How to Make the Most of this Sometimes Disorienting (yet Often Priceless!) Opportunity  

Congratulations! You’ve just accepted a position somewhere exotic or are finally seeking a new job opportunity halfway across the world. Your ticket is booked and time is ticking —  now what?

The truth is, there is nothing more exciting, yet potentially intimidating, than taking a one-way trip to your next destination; even if you plan to come back in a year, you feel as if you’re at the point of no return for those next twelve months.

Don’t sweat it. Take a deep breath, think happy thoughts about how many people would be thrilled to have the chance to see other parts of the world up close — as you will be doing —  and follow these tried-and-tested tips to make your transition smooth.

Begin with the Basics 

A helpful preliminary move is to research what issues you may face within the first couple months of your stay. Taking the time to do so will decrease stress and improve your comfort level upon arrival.  Here is a list of smart must-do’s:

• • • A mandatory, sensible first step — given the condition of the world these days – is to read up about your destination country’s state of political state of affairs, and any travel restrictions.  Visit the U.S.  State Department’s site at  travel.state.gov for up-to-the-minute data: type in the country’s name, and every kind of detail, including the nation’s currency restrictions, immunizations needed, current crime levels, travel alerts, and visa requirements, will pop up.  For general updates, see also the State Dept.’s official travel site on Twitter.
  • • Next, check your passport’s expiration date.  If it’s valid  for well beyond your stay, you’re fine; if not, go to travel.state.gov’s passport page. Make note that if you need to get it any sooner than the standard window of time, an extra fee will apply.
    • Find out what sort of visa you will need for your destination country, then use the info at travel.state.gov. You can also get official, reliable, current info straight from the host nation by typing the name of the country, then “government website visa” into a web search engine. (For instance, some countries require you to do specific paid or voluntary work in the first year of your visa to extend your stay, as in Australia, where visitors are expected to do three months of rural farm work before being allowed to remain further.)
    • Once you have your passport and visa in hand, make two photocopies of each, giving one set to a reliable friend or relative back home, and keeping one in your luggage, with a digital, scanned version saved to two different locations, in case one gets deleted.

Negotiating Travel “What-Ifs” 

At the travel.state.gov site, you can locate, among many other facts, the address and website of the nearest U.S. embassy at your destination, as well as the smaller U.S. consular offices dotted throughout the country (important if you will be heading to a rural area).  You can also usually locate community resources here you will need in case of any emergency; for example – and very importantly – most passport issues need to be reported to the local police first before the embassy looks at your case.

Lastly, in case you have to come back to the U.S. during your overseas stay for family events, Christmas, etc. be sure to check the U.S. Customs website so that you do not bring back any prohibited food items as well-meaning, exotic gifts for family.

Everyday Essentials

By now you should have your paperwork in hand, and can get down to thinking about the personal side of things: if you are heading to a remote or rural area, research what products may not be available for purchase. Stocking up on a large supply of necessary medications, or your favorite health supplements, as well as hygienic and beauty products, is always a good idea. Make a list of those you feel you must have – e.g. favorite face cream or vitamin formulation — then ensure you have enough to last you two to three months,  and see if an online retailer will be able to deliver items (especially important if, again, you will be at a rural location). Once you have settled in over there, take the time to search in nearby towns/cities to see if you can buy the products there (likely if it is a global brand), or if you can find something equivalent.

In addition, take time to muse about items that you will need year-round: everything from a good-quality raincoat and umbrella if you are going to England or Scotland, to a mosquito net if you will be based somewhere tropical. Travelsmith.com has an excellent selection of items, as well as a very informative Travel Center and Blog.

Be Smart, Savvy and Safe 

No trip should be ruined by unforeseen circumstances. So before leaving, make sure to register your travels with your home country’s embassy. The U.S. even has a Smart Traveler’s Enrollment Program to help overseas American travelers in case of any conflict in the region. Then, when journeying around your new location, always carry local emergency service numbers to the police and fire department. You can often find these on the website for the U.S. embassy in the host nation, for instance, under “Resources.”

You can also increase your sense of personal security by staying in well-lit areas on popular streets, especially when traveling alone. To help you on your way, go to Google maps to download an app, or the maps.com Travel Maps site to buy a fold-out city version. 

Culture and Behavior

While all of these basics may sound overwhelming, now that you have a handle on the get-prepared-and-stay-safe angle, it’s time to remember the uplifting, possibly once-in-a-lifetime aspect of your sojourn.

You’re going to live in a foreign country and see the world!  You will get a new perspective on your own country, and maybe discover and appreciate elements of other societies (lengthy vacation time and cradle-to-grave health coverage in Europe, for instance).  So to get the most out of your stay, and to help you feel more at ease, remember these pointers:

• • • Resolve to at least attempt some phrases in the host country’s language, particularly “please” and “thank you,” which are enormously appreciated.
  • • Get to know the culture of your destination by doing the pre-reading at the websites mentioned earlier, and give some thought to societally unacceptable behaviors. Although you will learn along the way, it’s always beneficial to obtain a basic knowledge of such things to help with your transition. For example, in India, you would never extend your left hand to shake hands with a new acquaintance or colleague. In fact, learning what everyday hand signals mean will also help you in general to avoid offending locals. Even such a small mishap as giving the “thumbs-up” or peace sign — which have different meanings in many countries — could lead to embarrassment and possibly ruin your first impression.
    • Research or ask colleagues about appropriate business attire in the new location, and how to show your new colleagues and boss respect in the work place. To get more info, you can check out the online International Business Centre and view etiquetteinternational.com’s recommended reading list, which tends towards more formal situations. Or take some lighthearted fare to read on the plane: smart, helpful books like Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, or Behave Yourself!
    • Time can be a complicated concept, meaning different things to different cultures. In western countries, for instance, when something is planned for 5:30 p.m., it’s common sense that the meeting or engagement will begin at 5:30pm.  Whereas — it sounds funny and as if it is a stereotype, but it is true — in some Asian and African countries, it’s just standard that 5:30 p.m. can sometimes mean 7 p.m. Likewise, your foreign friend saying that he or she will be ten minutes late can actually mean an hour.
    • So patience is an important trait to carry along with you no matter where you go, especially if moving away from a western country. Always have a charged phone with you and something to occupy yourself, like a book, open laptop, or pen and paper. You’d be surprised by how much you could accomplish simply by waiting on someone for a business dinner!
    • That said, although being on time may be an issue for colleagues and clients, don’t let this become one of your habits. Remember that in business situations, whether you like it or not, you will be seen as representing not only your company, but your country. If you need to be somewhere, make sure to plan routes and modes of transportation so that you can be on time for your engagement.
    • You can do this easily: find out about public transportation schedules worldwide, and get ahead of the game, by visiting routesinternational.com, using worldtaximeter.com’s fare-calculating tool, or finding general info about taxis around the globe by visiting Wikipedia’s thorough, very informative listings on the subject (in Israel, for instance, the meter is rarely used, and bargaining for a fare is instead preferred).

Staving Off Homesickness

The great truth about your overseas adventure is that once you settle in, you will be flooded with new stimuli, much of it pleasant, refreshing and exciting – or at the very least, new.  You will probably very much enjoy that aspect:  after all, travel can like a “spring-cleaning” for the mind.  And again, you will likely find some aspects of the foreign culture delightful or amazing.  You can also stay in contact with family back in your own land, via Skype, email, etc. now more than ever.

That said, there will probably come a day when the time difference means you can’t call your relatives, and you simply don’t have the energy to consult your phrasebook once again, or inquire with locals about unfamiliar menu items. When that happens, it’s probably a good idea to give in to your need for a “homesick fix.”  So go ahead: look online for a restaurant to let your palate experience its yearning for your home cuisine (probably easy to find if you are in a cosmopolitan European city), then stream a movie on your computer in your home language, or listen to a radio station from anywhere on the globe at liveradio.net.  Look online as well for expatriate groups at meetup.com or interNations’ site for expatriates. You’ll feel better afterwards, and in the days following, can get back to the fascinating, exciting process – that many people will never have — of experiencing a foreign culture.

Final thoughts: Overall, the most important part of moving abroad is to relax before you leave. You will find that everything falls into place over time, and that patience is your number one asset. Keep an open mind, and keep a journal. Email people back home to share your impressions and maintain a sense of perspective. Observe and evaluate everything around you to help with culture shock; at the same time, try not to judge, but to look at differences in an interested, detached way.  And remember to take care of all the practicalities mentioned above to aid a more serene and successful transition.  Bon voyage!