Mummy From The Heart: Bracing Your Family For An International Move

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Bracing Your Family For An International Move

Image thanks to Pexel

They say moving is stressful. Why do they say this? Well, because it’s resoundingly, absolutely and completely true. If you have moved home before you're most likely nodding in agreement and if moving does not stress you in the least, then you would probably enjoy a very lucrative and successful career as a special forces operative, because it seems almost nothing could phase you.

Not only is moving house a monumental organisational task, but you must also emotionally calibrate yourself to your new surroundings, and attempt to stay positive throughout the whole affair. It’s uprooting the anchor of your life to move on to another place entirely, sailing the seas over uncharted territory until you can place your anchor in a sturdy place once more.

If moving within the bounds of your current understanding is somewhat difficult, then consider moving across national or international borders. Even if you have a great degree of familiarity with the new culture, moving to a new country entirely can sometimes lead to culture shock. The flow of life is different from place to place, and so sometimes it can take a little while to adapt.

For some tips to both brace your family for an international move and then execute the process effectively, consider the following:

Make A Stringent Plan
Crafting a stringent plan is important when conducting an international move. It’s most likely the case that you and your family are depending on a variety of important dates in order to help you move seamlessly. That leaves little margin for error. From moving overseas with 1st move to planning your route to the property before the removal company arrives, to planning to meet the property agent to receive your new home keys, everything is likely to come into the same time line, with only a matter of days between important happenings.

For that reason, a tight schedule can work wonders. A stringent plan is required for planning and reference. For example, if you have the move-in date where you need to pick up the keys and sign the final piece of paperwork, this can serve as the anchor with which to plan everything else around. You'll want your removal company to arrive pretty quickly after you have the keys and of course all the services like telephone and TV will need to be arranged too.

Be sure to keep a strict schedule of all your appointments and bookings but give yourself time for a bit of flexibility. When you know where and when you're supposed to be and you keep to this, you are much less likely to feel stressed.

Make Contingent Plans
Of course, sometimes your plans do not work out. It might be a delayed flight, a closed office, or lost luggage that come to haunt you during these stressful times. Its probably worth making a few plan B’s or C’s in order to help you adapt to the circumstances and problems that may occur. This might be sending someone over to the new environment and stewarding your house until you can arrive or being prepared to home school the kids until the new school term.

It might be sensible to choose a few hotels for a quick drop-in along the travel route if transport is delayed and you need to grab a nap and a hot meal. Fail-safe plans might seem to tempt negative fate initially, but you’d be foolish not to see their fundamental worth and ability to help you out of a sticky situation. When your family knows you have thought through the worst possible outcomes, they are less likely to feel nervous or tense about the entire moving process.

Family & Removals Worker Image, thanks to Sirtravelalot at Shutterstock

Conduct a Recce

Taking all the family for a reconnaissance visit to explore your new home town can help you and your family feel familiar with the local landscape before moving to the area. It makes good sense to really explore your new house, but many people neglect to truly inspect the local area, so maybe even spend a full week there if your finances allow.

To become familiar with a new place can be difficult, especially if the culture is largely different from the one you are familiar with. While children often adapt faster than adults, it doesn’t mean they can immediately feel comfortable no matter where they are. Finding places to immerse yourself in the local flow of life can help you all understand what to expect.

Cultural Preparation

It's wise to lay the groundwork before you make the move. This might mean ensuring your children attend a few language classes in your current home country, or eating the cuisine of your new culture for a time beforehand. It could be that colleagues at your new workplace are able to recommend some local classes and events that you could all attend to learn more about the local customs.

Preparing for the new culture will mean equal parts learning new and exciting ways of the populace, while also bringing your own slice of culture and honouring that.

With the help of these tips, bracing your family for an international move will be totally possible and hopefully enjoyable! All the best.