Travelling the world can be one of the most exciting and thrilling experiences of your life. Younger people especially are enjoying the freedom of being able to hop on a plane and be anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours. But what about when you want to find a more permanent base? What should you do when you are looking to settle down and find a country or city that you want to live in for the next few years? This guide has some tips for finding the perfect location and what you should do when you get there.
Choosing Your New Home
If you have travelled around a lot, there will be places that come to your mind straight away when you think about where you might choose to live. To begin with it might be useful to make a list of those places and draw up some simple pros and cons for each to help narrow it down. This will help with the next stage.
After compiling a shortlist, you will need to start doing more research into the requirements for living there. It’s often the case that it’s much easier to travel to a country than it is to make a home there and work there. Visas and work permits may need to be applied for in advance, and some countries may have strict immigration requirements on who they let live in the country.
Once you have identified which countries you think you will be able to move to, you can get more specific with the research. This is why compiling a short-list is a useful exercise. Ideally you want no more than three places at this stage unless you can dedicate a lot of time to research.
Your budget is likely to come into play at this stage too. If you are looking at moving to a new city, then certain parts of the city will be more expensive to buy in or rent that other parts. This might help you to determine a final location as to where you want to start your new home.
When You Get There
So, you’ve decided on the city or town that you want to live it. Now you just need to find somewhere to call home. If you have identified a specific area or even street that you want to live on, then you are probably in for a bit of a waiting game. The narrower your search, the less likely houses are to come up for sale or rent. If you have been waiting for a long time it might be time to broaden your search into adjacent neighborhoods or towns.
Once you have bought a house or have moved into a rented house, you need to start thinking about some of the services you will require while you live there. These services will need to be for you and your home.
1. Make a list of healthcare services
If you have a pre-existing condition or require regular medical support, then this is something you may have thought about prior to moving. It may have even influenced your decision if there was a specialist nearby. If this isn’t the case then you will need to make a list of basic services you will probably need within the first few months. These will include but are not limited to:
- Doctors
- Hospital
- Opticians
- Dentist
- Any specialists like therapists, chiropractors, and physiotherapists
2. Make a list of the home services you may need
This is especially important if you have purchased your home. If you are in a completely new area, it’s unlikely that you will know of any local businesses that you may need to call on. When you’re at home you can go online and do a simple search for something like “roofing contractors near me.” A search like this should bring up a list of local business that you can add to a contact list should you need them at any point. The services you are most likely to want to have a list of are:
- Roofing Contractors
- Building Contractors
- Handyman
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Car Garage
- Gardener
There’s nothing more exciting than landing in a new country or city ready to start a new life journey. When you arrive, you should give yourself time to settle in and learn the culture, even if you have been there before. If you do your research and plan it correctly you will be sure to make a success of it and who knows, you may still have some money left to go on your next travel adventure.
