Moving abroad checklist

Moving abroad checklist

Here’s a checklist of the main things you need to remember when moving abroad:

Flights, accommodation and immigration

  • Book flights
  • Book initial accommodation
  • Visas

Admin

  • Address
    • Change or redirect your address with friends, family and businesses
  • Packing list.
    • I always write a packing list early so I can stay on top of anything I need to buy.
    • I recommend trello for packing lists. You can use it on a desktop or mobile. And it allows you to stay organised by create lists. I usually have a ‘need to buy’, ‘ready to pack’ and ‘packed’ list. You can also separate lists by person if you need to.
  • Travel insurance.
    • Remember that most companies have a maximum trip length. If you’re away for longer you can try worldnomads.com who do a longer term insurance.

Planning

  • Transport from your home to the airport
  • Transport from your destination airport to your initial accommodation
  • How will you take money out while you’re there?
    • We regularly use WeSwap for short trips
    • For longer trips if you can open a bank account at your destination and then use WeTransfer to move money it can save you a lot of money on bank transfer fees
    • Remember that when you travel there are many hidden fees. The main fees with moving money are:
      • ATM fees
      • Any fees your bank charges
      • Exchange rate (Lots of banks won’t charge you a fee, but they will give you a poor exchange rate. This can be extremely costly in the long run).
  • Look up emergency numbers and location of nearest hospital to your destination

To do and buy before you go

  • Travel vaccinations
    • Make sure you do this early, because some vaccinations require a course of injections
  • Travel adaptors
  • Get cash in your foreign currency

Documentation.

Examples of what you may need are:

  • Travel insurance (print out or digital copy)
  • Passports (with at least 6 months left on them after you leave your destination)
  • Driver’s license
  • International driver’s licence (if required)
  • Details of initial accommodation (for boarder control)
  • Details of funds
    • Sometimes you will need this at immigration – check with the immigration website of your destination before going
    • This will often depend on what type of visa you have

More tips, hints and articles on living abroad