colleague of mine in Dublin, tracked me down in North Carolina to let me know the Irish government owed me $5K in back taxes!!

TaxBack.com can check out your details and tell you for free what you’re owed. They provide tax refunds for 16 countries worldwide including Ireland, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

11. Start learning the language

One of the best ways to get to know a country is to learn the local lingo and to interact with the locals. After all, you don’t want to move abroad and make friends with only expats?

As soon as you get settled, sign up for language lessons in person. You can use apps like Duolingo, but I find the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it, and having a proper face-to-face class with a teacher to keep you focused is doing just that.

You can also make friends with other people in your language class, and when you feel confident, attend language exchange meetups.

12. Figure out what to do with your home, back home

If you own your home, you might want to get a tenant and rent it out, or you might find that to be too much hard work, and decide to sell it.

Either way, don’t forget to figure out what you are doing with your home, and all the furniture and belongings in it.

If traveling for a shorter period of time and you have pets, use a service like Trusted Housesitters to take care of your pets.

13. Tell people you’re leaving!

It’s important to not just tell people you’re leaving, but to make arrangements for how to stay in touch with people back home.

The hardest thing about leaving is saying farewell to your friends and family. There will be tears, there will be people asking you to stay, but as long as you tell people you will visit and stay in touch, it becomes much easier.

Have a party and enjoy your last few weeks with the people you love. You will see them again, but it may not be as soon as you or they might like.

Final Thoughts

Okay! Now you know what you need to prepare before moving abroad, we hope you’re feeling a little more secure in your working abroad experience.

Now all that’s left to do is get going!

Look out! Amazing adventures ahead.

More tips:

• Work and Travel Abroad the Easy Way with Global Work & Travel
• The Rise of Paycations: Tips for Balancing Work + Wanderlust
• How to teach English overseas (From a teacher who’s done it)
• 6 jobs you can do overseas (tips from those who’ve done it!)
• A Complete Guide on How to teach around the world

How do you feel about a working abroad experience? Are you prepared? Let us know in the comments.