Quick & Dirty – How To Break Down an International Move

Posted on November 5, 2009

Photo by: Karenglynn at Flickr

It’s official. You have the green light for your new international job assignment, volunteer position, study abroad or internship. As you’re jumping for joy, you suddenly realize that moving your whole life overseas seems like an enormously daunting task. When I moved to Europe for the first time, it felt overwhelming to transition my life, my friends and schlep all of my personal things to a new country. My saving grace was breaking my move down into categories that were both manageable and necessary for living in a new country. When my next move happened to Australia several years later, I was readily prepared to embark on the logistical moving journey.

Regardless of how far you are moving or the duration of your trip, identifying the moving essentials is your first step when relocating abroad. Moving abroad takes nothing but projected planning. The best part is that it doesn’t even have to be so far in advance. As little as 3 months prior to your trip will help to make your transition smooth. By using the moving categories of: documents, health care, money, shipping logistics & connectivity, you can develop a 3 month action plan prior to moving.

Documents: Passports, visas & other important documents
What are they & why do you need them?

The most important element of your move is having the correct documentation to go abroad. Having a passport from your home country is an obvious necessity. Passports generally take between 6-8 weeks to process, so be cognizant of that prior to your trip. Remember to check the expiration date of your passport as well! A common horror story is that of expiring passports while on a trip and getting held in customs for improper documentation.

Before embarking on your big trip, you will also need to have the proper immigration documentation. The nature of your visit, whether it be for pleasure, work or study, will be the largest determining factor in whether or not you will need a visa. AmeriSpan, a company who helps pair students with study abroad programs that will enrich their language skills, recommends using PassportVisasExpress to research and purchase both visas and passports.

Other important documents that you will need are your birth certificate, a driver’s license or some sort of identification aside from your passport, health insurance details and proof of residency for renting purposes (i.e. utility bill statements).

Health care: Insurance, immunizations & prescription medication
What is it & why do you need them?

Secondary to having proper documentation is protecting your health. It is imperative for anyone traveling overseas to have health insurance. Do not rely on socialized health care (if applicable in the country) because you may not be eligible for coverage. When choosing your insurance program, chose a policy that offers worldwide medical coverage & emergency evacuation. Some policies may include travel insurance on your goods, which if you are taking valuable goods comes in handy in the event your items are damaged or stolen. Always be sure to read the fine print and know exactly what coverage you will receive. The last thing you want is to have an accident and realize that you will not be covered.

Before leaving for your trip, check that you have had all the proper immunizations recommended for that particular country. A great resource for knowing what types of vaccinations are needed can be found on the Travelers’ Health page of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel.

If you are traveling with a pre-existing medical condition that requires prescription medication, you will need to have a letter from your doctor that describes the medical condition and details of your medication (i.e. name, dosage, etc.). Any medication should be kept in its original container and clearly labeled on the outside. Communicate with your doctor before leaving about having a stock of prescription medicine available for your trip.

Money: Credit cards, bank accounts & cash

The topic of managing your finances abroad is often skipped over the pre-departure checklist. Access to your money and avoiding hidden fees or surcharges is vital when moving abroad. Notify your bank & credit card company of your move or trip overseas. Providing specific details about where you will be traveling is always the best strategy. For example, you will be in Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. This technique helped me we had our HSBC debit card stolen online while backpacking through Europe. Because we had notified HSBC of where we were going to be, they were able to immediately notify use of the fraudulent charges and quickly reimburse the stolen amount.

It is not necessary to have foreign currency before you leave. However, have a small amount of reserve cash so that if need be, you can exchange money at the airport.

Shipping logistics

Moving all your personal items overseas is like spring-cleaning on steroids. The key is to consolidate all your personal belongings and not over pack. The nature and length or your trip will be the largest determining factor in what and how much to bring. For shorter trips, use the motto of “pack light and travel happy”. For longer more permanent trips, research (shipping costs, import fees, duty costs, shipping companies) & consolidation is key. Contact different international moving and shipping companies for quotes. Remember to plan ahead as it may take over a month for your belonging to arrive.

Travel arrangements
Why do you need them?

Don’t forget that you are the one moving. Aside from moving your belongings, having the right documents, managing your finances, you are the most important part of the move. Plan where you will be staying temporarily before your permanent residency is sorted. Staying in hotels, hostels, with friends or bed & breakfast places are all good temporary choices. Some good resources for students include www.hostelworld.com, www.couchsurfing.com, & www.hostelz.com.

Technology toolbox:

Having the tools to stay connected or document your trip requires prior planning. This is included in the checklist because it is important to have a plan for what you will take. Your technology toolbox may include a computer, phone, camera, PSP, etc. Your international experience will dictate what you will and will not take. Taking a computer may not be as important for someone backpacking through Europe, as it may be for someone transferring to an international working assignment. If you are a student, a good choice for a phone is the Student Cell, a pay-as-you-go phone. A good traveling camera is the Panasonic DMC-Z3S.

What other things would you include in your moving list? Let us know in the comments.

Are Dual-Career Couples Paving The Way For A New Expatriate?

Posted on September 17, 2009

Photos by Paul Shoul

The nature of international assignments for dual-career families is changing due to a workforce transition with the retiring Baby Boomers coupled with the economic downturn.  The current workforce, primarily consisting of Generation X and Y, eligible for international assignments are experiencing the economic necessity to have two income streams in order to sustain their lifestyle. This poses an enormous challenge for companies because these couple are much more hesitant to leave everything and depend on only one stream of income.

To explore this phenomenon further, the workforce consultancy, ORC Worldwide, conducted a worldwide survey on Dual Careers and International Assignments Survey. “Employers face a difficult dilemma,” said Geoffrey W. Latta, executive vice president of ORC Worldwide, in a statement about the study. “Forced to be particularly mindful of cost constraints, managers are still responsible for balancing these efforts with the need to attract and retain the best talent to remain globally competitive. Further, as more and more Baby Boomers are beginning to retire, companies are sending Generation X and Y employees abroad, many of whom have spouses/partners with their own careers and who are unwilling to give up not only their jobs but also the income associated with their positions.”

Exacerbating the situation further is the cutback on financial support for dual-career couples. Where employers once provided resources for the other partner/spouse such as – job search assistance, CV/resume preparation, language training and repatriation support – they have had to decrease these efforts significantly in order to reduce costs.  In 2005 only 33.5% of employers provided no financial help. Today this has increased to 50.9%.

Latta suggests that “successful employers will recognize the necessity for flexibility and creativity in finding solutions for staffing worldwide operations” in order to address the reluctance of dual-career families to accept international assignments.

Perhaps this change is not entirely bad. Not only is it forcing employers to push their creative limits to support their expatriates, but it is also breeding a new type of expatriate. These younger career centric couples are finding new ways to fulfill both their desires to take the international assignments and further their careers. Interesting the amount of female expatriates is on the rise and shifting the traditional spouse who is sent abroad. Through the power of the internet, dual-career couples will be able to work remotely without compromising their career.