6 Tips for Settling Into Your New Home After an International Move

Once all the boxes of your possessions have been delivered, you can give yourself a pat on the back for reaching the final stage of your move abroad. However, it is still a bit too early to celebrate since you cannot say yet that your journey is complete.

You still have one thing left to do: settle into your new home. Making the transition is an important part of any move. If you do not settle into your new home successfully, you will experience difficulties adjusting to a foreign place and a different lifestyle. These difficulties can cause you to feel overcome with homesickness, which will affect your ability to work and go about your usual activities.

Fortunately, there are simple tips and tricks that can help you settle into your new home. The best international removal companies share a list of these below:

1)- Know the lay of the land

During your first few days’ stay in your new home, the best thing you can do is explore the area. If you already researched the city and neighborhood beforehand, use your knowledge to find out where the key places are. These include the bus and metro stations, supermarkets, farmers’ markets, malls, banks, schools, convenience stores, pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals.

However, don’t limit yourself to committing to memory only places that you will frequent. Take some time to know your new home. Visit museums, historic sites, and other key landmarks. Doing so can help you learn more about the culture and people in your new home.

The more familiar you are with your new environment, the more you will feel comfortable. You will also have an easier time adjusting to your new living conditions and even making friends. So, find new restaurants, explore tourist sites, healthcare facilities and some international schools. Some experts in international school Singapore also believe that understanding the quality education of your new home gives you motivation to settle there.

When you make an international, it is the children that suffer the most, especially their studies. Before you make an international move, make sure you apply to an international school. An international school will not only stop the gap in your child’s studies but also give a friendly environment for the child to settle in.

2)- Get all the Important things Done

Aside from unpacking and organizing your possessions, there are certain tasks that you have to do to experience a successful move. These include:

• Getting a local number or SIM
• Applying for a residency card or permit
• Opening a bank account
• Obtaining health insurance
• Transferring your driver’s license

Ask your employer if they will help you do all these. If not, you will have to obtain all of them, which can take some time. Because of this, you have to start the application processes as soon as possible. Make sure to do the same if you want to apply for a telephone line or Internet connection for your new home.

3)- Learn the local Language

If English is not the native language in your new home, or it is but you are not fluent, you may want to learn the local tongue. Doing so can help you avoid or minimize the challenges you could face.

Learning the local language will help you greatly in your workplace. It is a great way to build your cultural intelligence and interact and collaborate well with your colleagues.

Additionally, knowing the local language can help you avoid plenty of obstacles you may encounter as you go about some regular activities, such as grocery shopping, taking a bus or metro, or riding in a taxi.

Also, if you speak the local language, you will find it easier to chat with anybody and connect with people. If you want to be productive when you are not busy, find a website or use an app to learn the local language. Otherwise, make a list of words and phrases commonly used in your area and practice saying them until you feel comfortable using them.

4)- Make your new place feel like Home

One of the best things you can do to adapt and adjust to living in a foreign country is to turn your new space into your home as soon as possible.

Here are some tips for making your new place feel more comfortable and like your old home:

• Use the bedding you brought from your old home.
• Display family photos and other décor or trinkets you bought with you.
• Place your favorite books on the bookshelves.
• Rearrange the furniture to mimic your previous home’s interior.

Don’t forget that scents also play a crucial role in making your new place feel like your old home. Buy candles or diffuser and aromatherapy oils of your favorite fragrances and light them when you are relaxing. If you have access to the ingredients of your favorite home-cooked dishes, cook them to alleviate your homesickness.

5)- Build your Social Network

Making new friends is something that you should also focus on when you move abroad, especially if you relocated alone. Whether you are a social butterfly or a bit reserved, you won’t go wrong with starting small. Join groups of expats living in your area on social networking or media sites and connect with members to start making new friends.

Start building relationships with your co-workers as well. Since you are working with them every day, you won’t go wrong with having one or more of them as part of your social circle. Additionally, take the time to introduce yourself to your neighbors. If you are comfortable with them, invite them to your housewarming party or a simple dinner.

You can also ask them for restaurants they recommend and invite them to join you when you try them out. Lastly, widen your social circle by joining a group fitness class or community activity you are interested in.

6)- Don’t Forget the Family and Friends you Left Behind

Whether you are still finding your footing in a foreign country or have already established a new social circle, never forget your loved ones that you left behind. Make it a habit to call your loved ones and close friends every week. Chatting with them and sending them emails are easier to do now, too, so you shouldn’t have any reason not to connect with or check in with them frequently.

Hearing from them regularly will reduce your feelings of loneliness and homesickness. Moreover, you will get the chance to talk in your own language again, which is something that you may miss doing. Spend a few minutes chatting with your former colleagues and other people that you like talking to. Doing so will also help you remember that you are never alone.

Moving abroad means going through various challenges as you adjust and adapt to a foreign land. Follow these tips and you can have an easier and faster time acclimating to your new home and lifestyle.

AUTHOR BIO:

Praful Gupta is the Business Head for Asset Mobility at Writer Relocations, India’s premier mobility services company that handles all types of moves: International & Domestic Relocations, Office Relocations, Commercial Move Management Services, Hospitality Logistics, Fine Arts Logistics, Orientation Services, and Storage Solutions. Headquartered in Mumbai, Writer Relocations has presence in 7 countries and operates in more than 190 countries.