The mere idea of moving abroad alone and finding yourself surrounded by strange people in a strange land with no one to lean on might seem scary at first. But as there are two sides to every coin, there is a way to make this situation work in your favor. Yes, you might be leaving everything you hold dear behind and venturing into the unknown, but a whole world of opportunities is waiting to be explored.
If you’ve decided to make some changes in your business or personal life, changing the environment you live in might be the best way possible to do that. If you’ve dreamed about relocating internationally for a long time, you really don’t need anyone to go with you to make it work. Stay with us to find out how you can survive and thrive in an unfamiliar country, all by yourself.
Why Should You Move Abroad Alone?
If you have ever been to another country for more than a week, you must have felt how you began to change. Brand-new environment, lifestyle, and different people than the ones you are used to can definitely make an impact on you. Leaving the place you call home behind and settling down somewhere abroad gives you a chance to reinvent yourself and turn your life around. Keep reading and get familiar with some of the potential benefits of this life-changing step.
There Are Many Possibilities for Moving Forward
Relocating by yourself to a place where no one or very few people know you is like starting a new life. You can change your job, the way you dress, what you eat or what you do in your free time. It’s an excellent opportunity to start doing something that you’ve always wanted and you’ll need to learn new things. And there is no one to stop you from moving forward.
Making a decision to live alone in an entirely different environment is like turning into a character of a video game that you’ve just started playing. One of the best things about going abroad and becoming an expat is that you get to learn more about yourself and find out who you truly are when nobody has any expectations of who you are supposed to be.
You’ll Make New Friends
Meeting people and forging friendships is something that always enriches your life. When you live alone in a foreign country, being an outgoing person may sound difficult because you don’t know anyone and might not even speak the same language. But breaking the language barrier is actually something that will boost your self-confidence once you realize you can and need to do it. Be the one that makes the first contact, let new persons in your life and let them show you how they live. Feel free to join a local gym or try finding an unusual hobby. That way you can find like-minded individuals with similar interests as yours.
How to Prepare for Moving Abroad Alone?
Regardless of whether you are relocating because you’re sick of someone or something or because you just have a desire to explore the world, going abroad alone and leaving your home behind could find you unprepared for the things that await you. For example, you can find yourself in a situation with no bright light at the end of the tunnel; it might scare you and make you think that the expat life just isn’t for you.
To take some burden off your shoulders, you can find a reputable and trustful moving company and decide whether to move internationally by sea or by air. To make things even easier for yourself, you might also employ professional packing services for all the belongings that will go with you to your future home. There are many ways to prepare yourself before taking this giant leap, and here are a few of them.
Get to Know the Country Before Relocating
The best way of finding useful information, the Internet, is here for you once again. There are many expat blogs and sites for the ones who travel frequently. Connect with someone who is in a similar situation as you are – perhaps someone who recently moved to that country alone and try to gather as many tips and tricks as you can. Also, googling the neighborhood where you’ll be living will be more than useful, and it will save you a lot of time and money.
Learn the Language
Not the easiest, but probably the most important thing on your checklist before going somewhere is to know how to communicate with the locals. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have enough time to become fluent in that language, try remembering the most common sentences and you’ll advance easily from there. Until then, any translation site or app should do the job.
Find a Safe Place to Stay
Leaving the city you know and diving into the unknown inevitably asks for a safe place to stay. If you wish to live alone abroad, it will be very important to find a good neighborhood. A piece of friendly advice or a good review of some local hotel or hostel will do wonders until you find a permanent spot.
Forget About Your Comfort Zone
Living alone is a unique opportunity that not everyone gets, especially if you don’t know anyone yet. This is the best time to try different food, experience band-new things, learn about the locals and their culture. Leaving the comfort zone you’ve been lingering in could make you feel uncomfortable and it would be reasonable to feel so. But there’s always something good coming from a chang. This would be a great chance to do something that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance.
Be Kinder to Yourself
Be patient, give yourself time to adapt and enjoy all the different things that you’re about to experience. Homesickness will be there, but so will everyone you love in your hometown. You’ve decided to do something really brave and important for yourself and the people around you will understand. It’s okay to worry, feel sad or even cry if you feel like it. Starting from zero really is hard work, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Being alone will give you a chance to feel free and grow.
Unique Opportunities Await You
When you’ve done all the calculations, and when you’ve checked that everything fits in the plan you’ve made, it is finally time to move and start the adventure. Moving to another country all by yourself, calling some other place your home, living with all the new people and learning their language is a great adrenaline boost. If you’re relocating because you got a different job, then the challenge is even more important. Proving your worth in a new position with new colleagues is a fantastic way to find the confidence you didn’t even know you had.
Great Things Are Coming
How will you know it’s time to relocate overseas? Your perspective will change and you’ll probably become an unrecognizably different person. As many say, the experience is life’s greatest teacher, and you’ll do yourself a great favor by being open to unfamiliar challenges, whether good or bad.