Planning a big move abroad

Your Job can take you anywhere and when that happens and you find yourself in a different country, how prepared are you to face the different challenges like the weather, people, culture, food, the place you stay, the facilities you can get and what not. I know that if you are moving to a country in Africa you may expect what you see on TV, but that's not completely true for any country.

Moving to a foreign country on work will take you places you will be surprised even exists and the way life is lived there, If you are accommodative you may be able to fit right in and if you do not know how to deal with the place, you end up wondering what you are doing there and about all the mistakes you had done up until that moment.

Here are a? few things that probably will help you face the surprises that may be thrown at you. The biggest surprise is the immigration, the officer stamping your passport will ask you such uncanny questions that suddenly gives a tingle of uncomforted feeling you already had. And then you have the air travel itself. Most people tend to strike a conversation with people in the flight. But with the Internet age most of them are self-centered and you may find yourself wanting company. There is an undue pressure that builds up in the mind that is rather unsettling. Though the excitement and cocktail of feelings builds up you need to stay in control and ensure that what ever is done is sensible and planned.

Preparation starts with understanding where you are headed. Always do a research about the place you are going to call home for sometime in the future, people and places you can visit there. All the information you need is available online. Keep your expectations at check and you should be able to like what you get.?

It is always wise to pack as per the baggage allowance the aircraft provides, excessive baggage is not advisable. So, plan and be thoughtful about what you are carrying. Too much of anything is not good and so is too less of anything. Carry your basic supplies and your peculiar requirements. Talk to a few friends who are probably already there or been there if you are still not convinced about your preparation, but my suggestion is do what you want to do. Cash is important, an international credit card will be good but the conversion rate is always 10% higher than the actual so be selective in using it. Carry the best currency possible, be specific to the location you are travelling to, conversion from INR to Thai Bhat is probably better than converting INR to USD and then reconversion. Whereas it may be the opposite for other currencies.?

Plan a trip to a favorite place before you move. For first-timers this is going to make you feel good. You will need a break and unwind before you move abroad.

Being mentally prepared for the fact that you may not be back home for a long time is tough but necessary. it is important to stay focused and calm. Getting into a habit abroad is very easy, and you do not want to give into temptations. Mental health and your physical well being is very important to be considered.??

Make new friends, very few people will have the luck of joining a friend. The faster you befriend someone the lighter it tends to feel. This will help you settle in faster and stay strong. Working becomes that much better when you know you have friends around. Keep cultural and religious prejudice out of your mind and make friends with the local community. You will realize that they are the friends who will stand by you forever.

Be prepared to sweat it out. The stress only starts to get to you at work, it affects concentration and your focus. You may try to drown yourself with work to avoid other things, but it will only burn you out faster. The best way to deal with this is by introspection and reinforcing the thought of the focus with which you took this call. Try to stay healthy, read a lot of books, go on long drives and eat healthy.

Control your spends, you will be able to save more for the future,? the fact that you are not in your country will make you think on the lines your own currency or forget the value of the money in the country you are in. Both are not good for you and you will have to start focusing on saving. Overspending can become a problem, I would say loose your self for a month or two and that will allow you to get back your focus. Visit places, go on trips and try to keep yourself active else you may start to repent.

Be true to yourself. what is important is who you are, your core values and your focus and ambition in life. every thing else is just material. In a foreign country you cannot afford to make mistakes and every mistake can be very expensive both in terms of value, time or effect on morale.?

Stay true and keep your pride.

Cheers!!