Friends called me brave when I told them I was moving abroad alone to a little-known country called Kyrgyzstan;
Moving to a new country is scary, especially for a single woman. You have no idea what to expect or how to best prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is especially true when entering an entirely new society with language barriers.
I’ve relocated from the United Kingdom to Kyrgyzstan in search of a new beginning. In London, I felt drained of any creative energy. I’ve had several failed businesses and run out of new ideas for moving my life forward and growing my business. All of my ideas were remakes of things I’d heard from other people.
Travelling alone is a fantastic way to learn more about yourself and what you can do. You will meet many more people than if you were travelling with others because you will be forced to be more social. It also allows you to make friends along the way and learn independence.
But be prepared for the following challenges.
1. You miss your family and friends
Solo international relocation is challenging and isolating, but despite my homesickness, modern technology allows me to maintain regular contact with my loved ones, so I don’t stress if I don’t have any friends immediately; trust me, you’ll make them soon enough.
To help you transition into your next chapter of life, take advantage of any time off between jobs to go on an adventure with your loved ones if they are up for it.
2. Moving Abroad Alone is an opportunity for self-reflection
The stillness was the first thing I noticed during my first weeks abroad because nothing distracts my attention. My thoughts became loud and clear, and it was frightening. It was as if they had never existed before.
This is the most valuable part of travelling alone. My thoughts were always present but drowned out by the city life’s hustle and bustle. It’s no surprise that I was drained and lacked creativity.
Because you can’t avoid your thoughts, facing them is best. Prayer, mindfulness, and meditation practises can help you cope with stress and anxiety in your daily life.
You do not need to be a mindfulness expert to be effective. Instead, try some guided mindfulness on apps like Calm or Headspace! These sessions are designed for beginners, making them far more effortless than ordinary sitting practices. Calm and Headspace both offer free and paid subscriptions. If you’re new to mindfulness, start with the free trial and concentrate on learning basic practices. Once the free trial period expires, the free versions of these apps provide a wealth of helpful content. More free mindfulness apps can be found here.
You’d be shocked how quickly you start noticing benefits from mindfulness exercises like these every day: stress levels reduce, sleep improves dramatically, capacity to focus improves noticeably, and general thinking becomes clearer. These are crucial when dealing with significant life transitions.
3. Be careful
It’s hard to be spontaneous without also taking risks. On the one hand, it’s fun to jump in and enjoy the moment; however, just because you’re having fun doesn’t mean you can be careless or put yourself in danger.
On your travels, you will meet like-minded people, foreigners, ex-pats, and digital nomads. Even though it’s great to make new friends, you don’t know these people. You have no idea why they are here; they could be criminals on the run. You don’t know, so it’s okay to wait to trust new people.
Trust is built up slowly over time, so take your time and get to know your new friends well before you are in a situation where you could be hurt. I am not just talking about romance; be careful with platonic and romantic friendships. You might want to avoid hiking in the middle of nowhere with someone you just met. Go out with different kinds of people and save solo trips for later.
4. You have to start over from scratch
It’s easy to think that everything you’ve done and everyone you know is the most important thing in your life, but that’s not true. If someone is moving abroad, I would tell them not to worry about what other people think or what they left behind.
Pay attention to what’s right in front of you—what do you want? Who would you like to be? What’s most important now? If I could go back in time and tell my 22-year-old self one thing as she was getting ready to move across the world for the first time, it would be this:
You have no idea how strong you are, so don’t let anything get in the way of making it happen.”
5. Some things are challenging, but that’s okay
Since moving to Kyrgyzstan, I’ve been working hard every day, and it’s been a fantastic experience, but it’s not always fun. Moving homes is considered one of life’s most significant challenges; moving homes across countries, continents, and cultures is 100 times more difficult, but all the hard work will pay off in the end.
To mentally prepare for future challenges, I tell myself the following statement. “Everything you attempt in life will be more difficult, take longer, and cost more than expected. Prepare to go all in and do whatever it takes”.
You may not realise how much time it takes to make your dream a reality, but if you genuinely care about what you want to do, all of the additional efforts will be worth it when you can say, “I did it!” at the end.
6. New hobbies are great for you
You’ll be surprised at how much your mind needs a break from the same old.
A new hobby is good for you. You can knit, learn to play an instrument, or start painting as a hobby. Experiment with something new. When you take in new information and experience new things, the capacity of your brain increases.
Once I moved to Kyrgyzstan, I began to learn two languages. I take Russian classes at a local university and speak Kyrgyz with my friends. It’s a lot of fun.
You can also try out a different job or career path. This could be your chance to start working on your dream project. Learning a new skill is also a great way to do something worthwhile during those lonely hours. It could be anything, like cooking classes offered by local groups. Coursework through companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), which gives students free access for a year, or coding workshops through Google Code Jam.
Check out these free courses:
7. Have a plan B (and C)
When moving to a new country, it’s essential to have a plan B and C in mind. An excellent way to do this is by thinking through everything that could go wrong during your trip and having a backup plan for each. I will briefly cover the most common emergencies.
Getting sick or any medical emergencies.
I don’t wish it on anyone, but we all get sick occasionally. The best approach is to get international health insurance before leaving your home country.
Having health insurance provides peace of mind. You know that if something goes wrong while you are far away from home and vulnerable, you will have access to high-quality healthcare. You are protected against unexpectedly large medical bills and are assured that you will get the best medical care available. Don’t leave things to chance. Get a quote.
Losing your passport
Have the contact details of your consulate/embassy in hand. If your passport gets lost or stolen, call your consulate and ask them to explain how to get home without it.
Losing your money
When you go on a trip, split up your money sources. For day trips, keep one credit card and some cash on you. I only carry enough cash to pay for something right away. Everything else stays in my bank account or on my credit card. If you lose physical money, you can’t get it back, but If someone steals money from your credit card, you have a better chance of getting it back if you let your bank know immediately.
Have your bank contact details handy. Family members, and money transfer organisations like TransferWise, TransferGo and Western Union, can help
8. The journey is worth it in the end
You will discover a lot about yourself during this period. Both strengths and weaknesses.
Along the way, you’ll meet new people, some of whom will become lifelong friends while others may pass by on their travels. If you remained at home or did not travel abroad, you would not have the unique outlook on life that you do now. Most significantly, throughout this time, you will develop personally.
9. It is okay not to know what you are doing
• You will figure it out along the way.
• You can always change your mind.
• It is a learning experience, so embrace the new and unfamiliar instead of feeling like an awkward outsider.
• It’s not a race nor a competition with anyone. Trust your intuition and gut feelings.
Final thoughts
Moving abroad can be an exciting and scary experience at the same time. Some of these tips will help you if you decide to go ahead with your move! But even if not, remember there is nothing wrong with taking chances or learning from mistakes. Being flexible will help you make friends and find what makes life worth living in another country. And remember to enjoy yourself along the way!
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