Let the Adventure Begin! A Week-by-Week Guide to Moving Abroad
9 Weeks Until Overseas Move: Making Connections Overseas - Meeting People Before You Move
Finding Your First Friends Abroad
Wouldn't it be nice to bypass trying to make friends in your new country after you arrive and instead make connections before you move? These days with technology and the Internet it's possible with a little effort.
ExpatExchange offers several great ways to connect with expats before you move. If you haven't already, Register with EE Connect -- our community service. Using EE Connect, you may:
If a company is relocating you, find out if they are bringing over any other new hires and ask for their contact information. Reach out to exchange information on everything from shipping goods to housing options, etc. If you are enrolling children in private school, ask for contact info for other parents who might be from your area and arrange to have dinner before the move.
The American Chamber of Commerce has branches in other countries. Attend some meetings stateside and ask for any connections with the branch in the country to which you are moving.
Volunteer as an English language tutor and request to be matched with someone from the country you are moving to. To find programs to tutor new immigrants check with your local churches, or your library may offer such a program. The person you tutor may provide you with introductions to friends and family back in their home countries.
Go online and do some research entering the name of the new country and a hobby or interest you have and see what comes up. In Bangkok, I found a group of women writers who meet monthly. In the U.S., I belonged to several Meetup groups and was surprised to find a local version of the same Meetup group in Bangkok.
Network, Network, Network!
Talk to everyone in your circle to find out if they know anyone living in your host country. It's similar to networking for a job. When I mentioned my upcoming move to my tax accountant, he gave me the address for a client who had moved there. You might be surprised by the unlikely connections
Earth Class Mail lets you view your mail online, then, with a mouse click, have it either opened and scanned for your review and download, shredded to protect your privacy, recycled to help the environment or forward-shipped to you or others 24/7, wherever you are in the world. Reduces forward-shipping costs by 50-90%!
Kendra Redman is a well traveled writer with a B.S. in
Journalism and a Master's in Writing. She has lived in
six countries and draws on her experience to write
about her adventures and misadventures. One of her
greatest travel accomplishments was once returning
from a trip with two end tables and two lamps as her
"carry on luggage."
This is an excerpt of our free e-newsletter, Let the Adventure Begin!. For full access, please subscribe to the e-version of Let the Adventure Begin! (free). You'll receive (free) weekly e-newsletters starting 8 months before your approximate move date and running through your first four months abroad.
