Collaborative Post
Whilst the adventure and opportunity to go abroad and live for a year is a great one to have, it’s generally not one that many people get in life, and it’s also important to remember that this is a big step and something that requires a lot of careful planning.
Although it’s not something that you have to plan every single aspect of perfectly, because at the end of the day, things will happen, and life gets in the way, but as long as you have a bit of a clear framework for how things are going to go with regards to moving to and living in a different country, then it’s important to have this plan in place and it will make your life a whole lot easier – not just before you go, but also once you’re there as well, so in this post we’re going to share with you how you can plan for living abroad for a year.
What documents you’ll need:
The very first thing to think of is what kind of documents you are going to need – for example, are you going to need a visa and work permit? Or do you think you are you going to require health insurance?
It’s important to remember that many countries do actually have mandatory health insurance, and sometimes, depending on the country that you’re going to and the country of your current citizenship you will be required to show proof of health insurance before you can even apply and be issued with a visa or work permit, so really it’s extremely important to get some kind of insurance in place before you go if this is a requirement of the country that you’re going to. Again things like visas and work permits are also very important because if you’re planning to fund your stay abroad when you’re living there, then you’re obviously going to need to have an income and being able to do that legally is going to make life a lot easier and also allows you to immerse yourself in the culture a bit better.
Where you’ll live:
When living in a new country, if you’ve never been there before it can be quite daunting going to start looking for a place, but you certainly don’t need to have a place locked down before you move – this can be something that you can do once you arrive.
However, it’s definitely a good idea to start researching the different types of neighborhoods available in your area and your price range for when you’re going to be living there and what things that they offer in terms, of not just safety and terms of life quality, but also in terms of the things that are going on in the neighbourhood and what things are nearby that you may enjoy, such as a gym, bars, restaurants, schools, etc, depending on whether you want to be there as a single person or with a family.
Then you also want to consider things like if the country you’re moving to is a country where people rent or buy and if so looking at things like if you need a mortgage loan or if you would just prefer to rent whilst you’re there instead.
If you’ll be able to drive:
Driving may seem like it’s something that you can do anywhere – especially if the country that you’re moving to drives on the same side of the road as where you’re coming from, but it’s not always as easy as just knowing how to drive.
Every country has their own rules and regulations around driving, and so it’s something worth researching to see if you’re actually going to be able to drive in the country that you’re moving to, and if so will you need to obtain any special driving permit or convert your driver’s licence to one that is recognised by that country.
Sometimes this can be a bit of a complicated process depending on the country itself and so oftentimes what you’ll find is that it’s actually easier to just not think about driving for the year that you’re going to be there if it’s going to be short-term – if you want to stay there for longer then you can’t look at the different options to drive, but in many countries, and especially in areas where there are a lot of large cities the public transport can actually be a much better option. Not only is it a lot cheaper in many cases but it’s better for the environment and often times it’s a lot of faster as well when you’re doing things like commuting to work everyday and avoiding being stuck in traffic instead of just taking a train or bus.
If you’ll be able to work:
Work is one of the biggest reasons that many people move to different countries, and so it’s obviously one of the things that you need to check first if you’re able to work, and as we mentioned above, then you need to obtain the correct work permits and visas to allow you to do this legally. However not everyone is going abroad to work so if this doesn’t apply to you then you can feel free to skip this part, but it’s definitely worth knowing if you’re able to work or not since things can definitely change and you may decide to even take a job or be offered an amazing opportunity that you don’t want to let pass so just knowing where you stand in this regard is something that’s worth considering before you even go.
If you’ll need to learn the language:
The opportunity to learn a new language is a great one, and if you’re going to another country that doesn’t speak the same language as you do then it’s definitely worth considering taking some classes to at least learn some basic phrases. However in some cases it can absolutely be necessary for you to learn the language of the place you’re going to.
