Last updated on January 9th, 2024 at 11:38 am
This post is the second in a series that I am doing on preparing to move abroad. If you have been dreaming of long-term travel or moving abroad, this will be a great resource in your planning. I plan to cover the stages of planning and what you need to consider before taking a big trip like this as well as all the emotions leading up to it. I will be posting weekly. Hope you will join me on this journey before the journey!
After the New Year, the fact that we are moving abroad to travel long-term really set in! We had a feeling it would, the holidays are so busy and all-encompassing, but it was still a shock. As we prepare to move abroad (94 days and counting!), here are some of the things that we are thinking about.
Moving Abroad Means Leaving Our Friends
On New Year’s Eve, we went over to our friend’s house to do fondue and as we watched the ball drop together, I couldn’t help feeling a little sad. We have the absolute best friends I could ever imagine and I value them so much.
The thought of leaving for a year and what it might do to our friendships has been on my mind all month. The FOMO has been getting to me as they all make plans for the coming year that we won’t be around for. We will be making plenty of memories without them too, but they’ll be together. Not seeing them for most of the year is going to be one of the hardest parts of our trip. Of course, we have already planned to have Skype calls, but it just won’t be the same.
Moving Abroad Means Leaving Our Dog
I have also been feeling guilty about leaving our dog, Kala, behind. She’ll be staying at my mom’s house, with a big backyard and three other dogs with which to play. She’ll be fine, but the thought of leaving her for so long has me stressed and sad. She is used to being the only dog around and while my mom has watched her plenty of times (most recently on our honeymoon to the Maldives which was 14 days), being one of four dogs for a year will be unusual for her.
Kala also tends to get stressed when we start packing up boxes because she can tell that a change is coming. She’s never had to move before so I am hoping that such a significant change won’t cause her to panic.
Moving Abroad Means Leaving My Job
Work has also been a little stressful since I officially have only about two and a half months left. I haven’t put in my notice because it is way too early. The beginning of the year planning has been difficult since they don’t know I won’t be around, but I am trying to get the documentation ready so the hand-off is easier.
Packing and Downsizing to Move Abroad
Over the New Year’s holiday, we packed a few boxes that we would be putting in storage. Extra mugs, glassware that we don’t use very often, and books are the first things that we packed.
We have started packing up boxes because we got a storage unit! We can start moving stuff into it tomorrow, January 23rd. As I mentioned above, we have been packing things that we don’t need to use for the next three months and going through our stuff to get rid of it as we go. We started with books, glassware, mugs, board games that we don’t plan to play, Christmas and Halloween decorations, and DVDs. I also got rid of a ton of clothes. We are trying to be intentional and ethical as we get rid of things, preferring to find them new homes or recycle them.
Mental Health Tips for Preparing to Move Abroad
I feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster with everything that has been going on. One minute I’m elated and excited about all the places we get to visit, the next minute I’m sad about how little time we have left in Colorado with family and friends. All that, plus the constant planning has been ramping up my anxiety. I am doing my best to stay calm and appreciate this opportunity. It also helps to know that any choice that we make can be undone, even though it might be hard. Luckily, I don’t want to do this because it is the easy thing or the right thing. For more information on why we decided to do this, check out the first blog post in this series. Here are some tips to help you manage your mental health while you are going through a significant life change like moving abroad.
Understand Your Reasons for the Change
These feelings are incredibly difficult to navigate, so make sure you understand your personal reason for wanting to make this change. When you are doubting your ability to handle the change, remember why it is important to you and why it is the right thing for you to be doing, and that will help you to manage the stress. If you need inspiration, check out my reason for wanting to move abroad.
Leave Time for You
As you prepare to move abroad, make sure you are leaving time to rest and recover. You will be bombarded with people wanting to get together to say goodbye, packing, moving, trying to get any last-minute appointments in, planning your trip, and making sure that you have everything you need for your travels. Additionally, you are managing many new and different feelings. All of this will leave you drained and exhausted if you aren’t penciling in time for rest. It is easier said than done, but you don’t want to start out your trip by being completely burnt out.
Maintain Healthy Habits
Exercising has always been a major stress reliever for me, but whatever habits you have that help you feel good, keep those up. It will be easy when you start getting really busy to let those things slide but don’t do it! It’s worth it.
Get Ahead of Things (As Much As Possible)
Some things just take time, like packing up your entire house or making sure you get all the necessary doses of a vaccine. Start these things as early as possible to avoid stress down the road.
Don’t Feel Like You Need to Plan Your Entire Trip
This is a hard one because it is such an intricate balance. You want to plan enough for your comfort level. Some people are excited about having very few plans and they just want to book their first plane ticket and decide the rest later. This is not me, by any means. It is important for me to know where we will be staying for the first few months of the trip, at the least. We decided that we didn’t need to book all the flights upfront, but that booking lodging was important to us. This gave us enough information so we could easily plan which visas we needed (if any), how far in advance we’d need to get them, and any other requirements.
It is easy to get bogged down in planning for a trip like this, especially if you will be visiting multiple places for shorter periods of time. You may be worried about what experiences you might miss out on if you don’t plan far in advance, I know I am. My advice is to get a high-level idea of what there is to do in the place that you will be visiting and pick 1-5 things, depending on how much time you have, that you absolutely must do in your time there. Plan those things into your itinerary ahead of time, if possible, and leave the rest of the time for serendipitous activities that you might stumble upon.
Manage Stress
It is always good to have a few tools in your back pocket to manage stress. I highly recommend that you figure out what works best for you and continue to cultivate it as you get close to your trip. You will likely also need these when you are on the road so it is good to get in a habit ahead of time. Some of my favorites are journaling, moving my body, and deep breathing.
Find Community
It can be hard to find people who will actually understand what you are going through while you are getting ready for long-term travel. One of my favorite things to do in preparation for this trip was to listen to the Zero to Travel podcast, where host Jason Moore interviews travelers, nomads, and expats about their travel experiences. He even has a few episodes focused on “Transition to Travel” where he interviews people before and during or after their long-term travel. These episodes in particular were really helpful for me during this process. Spoiler alert: none of the people he interviewed ever regretted traveling long-term or moving abroad!
Give Yourself a Break
You are human and this is a huge change. It is normal for you to feel stressed and overwhelmed, even if you are also excited. You are able to feel a myriad of things at once. Don’t be so hard on yourself though. You can do this.
Additional Locations for Long-Term Travel
Finally, I saved the best bit of news for last. We have decided on three additional destinations for our trip! After the first two months in Bali, we will spend July on Koh Samui, an island in Thailand, and then August in Hoi An, Vietnam. We will also be doing a shorter stint in Tromso, Norway towards the end of November.
I am going to get into how we decided where to go in the future, but first I’ll explain our original intention with this trip and how it morphed into something different. Check back next week to find out!
If you are traveling long-term, I would love to hear about your experience preparing. Did you encounter any similar stressors while preparing to move abroad?
Originally written January 23rd, 2023.
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