15 Tips for Global Relocation

When moving to another country, there is a lot to do and it is easy to forget “little” things while you’re dealing with insurance (Public or Private), visa, and apartment hunting. So here are 15 things that you should remember (list by no means exhaustive) for Global Relocation:

Inform yourself about the country you’re going to so you’ll know how to behave. Be prepared for questions such as “Why did you choose this country?”
Freshen up your knowledge about your own country’s culture and history, too, because people you meet might be interested in it and you will find yourself acting as a cultural ambassador.
Collect sources that inform you about common problems and events, such as ex-pat websites. Sign up on g1obals.org and internations.org to get in touch with other expats and find solutions.
If you want to learn the language, find out where you can do so. Depending on the country, there may be free courses at cultural institutions and such but you might have to sign up in advance.
Find out what kind of power outlet your new country uses and buy an adapter if needed.
Take some of your home country’s specialties with you because they could make a good gift but also soothe you in times of homesickness.
When you’re starting a new life, you have to buy a lot of things and usually don’t economize like you would at home. As a result, you produce more trash, so try to minimize that and comply with your new country’s recycling rules.
Reduce the jetlag to one day by immediately following the new rhythm.
Take some time for orientation; work out how the public transportation system works, e.g. where to buy tickets, whether the subway runs at night, etc.
If you feel lonely, join sports clubs, dance classes, language courses, etc. to meet new people.
Make sure you make friends with both expats and locals because each group will be able to help you with different kinds of issues.
Sometimes you can find out about telco solutions beforehand, most likely you will have to deal with that after you’ve arrived. Depending on the country, this might be one of the occasions where a friend and/or helper that can translate really comes
in handy.
Make sure you can withdraw money in your new country. It might make sense to open a bank account. Again, depending on the country, bank staff cannot be expected to be able to speak English, so a helper might be of use.
Be aware of cultural differences, keep an open mind, if you don’t understand something, give people the benefit of the doubt.
Print this out as a checklist and add your own personal points!