How to move to another country — Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Whether you are looking to move to another country permanently or try it out for a few months, keep reading because I will give you the most comprehensive breakdown of how you can turn your monotonous life into an adventure worthy of a movie plot.

Keep in mind that this article is the first of a very long series, so if you find it useful, bookmark it and come back once in a while, as I will link all the new posts to this one.

But before we get into the details, let me tell you why you should listen to me. In 2018, my wife and I lived in Toronto, Canada, and although we love our city, we were tired of our daily commutes and the long freezing winters. That's when we started planning our great escape. At the time, I already owned my business, but Brianne was working in tech sales, and she couldn't pack up her things and leave that easily. But despite that, within eight months from when we decided, we were all packed up and ready to go. And as of 2022, we're still in Italy and living our best lives. If you want to know more about my story click here to tab out that post.

Now let me show you how, and to do that, I will break down the five key areas that you must take care of before boarding your one-way flight.

Setting up your job for working abroad.

If you have been working for the same company for a long time, and your employer won't offer you a "work from anywhere in the world" contract, you may have to look for another job. But before you do that, research comparable positions in your local area and bring them to your employer. For example, if you are a marketing specialist, go on a few job portals, look for a "remote marketing specialist" position, and find a few jobs similar to yours. Then send those postings to your employer and let them know that you'd like to start working remotely. Then tell them that before you apply to work elsewhere, you'd like to see if they can modify your contract to fit your needs. Make sure to stress that you love working there and that you'd much rather stay. This method used to work well even in 2018, but now that most jobs offer some remote work option, it works even better.

But if you own your own business, the transition will not be hard. If you meet clients in person, you can pivot to a fully remote setup for a few months. Before you discount that option, let me tell you the story of my client Kim. She is a physiotherapist, and since her job required her to be in front of her patients daily, she was not sure she could operate remotely. But then she put together an extensive 8-week video program that her patients could follow from their homes. After a couple of months, she started offering online physio sessions coupled with the online program. The purpose of this blog post is not to show you how to convert your company to a remote business, but if you want us to show you how you can do that, you can click here and get a free consultation.

But by now, I hope you see that the only thing stopping you from working remotely is that you weren't aware of how to do it yet. So make a plan now, and give yourself a deadline to figure out your remote work situation.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you're looking for a new job and your employer won't offer you a "work from anywhere in the world" contract, you may have to look for another job. Make sure to stress that you love working there and that you'd much rather stay. If you own your own business, you can pivot to a remote setup for a few months.

Dealing with documents, taxes, and insurance.

Now that you sorted out your work situation, it's time to look at the admin piece of your move. This may not be the most exciting part of traveling, yet, you must figure that out.

Documents: The required documentation changes based on where you travel and how long you plan to stay. Because every country requires different, I'm not going to list them all, but I will give you a couple of benchmarks.

If you plan on relocating to Europe as a US citizen, you can stay anywhere in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period. The 180 days keep rolling, so if you are unsure how to calculate that, count back 180 days from today and make sure you haven't spent more than 90 days there. For a complete list of Schengen countries, click here. If you want to travel to the UK, you are welcome to stay there for up to six months.

Regardless, if you are a US citizen, there is no limit to how long you can stay out of the country as long as you keep paying your taxes. So you could choose to move every 90 days (or 180, depending on where you are) to avoid the need for special visas. In fact, if you don't want to commit to getting a visa yet, here are some more countries that will welcome you as a tourist for six months: Canada, Lesotho, Mexico, Panama, Barbados, and Dominica.

If you are planning on staying longer in any country, look into their visa requirements and make sure you also sort out your tax situation.

Taxes: In most countries, when you get a work visa, you'll also need to pay taxes. So, before you leave your country to work elsewhere, speak to your accountant and tell them that you plan to file taxes abroad. I said "as well" because, as a US citizen, you must file taxes on your worldwide income, no matter where you are working and living.

Insurance: Getting insurance abroad used to be a pain, but cross-border insurance policies have become more common since digital nomadism became more mainstream. Take SafetyWing, for example. They offer medical insurance for digital nomads, remote workers, and even remote startups. So before you leave your country, contact them and set up your own policy, so you don't risk being uncovered in a foreign country.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you are a US citizen, there is no limit to how long you can stay out of the country as long as you keep paying your taxes. Canada, Lesotho, Mexico, Panama, Barbados, and Dominica are some countries that will welcome you as a tourist for six months.

Dealing with your home

If you own your home, chances are you have a ton of personal belongings, so you have to choose. Are you going to leave it empty or rent it out?

When my wife and I moved, we had been living in our condo for 5 years. And since we knew we wanted to stay away for a long time, we decided to sell almost everything we owned (insane, right?) and rent it. We listed everything from our bed frame to our Christmas tree ornament on Facebook Marketplace, and we sold it all in less than three weeks. That was, by far, the most time-consuming and stressful part of the move. We met with over 50 buyers, and by the end, we were eating and sleeping on the floor! All we had left was our books, clothes, and a few other items, so we stored that stuff in our condo locker room.

In the meantime, we listed our condo for rent, so we had tenants moving in by the time we left. Keep in mind that we chose to rent it as an unfurnished property. But if you don't want to sell all your furniture (maybe you're planning on coming back in a year or less), you can rent your home as a furnished property. Furnished units are great as short-term rentals. If you live in a bigger city, you'll find several companies looking for furnished apartments for their traveling executives.

BOTTOM LINE:

When you buy a home, you have to decide if you're going to leave it empty or rent it out. We sold everything from our bed frame to our Christmas tree ornament on Facebook Marketplace. That was, by far, the most time-consuming and stressful part of the move.

Dealing with your pets

If you own a pet (or multiple pets), you know that it's not easy leaving them behind. We have two cats and, from day one, we knew that they would come with us. Again, just like other documentation, every country has different rules, but there are a few things you need to do, no matter where you go. First, make sure that your pet is microchipped. The chip ensures that your pet can be identified if it runs away. Then verify that your fur friend is up to date with all its rabies vaccinations and tapeworm treatment. And finally, get a pet passport or an official veterinary certificate (depending on where you live.)

Another thing to take into account is the pet and carrier size. If your pet is less than 20 pounds, it can fly with you in the cabin. Just make sure that you are bringing it in a carrier that has been approved by the airline. Keep in mind that most airlines won't allow hard plastic carriers to fly as carryons. If your pet is over 20 pounds, it won't be able to fly with you. Remember that a pet has no clue what's happening during the flight, so it can be extremely stressful for them to be away from you, especially with all those loud plane noises. We flew with our cats once, but now that we are in Europe and we visit Canada for 3 weeks at a time, we just get a trusted cat sitter or let friends stay in our home during that time. That's a lot less stressful for them!

BOTTOM LINE:

Every country has different rules, but there are a few things you need to do. If your pet is less than 20 pounds, it can fly with you in the cabin. Just make sure that you are bringing it in a carrier that has been approved by the airline.

Finding a local community for support

Now that you have arrived at your destination, it's time to build your social circle. This is not a mandatory step, but if you decide to connect with people locally, it will make your life a whole lot easier.

If your goal is to soak up the culture, it will make a lot more sense to hang out with the locals (more on that in the next point.) But if your goal is to get support with the everyday challenges that arise when moving to a new country, your best bet is to look for a local expat community on Facebook. Depending on where you are moving, you may find several English-speaking groups for all your needs.

For example, the day before my wife and I moved to Italy, she joined the Expats Living in Rome Facebook group, and she made a couple of connections. So the day after we landed, we joined them for a big dinner party, and we made a ton of friends that helped us navigate all the details of the move (applying for the right visa, getting a local driver's license, setting up a yearly lease, etc.)

Then, when my wife and I got pregnant, she used her expat connections to find a group of English-speaking expecting mothers. Some come from the US, Canada, and the UK, but others are from Kenya, Switzerland, Singapore, and more.

If you're afraid you'll feel lonely and isolated, let me assure you that you won't be alone. Just make sure to research local expat groups before you leave, and you'll instantly become part of a welcoming community. That's because expats often have the "we're all in this together" mentality, so they will go the extra mile to help each other out.

On a side note, the first night we joined the expats for dinner, I networked with a few North-American entrepreneurs, and I secured two clients that same night. Then, as a result, I got several referrals in the following months. It doesn't matter how big (or small) the city you're moving to is. As long as you keep an open mind and mingle with like-minded people, you'll find it easier to promote your business in a community like this than under normal circumstances.

BOTTOM LINE:

If your goal is to soak up the culture, it will make sense to hang out with locals. If you want support with everyday challenges, look for a local expat community on Facebook. Some come from the US, Canada, and the UK, but others are from Kenya, Switzerland, Singapore, and more.

Learning the new language

There are two ways to learn a new language fast when moving to a foreign country. One is full immersion, and the other is spaced repetition.

Full immersion means getting out of the house and soaking in everything you hear and see. Instead of just going for a walk with your headphones, stay present and turn every interaction into a learning opportunity. For example, when walking down the street, try reading and deciphering the billboards. When you go grocery shopping, read all the packaging and labels carefully. That's the easiest way to learn a new language because you can associate new words with the images and products they refer to. Plus, if you go to the same store more than once, the clerks may even help you out (especially if you don't go during rush hour!)

Other full-immersion activities that you can quickly start doing as soon as you move to another country are: joining a gym, getting a library card, signing up for a sports league to play with the locals, watching the local news and TV shows, attending business or social events, and more.

All those activities are great for understanding and speaking the new language, but if you want to learn how to write (and speak) properly, you need to learn grammar. And to do that, you need the kind of spaced repetition you get in language class. To do that, you can either look for a local community center or take online classes.

Depending on where you're heading, you may find free online and in-person courses. Once you find an institute, you'll need to take a test to establish your proficiency level, and they'll assign you to the proper class.

As a word of caution, you may feel awkward initially because you're not as good as you'd like. Whether you're taking an in-person or online class, you may notice that your classmates are much younger but more proficient than you.

Most expats are go-getters, and they pride themselves on being worldly, but this is not the time to show off your experiences. Put your ego aside and enjoy being a total beginner at something again. Spaced repetition is all about making mistakes, learning from them, and repeating the process. So if you hold back, you won't get the full benefits of being in a class environment.

I know that moving to a foreign country can seem like a daunting task, but as long as you take it one step at a time, you'll find yourself living your best life abroad in no time.

This is part of what I teach all my clients at the Remote CEO academy. Running a lifestyle business is not only about driving sales and building a remote team to free up your schedule. You also have to develop the lifestyle portion by meticulously designing every aspect of your schedule, from the people you work with or hang out with in your free time to the activities you choose to do.

If you are a professional or a solopreneur looking to land high-ticket clients and automate your business so you can work less than 15 hours a week, click here to watch free training. We've helped hundreds of people build freedom businesses, and you can be our next success story. Check out our video testimonials, and let's chat!

BOTTOM LINE:

There are two ways to learn a new language fast when moving to a foreign country. One is full immersion and the other is spaced repetition. Full immersion involves soaking in everything you see and hear. Once you find an institute, you'll need to take a test to establish your proficiency level. As a word of caution, you may feel awkward initially because you're not as good as you'd like. Running a lifestyle business is not only about driving sales and building a remote team.