The benefits of moving abroad
It’s interesting to see how and why many of us end up settling where we do. Some enjoy being in the area they’ve lived all their lives. Others enjoy the chance to live somewhere new. Some of us are swept away by love. Then there are some who never really settle down at all.
Is there a ‘right’ way to settle down? Perhaps the children have flown the nest or haven’t begun their school days yet. Both of which are the perfect opportunity to look to move abroad!
A fresh start
Many of us discount the benefits of gaining a fresh start from the life we know. This is because it can often be seen as ‘running away’. Perhaps you just want to redefine yourself, somewhere new where no one knows who you are, and you have the potential to rebuild completely.
A fresh start can be many different things. Afresh start for your career, a fresh start for your child heading to a new school, or perhaps a chance for your spouse to finally get started on their business idea.
Absorbing a new culture
Going to a new country can be fantastic for you and your family. It’s great for children, as they easily pick up other languages or understand new cultures when they are having to learn everything from their environment
Stepping outside your comfort zone
If a fresh start is the gentle kick to help you focus on what matters to you, then stepping outside your comfort zone is a massive benefit that can help develop you and your family.
For example, consider our example of an English resident, this time moving to Melbourne. Sure, the same language is spoken. Both cultures can understand each other quite well and likely share many of the same things in common. But all countries have their own differences.
Professional development
Moving and living abroad can also foster that ‘fresh start’ mentality needed for stepping out and finally making a go of things. But living abroad has much more to offer in terms of your professional development, and it can be quite humbling to understand how this is so.
Having experience under your belt in another country is often look at positively by employers. It shows you can adapt to situations, you can cope in new environments, that you have a willingness to go outside of your comfort zone and to experience the best of things, no matter where they are. Learning of idiosyncrasies like this can give you a massive advantage if you return home to develop yourself professionally.
Travel opportunities
Moving abroad is itself a travel opportunity, and so it’s almost too obvious to mention. If you live in Australia for example, suddenly that holiday to Sydney doesn’t seem as much of a long trek as it might have done previously.
Travel opportunities can unlock in a fresh new way, in a much more convenient set of opportunities. When you make the most of this, you can enjoy the best of things.
Financial prowess
If you can financially manage a move to a new country, handling your affairs, applying for certain concessions, arranging travel, you have a range of life skills that can only benefit you from your financial perspective from then on. Remember, moving is not an easy process. It can take time, dedication, and care. And yet completing this successfully will take the fear out of the process completely.
Sometimes, it can be best to live abroad to simply finally realize one of your dreams, because avoiding this due to fear is often not a good enough reason.
* This is a collaborative post.
