Family Life Abroad: How Moving Countries Shapes Your Routine

*This is a collaborative guest post

If you’re planning to move overseas with your family, you’ll have to prepare for a drastic shift in your lifestyle and routine. 

Every little activity that you’re accustomed to back home will take on a new form. You’ll have to adjust your daily habits to fit the mould of the new country—from learning the language to navigating unfamiliar systems.

Given all these factors, it can be a bit overwhelming getting your bearings as a new resident—especially during the first few days of the move. This difficulty is even more amplified if you’re also helping your family settle into their new environment. 

The good news is that it’s very much possible for migrants and new residents to adjust smoothly in their new place of residence. This starts by identifying areas of daily life that will undergo the most impactful transformation and planning ahead to account for it.

If you’re planning to undertake the move and want to accomplish it smoothly, then you’re in the right place. We’ll shed light on the impact of moving countries as a family and go into detail on how it can change the entire family routine.

Let’s jump right into it.

1. It Will Force You to Adapt to Your Surroundings

Moving out of your home country essentially plucks you out of your comfort zone. It requires a great upheaval of what you and your family are used to, which can be quite a challenge to navigate.

One of the greatest hurdles when moving overseas is adjusting to the local culture and way of life. For instance, if you’re moving to Australia, you’ll soon realise that, although they speak English, they have a different way of communicating with one another compared to other English-speaking nations.

And in order to assimilate to your host country, you should be proactive in adjusting your habits to fit the ways of the new community. This doesn’t mean a complete reshaping of your cultural identity, but it does mean intentional respect and conformity to certain social norms to ensure that your interactions with locals will be pleasant.

Getting to this level can take months, if not years. It’s on a case-by-case basis, and if you see that you’re adjusting well, be proactive in sharing tips with the family to ensure they transition smoothly too.

With constant exposure and support from your family, it’s more than possible to successfully assimilate and build a network in this new country. If you need more advice, Westpac’s guide can help you understand the nuances of Australian culture in greater detail.

2. It Will Change Your Day-to-Day Schedule

One of the most drastic changes that you’ll face in the first couple of days abroad is the way you’ll live your life. 

The simple truth is that moving means breaking free from that seemingly ordinary life you’ve once lived. Simple things like cleaning your room, preparing your breakfast, commuting to work, and even just grabbing something from the store won’t feel as natural as they once felt. Your surroundings are different, even if the premise is the same.

This change can come at you all at once, overwhelming your senses and feeling odd at first. You may have the feeling of wanting to go “home” when this is already home, or you may want to pop by at a friend’s house only to realise that they’re hundreds of miles away from your current location. You may be jet lagged, business hours may not be like they were at home, and so on.

The impact of these changes will be felt most intensely during your first few days. Both you and your family will go through the phase of navigating this new way of life, though some will admittedly feel the brunt more than others.

Then, slowly, you’ll rebuild the walls of what’s familiar and transform it into routine. Over time, this familiarity will breed comfort, even if it’s not quite the same as your life in the past. That’s when you’ll know that you’ve adjusted to your new space.

3. It Will Affect You and Your Family’s Mental Health

Another thing you should expect when moving with your family is the impact of the move on your mental health. 

Moving isn’t only mentally taxing, but it can also be emotionally tiring. From separating from your friends to facing the whole ordeal with no one else but your family, these times can certainly be tough to navigate.

This is also true with your kids. You may, for instance, have to pull them out of school in the middle of the semester, which can be a big change to their life that they may not be wholly prepared to handle.

On top of that, there’s also the matter of navigating a new social scene. This can be extra challenging if you have to learn a new language, or if norms in your target country greatly differ from those back home. This can be an isolating and challenging ordeal for both parent and child.

In any case, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to take things slow and acknowledge that adjustment takes time. Consider communicating with your loved ones openly or talking to a therapist about your situation. Over time, you’ll learn to adjust and build a routine in your new place, making the unease eventually fade away.

4. It Can Challenge Your Work-Life Balance

Another way moving abroad can pose a challenge to your family is by taking time off your schedule. If you’re already pretty packed with your daily routine, the process of moving can take time away from your usual activities and make it harder for you to get everything done in a day.

While this can be addressed by informing your workplace in advance about the move (or if they’re the ones facilitating it, then this challenge would essentially be mitigated), they’re not necessarily going to give you a free pass if problems arise during the moving process that may delay things.

As this is the case, it’s important for you to be systematic when moving to your new place. 

Consider creating a moving checklist to ensure that you don’t miss out on activities and have everything taken into account regarding the move. Moreover, consider getting assistance from removalists to let them handle the physical load of moving boxes instead. You can also ask your older kids to help out.

By spreading out your moving tasks, you can free up time to perform other move-related duties, like orienting yourself in your new workplace or fulfilling various government registration requirements. This will make it easier for you to transition into your new way of life sooner rather than later.

5. It Will Change How You View Money

Another way moving changes your routine is that it changes your perception of money. This doesn’t solely mean a physical change of currency; it also affects how you view money, particularly how you earn, spend, and save this scarce resource.

Living abroad will expose you to a new price standard. Things may shoot in price, stay the same, or be low depending on where you relocate. In either case, it’s important to shift your perception of how much you’re earning relative to the spending power you have in the country.

In some countries, things like healthcare may be free or cheap, but in others, it could be a big part of a local’s budget. Eating out may be cheap in some regions, while expensive in others. 

It’s crucial that you familiarise yourself with your spending power and budget according to how much you’re earning. Avoid overindulging during the first few months of your time in your new country, as you’re still not completely aware of the prices of things.

Over time, once you’ve gained awareness of the local economy, you can stretch your resources and make more complex money decisions that involve risk and opportunity.

We hope we’ve given you enough insights on how moving abroad can change your family’s routine. All the best in adjusting to your new life!