{"id":4159,"date":"2023-11-25T07:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T12:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startabroad.com\/?p=4159"},"modified":"2026-05-14T09:28:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:28:41","slug":"first-step-to-moving-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/startabroad.com\/es\/first-step-to-moving-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Important and Overlooked First Step to Moving to a New Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are you looking for help moving abroad? Speak with an international relocation specialist by reaching out to info@startabroad.com.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>

Have you been thinking about moving to another country? Wondering where to start? Or are you feeling stuck, and wondering how to ACTUALLY make your move abroad happen?<\/p>

As someone who has lived in 6 different countries over the past 11 years, I know firsthand that there are a lot of ways you can move abroad. The most important first step you can take is often the most overlooked. Here is what I\u2019ve learned about taking the RIGHT first step toward an international move that will help you follow through with your plans and find happiness in a new country.<\/p>

Begin with WHY<\/h3>

The process of moving internationally is long and can be exhausting. To follow through with your plan despite possible hiccups, you\u2019re going to need a good WHY<\/strong>. To adapt an idea from Simon Sinek<\/a>, we often get overly focused on the less important aspects of moving abroad \u2013 the HOW, the WHAT, and the WHERE.<\/p>

Let\u2019s start with the WHERE. When you\u2019re dreaming of moving to another country, you are probably fantasizing about where you could move. Is it a tropical beach? A charming European city? Maybe you recently took a wonderful trip, and you\u2019re thinking about extending it \u2013 permanently. Or maybe you think about WHAT you\u2019ll do in that new country. Maybe you plan to go surfing every day, or you\u2019ll eat the world\u2019s best croissants each and every morning. Maybe you\u2019ll go on beautiful mountain hikes while living more cheaply than you could in the U.S. or Canada.<\/p>

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If you\u2019re further along in the process, or you\u2019re more Type A, you might also be considering the HOW. Which type of visa should you get? Which town or neighborhood will you live in? How will you transfer money to your new home?<\/p>

Editor\u2019s note: Answering the HOW is StartAbroad\u2019s bread and butter. If you need help with any details, <\/em><\/strong>we\u2019re here for you<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

Where you will live, the type of life you want, and how to make that happen are all important. You should absolutely think about all of them. Day-dreaming about Parisian croissants or Costa Rica sunsets may very well fuel you through your international move journey.<\/p>

But here is the most important thing to do when planning for an international move: start with WHY.<\/strong> If you can first identify your reasons for moving, you\u2019ll be much more likely to follow through with an international move. This is because:<\/p>

  1. A strong WHY will keep you going when you experience hiccups during your move. It\u2019s challenging to move and adapt to a new country! Your foundation needs to be strong to keep you steady throughout the process. Your WHY is your foundation.<\/li>
  2. Without a clear WHY, you could easily get seduced by the idea of life abroad being like a vacation. While living in another country can be eye-opening, full of awe and discovery, and a true adventure, it is NOT a holiday. Believing otherwise sets up your new home country for failure \u2013 it is hard to meet the expectation of a year-round vacation.<\/li><\/ol>

    That\u2019s all fine, but what do you mean by WHY? Aren\u2019t beach-sunsets and croissants enough?<\/p>

    Push vs Pull Factors<\/h3>

    Hopefully you now have some reasons you want to move to another country. Let\u2019s take a closer look at those. WHY do you want to move to a new country? Consider:<\/p>

    1. Something pulling you to that place?<\/li>
    2. Something pushing you away from where you are now?<\/li>
    3. Some combination of the two?<\/li><\/ol>

      Here\u2019s the key<\/u><\/strong>: In my experience, you need at least one good pull factor.<\/strong> A pull factor is something attracting you to a new place. It\u2019s about the upside of a new country, and it\u2019s pulling you<\/strong> to that spot in the world. You could have one really significant pull factor, like a job or a romantic partner in another country, or you could have a couple medium-sized ones, like a desire to see the world or live in another language or save some money.<\/p>

      You may also want to leave some things behind. We can call these push factors, the things that are pushing<\/strong> you away from your current life. Most people have these \u2013 after all, it\u2019s rare that anyone is entirely<\/em> content where they are. A lot of us have fleeting dreams about a better life elsewhere. What you need to consider carefully is:<\/p>

      1. Push factors alone are typically not enough motivation to make a move<\/li>
      2. If they are, you are less likely to be happy in a new country, because\u2026<\/li>
      3. Oftentimes you cannot outrun them.<\/li><\/ol>

        I\u2019ll give you a personal example<\/u>: I have a track record of working really hard, burning out, and then feeling generally depressed and underappreciated at work. Turns out, changing the scenery and the language around me do not change my real problems: my work habits and motivations. Escaping burnout has never been my primary motivation for moving, but did I expect it to disappear when I crossed national borders? Yes, I did. I was wrong.<\/p>

        Changing your country isn\u2019t going to solve most of the things that bother you about your life today. You could just end up trading off pet peeves in your current home for others. What will be more reliable, enriching, and rewarding is thinking about what you gain<\/u> from an international move. Identify some strong pull factors!<\/p>

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        If you\u2019re having trouble identifying push vs pull, ask yourself, in your heart of hearts, is this about something I\u2019m adding to my life? Or is it about something I no longer want in my life?<\/p>

        Put on Your Life Lens, NOT your Vacation Lens<\/h3>

        I currently live in Costa Rica and talk to a lot of aspiring expats who want to move here for the long-haul. I\u2019m talking about a full-time move, not a second home. If that sounds like you, the number one recommendation I would make is to visit your dream country without your vacation glasses on.<\/p>

        On vacation, you are:<\/p>