Going abroad might be easy, if you have a permanent settlement you can journey from, and simply come back to, but it gets somewhat nasty when you have to cancel your current place of living first. Moving and going abroad are two great transitions, which can stress you out pretty well standalone. So doing both of it at once boarders on insanity. Exactly my Area of Expertise. For everyone who wants to go abroad but has a relocation to manage first, this one is for you.
OK, I will do this list in the order in which I actually did it. So you have an order (which is nice) and I can hopefully identify where things went wrong IF they do, and let you guys know of course. No need to err twice, right?
- Check if you need any vaccinations.
- Do it now.
Being fully vaccinated is a good idea wherever you go. And in some countries you will need more vaccines than in others. So get your information and the vaccinations asap. Some of them need several doses, which could lay several weeks apart, so make sure that’s the first thing you check on.
- Visit your doctors.
Fits quite well with getting your vaccines, actually. If you want to be abroad for a longer period of time it makes completely sense to get a checkup. Visit your dentist, your dermatologist, your gynecologist, whatever. Every doctor that comes to your mind might be worth a visit.
- Choose your shoes.
If you’re going abroad you will want to pick your shoes wisely. Why do it now? Because if your chosen shoes do not fit so nicely as you thought they’d do, you don’t want to find out on the road, with blisters decorating almost the complete soles of your feet. I had it once, it isn’t something I plan on doing ever again. Also, it’s still time to break shoes in if you’re planning on buying new ones.
- Get a credit card.
I suppose, I got that one too early. Have no use for it now, will need while travelling. To get a credit card I had a nice chat with my bank advisor and he found what was best for me. I could have checked it out myself and maybe got a cheaper one, but I chose the benefit of having someone I could call and trust at all times, even when abroad. I did it so early because I wasn’t sure about how long it would take to get the card by post. Turned out it took only a week, so I would definitely get it at a later point the next time, so I would not have to pay for it so long without actually using it.
- Check your passport, ID and drivers licence. Close to expiry? Get a new one done.
In Germany an ID is not done overnight. It might take up to two weeks before your new ID is ready to pickup. A new passport takes even longer, up to six weeks actually. Remember passport photos, which resemble yourself at leat a bit. No worries though, everybody looks like sh*t on them.
- Change your address everywhere.
Yes, everywhere. With your bank, your insurancies, your mobile operator, your doctors,… You’re going abroad, nice! But let them know where to find you. Or at least where your post is supposed to go. For me it was the place of my parents since this is where I will move to, and journey from.
Yes, I will get my new ID and passport before I change addresses. Because it is seemingly not possible to change your address AND order a new ID with the new address on it in one sitting at your local government office, because they need feedback from the moving office first.
- Terminate everything.
Your appartment, your mobile phone contract, your internet connection contract, your fitness studio membership… If you’re moving, you need to cut bonds. Not just with people and things, but also the nasty stuff that will cost you a lot of money if you forget about it. Remember there are mostlikely deadlines to terminate those things. For a appartment in Germany it’s usually 3 weeks, for mobile and internet connection contract usually 1 week. I don’t know about fitness studios, though.
- Find people to help you moving.
- And set the date, already.
Personally, I loath moving. It is exhausting and dusty. So get yourself some friends or family, who loath it just as much, but are willing to help you because they love you, of course. Let them know, when they’ll be needed as soon as you can. Nobody likes those tossers, who keep you at their convenience 24/7.
- Get health insurance.
I think I did this kind of last minute, a few days before my trip started, but it worked out very well. There are a lot of different insurances on the market and not every one of them is for long time travel so make sure you read the conditions well enough. I found my insurance via ReisePolice, which is a German website, but it only compares insurances and links the according websites of insurance providers, which should be availabe in English.
- Pack your stuff.
- Unpack it.
- Pack it again. Pack it better.
I decided to take the plane as means of transport. Which meant, that I had to really consider what went in my check-in luggage and what in my cabin bag. And don’t think that it’s the same with every airline, that would be too easy. So check the guidelines if you’re unsure. Nothing i more embarassing than the people having to drink two liters of soda because they forgot they couldn’t bring it through security.
Well, I think that’s it. It was a lot of work, but it turned out well enough.
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