Thinking of Moving Abroad? Here is What You Should Know

Are you planning to move abroad but you don’t know where to start? In this blog I will tell you all the things that you should know about moving abroad before actually moving abroad.

I moved to Valencia in September with my boyfriend, with no plan, no job, and no accommodation. I had just returned from a month in Chicago and I was broke. But with only around €300 in my bank account I was admin to make it happen. So, here is what I do and definitely DO NOT recommend doing before moving abroad as a broke graduate.

How to pick where to move to?

When deciding where you want to live, you need to think of a number of factors before booking your plane ticket. 

If you are on a budget, like I was, the first and most important thing you need to look into is: Is it affordable to get there? If you are living in Ireland or the UK, it can be more accessible to choose one of the bigger cities in Europe to move to, but before setting your heart on anywhere, look at flights. We chose Valencia in Spain, and the cost of travel was pretty average. We spent around €100 for a very last minute one way flight including a 20kg bag. However, there are places that will cost you a lot more or a lot less.

The most expensive places to fly to in Europe from Ireland, include Florence in Italy, Zurich in Switzerland, and Copenhagen in Denmark, to just name a few. The cheapest places to fly to from Ireland, include Frankfurt in Germany, Milan in Italy, and Barcelona in Spain. Although these will vary from different times of the year, it is worth checking the price of flights before deciding on a location.

As well as this, you will want to look at the cost of living in that country before deciding to move there. When picking Valencia, we were already aware that it was relatively cheap to live in. This all depends on what your income is, if you are on a budget or whether you are worried about money. Living in a cheaper city can make the financial stress of moving to a new country a lot easier. Be mindful that popular European cities will always be more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. Maybe it is your dream to live in Paris, but is it affordable?

Besides the financial part of things, pick somewhere that you can imagine being your home because at the end of the day for the time you are there, it will be. Consider picking a location that you know you will like, if you have been to Italy before and have hated the experience, maybe an Italian city won’t be the best fit for you. If you have never been to the Netherlands before, do your research and make sure that it is somewhere you can imagine yourself living. I recommend RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, because you definitely don’t want to make the big move and end up regretting it. 

How you should approach securing accommodation:

We arrived in Valencia with no accommodation, thinking we would land on our feet in the first week and find an apartment… but this was not the case. It ended up causing a lot of stress and a lot of moving around. We paid for an AirBnB for our first week while we went to view apartments, but with our lack of the Spanish language and our steep budget, we found it so hard to find a place to live. We were lucky that our friends who were also living in Valencia were travelling Spain for a week, so while they went travelling we spent our second week in Valencia staying at their place. Going into our third week, we still had nowhere to live, so we decided to travel the North of Spain for a week, just before we had to return to Ireland for a week to graduate from college. 

We essentially spent our first month abroad with no place to live. We were living out of a suitcase, with nowhere to properly cook and it became frustrating to say the least. So, the moral of the story is never assume you will secure a place quickly because we went to countless viewings and searched everywhere but it still ended up nearly taking four weeks to actually find a place.

Initially we wanted to live in the city, but after our struggles with finding an apartment. We went on a website called Spotahome and found a reasonably priced, nice place near the beach. It wasn’t the location we wanted, or necessarily the house we wanted but now that we have lived here for 3 months, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The city centre is only a 20 minute bus ride away or you can cycle into the city in about 40 minutes. And to be honest, we never really go into the city because we actually have a lot of amenities in close proximity to us, nevermind the beach only being a 5 minute walk from our front door.

My top recommendation before moving abroad is to go on websites such as Spotahome or HousingAnywhere to secure an apartment before you leave. If you are planning to move for a short period of time these websites are perfect, as you can filter your settings to accommodate your needs, including the length of your stay, your budget, and location. These sites cater for a wide variety of European cities, so you can filter your options and see at a click of a button what type of accommodation is available to you.

3. How to get a job that allows you to work from anywhere? 

A lot of people think they can’t travel because they will have to quit their jobs, that they don’t have enough money, or that they will be broke within a few weeks of travelling. However, working from the comfort of your own home has blown up in the last few years, making it easier than ever to work from wherever you want in the world. 

When I first moved to Spain I didn’t have a job, I was applying for freelance jobs in journalism, copywriting, and content creation for a lot of different companies. I had two requirements for the job that I wanted and they were: to work remotely and also to have freedom, meaning I didn’t want to be tied to a contract. Luckily for me, the first week after I moved to Spain, I got in contact with the employer I did my summer internship with and they had shifts for me. With them I could work remotely and my contract was a freelancers contract so I didn’t have to make any huge commitments. 

You may think that I was just lucky to get a job like this but it won’t happen for you. Well, I can assure you that is not true. I did a lot of interviews for remote working jobs before receiving that offer and I actually did get a job with a start-up company in Ireland. Since I knew how my previous work place was run and due to the money being better, I didn’t accept the job I got offered. But that’s not the point, the point is that within only a few weeks of applying for a remote working job, I actually got one.

I do understand that not everyone has the skills or a degree that will secure them a WFH job. However, if you do your research, you will find something that will suit you. Here are a few jobs I applied for that had nothing to do with my degree:

• English Teacher: (Don’t need a qualification for some jobs)
• Copywriter: (Only requires a degree in any field)
• Translator: (If you have a second language)
• Content Creator: (No degree required)

And these are only a few! I used Linkedin as my main outlet in applying for jobs. It is so simple to attach your CV and cover letter to your account and that way you can apply for jobs within seconds of them being published. Indeed.ie is also a good website to find WFH jobs and you can even put remote working in your search engine on these websites so you are only met with these types of job options.

You can also apply for a work visa in the country you are moving to, which can be relatively easy. I would recommend doing this before you go, as it can take a couple of weeks. All the information you need to apply for a work visa is usually on the country’s government website and some employers in that country will even do the whole process for you. This will allow you to work freely within that country.

How to make friends while you’re abroad?

Chances are that wherever you are in the world, there will always be someone else who is in your position. And most of the time, there are lots of other people in your position. Whether you are travelling on your own, with your friends or with your partner, it is always a good idea to take part in activities to meet new people. This way you can make new friends for life but you can also find out a lot more about the city you just moved to from those that have been there longer than you. It is also a good way to keep up with the hobbies you enjoy most or to start something new that you have always wanted to try.

You could try joining a local sports team, even if you aren’t good at the sport, so many people there will be there for the exact same reasons you are: to make friends. Yoga or pilates is also a good way to stay fit and healthy but also meet so many amazing people. A lot of cities have lessons through the English language, so just do your research and you’re bound to find a group perfect for you. 

This is the yoga group I went to in Valencia: jennison grigsby (@yogawithjennison) • Instagram photos and videos

If you are from Ireland, you can find a GAA club nearly anywhere in the world. This is a great way to meet people from your home country that have also moved abroad and usually these teams aren’t competitive, so there is no pressure to be good at the sport. You just need to show up and have fun!

If sport isn’t your thing, you can always try sea swimming groups, poetry slams, reading groups, hiking clubs, dance lessons, art classes, or volunteering. Facebook groups are a great way to find what is going on in the area.

What’s the best way to get around big cities:

If you move to a city and you feel like you will need to use public transport, you should look into the city’s bicycle routes. Although the public bus and metro train in most big cities usually cost a euro or two, it will still add up to a lot of money as the weeks go on. 

You may need the bus or metro for longer journeys but if you’re travelling everyday a bike could be your best friend. A lot of European cities have fantastic bike lanes and you can access bikes from designated bike stands throughout the city. These are usually quite cheap and could save you a lot of money.

When I moved to Spain I got a yearly subscription with Valencia city’s bike company called Valensibisi, which cost €30. They only had a yearly or weekly subscription, so that is why I paid for the year, but €30 is very cheap for the amount I used the bike and if you break it up that is only €2.50 a month for the entire year.