Must Do’s Before Moving Overseas
Living day-to-day in a new and exciting country is the compensator for everything that comes before it: the organising, the farewells and the jetlag. The purpose of this article is to direct your thoughts toward the pre-components of travel before planning the many activities you’ll be participating in when you arrive. So without further ado, here are the musts to keep in mind before moving overseas.
The Boring Necessities
If you are not a regular traveller, or if the last time you went on a plane was with your family when you were five, make sure that your passport is up to date. If you are planning to stay in one location, it might also be worth investing in an international driver’s licence, so make sure that your current licence is renewed and that it won’t expire during your stay. Now might also be a good time to have a doctor’s check-up, or a check-up of any kind that your travel insurance doesn’t cover (e.g. servicing your car, if you are bringing it along). You might also think of getting an accountant to assist you with your finances, if only for a second opinion that your financial situation is as good as it can be.
Get in touch with people of importance (close friends, family, colleagues, etc.) and inform them of your travelling escapades. Let your boss know well in advance that you won’t be able to work during that time, unless of course this is a business trip. If you are a student travelling for pleasure, make sure your travel dates don’t clash with any important uni dates, such as your graduation ceremony (you wouldn’t want to miss that!). Make sure all your assessments and school fees have been taken care of. Basically, be positive that everything will be in order by the time you return home.
Loving and Leaving Your Valuables
Store the valuables that you won’t be taking with you, particularly if this is going to be a long trip. So rather than simply boxing your items and keeping them in your house, extend your trust to a professional storage service such as Fort Knox , which specialises in storing a wide range of items in secure units.
Again, if you are planning to remain overseas for a while, make sure you are being covered by more than just your life savings. Secure a job in your new destination before you leave, so that a friend or family member back home won’t have to loan you great sums of money while you look for a job in a foreign place.
By the time you arrive at your destination after years of saving, months of arranging, weeks of packing, and hours of sleeping vertically, the end result might not feel worth it. But think of it this way, the storm will pass before your journey even begins. If you approach your travels without any sense of plan, however, the storm will hit you all at once without any warning, almost like a blindfolded man walking at high speed who refuses to take any precautions, only to run into a pole. In other words, it’s better this way.