So you’re moving to a foreign country, or you just recently moved. Congratulations on that big step! Just the taught of living abroad is somehow exciting to you and to me, a better life, a new start.

Of course, you’re excited. Sadly, the first excitement can quickly fade away if you’re not ready for that awfully great change in your life. I’ve gone through this, so I know exactly what it means.

Moving to the UK was one of the toughest decisions I had to make in life. Today I know it was totally worth it.

Related posts:

Why moving to the UK was the toughest (and the best) decision I could possibly make

How to rent a property in the UK?

Let’s get to work, shall we?

Let’s see what are the most important factors to consider when you are moving to a foreign country.

We have to get you organized for that new life of yours. I’ll help you step-by-step through this short guide, and you’ll work your way to the end of this article knowing you’ve got it all planned properly so you won’t feel lost.

This article may wash away some of that bright-eyed optimism but will also leave you with a more realistic blueprint of how your first few months abroad will go. Take deep breaths, this will only hurt a little.

1. Be prepared for a new home

Airbnb is my personal recommendation, especially for its price. I find it very affordable (although I am always budgeting), most of the times extremely clean places. And you can cook your own food which can save you a ton of money.

When you search for your new apartment, you need to pay the amount of money in advance such as application fee (for applying that you will rent the place), damage deposit, first rent and maybe some additional admin fees. Better be prepared for all of it, so you don’t get surprised.

All of this will hurt your budget, not to mention money for the usual rent + bills that you’ll have to say goodbye to each month.

If you want to make this situation a little bit easier for you in the first 6 months, I strongly advise you to find a shared accommodation to move in to. After all, you don’t want to rush into your own apartment too quick before taking time of really getting to know the area.

You will barely spend any time in the house in the beginning. You’ll be too busy with job-related tasks, exploring your new city, and finding a place to live long term.

 2. The best way to meet new people (and new friends)

If you’re lucky you probably already knew some people from the city you just moved to. Having someone you trust from the very beginning who will explain everything, guide you through and show you around, is pure gold.

But too many times people move to a totally unknown place with unknown people. Well, that can be a lonely place for a start.

I’ve thought about that a lot before moving to the UK with my boyfriend. I knew I wasn’t moving alone, but I worried anyway. I knew he would be working for the whole day and that I could use some daily company from time to time, just for a  cup of coffee. My family was nowhere near to jump over to.

Here are the basic tips I used (and you should too) to meet new friends:

– Join new Facebook groups (or other online groups) that are relevant to your city and activities you’re interested in, start chatting and join the activities

– If you’re a blogger like me, find a community of bloggers (blogging can be quite lonely sometimes, and bloggers like to organize meetups) and hang out with them over a coffee.

– Join the gym (it’s great to make friends an’ all but also don’t forget to work out while you’re there, haha)

– Take a class in something you are passionate about (whether it’s a cooking class, language or anything else, you’ll find people there with similar interests).

– Join an expat organization.

3. Try to understand the different culture

(accept it, don’t hate it)

When you move abroad, you may experience difficulties in cultural differences. You may have heard about the thing called a cultural shock.

You’re used to your own people where you’ve lived your whole life. But you know you are the type who loves all people, so what could go wrong?

Although you’re a good person who loves everybody don’t be certain just yet. You may find yourself being quite annoyed by these new culture, and people. You may find yourself ‘hating’ them a little bit. I know a lot of people who experienced this in their first few months. They just couldn’t stand the people around them.

So be prepared for that. You’re going to be annoyed by everything. The way they dress, their habits, traffic, system, you name it. Try not to hate it but rather accept it. They don’t understand you either but they’ll accept you.

Luckily, this won’t last forever nor will it last for a long time. But you can count on it the first month or two.

4. What to bring and what to leave behind?

Rule number one: Don’t pack a lot of stuff.

Go through all of your things and prioritize which stuff is fundamental to you. Keep those things that were expensive. Save as much money as possible.

I would recommend that you take your favorite clothes and leave the ones that you’re not wearing (give them away or have them stored in your parents’ house for the time you visit), take your books and important papers, and all the things that hold a sentimental value and the thought of losing these things makes you sad.

Don’t bring all of your non-expensive stuff like cosmetics and small kitchen accessories if they take too much space. Leave the things you don’t use often. You can eventually buy them in your new country.

5. Don’t go too far when talking to your family or old friends about your new life.

Yeah yeah, I get it, you’re excited. (that is what you’re friends might start replying eventually). You can’t shut up about your new life. As much as they all care for you, you’re going to annoy them. Your friends might see it as bragging if you get carried away.

There’s nothing wrong with showing excitement, but you should be able to talk about other things, too. Don’t let your once-in-a-while talk turn into one of your monologues. 

Talk openly about the advantages and disadvantages of your new life, be real about it. Show the same interest in what’s going on in their life, too. They didn’t move, so life is probably the same for them as it was, nothing ‘exciting’ is happening to them. Or else you and your friend might start drifting apart. Keeping in touch is not a piece of cake, it takes a lot of effort from both sides. That is why many times people slowly lose touch with each other.

6. Learn about transportation (asap)

Every country has its own transportation system. It’s important to master it as soon as possible, especially if you’ll have to rely on it often. You don’t want to find yourself completely lost or overpaying because you can’t find more affordable options for a public travel.

Public transportation can be quite expensive and if you are not familiar with it, your wallet is going to quickly lose its weight.

Go to some transportation center and ask for information, flyers, download the relevant apps (for instance Trainline in the UK) and start learning and applying.

7. Bureaucracy

We all just love bureaucracy, don’t we?

I am not going to tire you with details here because you know, I could write a book on bureaucracy alone but you would probably die from boredom. Boring or not, we must get to know the country’s bureaucratic system. This is a lot of work to do but one step at a time will do just fine, you’ll learn everything during the process (like when you open a bank account you will learn about banking bureaucracy).

8. Save enough money in advance

Renting an apartment, buying food and accesories for your everyday life can sum up to higher amount of money that you would expect. Do the math and have saved enough money that would cover first 3 months being unemployed.

For instance, if you’re moving to the UK, you would approximately need £3000 (and much more if you move to London, because it is so expensive) to move without worrying if you have enough. This doesn’t mean that you’ll spend all of this money for sure but it is what i call ‘the safe amount’.

9. Plan on moving in warmer months of the year

It is best if you plan your moving time while there is spring or summertime in your new country. It will make everything easier, trust me I know. Because we’ve moved in the worst time possible. Just when it started to get really, really cold we were exploring our new country freezing. Not a smart idea, but hey we’ve learned from our mistake.

That is why I am warning you if you can, wait for a nicer, warmer weather. You’ll be hapy you waited.

10. Make a detailed research on different places of the country you’re moving to

It isn’t enough to just decide on the country because not all parts of it are the same. Job opportunities, culture, and people may differ from area to area and you’re job is to find out which is the most suitable for you.

Not to mention property rents where the difference between cities can be enormous. For instance, London has the average rent of around £1500 but Sheffield has about £700. To be honest, I love the area around Sheffield much more than London, and the lower rent is just another huge bonus for us.

We are living in Nottingham and the rent for our beautiful 1-bedroom apartment is (only) £450 which is really not much considering where we are and the area around us. It’s a nice, clean and peaceful neighbourhood.

So make a research about jobs, prices, landscape, quality of water (yes, this is very important to us), farmers to buy food from, local events, you name it. All of the mentioned had the effect on our choice.

So what do you think? Is there anything else I’ve missed? I’ll be glad if you share it in the comments below. Let me know about your experience. Are you moving and where?

DID YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE HELPFUL?

Then I have a tiny request from you. Show me some love and  this content.  I’ve made a pin for you, too 🙂 ↓

Please share it with others because they may find it helpful, too. Thanks, you’re awesome!