If swapping cities is a big decision, then swapping countries is an even bigger one.

Because as the act of reestablishing yourself abroad, expatriating involves more than just packing your bags.

Social upheaval and culture shock are but a few of expatriating’s many challenges, challenges that beg the question – how does one know if moving abroad is the right choice?

Read on for 10 questions to ask yourself before beginning your expat journey:

1. How much do you want it?

Voicing your desire to move abroad is easy, as it requires little commitment.

Acting on it, however, is another matter, and a scary one at that. To commit and follow through with your plans to expatriate means uprooting yourself. It means disrupting all that’s familiar and exchanging it with a new life fraught with uncertainty, risk that the growth opportunities you seek won’t pan out.

To offset your fears and increase the likelihood that your expatriation goal will come to fruition, you have to want it. Bad. So bad, that you’ve integrated your mission with your sense of self. So bad, that you can’t imagine a future without it.

2. Where do you want to live?

You can’t expatriate if you don’t know where you’re going; when choosing your new home to-be, consider the following:

Geography. What’s your geopolitical neighborhood of choice? South or Central America? East Asia, East Africa, or the Middle East? Northern or Southern Europe?
Climate. Do you love all four seasons, or could you do without a winter or two? The same goes for sunshine, humidity, and rainy days.
Cultural values. Does your dream country’s cultural values and communication styles align with yours? For example, I do best in liberal, individualistic societies with low-context communication styles. Creativity is a big deal for me, as are stability and honesty.
Integration. If aiming for permanent residency, does your host country define citizenship across ethnic or civic lines? Can you tolerate being a permanent outsider?
Language. Are you willing to adopt a second language and commit to obtaining fluency? Do you prefer Anglophone countries instead?
Lifestyle. Will you be able to live safely, comfortably, and peacefully in your country of choice? The needs of families, retirees, and singles on the prowl will be different. Doubly so if you belong to one or more ethnic, social, or sexual minority groups.

3. What will you do?

Unless you’re already loaded, chances are you’ll need a job to sustain your expatriate lifestyle.

For working folks like you and me, this means one of two things – a position with a host company or self-employment, such as freelancing.

If employed under someone else, it’s important to know how much you’ll be making (before and after taxes) and whether it will be enough to live comfortably in your chosen host city. It’s also crucial to have a written and signed employment contract in-hand before packing your bags.

If self-employed, ensure your business, clientele, and income streams are established and consistent before moving. Don’t be the freelancer who doesn’t have a game plan.

4. What visa will you need?

Your visa is one of the most important parts of the expatriation process. Photo by Agus Dietrich on Unsplash

In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to undergo a cumbersome bureaucratic process every time you wish to swap countries.

Sadly, such a perfect world doesn’t exist, meaning you’ll probably need a visa. As an immigration document that grants you legal entry to a foreign country, visas are typically stamped or glued into your passport. They’re issued by a governing authority and are the second most important part of the expatriation process (behind your income source).

Depending on your nationality, length of stay, career field, and work activities, you’ll need to qualify for and secure the right visa before you can legally work and reside in a foreign country. Some typical visa categories for expatriates include:

Work Permit. An immigration document that authorizes you to conduct paid work activities in a foreign country. Typically issued after securing an employment contract from a sponsoring foreign company.
Intra-company Transfer Visa. A work authorization visa subtype, issued to those expatriating via a long-term transfer or short-term assignment with their home company.
Highly Skilled Work Permit. Another work authorization visa subtype, typically issued to foreign nationals with specialized degrees and expertise. Often carries a longer validity period and more stringent qualification requirements.
Self-Employment Visa. A work authorization visa subtype for self-employed foreign nationals, such as freelancers. Often requires proof of existing clientele, a business plan, and a substantial savings account.
Residence Permit. An immigration document that authorizes you to legally reside in a foreign country. Usually paired with a work permit.

5. When will you leave?

Just as you’re more likely to achieve your goals when you integrate them with your sense of self, you’re more likely to feel confident about your move if you have a clear, set action date.

Because in addition to setting expectations with yourself, your relocation company, and loved ones, a clear, set action date also provides the peace of mind required to successfully navigate a major life transition.

6. How will you get there?

Movement isn’t movement if you don’t have the means to get where you need to be.

For expatriating, this means transporting yourself and your belongings, across mountains and seas, and ensuring all arrive in one piece:

Logistics. If self-employed, will you handle all logistics yourself or will you use a relocation company? If employed under someone else, will your host company fund your relocation?
Living arrangements. Housing markets are competitive in top tier cities; will you use a short-term rental while searching for a long-term home?
Storage. Will you require storage while you search for your long-term home?

7. Why do you want to leave?

Dive deep beneath the surface when examining why you want to expatriate. Photo by Alexander Hafemann on Unsplash

Once you’ve gotten the when’s, what’s, and how’s out the way, it’s time to examine the why.

As a psychological question, deep diving into your personal motivations helps ensure you’re moving for the right reasons. It also helps uncover any subconscious loose ends, loose ends that must be addressed before your move, lest they lead to new but identical problematic people and situations.

Some angles to examine include:

Economic. Is your current location a career dead end? Can you no longer afford your city’s cost of living?
Relationships. Do you feel like you don’t fit in? After examining yourself and experimenting with various social avenues, do you still struggle to find friends? Are the odds not in your favor for finding a romantic partner?
Personal. Do your personal values no longer align with your current locale? Do you desire a fresh start after passing a life milestone or recovering from adversity (such as disease, addiction, and trauma)?
Political. Is your home country veering down a dangerous political path? Are you a member of a persecuted ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social class, or gender?

8. What are you leaving behind?

Expatriation means leaving something behind, no matter how disillusioned you are with your origin country.

On the negative side, this could mean distancing yourself from the comfort and convenience of home and family. And on the positive side, this could mean leaving lack of opportunity, stagnation, and social marginalization in the rear-view mirror.

Before hopping on a plane, take careful stock of what you’re leaving behind. Create a list and get personal. Note any emotions that arise as you do so.

9. What are you moving towards?

Expatriation is a double-edged sword, as leaving something behind always comes with moving towards something else.

To counteract the emotions stirred by question #8, create another list of what you’re moving towards. What positive opportunities and experiences await you in your new country?

Upon completion of questions #8 and #9, evaluate the big picture you’ve created. If your “leaving behind” list draws a stronger negative emotional response, reevaluate your reasons for expatriating. Don’t let your reasons for leaving become the same reasons for returning home.

10. Are you ready to leave?

If only expatriation was this simple…Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Packed bags and immigration papers don’t always signal readiness.

As more than logistics, readiness means knowing – without thinking – that it’s time for your next grand journey. It means understanding, that paradise does not exist, that every country carries its own set of problems and annoying quirks. It also means being prepared, for the culture shock that will inevitably come your way, for bad days and heartbreak and fleeting regret.

If, after reviewing all 10 of these questions, you realize you’re not ready to expatriate, that’s okay. Because you have plenty of time to get ready in the future.

And if you are…

So You Want to Move Abroad: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Expatriating