I Want To Move To A New Country… So What’s the First Step?
I live in Canada, and I have decided to move to a new country.
Perhaps you are reading this and are in the same boat, or maybe you are reading this and getting a clue that you now might want to move to a new country. Either way, now you’re thinking about it, at least a little.
Deciding to move to another country is a big decision, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Many steps must be taken to pull a substantial inter-country move off without too many headaches.
For ideas about some of those other steps, you can check out my other blogs to save money to move, start your own company for foreign employment, and have the right mindset for moving.
The extensive process of actually moving to a new country can be very daunting, but before you get too far ahead of yourself and get yourself all worried with all the other steps, here is the first step: make a list of what you want in your new country!
Let’s say you are like me and you have decided to leave your home country and try your hand at the ex-pat lifestyle. Hurray! Good for you!
Living in a new country is a lot of fun, is challenging, and awakens you to so many different ideas, customs, and people. It’s awesome.
I lived in Chile for about three years and Panama for a few months, and I have no regrets about either of those adventures except that I was forced to leave prematurely due to needing treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.
But, after starting over and building my life back up, now I am on a path to get back to living abroad. However, I want to do it properly this time around. That means saving and having a plan. The first step to having a plan is knowing what I (and we, my partner Marcia and I) want in our new home country. So we make a list of what we want!
This is the fun part! You can dream of anything you want!
This process is akin to you being an artist with a blank canvas, and there’s a whole world of paint just waiting for you to create your masterpiece. So get creative! Get crazy! Grab a pen or open a blank document and start jotting down some important things to you, things you like, things you want, things you can’t live without, things that would be cool to have, etc.
As I said, this is a big decision, and you may only get to do this once, so you might as well try your darndest (sorry for the harsh language) to find a place that checks as many of your boxes as possible.
Are you still struggling with where to start? That’s ok. So was I.
First, try writing down what you want to move away from — if anything? It will be easier to think of what you want if you answer your “why” first.
When Marcia and I decided that we wanted to move to a new country, our first thought was, “well, why do we want to leave Canada in the first place?”
The answer is: we didn’t have a specific reason (maybe other than the weather!) as to why we want to leave Canada.
Canada is a great country, and if we don’t end up finding somewhere we want to live down south, it’s not the end of the world to chill here (pun intended).
However, we dug a little deeper and realized that the hustle and bustle of North American city life are not for us. We are just barely keeping our heads above water, and there is no way we want to work for “the man” for forty years, hopefully, be able to retire and then move to the beach.
We believe that there’s a beach somewhere right now with warm weather all year round with our names on it!
We are young, and there is a great big world out there to travel to and hopefully move to, so why not get out there and do it.
There, now we have our reasons and manifestations for moving.
Our next thought was, “well, now that we know that we want to go, what do we want in our new country so we can decide which is the best country for us?”
Our next logical step: make a physical list.
Since we do everything online now, we made a Gmail document shared with each of us, and we each typed out all of the essential things for our new country to have.
After we had a few items on the list, we organized them into major categories. Here are some examples:
- Food and drink — Marcia is a vegan and wants natural, organic food available. We also want filtered water.
- Financial/Work — We need reliable internet and a compatible banking system
- Environment — We are looking for a warm place, not too much rain, (mostly) safe from natural disasters, sense of community.
- Other — Items such as reliable grocery and shopping, clean water, infrastructure, etc.
Feel free to use these categories or make ones more important to you. Remember, this is the fun, planning stage so write down whatever comes to mind, whatever you truly desire, and we’ll figure out the logistics later.
We have added even more ideas to the document regarding what we’re looking for in those areas. As time goes on and we discuss moving more, this document will help us decide between the finalists.
For instance, we were flipping back and forth on Costa Rica and Panama for a long time until Marcia listened to a podcast about community. We discussed the idea and realized that because having my sister and her husband already settled in Panama would give us an instant society, Panama is now where we are likely headed.
If you think having a community where people know and like you is vital to you and your future travel plans, be sure to check out my piece on how important community is here.
I also recommend that you rank or prioritize your categories as well.
For instance, I mentioned the community aspect, which moved from the bottom up to the top of the list. Also, I love organic peanut butter, but it’s pretty expensive. So is having all-natural peanut butter available as crucial as the overall cost of living per month? Or can I live with a jar of Kraft peanut butter and focus more on living somewhere with a lower cost of living?
Finance is usually one of the top items on the agenda. As much as I hate to admit it, money makes the world go round. Besides, if you want to do more fun things on your list, you’ll need some extra cash.
Most people’s number one on their list: Affordability. Find a place that you can afford by making a budget. (You can check out my article on budgeting and saving and why it is so important here.)
Another essential item that ties into finance is employment. Ensure that your new country allows you to work where you want to work. There are many different employment restrictions when dealing with immigration in Latin America, so make sure you see if you can work where you want to work. I’ll be getting into employment and immigration in subsequent articles. Stay tuned.
The next step is making a list of what you need to take care of at home.
This list is not as fun and might be longer than your list of what you want in a new country, but if things on this list don’t get done, your dream may be over before it starts.
There are lots to think about for this list. I don’t know about you, but I feel like my life gets more complicated every day I stay here in Canada.
Every day there are more bills, more bank accounts, more savings options, more subscriptions, more Amazon, more everything. I get more entrenched in this country and this way of life, which your government wants. It’s what every government wants. They want you to put down roots, pay bills, and pay taxes every year for as many years as possible. The government wants your money. Everyone wants your money. It’s just the way of the world.
Undoing all these things are going to be part of your “Take Care Of” list before you go.
Some of the other items on our “Take Care Of” list, for example, include:
- What to do with our cat?
For our cat, Minou, we have ideas on our list like:
- Leave her with Marcia’s roommate for six months while we scout countries to live and then fly her down to live with us.
- Leave her with Marcia’s mom for the same reason.
- Make sure that all her shots are up to date.
- Check out each potential country’s pet policies.
If not figured out at the beginning of the journey, something like this could derail the whole plan later.
- What about the house we rent here in Canada?
If you own a place in Canada or the United States, or wherever you are presently, then you will have to decide if you want to sell it or rent it out. There are many options for this scenario, and only you will know what is best for you and your family. I am not a financial advisor, and I suggest you consult one for a financial decision of this magnitude.
- What are some things we need to buy before we go?
We have a pretty small list of luxury items like an excellent camera and better laptops for the digital nomad and ex-pat lifestyle in terms of things we want to buy.
Most countries in Latin America have a lot of the toys and electronics that you’ll need, only perhaps a bit out of date. Make sure to check and see if your country has what you specifically need. This info should be on the internet, but if not, head to Facebook or internet chat boards and ask actual people that live there.
These are just a few of the items on our list. I am sure that we will add a bunch more as we move along on our journey.
Here is the process you need to go through: make many lists and cross things off of them.
Hopefully, by the time you are ready to go, you will have crossed off enough of them that you feel like you are prepared and taken care of everything.
Final Thoughts
Your lists should be ongoing and revisable, right up to when you press “Book Now” for your plane tickets. Think about your lists. Talk about them. Plan around them. Add to them. Subtract from them. Try to get them as detailed as possible.
The more you have a plan, the better off you will be. Making a plan means knowing what you want, and that involves making lists.
I have found that executing my plan does not always mean that my plan goes precisely to plan if you follow my drift. However, I have found that having a plan puts me on the right track to succeed, and if need be, I can navigate and reevaluate from close to that track without too much trouble.
Have some fun with your lists and with this initial process! It’s your dream and your life, so make your lists the best they can be.
Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you’ll be among the stars!
I would love to know what you have on your lists. Shoot me your hopes, dreams, and goals about moving to a new country in the comments sections below. I would love to hear them.
Have fun and good luck!
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