After months of preparing for this moment, the time to say yes to an offer has arrived. You will know it is the right one when you don’t feel that lingering hesitation in your gut or you are kept up at nights riddled with doubt. When the offer is a good match, you should be feeling an overall amount of excitement about your next adventure. Should you not feel this, go back to your checklists and consider your why for going abroad, and hopefully you will recognize where the disconnect is. 

But for those that have accepted the offer, your life is about to get very busy. There are like three phases to this part – the planning phase, the preparing phase, and the leaving phase. Right now, I am going to focus on the planning phase. 

🧑‍🦽 First, I recommend you make a list of all the things you want to or need to get done before you leave your current home. Have you been meaning to visit grandma in another state, get that last teacher certification or professional development course done, or clean out that garage? Some things are just easier to accomplish in a country where you know the language and the procedures, such as setting up bank accounts, life insurance plans, renewing drivers licenses and passports, and acquiring an international drivers license (even if you don’t plan on driving in your new country, you may choose to vacation somewhere else with a car). A biggie is ensuring that all of your loved ones will have the care that they need such as when they are off at college, in a nursing home, or living independently; always get the contact information of a trusted neighbor that can check on them in case  of emergencies. Completing all of these crucial “home” tasks will help you feel more ready to fly off to a distant land. 

☔ Second, list all the questions you have about your next destination. I immediately wonder about the weather and I begin comparing my current wardrobe to what my next adventure might require. Coming from California didn’t prepare me for the snowy winter of Hungary and I wished that I had purchased quality snow boots in America before arriving so I didn’t have to wander around Budapest looking for my style and size letting my toes freeze while I tried to locate a useful pair. Another question I wonder about is what kinds of stores and products are available at a reasonable price in my next location. I often pack my, “Can’t live without,” items in my checked luggage such as borders to decorate my classroom, favorite teaching books (not online), metric and standard measuring spoons and cups for recipes, medications, Nutella, chocolate chips, cup cake papers, brown sugar, decorative bath towels and bed sheets that match my style and to provide a “home away from home” feel, and the correct plugs/power converters for my electronics. As I love festivities, I tend to bring lightweight costume and party supplies for international days, Halloween, and birthdays. Before you leave, you may want to consider buying some items in bulk of they are pricier or unavailable in your next location. These can include games for children, electronics, larger clothing and underclothes sizes, shoes, feminine products, and favorite cosmetics and lotions. Though I am a fan of using products made locally when traveling short-term, when living long-term abroad, people tend to be happier with a few if their creature comforts around. A quick check of which kinds of grocery stores, shopping malls or stands, and other services will help you better know what to bring such as crucial ingredients for favorite recipes or an affordable forms of entertainment; though I have shipped bikes and TVs abroad, I feel that in the future I would rather not deal with the assembly or customs issues that occurred due to my choices. 

📬 Third, make a to do list of all the things that you need to do to get to your next destination. You may need to consider what to do with any assets like houses, cars, and pets. Your home may be in need of some serious downsizing unless you are comfortable storing your items at someone’s house or paying for storage. How do you plan to get all your “must have” items to your next destination – checked baggage, air freight, ocean freight? How do you plan to get your mail and what subscriptions or bills can you eliminate once you leave? You will still need to file taxes while away so be sure to take all the necessary documentation with you and give forwarding information to key businesses and people. What vaccinations might you or your pets require at the new location? Finally, there will be a ton of documentation required which will be way more manageable if you stay organized and persevere. 

📧 Fourth, collect contact information for all of the important people (personally or professionally) or businesses in your life so that you have it in hand when you need it. As you collect this information, it is a good time to let those people know of your upcoming travel so that your abrupt departure doesn’t throw them for a loop. Plan out when you can see them again, if needed, such as I have been able to keep my same doctors and dentists in America several times when I went overseas as my medical insurance was a global plan. This enabled consistency in my healthcare and medication supply as I could restock on medications every sixth months when I returned “home” for a visit. I still ask for copies of my medical records if they aren’t already online, just in case. Reassure loved ones that you aren’t abandoning them and that you have a place for them to stay when they visit. From current employers, I let them know of my plans to leave and I make sure I have letters of references from them so that their impressions of me are freshly in their mind. As I utilize Canva for both work and personal projects, I have encountered templates announcing upcoming moves to others; what a fabulous way to not only inform others of your future plans, but also to educate them more about where and you are going. 

As you plan out all of these crucial steps, you will see yourself getting closer to your end goal, especially if you have written them as a checklist that you can check off each time you have successfully completed a task.