Moving house abroad can be a tough challenge, especially if you’re doing it on your own. Luckily, you don’t have to wait to get there to learn what you can expect from the experience. Many people have already done it, so it’s a good idea to use their knowledge to situate yourself better. And that’s why we talked to a few expats about the positive impact moving abroad can have on your life. We wanted to find out what to expect and what aspects of it you should embrace.
All the people we talked to wanted to stress out that growth doesn’t come without a struggle. So, when you finally get settled in your new home, many opportunities for growth will appear. In fact, half of those benefits of living abroad come from challenges. Besides, by moving abroad you can create opportunities not only for yourself but also for your family members. For instance, if you get citizenship in Canada, you will have the chance of applying for spousal sponsorship in Canada to support your partner to move to Canada for the purpose of reunion.
It’s an exciting way of life, filled with unforeseen rewards and pleasant surprises. From growing empathy to improving your patience, here are all the advantages you can expect from moving overseas.
You’ll become more self-reliant
When you find yourself miles away from safety nets and systems you knew your whole life, self-reliance is crucial. At first, you might not have any family members or friends you can count on, so you always need to have a plan B.
The things you’re most likely to stress about are the ones that you forget about soon after the move. Things like not having an emergency caretaker for your pet should something happen to you are the kinds of surprise concerns that bubble up in your mind during the first few months abroad.
Usually, these make you realize how much you took for granted being a short drive or flight away from your family. As you can expect, feelings of nostalgia are very common in this phase of your relocation. However, they inspire another sensation, which is the feeling of being on your own. It’s one of the difficulties, but with time, it will become your strongest asset.
One positive impact moving abroad can have on your life is that you’ll become more self-reliant.
You can live in a culture that fits your values
Many people decide to move from one country to another to get closer to living somewhere that aligns with their values. For instance, Americans are often obsessed with work. And we talked to a few of them that are now living and working in the UK, as they find it a much more relaxed environment.
Therefore, moving abroad may represent a perfect opportunity to find your kind of people if you don’t feel like a part of your home culture. It’s one of the advantages that people rarely consider or think about, but it can make a significant difference in the quality of life.
Therefore, if you always felt French because of your love for their wine, you can finally move to France in search of a perfect place to make your connection even more profound. On the other hand, if you are a fan of whisky, moving to Scotland can help you explore this passion. Luckily, international moving costs aren’t that high when relocating to neighboring countries.
You’ll increase your travel opportunities
Yes, we know. This is the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when thinking about the positive impact moving abroad can have on your life. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
In fact, exploring a new country and all the neighboring lands has always been one of the most popular reasons to move abroad. Just think about the number of open opportunities to see new and unique places that you probably didn’t even know existed.
And the best thing about it is that you don’t have to travel internationally to feed your wanderlust. When you’re in a completely new country, every city is a shiny new place waiting to be discovered. Even wandering about in surrounding neighborhoods can be incredibly interesting. All of these things can and will make the process emotionally easier and help you settle in better after the move.
Wherever you decide to move, new travel opportunities will open to you.
You’ll expose yourself to different ways of thinking
This is arguably the most important reason to live abroad. You see, from a very young age, we build our sense of normalcy. We determine what’s right and wrong by watching the community in which we’re raised. However, one thing that surprises us the most is that even like adults, we are not aware of how vastly diverse our world is. That is, of course, until you’ve spent a fair bit of time outside your bubble.
You will be exposed to a whole new set of beliefs, traditions, and values. And naturally, you can expect some of them to conflict with yours. While some of these beliefs may be objectively bad, you’ll find that most of them are simply stem from a different way of looking at the world.
So, one thing that all international removal companies advise to do after moving in is to seek engagement with the local community, and learn how the people there think and live. This will build your empathy and compassion and your critical thinking skills, especially in the moments when they contradict your own beliefs.
You’ll expand your social network
We can safely say that the world has never been as well connected as it is right now. So, it helps to have friends in unique places. We have examples where people have made start-ups with coffee shop acquaintances, created house-swapping traditions with former neighbors, and even met future husbands and wives while they were living abroad.
And don’t get us wrong; making friends this far away from home is much more than a way to chase the loneliness away. Knowing people worldwide will boost your self-confidence, but it can also help you find a job or even inspire you to stay longer than you initially planned.
Expanding your social network is always a thing you should look forward to.
All in all, this can be a life-changing event that makes your life better than it was. And that is the positive impact moving abroad can have on your life that you want to embrace. Enjoy your time abroad, meet new people, and find your perfect spot under the sun.