Sitemap
The Peregrine Journal

Stories from those who have made a foreign land their long-term home.

Member-only story

Things to Know BEFORE You Move Abroad

2 min readApr 25, 2025

--

Photo by on

I’m always amazed when I read about someone who moved to another country and discovers it’s not what they wanted, and they are just outraged.

Um… you moved somewhere else?!

Here are four things to know BEFORE you move abroad.

1. If you aren’t flexible, don’t move

Living somewhere is NOT like going on vacation there. Every country is different, and if you expect everywhere to be like where you are from, you will be disappointed.

2. Bureaucracy

Wherever you move, you will need to fill out a ton of paperwork to live/work there. Even if it is an “easier” country, you can’t just move there as if you are moving from one city to another in your own country. You will also need to set up a bank account and other administrative bits. It can really be frustrating learning a new system, but you have to be ready for it.

3. Visitors or not

Even if a lot of people say they will visit, you will find that you may get only a handful of visitors. Be prepared for that. I’ve found that I am often the one to travel if I want to see people, or I just decide to see only the select few. Of course, you will meet…

The Peregrine Journal
The Peregrine Journal

Published in The Peregrine Journal

Stories from those who have made a foreign land their long-term home.

Erik S. Meyers
Erik S. Meyers

Written by Erik S. Meyers

American abroad in Vienna | Award-winning author/communicator | Motto: fight the hype | Survive on coffee/hiking |

Responses (2)