Has anyone moved internationally?

[Taboo]

There's a chance I may be moving from NYC to the UK. Nothing set in stone yet so I won't go into detail, but if I do I'd be moving to a full time job and I'd have part of my moving expenses covered. I'm mostly trying to wrap my head around trying to apartment hunt and move my stuff from all the way out here though, not to mention all the legal paperwork. Anyone made this sort of move before? If so, care to share your experiences?

I unfortunately have a lot of stuff (mostly art supplies) that end up being cheaper to ship to myself than repurchase if this happens, but I suspect I could leave most of my books, furniture, etc in storage with family.

[csquared]

I have not moved internationally. Several friends of mine had to relocate on short notice. Some of what they went through might apply to you.

A lot will depend on how long term you are planning to stay. Is this something that might be permanent or do you plan to return in a year, two, three or so?

If you are thinking just a couple of years, I would store as much as you can. Find a furnished apartment or rent furniture. While your new employer will pay part of the moving, who is going to pay to bring it home? You might also want to think about buying new with a plan to sell when you move back.

Where the quick relocation ties in...
Find short term lodging (like an extended stay hotel). Have the movers store everything that you want shipped (or store it separately from everything you want left behind so it can be handed to the movers as one bundle). Once you find a more permanent place, then have everything shipped over.

Good luck!

[Chromatix]

When I moved to Finland from the UK, my new employer had already found a furnished apartment and set up the tenancy for me. In fact, I paid the rent as a deduction from my salary for quite a while. That part is most likely specific to Finland however.

If your new employer is assisting with relocation expenses, they should also find a way to help with logistics like that too. One option is to use a relocation agency, who would both advise you and help you find a good place to live. One thing you will need to make sure your employer helps to arrange is the correct documentation to allow you to live and work in the UK - the customs and immigration authorities are quite touchy about that. (As I was moving within the EU, I only had to make myself known as a residence applicant and tax entity after I arrived. From outside the EU *and* Commonwealth, you need to declare yourself before then.) More details here.

If all else fails, arrive on a plane with only the essentials in a suitcase, and a booking with a hotel or B&B near your workplace. Often there is a discount for stays of at least a week, but it is still rather expensive to live this way. Use that as a springboard for your search for a more permanent place to live. Needless to say, this is the least satisfactory and most stressful way to do it.

Note however that in some cities, living space is in genuinely short supply and so you may need to commute a long way - expect to learn more than you ever wanted to know about public transport, very quickly, if you move to London. If you have a smartphone, obtain a route planning app for the city before you arrive and practice using it, for example to establish good routes from the airport to your workplace. Don't forget to ask your employer (or people here) what they know about an area of their city before committing - some cities have notorious areas, usually council estates with a high proportion of residents in the "welfare trap", that are best avoided.

Generally, transporting major furniture and appliances internationally is very expensive. It is usually cheaper, especially for an intercontinental move, to buy new furniture and appliances at your destination, even if you don't sell the old stuff. This is doubly true for appliances because the voltage and frequency of power is different in Europe than in North America - this is fine for computers and phones (where at worst you buy a new power supply or cable) but not fridges or washing machines. Also, a furnished apartment (flat in British speak) will provide the essential appliances anyway.

You'll need to provide your own sheets, pillows and duvet for the bed, but these can be arranged for delivery in advance. I arrived in Finland with a minimal set of cooking and dining gear, assuming there would be an electric or gas hob, which was mostly sufficient - expect to survive on that for at least a week before you are sure of where to get additional supplies beyond basic foodstuffs. My parents were able to bring a vanload of stuff overland about a month later.

[Blue Ginger]

The joys of moving internationally. I can't wait to do it again I moved from Oz to Dublin to London to Oz. I can't wait to get enough money together to move to Canada next.

Do you know how long you are going for? If not, it will be a bit harder. I was going for 12 months to begin with and ended up staying 3 years. I was able to leave all my stuff with my parents (I still lived at home).

There are a few things, besides the immigration red tape, that you need to do before you go.

- Find out the luggage limits on the flights from NYC to UK, including the max cabin luggage. Pack what you want to take and weigh it. Do this a few times until you have it right.

- Start considering what you will take. You will need at least 1 week of work clothes, casual stuff and going out stuff. At least 2 pairs of shoes and flip flops.

- Look at all your furniture. Take photos of everything. Is anything special to you? Put this in storage. If it is just a generic bookcase or table, consider selling it. If you are unsure how long you will be away, storage everything. If you decide later to sell some things, photos will make it easier on the person selling in NYC.

- I second the tube app. The Tube goes almost everywhere. It also has the bus routes too.

- Get a map of Greater London and start reading the UK papers. You can then start to cross of places you don't want to live. Remember though, just because one part of a suburb is bad, doesn't mean the whole suburb is a no-go. I lived in Enfield, part of the riots happened there. My section was 10 minutes drive away from it and I was fine.

- If you don't want the cost of staying in a hotel before you find somewhere to live, consider a hostel. Most have private rooms now, some with shower/toilets. 99% of hostels have a communal kitchen, which means you don't always have to eat out. It's how I always travel.

- Depending on where you are staying when you first land, you may or may not need towels and bedding. If you do, go to Primark. Primark is cheap, really cheap, but good. I got a fitted sheet, flat sheet, 2 pillow cases, doona, doona cover, 2 pillows, mattress cover, 2 towels, face washers and hand towel and still had change from a 50. Like I said, cheap. Marks and Spencer is also good, just more expensive and better quality.

- Research the mobile phone companies. Check how much it will cost to call and sms home. Also look at the roaming charges for when you travel to the rest of Europe. Because you will travel

- Find out if your phone can be used in the UK.

- Get Skype, if you haven't already. Get your family on it too. Teach them how to use it. If your parents are anything like mine, write out some basic instructions for them.

- Get at least 2 USA to UK plugs. And take a double adaptor. If there is only one or two outlets in a hotel/hostel room you can still charge your phone, laptop and camera.

I'll probably think of more. But these are the main things.

I hope everything goes well.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I would also advise to... bring an umbrella. XD And warm clothes. The UK weather at the moment is cold with rain/wintry showers and you do NOT want to be that person shivering at Gatwick in summer clothes and flip flops. When my sister in law came over with my middle brother to the UK from Thailand, that's what we told her.

[RayvenQ]

I would also advise to... bring an umbrella. XD And warm clothes. The UK weather at the moment is cold with rain/wintry showers and you do NOT want to be that person shivering at Gatwick in summer clothes and flip flops. When my sister in law came over with my middle brother to the UK from Thailand, that's what we told her.

Thats always the worst thing about going on holiday to a warm country, You dress lightly cause its hotter over there than the british body is used to, by the time you get back, you're standing on the taxi rank at 11pm freezing your nadgers off, and yet, somehow, you repeat this mistake every single time you go on holiday.

[Rapscallion]

Where in the UK might you be moving?

Rapscallion

[Blue Ginger]

I would also advise to... bring an umbrella. XD And warm clothes. The UK weather at the moment is cold with rain/wintry showers and you do NOT want to be that person shivering at Gatwick in summer clothes and flip flops. When my sister in law came over with my middle brother to the UK from Thailand, that's what we told her.

I have done that. I went to Cape Town for a week in January. I had flip flops in my bag on the flight there. I stupidly didn't have shoes in my carry on for my flight back to Heathrow. I was the numpty shivering while waiting for my bag to come out. And my bag was the last one out.

The UK tends to be cold and damp during winter. A friend from Minnesota froze when she visited over Christmas. Another friend who grew up in Alaska also froze.

If you are moving over winter, bring a warm, water proof jacket, gloves and a scarf. Oh and lined water proof shoes.

[Lace Neil Singer]

A hot water bottle and an electric blanket are also good buys. XD Thermals are a good buy as well.

A lot of people don't get just how bloody cold it is over here. One person I chat to was shocked when I told her that one winter, it was minus 10. She didn't think it got that cold in England. XD That was also the time when the water in the air pump froze and at the petrol station, we were constantly bombarded with numpties who didn't understand why the water wasn't working. XD

[RayvenQ]

A hot water bottle and an electric blanket are also good buys. XD Thermals are a good buy as well.

A lot of people don't get just how bloody cold it is over here. One person I chat to was shocked when I told her that one winter, it was minus 10. She didn't think it got that cold in England. XD That was also the time when the water in the air pump froze and at the petrol station, we were constantly bombarded with numpties who didn't understand why the water wasn't working. XD

It was a couple of years ago that -10 winter wasn't it? I remember it because I had ZERO heating that year! When the insides of your windows freeze up AND you stick your head in the fridge to warm yourself up a bit, you know its cold! I shivvered non stop for a good few weeks during that one.

[Dilorenzo]

I've done the move, just the other way around - Dublin to Ohio, in fact. One recommendation as far as legal paperwork is consult with a lawyer who specializes in such things, and figure out exactly what you'll be doing there, so as to ensure you're getting the right kind of Visa.

[Chromatix]

People also don't always realise that Finland has a cold climate, and what this means in practice. Shortly after I moved here, my employer hosted a couple of customer-visitors from England - in February. We told them it would be *cold*. They interpreted that as "cold for Cambridge", so they brought along standard British winter clothing and expected to be able to tough it out.

But Helsinki is at roughly the same latitude as the Shetland islands, but without the benefit of the sea keeping the temperature up (the Baltic often freezes over completely) and that month the wind had been coming from roughly the direction of Siberia - literally. And February is one of the coldest months of the year. It wasn't just cold that month, it was bloody freezing even by local standards. We actually had to take these customers to a winter clothing shop for extra jackets and proper hats, scarves and gloves, otherwise they were extremely uncomfortable getting between the office and the hotel.

By contrast I had done my research beforehand, and turned up on the plane with nestable jackets (one fleece, one weatherproof), woolly hat and turtleneck scarf (combined, these leave only a niqab-esque amount of face visible), thermal underwear, light waterproof hiking boots and thick socks. These days I tend to wear less than that even in the middle of winter, partly because the weather isn't usually *that* bad, and partly because I've got used to the normal weather.

To be honest, unless you're moving to a hilly area or Scotland, you'll probably find the British climate similar to NYC. But it's prudent to prepare for worse than you expect.

[Lace Neil Singer]

It was a couple of years ago that -10 winter wasn't it? I remember it because I had ZERO heating that year! When the insides of your windows freeze up AND you stick your head in the fridge to warm yourself up a bit, you know its cold! I shivvered non stop for a good few weeks during that one.

Yeah; I still had my motorbike then, and I remember riding home feeling as tho I was going to freeze into a solid ice block. O.o

I've also met American tourists up in London in November before who were completely bewildered as to why it was so cold. XD I had to gently explain to them that England does in fact get extremely cold during the winter, and it's usually best to bring warm clothing. A lot of people just assume that the worst they'll have to deal with is rain.

[Jester]

My little sister moved from NJ to the UK nine years ago. If you can be a bit specific as to what information you are looking for, I can forward your questions on to her.

[Moirae]

I have, but it was from Canada to the US. My husband is an American, and was already living here when I moved here. It was a long distance relationship that started on the internet in 2001. I moved here in 2008.

I wish I could help but I honestly don't know how it would work if you don't have things waiting for you already.