Continental Shift

Do your research September 23, 2009

You’ve made your big decisions: where to go and when. But there’s still lots of work to be done, and it’s time to start researching.

Qasr (fortified granary) in Libya

Possibly you skipped or did not need to do the research phase suggested in Chapter 2 to help you choose where you were going. Now you must do some research, to help you plan for the rest of your trip.

Contact the embassy of your chosen country. Find informative websites about the country. Read the blogs of expats and email them to ask if they wouldn’t mind answering a few questions (always ask first, rather than bombarding them out of the blue – they may keep a chatty informal blog that makes it sound as if they’re talking to friends, but they are still a stranger to you). Read the Lonely Planet or other guidebooks that give a bit of information on history and culture rather than just straight where-to-visit information, and perhaps follow up anything that catches your interest with more detailed reading. Look for documentaries or travel specials on the country of choice.

Aside from learning about your new country in general terms, you are looking for things like:

• What vaccinations you must or should have before you enter the country
• What visa or other permits you will need to have in place before you go and how to apply (see Chapter 7)
• What work and housing opportunities are available
• What goods and services are readily available in the new country, and what you will have to bring with you, be prepared to do yourself, or go without
• How widespread English or other languages are amongst the people of the new country
• Tax issues (see chapter 11).

If you are being transferred by your company, much of this research may be done for you, particularly in terms of the legal paperwork. You can still try to research life in the new country to help prepare yourself. This means getting on the internet, talking to other expats, and talking to the embassy and helpful locals.

Don’t think you can research your way out of every possible surprise – there will be times, lots of them, when you meet with something completely unexpected, unlooked-for, and probably unpleasant.

CASE STUDY
We were lucky enough to be given things like a moving booklet, tax information, ‘reconnaissance’ visit and visitor pack, cultural orientation workshop, and city tour, which all helped us to orient ourselves, choose a place to live, and be prepared for the changes we were about to experience. That did not mean we didn’t come up against surprises and challenges, but it did mean we were slightly more prepared for them than we could have been.

ACTIVITY
Get on the internet and the phone and start researching. You should know as much as you can about where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Your best starting point is the country’s embassy located in your own country. They are used to and welcome enquiries about visiting or working in their country. And there’s lot of expats blogging about their experiences these days – you’re sure to find one in the country of your choice with a quick internet search.

How to move overseas. That’s it for this week. In a few weeks, I’ll go into planning for the costs of organising your move.

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