Moving abroad with a family

When you were younger you may have moved a couple of times, and it wasn’t so bad experience. But once you have a family and you need to relocate everything is different. Especially if you are moving abroad with a family. For your kids, this can be a very traumatic experience since they may not be able to understand why they have to leave everything. Also, when you think about a simple task like packing it is harder when you have a whole family. Here you can find a lot of tips and tricks on how to make the relocation as easy as possible.

Figure 1 Family relocation

Prepare in time

One of the main things you need to do is to prepare in time. You need to talk openly and honestly with your kids first. They need to be informed about everything, so they can prepare and process this. A good thing you can do when you are moving abroad with a family is to discuss everything together as a family. You should include your kids in the whole process of moving. Besides the emotional preparation, there is also the physical one- choosing a moving company.

You need to choose a good and reliable company which possesses all the resources for a smooth relocation and which will fulfill all of your requests. That transition process should as simple as possible. But there are also things when it comes to moving abroad you need to check- you need to check all the laws and regulations. This is especially important if you have any pets.

Destination

If you haven't chosen the destination, or you maybe have doubts you should check online some things. If you have kids, check schools in that city. You need to pick a perfect US city for your kids since this will be their new home. You should also check if there are any hospitals nearby. Same goes for the parks and recreational activities. You should make sure that your kids will have a perfect new home.

Figure 2 Choosing destination

One of the most important things is your job. If you are moving abroad with a family because of your job relocation, you should be a little patient with them. They might take a little time to adjust to the idea of your new home. In case you are relocating for some other reasons, looking for a job might be a little longer. It is a good idea to create a profile on Linkedin and apply to different jobs. That way, even if you do not have a job, you can find it a lot faster.

Preparing for moving abroad with a family

When we say preparing, we are talking about physical preparations. You will have to pack up your whole life, your home into boxes. And just move them maybe even across the world. When it comes to this, you should go through your things before you pack them into boxes. This is a great opportunity for a new start and you can get rid of old stuff. You can donate them, and that way they might be useful to someone else. In your new home, you will have just the things you need and you will be able to build a new life.

When you are packing the items, you should use good boxes, a lot of bubble wrap and tape. You need to make sure that your things will be safe during the transition. If you have maybe decided to literally build your new home, then you should bring some furniture with you. That way, you will both have a few memories with you and you will have a new start too.

Moving time

You have reached that day, and you are moving. It will be stressful, that is for sure. But with a few tricks, you can make it easier. You can talk to your family about silver linings. Not maybe all of your family members are able to see something good in this. But you can present them moving abroad with a family as a perfect silver lining, especially to your kids. Talk to them while you are traveling, explain to them that they will have a lot of new friends, they will see a lot of new fun things.

Figure 3A new beginning for kids

You can also talk to your family about a country that you are moving to. The United States has a different culture and at first, you will have lots of questions. You can search online for more information during your flight, maybe even find a restaurant that you will visit as soon as you arrive at your destination. You will have to get into interaction with people so you can understand them and get answers to your questions.

Settling in

Once you have arrived, you will feel a little bit anxious and that is perfectly normal. The best thing you could do is to get a little bit of sleep and prepare for the unpacking process. You should start with kids' room and you can include them in unpacking. After all, you are a family and you just moved. That way the younger children will feel safe and older ones can decorate their room how they want. That way your new home will have a first positive vibe.

Getting to know the neighborhood

You should also make time to meet the neighborhood and your neighbors. Also, that will help you relax when you meet someone and talk about regular things. It is important to get things back to normal as soon as possible. One of the tips is to go for example to some local dinner and have a family dinner. You can go for walks with your kids. That way, you will start to create new routines and feel more relaxed.

Figure 4 Family time

Stay in touch

You shouldn't sell your old home immediately. You can rent it while you are living abroad. And, the general advice is to try and stay in touch with your family, friends and go to your home at least once a year. That way you will stay connected and you will not miss your whole family.