Following on from a report we published earlier this week about relaunching abroad, we have received some reader feedback and questions from those who have perhaps yet to fulfil their dreams of relocation. The main questions related to the fact that the BBC Radio 4 programme that first coined the term ‘relaunching,’ focused somewhat on the trials and challenges faced by those who had bitten the bullet and changed their life.
We have been directly asked whether we think that the obstacles that expatriates inevitably face when moving abroad and starting a new life are really worth enduring for the perceived quality of life improvements. In other words, do expats ever regret moving abroad?
Clearly this is an important question and issue to explore further, particularly for those considering a move but concerned that they could be about to make a catastrophic mistake. Fortunately we haven’t had to go too far or research for too long to answer this question!
In fact, I think I would be fairly qualified to answer this question without needing to have spoken to anyone else! However, a quick email round robin of my faithful expatriate friends and colleagues and I received universally resounding feedback along the lines of: “no, there is never any regret!” “The challenges are worth if for the realisation of the dream.” “Regret? No way!” And my favourite – “NO – durrrrr.”
Do the Challenges of Relocation Abroad Ruin the Experience of Expatriation?
No.
The challenges may force expatriating individuals to remove their rose coloured glasses, they may make migrants re-assess their expectations and they may even make some expats change some of their plans, but they do not take the overall positive edge off the experience of moving to live abroad.
So Why Don’t Expats Regret Their Move Abroad?
Firstly it would be wrong to state categorically that there has never been an expat who has not regretted their move. However, they will most certainly be in the minority, because here’s the thing…
Expatriating is all about changing your life. And by moving abroad you do change your life. Therefore, even if your carefully laid plans come to nothing as the reality of your relocation turns out to be not what you did indeed plan for, expats discover a whole new world abroad. As a result they have their eyes and their lives opened to opportunities and new experiences, and so they realise their dream which was fundamentally to change their way of life.
You will so often hear about what went ‘wrong,’ or rather what didn’t go according to plan when you explore an expatriate’s relocation story. And for the media such as BBC Radio 4, the trials and tribulations make for excellent and entertaining stories. However, if you are prepared to stay and listen to the end of the story, you will find that even those expats who have got it all ‘wrong’ and picked the wrong country, committed to the wrong job or moved at the wrong time will have sorted themselves out and made the life they always longed for abroad.
No, it may not always be plain sailing out of one life and into another – obstacles such as ‘language barriers,’ ‘red tape,’ and even inherent racism in countries you’d never expect to come across such prejudice can come up and smack you in the face! But expats want to change their life. That is the universal truth about all expats. They want to change it and improve it…and by moving abroad they change it and fulfil their need to change it.
As a direct result, the vast majority of expatriates never, ever regret their decision to move to live abroad.
Will You Regret it if You Move Abroad?
If you are perfectly happy or content in your current life and you really don’t want to relocate or alter your life but you’re being pulled overseas by a partner or a seemingly lucrative job offer, you may find you regret the choice if you move.
This is because you are not seeking to change your life.
However, if you want change, you want challenge and adventure, you want the chance for an improved quality of life, or you know you want to have a better life abroad then you are highly unlikely to ever regret the decision to relocate.
This is because you crave change – and a move abroad will bring that change.
Sensible Cautionary Words to Conclude…
You cannot run away from yourself when you move. I.e., if your life now is unhappy because of the choices you have made, the path you have forged, the people in your life, debt or because you’re depressed or stressed out you may not be able to make any positive changes in your life by moving. You take yourself and all your problems with you wherever you go.
In other words, you need to look to yourself and make personal changes first.
If you are determined that living elsewhere, starting again, changing your career, slowing down, taking on a new challenge or just living somewhere where the sun shines more and they tax you less is why you want to move then you’re being driven by the right reasons. I.e., you’re seeking change. And change will come when you relocate…so you are much more likely to ultimately enjoy the expat experience.
Finally, to be even more assured of a successful relocation you will heed these words: -
1) Don’t burn bridges when you leave
2) Don’t try and run from debt
3) Sort the financial aspects of your move out in fine detail
4) Have a financial back-up plan
5) Look at the healthcare standards and the cost of affording care in your new nation and ensure it all stacks up for you
6) Try before you commit to expatriation
7) Rent before you buy
8) Know that it won’t all be plain sailing
9) Keep focused on your reasons for relocating in the first place so you never lose sight of the dream
10) Go for it!