August 12, 2018

A Female’s To-Do List Before Moving Abroad

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If you know me personally, or simply subscribe to my blog, you know by now that I am leaving my home, job, and family in the United States to live and work in the Netherlands. Tomorrow, I will be leaving the USA to live in Europe for a year while I work to establish and grow a brand new international school in a posh little town outside of Amsterdam.

I have been receiving an outpouring of love, support, and congratulations, which I so truly appreciate. Moving to a new place, especially in a new continent, sounds exciting and intriguing to most. But there is a lot of things one must do before taking the plunge. A LOT. So I thought it’d be a good idea to make a list of the many little things a woman must do before moving abroad- in my case, solo.

One thing to keep in mind though, before you read on, is that I am writing this for someone in a similar boat as me: moving abroad for 1 year (possibly 2), with plans to return “home”. If you plan on moving abroad for good and never returning, your list may look a bit different. 🙂

A Female’s To-Do List Before Moving Abroad:

Talk with your bank. What kind of account do you currently have& How will it be affected by your move?

I had a level 2 account with PNC, which I just changed to a level 1 account last week. Why? A level 2 account, which has some extra benefits, requires a monthly direct deposit. Once September rolls around, I’ll no longer be receiving those direct deposits because I’ll no longer be at my teaching job in the states. Rather than get charged a hefty monthly fee while I’m gone, I decided to move to a level 1 account where I only need to keep a $500 balance in my account in order to avoid charges. That, I can do. With the level 2 account, I’d need to keep $2,000 in there at all times to avoid the fee. HAHAHAHA- no, not happening.

DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL AND OTHER MEDICATION. 

If you take oral contraception like I do, you have to figure out if you are going to try to take a year’s supply with you, get different birth control in the new country, or get an IUD of some sort before moving. Many people recommended IUDs to me but I did not want to make a big change like that to my birth control just a couple of months before moving to a new country- I do not know how my body would react or what the side effects would be. If you are going to pay to stay on your current insurance while you’re gone, you may be able to take a year’s worth of your current pill with you. How? You need to call your insurance provider and explain your situation. Most insurances are able to give you 2 “vacation overrides” a year. This means, instead of only being able to pick up 3 months of pills at a time, you can actually pick up 9 months instead! I, however, will not be staying on my current insurance, so I will have to show my current pill pack to my OBGYN abroad and ask if she can prescribe me a similar one. Fingers crossed!

figure out what you’ll do with your belongings.

I have sold most of what I own, including my car, prior to the move. I don’t have any family in or near Maryland, where I currently reside, so leaving all of my things with a family member was out of the question. I am keeping a few pieces of furniture, such as my bed and coffee table, and lots of rubbermaids that hold both my personal and teaching supplies with a friend. You need to decide if you are going to a) get rid of/sell everything you own b) put the things you’re not taking with you in storage (depending on how much you have, this can be quite pricey) c) ship everything you own to your new residence (this will be SUPER expensive) or d) ask a friend or relative to hold on to some things for you while you’re gone (this is what I did!).

DETERMINE THE BEST PHONE PLAN/SIM FOR YOU.

Living abroad, you likely will not be able to use your phone in the same way you do at home. The international fees will be astronomical. You can choose to keep your phone and purchase a local SIM card to use abroad or you can choose to buy or rent a new prepaid phone. There are so many SIM cards and plans to choose from! For now, I am planning on keeping my current phone and using it on WiFi (mainly at home) and then purchasing a cheap international phone abroad so that I have a Dutch phone number to use if needed, like to speak with my bosses, colleagues, students’ parents, etc. I’ll be able to use that new phone when I do not have WiFi. Wait and buy a phone once you land over there- not at the airport though, because those will be more expensive.

FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF VISA OR RESIDENCE PERMIT YOU MAY NEED.

Luckily, my employer is helping me out with that process. I had to provide them with my information and some documents, but they hired a company that specializes in helping internationals/expats moving to the area. Therefore, I do not have to pay a hefty fee for a permit. Because I am technically a “highly skilled migrant” in NL, I do not need a visa, just a permit to live and work there. This has been pretty seamless for me, again, because I don’t have to do much. Your employer will most likely help you get over there as well. However, if you’re moving without a job, this is something you need to look into at least 2-3 months in advance. Google will be your best friend.

end your insurance policies & OTHER SUBSCRIPTIONS.

Think about everything in your life you pay for monthly. Car insurance, home or renter’s insurance, Comcast or Verizon, electricity, and so on. That all needs to stop. Call your insurance companies and tell them which date you’d like your policies to end. Tell your electric and TV/internet companies when you will be moving so they can stop those services as well. If you are renting, like I was, remember to speak with the landlord/leasing office about moving out, terminating a lease, and so forth so that everyone is on the same page and you understand the costs and implications.

UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS ON ALL CARDS & ACCOUNTS.

You need to change your address on all of your debit and credit cards, bank accounts, and any other stores or services that send bills and other mail to your current home address. You’ll want to keep it a USA address (or whatever country you’re from) rather than your new one in the country you’re moving to. And chances are you don’t even know your new address yet, like me, so that’s not an option anyway. Ask a family member if you can use their address for those things. For some accounts I am using my sister’s address, and for some I am using my parents’. They will let me know about any bills or notices I receive while I’m gone. And don’t forget to change your address with the postal service!

say goodbye to family, friends, & colleagues.

Make phone calls, write letters, go to dinner, or have a farewell party. Say bye to everyone you’ll miss before you leave! Pass on your email and forwarding address to those who want it, and let your friends and family know if you’d like them to visit abroad. Share the details and plans with those around you. People are curious and want to hear about your upcoming adventure! I get asked about my move and new job all the time, so I began posting short updates on Facebook (both my personal and my Little Lives Big page) so everyone can be in the loop. Don’t just disappear one day! Say goodbye to everyone near and dear to your heart and let them know how they can contact you (remember the astronomical cell phone fees I talked about?). A great, free way to communicate with those in other countries is WhatsApp. Download it before you move and tell your friends and family to as well. That’s a great way to communicate via text, audio calls, and video calls. Having this app makes saying “goodbye” a little easier! 🙂

Well, that is it in a nutshell. Of course, there are other things to do as well and everyone’s life/situation is a little different, but I’ve covered the big things. I didn’t even mention “get/have as passport” in my list because I figured that’s a given. Do a lot of research before deciding to make a big move to another country or continent. It is a lot of work. For 9 days, I was sleeping on the floor of my empty apartment with a shower towel and a bed sheet. This morning I moved out of my place in Baltimore and took a bus to north Jersey because I fly out of JFK in NYC tomorrow. The past two weeks have been hectic, stressful, and crazy but I know it will all pay off in the end. This morning I was sweating by 6:30 and I have been clenching my teeth so much that my jaw popped out of place. Downsizing and moving is not a walk in the park, trust me. But I do think it’s a great experience for those who can handle it!

Have you moved abroad? Are you considering it? Drop a comment below! I’d love to hear about your experience and tips.

Here are my 10 tips for landing a teaching job abroad! 🙂

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