As some may know, the Traveling Dad moved home base from Atlanta, Georgia in the USA, to Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2012.  I took a senior role in the infrastructure reconstruction following the significant earthquakes in that region since late 2010.  It is expected that I will actually have more time with my family, more time for blogging, and more time for family travel – instead of the significant amount of international travel that I have been doing for work over the last few years.  Today I thought I would simply offer a few thoughts about making an international move.

– If it’s just you and your backpack, it’s fairly easy to pack and go (speaking from experience). An international move could be the greatest education you ever get, as it teaches you about yourself and about others.

– As a young couple without kids, it’s also relatively easy to make an international move … just make sure you’re both in agreement about making the adventure together.  Troubles will come, and flexibility is essential … but in the future you will probably remember those times as your greatest adventures. At this time in your life, you can probably sell everything you own and start again in the foreign land of your choice (it’s a lot cheaper than moving a bunch of furniture around the world).  We purged a lot, but not enough.  We did take furniture with us to NZ, because furniture can be expensive.

– When you’re a family with children, an international move is a significant event.  This is what our family is doing at present.  Once the move is decided, there are many details to work through – too many to comprehensively cover today.  If a sea voyage is required, don’t trust the moving company that gives you a quote based on land costs (yes, we did get one).  I would also recommend taking the time to downsize, and ensure that you keep only the things that are most important such as – memorabilia, items of sentimental value, things that are “irreplaceable”, items that are expensive to replace in the new country, and items which will make your new place feel like “home”.

One of the hardest parts about this particular International move was that we had to leave our dog, Bernie, behind.  New Zealand is one of the strictest countries for importing pets. After the long international flight, Bernie would have had to endure a long quarantine, which we didn’t think would be very good for him.  We did find a good home for him, but missed him heaps!  We also had to wait a couple of months for our container to arrive.

Dad’s Recommendation:
Don’t be afraid to venture overseas – the world is much bigger than your country of origin. Plan something fun along the way!  We planned a layover in California for a couple of reasons.  After packing and saying all our goodbyes, and catching an early flight, we needed a good night sleep in the states before the long overseas flight.  It also gave us an opportunity to take our kids to Disneyland for a day of fun!  They will probably remember that Disney trip forever.

Travel Tip:
Each of our kids had their own day back pack and a small roller carry-on, which they were responsible for themselves.