5 important tips when moving abroad with your family.
It’s safe to say that this is not your first move. But what about your kids? Moving abroad with your family can be very fun yet quite stressful for everyone involved because, on one hand, you have a whole new world of possibilities in front of you, and on the other, many comforting and familiar doors will be closing. If you want to make your move as easy as possible for you and your kids, here are a few tips to follow when relocating abroad:
Choose the location carefully
Location really is the most important part of your move. If you’re moving for work, it means you’ll be much closer to your offices and save a lot of money on the commute or business trips. But don’t forget to include your family as well—your partner needs to work or maintain the house easily and your kids need to go to good schools. The best locations leave everyone with the same commute times to their most important destinations.
Also, take your lifestyle into consideration as well. If you’re an active family, you might want to choose a spot closer to the countryside so you can go hiking and cycling every day. A family that’s used to being surrounded by friends might choose an urban environment close to parks and social clubs.
Prepare your children
When moving with your kids, no matter if abroad or just to another state, they usually find the move very emotional and stressful. And if the kids are young, they might not even understand anything about this big change. While parents are busy with the practical stuff, kids will have plenty of time to focus on all the sad parts of the move.
Make sure to have plenty of talks with your kids and explain every step of the relocation to put them at ease. Also, plan a fun going-away party so you can say goodbye to your house, your neighbors, and your friends. This will provide everyone with some closure and aim the focus on the future.
Rent a storage space
When moving abroad, you don’t have to give up all your things or only bring the most important items with you. While moving with a whole truckload of stuff is a complicated affair, it’s possible to maintain a connection with your old stuff by renting a storage space. If you hire a professional packing service to pack up all your things, you can ask them to leave your stuff at their storage facility.
These storage spaces are perfect for safe-keeping your memories, beloved items and valuables you simply can’t bring with you or place in your new home. If you decide to return or get a bigger place, you can easily get your stuff back and enjoy them once again.
Get everyone involved
If only one person is doing the packing around the house, it will create many issues for the entire family. Firstly, it’s very stressful to come home from school or work and see your stuff gone. Secondly, the person doing the packing can easily get overwhelmed by the extensive moving checklist. Therefore, employ every member of the family to at least do a bit of packing, kids included.
Allow kids to pack their own toys and books, and take careful time to explain that you’re not throwing them away, just moving them to their new bedroom. Every family member can pack their own little “desert island” box with their most essential things to keep them busy on the road and during their first night at the new location.
Get familiar with your new home
In most cases, ex-pats have to wait a few days for their possessions to catch up with them, but that doesn’t have to be a big issue. Since you can finally relax a little in your new home, use that free time to get to know the house, do some layout planning and start looking at things to buy online.
Most of all, try to relax as much as possible and spend the rest of the time exploring your neighborhood and new city. Kids will love to draw up their new bedroom, explore their environment, check out their school and get familiar with their new local park.
Moving with your family is quite a feat, but it’s more than possible with some patience and good planning. If you take your time to find a new location, pack up and say goodbye to your old house, both you and your kids will start your new lives on the right foot.
Author BIO
Journalist graduate, a travel aficionado, and someone with endless curiosity. Lives in San Francisco, and enjoys reading, cooking, and comedy songs. “Run from what’s comfortable. Be notorious” You can follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/SadieBr97057042