What To Think About When Moving Abroad During A Pandemic

With global travel coming easier for you and your belongings, more people are discussing moving to a new country.

With the ease of communicating with family and friends, moving abroad is far from uprooting everything to a new country and leaving your family and friends behind, social media and internet calling allows us to keep close, even though we could be in the different hemispheres.

While moving abroad has become easier than ever before, the reasons behind such a life step are still the same.

Unfortunately, in today’s climate with the global pandemic, moving overseas may seem like an extremely intimidating process.

While we can move abroad at the moment, we must undertake this with great caution and in line with the correct rules. This piece aims to help you overcome the challenges that are associated with moving to a new country or moving back home at this time and provide you with a tool to help you with your move.

Check Whether It’s Safe To Move

The safety of you and your family is the priority, so your first step is making sure your chosen destination has been able to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to manageable levels.

Check the government’s list of countries that are “no longer presenting an unacceptably high risk to British people travelling abroad” to confirm your new home is on the list.

Then look at the data surrounding the country you’re moving to and see what experts and local and national authorities are advising. There will always be some danger associated with moving at the moment. The question is whether the danger level is low enough for you to feel comfortable taking the risk.

Don’t Move If You Or Your Family Are Unwell

If you’ve exhibited COVID-19 symptoms in the past seven days, you should get a test and delay your move.

If you still try to go through with travelling, your airline may refuse to let you on the plane, and even if you make it on board, you may be refused entry on the other side.

If either of these events occurs, there’s a strong chance you won’t be successful in convincing your insurance company to compensate you for the money you’ve lost.

The Actual Move

Now we have understood the formalities around moving abroad during these times; we can move on to the actual moving elements:

1. Understand The Costs

The most common limiting factor for any move domestically or internationally is the financial limitations.

Although it has become easier, all the costs associated with a move domestically are exemplified when moving abroad. It is important to remember that when you are moving to a new country, there are added costs you will occur (visas, work permits, health costs, education) and it is important you understand what those extra costs are and the time frame you have to pay them.

The second point regarding costs this piece is going to cover is the shipping of your goods. Whilst many will pack up a suitcase, book a ticket and off they go, for those who are making a more permanent move, working out the relevant shipping costs is imperative in keeping the costs down.

Depending on the time frame and location of your move, will determine how you ship your goods and ultimately how much it is going to cost. Through using an international removals company, you will be able to obtain an accurate quote and expert advice on whether to ship your goods by sea or air.

If you are on a more time-sensitive deadline or are moving to an isolated city or country, you will usually ship your goods by air freight. Shipping stuff on a time-sensitive deadline, be expected to pay a premium.

2. Work

One of the most common reasons for moving to a new country is because of a job opportunity which you cannot miss out on. If this is the case, you do not need to worry about finding a job. All you need to do is acclimatise to your new job and new colleagues.

For those who are making a move to a new county for a sense of adventure and the new challenge of trying to live in a new country, the thought of work probably hasn’t crossed their mind. If you are part of this group, you are probably and correctly so planning your adventures around your new home and exploring what is on offer.

While you should be exploring your new home, it is worth having in the back of your mind what sort of jobs are on offer so you can tailor your CV to the fit the jobs available. When you arrive, your job search only needs to be tentative until you have settled down or are running low on money.

One final note. You must obtain the correct visa to work in your new country and understand what the visa entails, as certain industries require specialist visas.

3. Living arrangements

Unless you are planning to travel around when you arrive, it is worth to start looking for and sort out an apartment and house before you arrive. This is more relevant for those who are making a move on a more permanent basis and those who are making a move for work.

Sorting out a new house or apartment before you arrive will ease your nerves when you arrive but also save you a considerable amount of money on storage.

If you are planning to sort out your new living arrangements when you arrive, there are several websites which are available to help you find a house or apartment share or a short-term tenancy agreement depending on your plans.

The more outreach and enquiries you can make the greater chance you will have in finding an apartment or house in the city or area you want to settle down in.

Tenancy laws around the world differ substantially so you must understand your rights as a tenant to protect yourself from landlords who may try and take advantage.

This article has had you thinking about the three key areas of planning a move abroad during the pandemic.