(ThySistas.com) Traveling or deciding to move to another country is a huge deal, regardless of how long you plan on staying – it’s still a big decision that needs to be thought about. Travel is a wonderful way of seeing the world and going on a journey of self-discovery, and yet a lot of people hold back from doing it because they’re scared. This is understandable, it can be very intimidating moving to a new place that looks different, smells different, tastes different, sounds different, and feels different.
It can be overwhelming and that slight fear of the unknown will most likely begin to creep in, but this shouldn’t scare you off. If anything, it just adds to the excitement. You should embrace the bundle of nerves that you’ll be experiencing, because it’s totally normal and if you weren’t feeling that way it would be odd. You see, life is full of many different adventures and tests, and you can either face them and enjoy the ride, or back away, but know that you’ll be missing out on a lot in doing so.
You don’t need to move across the other side of the world and force yourself to stay there for five years. – You can do what you want – that’s the beauty of it. There are no rules. If you’re a student and want to take a year off or study abroad – you can. If you have a business and want to open a branch overseas – you can. If you want to travel for a few months stopping at different countries as you go – you can. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. Often people talk about waiting until the right time. But the truth is, there is no right time – you make the time right. So don’t waste your years worrying about the what-ifs; too afraid to do what really excites you. Just go out and do it.
Here are some important things that you’ll need to think about to ensure you’re ready for the ride.
Save the money
Before you have any ideas about leaving your country and going to another one, you need to make sure that you have enough for your travels and stay. Bear in mind, depending on where you go will determine the price of everyday items, and that may work out to be more expensive, or cheaper than what you’re used to paying. It’s always best to save more money than you think you need, because it’s better to have too much, than too little. There are so many costs to think about, like your travel expenses to get there and then move around, i.e. public transport or your own vehicle, then there’s the living costs, everyday items and food, and so on. So you need to try and be as realistic as you can be, and once you have a number in mind, double it.
Learn the language
You can’t go to another country and have no idea what they’re saying, and vise versa. They say that communication is the key, so you need to ensure that you are able to do that and be understood. If you weren’t a native English speaker for example, but wanted to attend an English speaking university, then you would need to know enough to be able to understand whatever it is you wanted to study. You can’t just expect to learn as you go – at least not from scratch anyway. But in order to do this, you need to have a proper idea of what level you can speak first, that way you know how much help and support you may need in the future. One way to determine this is to take the uMasterExam, and then you know where you stand in terms of the language, and what you need to do in order to progress and get the best schooling for you and your career.
Research the area
It’s important that you read as much as you can about the area you’re thinking of going to, this is because you don’t want to arrive, only to realise it’s not what you expected and it doesn’t have the things that you wanted it to have. A search engine is your best friend, so type in tones of different places that you have been thinking about and find out the history, the culture, and the type of vibe it holds. You also need to think about the little things that make a huge difference, like how far away the local grocery shops are to where you would be staying, as well as the doctor’s, the hospital, the dentist, and even schools if you have children with you. Remember that because you’re in a new space, everything will feel even further away from where you are.
Plan the healthcare
You always need to think about your health first, as your safety is always what matters most. So if you know you’ll be going to another country, you need to know how the health care systems work there before you have to find out the hard way. You may need to register for a special card that ensures you are covered for the necessary treatment you may need, especially if it’s in the event of an emergency. You can check online what the different rules are depending on the country, and it will tell you what you need before you enter. It’s always best to read up beforehand so you know that you’re leaving equipped with everything so there isn’t a chance of you running into any accidental trouble.
Now you know all the areas that you need to look at, you can begin to start properly planning for the next chapter of your life. And last but not least, you can’t expect to go to another country without having a proper leaving party with all of your favourite friends and family, food, drinks, and darn good music to send you off the real way.
Staff Writer; Latasha Ball