Tips on a successful transition to life as an expat

Living the expat life in a positive, growth-related way takes more than just the chance to leave your country of birth.

Whether you’re emigrating for career reasons or because you need a new start on your personal development, the act of setting yourself down in an unfamiliar location will be transformative. Conversely, the move can also trigger feelings of loneliness and stress as well as a struggle to integrate into your new society. Successful transitions hinge on a few important adjustments necessary to achieve your new life.

Firstly, getting and keeping your finances in order is a must-do for all new arrivals overseas. Monetary discipline includes keeping emergency funds in a safe, easily accessible account, as uncomfortable situations can wreck even the most carefully calculated budget. Health insurance is a must if you’re heading for a country without free healthcare for expats, as private medical services can be pricey at best and unaffordable at worst. In addition, the quality of care may not be up to Western standards.

For newly-arrived expats, due diligence isn’t just a phrase applicable to the legal profession, it’s a description of the right way to go about finding your feet in your new city and country. Obviously, it relates to your work performance, but is equally important as a tool for integrating into your social environment. Building a support community is essential and involves finding your feet by joining meet-ups as well as exploring the social scene in an active manner.

Once you’ve arrived and settled in, curiosity is your friend as it gives a motivation to find out more about your new home and its peoples. If you’ve settled in a big city, wandering its neighbourhoods offers a feel of local life as well as giving an understanding of cultural differences and diversities. Being flexible and relaxed when things don’t work as they did in your home country is a great stress-buster as well as an introduction to your new life.

Adaptability is another essential for an easy lifestyle transition, with work/life balances invariably different than at home. Getting rid of your former working habits and taking on those common in your new workplace can be tricky, especially if you’re relocating from a Western society to Asia or Africa.
For example, in the USA living in order to work is the norm whilst in Europe, and even more so in the East, it’s work to live, with time spent outside the office an important part of the lifestyle.