With the most conservative estimates revealing that hundreds of thousands of Britons are actively dreaming of starting a new life abroad – whether that be to work overseas, travel and broaden cultural horizons or to retire to an exotic and attractive destination in the sun – where would you like to start your new life abroad?
Do you dream of sunnier climes, do you yearn for a more affordable cost of living, do you want a better lifestyle or are you seeking a clever low tax escape? Whatever you’re dreaming of, there are a number of practical considerations you need to take when it comes to researching your destination for viability and suitability…
Accessibility - Physically moving lock, stock and barrel abroad is only the very first step in a long line of tasks and hurdles you will have to overcome and face on the long journey to setting up home and making yourself at home in your new nation of choice. Actually getting to your chosen destination, and getting your personal effects to your chosen destination comes down to the question of accessibility. So, you want to live on a desert island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but how with Pickfords get their van to you! Having faced up to the realities of you physically getting to your destination of choice you now need to think about all the people who are going to want to visit you and all the visits you’re going to want to make back home. Think seriously about the accessibility of the nation and the location you favour. How affordable is it to get to and from you. How will your family be able to visit you if you live so far away in such a remote corner of the world? Okay, so today this might be the last thing on your mind – you might even be thinking about moving abroad to escape the family…but there may well come a time when you want to travel home or when you want some friends to visit you. Don’t isolate yourself completely. The adjustment time when starting a new life abroad can be long and it does help to have some familiar faces around sometimes.
Residency Permission - Not all nations want you! Hard as that may be to believe – especially if you’re lucky enough to have a British passport (!), but some nations have a fair quota of citizens and are not overly keen on welcoming anyone and everyone to their shores. Some of the most popular locations with Britons who emigrate such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia fall into this category. You have to pass strict entry requirements to be able to live in any of these nations. Find out before you set your heart on a nation – find out by contacting that nation’s embassy in your country and finding out all about entry requirements, residency visas, work permits and your right to go and live abroad in your favoured destination.
Affordability - The number one reason why those who move abroad actually return home at some point down the line is money – or rather a lack of it! It is not cheap to up sticks and relocate overseas for a start. You have significant capital outlay for accommodation and transportation, then you have to face the day to day realities of the cost of living. You can add to this taxes and travel to and from your original home country and soon the affordability of a location comes into question. You can look at property and car prices, you can look and flights and transport costs, but it is far harder to assess what your monthly fuel bill will be, how much that bi-annual dental bill will cost, what the groceries will be on a week by week basis. To get around the question of affordability you can either wait to start a new life abroad until you’re a millionaire OR you can spend time in the location you favour looking closely at the mundane, day to day expenses you will potentially face. Get as clear and realistic a figure as possible in mind and work from this point forward. You have to be certain you can afford to live abroad and enjoy a decent standard of living before you throw away all you already have.
Economic and Political Stability - Oh what a boring topic to have to consider, but consider it you must…especially if you’re moving to a nation with an emerging property market, a new government and less than a long and known modern political and economic history. Think carefully about the longer term potential for stability in the nation, research other government’s opinions on the nation – the British Foreign Office and CIA World Factbook websites all have opinions about all nations. Think carefully and protect your safety and that of your family – don’t take a destination risk.
Employment Opportunity - If you’re below retirement age and you want to move to live abroad and earn an income, examine the employment opportunities available to you in your favoured overseas nation. You may be lucky enough to secure a job before you go – good for you – but what about if you hate that job, get bored of it or are made redundant a few months or years down the line? How likely is it that you will relatively easily find another job? Be realistic and don’t leave yourself open to economic hardship.
Ongoing Appeal - So you love the sun, sea and sand of your destination of choice. Great. But what will keep you entertained in the winter, what will retain your interest after four years of going to the beach every summer’s day? What is there of ongoing appeal that will retain your interest in a given nation? Think seriously about it – and take our word for it, living in a sunny destination is great BUT the appeal of the sun, sea and sand diminishes!!!
Cultural, Language and Religious Differences - So you can learn a foreign language, so you can respect other people’s religious beliefs and alright, you can accept cultural differences…but what about the long term effects these issues will have on you? You want to celebrate Christmas and there is no turkey, no decorations and on the big day everyone else is working. You want to be able to exchange pleasantries and small talk with people in the shops, your language skills don’t allow you to, you want a lie in on a Sunday and to wash your car in the afternoon – when the rest of the neighbourhood is up at the crack of dawn for church and car washing on your drive is banned. It can wear you down! In one nation where we have contacts there’s a saying – ‘what’s the difference between a tourist and an expat?’ – the answer is ‘2 weeks’ – because that is the length of time it apparently takes for the rose coloured glasses to come off. Racist? Prejudice? Oh yes – but also seemingly true of some nations. Be realistic rather than politically correct – it’s your life after all.
Social and Networking Potential - And finally…you need to have some social contact when you move abroad – you will need some friends, some useful contacts for work or people just to tell you where to buy a mop and bucket! In other words you will need to get out and about and meeting people from day one. So, are there any expatriates where you want to live abroad, will you be able to meet like minded people, how likely is it you will find people you can relate to and get on with? Think carefully about this and also, make a commitment to get out and about and meeting people straight away because you will need a social support network to help you settle in to your new life abroad.
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