Moving somewhere new is always an exciting thing. It’s also stressful beyond measure. There’s always more to do and figure out what you think. I’ve moved… a lot. Every time I do, especially an international move, I tell myself it’s the last time. It’s exhausting and takes a toll on both the mind and body. And while moving can be awfully exciting, there’s always something else to do or figure out or buy. There’s also the entire question of… where are you moving?
What happens when you’re not certain where you want to move? Maybe you’re a digital nomad looking for a new locale, or perhaps life has just got stagnant and you feel like you need a change. Whether it is that or a job relocation or for family, when you’re looking for a new place to call home, there’s a miasma of things to consider, let alone do. As someone who has moved around a lot, lived in a lot of places, and randomly chosen some of them, I have some advice for you.
Visit first.
No, really. Visit first. And not just a day trip. Actually, visit.
Now, if it’s an international location, this may be difficult, but trust me. The internet will tell you all the good, bad, non-touristy, and interesting things to do and see, but it cannot and will not give you the full picture of actually living in that place. No matter how much you research and how many people you ask in Facebook groups to tell you about living there, your own experience will be vastly different. You need to feel the place, walk the streets, and get a good sense if it’s somewhere you can actually call home.
When I say visit, I’m not talking about a long weekend either. To really get a good sense of a place, I’ve found that two weeks actually does the trick. This is because in the first week you’re going to do all the Top 10 Must-Sees and recommendations from travel blogs and what have you. You’ll be in the exciting honeymoon phase of travelling. In the second week, maybe your to-do list will be thinner, maybe you will be a bit tired and want to take it easy. This is good. This will allow you to be in that place as a regular person.
And that’s what you want, right? To be a regular person in this new place, to make it feel like home, to live your day to day in a new city, country, or even continent. Even the most ardent travellers like to have a home base; it’s just a human need, after all.
Image: Moving Solutions
It’s that sense that you need to really get a good grip on a place. You need to be able to wander around, check out a normal grocery store and park. Just… be. It’s in this second week that you’ll actually get what it would be like to live there rather than just to visit. I know this may be cost-prohibitive, but if it’s within your budget to do it, I cannot recommend it enough. Moving somewhere without having spent any time there can be a delightful surprise, but more often than not, you’ll be wishing you had that time to really solidify your choice on whether it’s the right place for you or not.
Unsure of where to start? Let me say that Moving Solutions is a key and well thought of business that will take care of everything for you!
Not only will they take care of all the details for you, but you won’t have to worry about moving all those boxes and getting them to and fro. As someone who has done moves by myself before, I wish so much that I had actually just hired movers. It takes the stress away and saves your poor muscles from giving out midway through carrying a sofa. They truly treat their customers like family because after all, doesn’t everyone want to be treated fair, honest and feel as if they are in the best hands possible? The friendly staff truly treats you like VIPs both in person and over the phone and even has an entire page on their website dedicated to happy and satisfied customer testimonies to prove it. So if you’re looking to head to, be sure to find a great long distance movers in Tennessee like Moving Solutions! You’ll be so happy you did.
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