For many of us, vacations are a temporary thing. We go overseas, spend a couple of weeks in the sun, and then head back home to carry on with our lives. It’s a necessary interlude that helps keep our experience interesting.
But what happens if you love a destination so much you never want to leave? Well, it does happen. You’ll be enjoying yourself so much traveling that you wonder whether it is worth packing it all in, selling up back home, and moving your entire life to a new country.
This urge is actually quite common, I have it often. Most people experience it at some point in their lives. But you need to be careful. While a location might seem great as somewhere for a holiday, it might not be as good to actually live there.
Take A Long, Hard Look At Your Motivations
Before you take the plunge and move to a vacation destination, take a look at your motivations. Ask yourself whether you’re doing it for the right reasons. Are you moving abroad because you can see a genuine future in the new location? Are you just running from something you don’t like back home? Are you bored and looking for adventure? Do you just need a fresh start?
Figure Out How You’ll Make Money
If you’re serious about moving abroad, the next task is to think long and hard about how you’re going to make money. Remember, you might not even speak the language of the place you want to move to. If you’re not able to make a decent amount of money, then living in a new location could be challenging indeed. Depending on what country you move to the economy may not be as good as where you came from so finding work could become much more difficult regardless of occupation.
Nowadays many can work from home thanks to the internet, so maybe you could keep your current job. If not, you could start an online store or figure out some other way to make money from home.
Work Out If You’re Allowed To Stay
The next step is to find out whether you’re actually allowed to stay or not. You might have the financial resources and plenty of work, but if the country places limits on your ability to travel there, then you could get into legal trouble. In some parts of the world, you’ll need to apply for indefinite leave to remain – a sort of stepping stone on the path to citizenship. Knowing this in advance can save you a lot of trouble when your regular visa runs out. US citizens can buy a home in Italy but can only spend 90 days in the country during 180 day period.
Mull It Over For At Least A Couple Of Months
It can be hard to look objectively at your life when you’re in a foreign land, enjoying yourself in new ways. That’s why it is a good idea to go home first, spend a couple of months in your regular job before you consider moving. This way, you’ll get a better picture of the pros and cons of staying versus leaving. Staying provides you with security and income while leaving allows you to live in a more beautiful and interesting location.
Think About Your Friends And Family
Lastly, you’ll want to consider your friends and family in the equation. Do you have aging parents that are going to need your help soon or are you about to have a grandchild you might want to see a lot? One tactic is to treat your move abroad as something temporary – perhaps up to a year. This way, your moving won’t generate the same level of consternation as if you said you are moving forever. Just tell people it’s an experiment or an adult “gap year.” You could even rent your home out for a year instead of selling. That way, you can always backtrack if you don’t enjoy it.
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