My Tips on How to Move to a New Country

I’ve made the decision to move to France two times. The first time was during university when I decided to do an exchange program in Nantes for 5 months. The second time was this past fall, when I moved outside of Paris to work as an English language assistant. This was a lot less organized and therefore a lot scarier, however, it has been just as rewarding as moving to Nantes (maybe even more so because I’ve FINALLY mastered public transit in such a big city). While I had traveled a lot before this and even had spent a month in France during a shorter study program, it is totally possible to travel or move to another country without having done it before.

Here are my tips on doing just that (and be sure to check out my video that goes along with this post)-

1) Decide where you want to go

Maybe there’s a place you’ve always wanted to go, or maybe you have just been dying to travel and want to go somewhere for a long period of time. In my opinion, the best way to travel is to be really submerged in a culture. While the primary way I’ve traveled is spending only a few days in many different cities, I think the most impactful way to travel is to spend an extended amount of time in one place. Even if you only go for a few months, you will be able to be fully be submerged in where you are.

2) Decide that you want to go and do everything you can to make it a reality

The most important step is to decide that you are going and do everything you can to make it a reality. Instead of saying “I would love to this if…”, MAKE. A. PLAN. Start saving money. Start telling people close to you about your idea (word of warning: only tell people who will support you, not try to convince you of reasons why you shouldn’t). Start to think of when you want to make this move and for how long, if not indefinitely.

3) Brainstorm ideas of how to get there

If you’re planning to go to a country for more than a few months, chances are you’ll need a visa. There are many ways to get a visa, but the most common include student visas or temporary working visas. Of course, it depends on the country, but I recommend doing research on the country where you want to go and finding a study or work program to make it easier. If you’re still in university, I HIGHLY recommend studying abroad, and I recommend studying abroad for as long as possible. I initially went to a summer program in France, and then I liked it so much I decided to major in French and return for a whole semester, and then I liked that so much, I returned indefinitely! Another good way to get a visa and earn some money for living in another country is to be an English teacher. A lot of countries are looking for English teachers, and a lot of these programs that hire English teachers don’t look for previous teaching experience. And of course, another great way to go abroad is to see if your current employer or even field of work has opportunities for you to work abroad.

4) Create a time frame for when you want to go

Once you know what kind of visa you want to travel with (or none at all!), you can create a time frame for when you want to go and start making a plan for when you want to go and how long you will stay and make the necessary plans in order to do so. Getting a visa can be a tedious process, especially for France, and it takes some planning. However it’s worth it, and with planning it should go rather smoothly.

5) Make your dream a reality

Moving to a new country can be very hard; I know from personal experience. However traveling and living somewhere new for at least a little while is an amazing experience, so once you’ve made your mind about going, it’ll be so worth it to stick to it and make your dream a reality. There are challenges you will face, but they will allow you to grow so much in the long run.

Some pictures of my travels and life abroad:

I hope these tips helped inspire you to make a big move to a new country or to travel for a while.

Follow along on my Instagram!