125: Moving abroad? Learn from my 5 mistakes first.

Moving abroad isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about avoiding the mistakes that make the process harder than it needs to be.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the 5 biggest mistakes I made when I moved abroad—and what I would do differently if I had to start over.

From choosing the right location to planning your visa strategy, building a social life, and trusting your decision, these are the lessons that would have made my transition smoother and more intentional.

If you’re thinking about moving abroad, this episode will help you skip common pitfalls and focus on what actually matters.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How to choose the right location (and why it matters more than you think) 
•  Why your visa strategy should be planned earlier 
•  How to build a social life abroad faster 
•  Why there’s no such thing as a perfect plan 
•  How to feel more confident in your decision to move 

You don’t need to have everything figured out to move abroad.

You’ll figure things out as you go—and that’s part of what makes the experience so valuable.

👉Take the free quiz: Which European city should you move to? 🤔

Grab my free guide: 5 exact steps to move abroad

Website: jordangiberson.com
Instagram: @jordan.giberson

Transcript

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You are going to figure things out as you go, and that's actually part of what moving abroad actually builds in you too. It builds a transformation in yourself that you grow so much so I think it's just all part of the process. if I could go back and move abroad again, knowing what I know now, here are the things that I would do differently. Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. Today we're going to be talking about what I'd do differently if I moved abroad again. So this episode is really about how I might have learned some things the hard way, or truthfully, the reality is that hindsight is always 2020. Looking back, there are always things that we might think about doing differently once we've gone through something. I mean, think of anything in your life. Maybe there's something big that you've done and whenever you look back, you might say, oh my gosh, I wish that I would've done X, Y, and Z things differently. So that's what this episode is really all about. This is for people that want to skip some of the mistakes that I made whenever I moved abroad so that you can move abroad in a lot smoother way than I did. So if I could go back and move abroad again, knowing what I know now, here are the things that I would do differently. As a quick little recap, in case you aren't familiar with my story, I moved from Austin, Texas to London over six years ago now, which is crazy'cause it's been like six and a half years. And I was a recent graduate from Texas a and m University, and I moved abroad a few months after graduating from university with a master's degree. So that's just to really set the stage and kind of tell you where in life I was and where I moved from. So I moved from Austin, Texas to, I actually moved to Brighton, first Brighton, England, which is about an hour south of London. And then a few months later I moved to London. So here is a a little list of all the things that I would have done differently and what I would do if I moved abroad another time, and what I would do differently. So mistake number 1, I would choose my location a little bit more carefully. I think not all neighborhoods and cities feel the same. I think you number one, have to be careful about what city you choose, just to make sure that it matches your vibe and what fits you best. If you are interested, I have a free quiz that basically helps identify the best city that you should move to based on what you're really looking for. So if you want to help in finding your best location that matches you best. You can go take the quiz, it's at the bottom of the podcast description. There's a little link there, or you can also just go to your browser and type in Jordangiberson.com/quiz and the quiz should pop up right there. But yeah, I think that not all cities feel the same and not all neighborhoods within those cities feel the same. I mean, that is probably quite obvious if you just think about where you're living now. Probably the neighborhood next door or two neighborhoods next door feels quite different from where you are currently living. So they all have a different vibe, different personality, and a different feel. And I think that's something that I would've changed. I lived in the same flat for 5 years in the same neighborhood, and I never enjoyed that neighborhood. I chose it because the flat was really cute and I did end up living with friends. So I think it worked out okay for me, but I just was never happy in that neighborhood. And I lived there for many years and I wish that I would've been a little bit more choosy in where I lived to make sure that it was a really good fit for me. So I think I shouldn't have. Perhaps stayed there as long as I did. I, again, I lived with friends and so it just worked out okay for me, but. In hindsight, I think that I would've been a lot happier if I would have moved to a different neighborhood that fit me a lot better. So whenever I was kicked out of my flat, because the landlord's son was moving in about a year ago, I moved to a different neighborhood in London that fits me so well. I live on the river. I walk along the river every single day. It just makes me so happy. So I love where I live now. It's just a really good fit for me, and I wish that I would've chosen my location a little bit more carefully from the get go so that I felt a bit more just. Honestly, happy in my day to day. I think that if I would've moved somewhere else, I would've been a little bit happier. So for you, I'd recommend to spend more time researching neighborhoods to figure out where is really the best fit for you instead of just choosing somewhere just because the flat is pretty, like I did, I think you might wanna also think about doing a short term stay there first to get a good feel for it before you actually move to that neighborhood. Or just choose the city in general if you're still choosing, which. City you want to move to? Again, the quiz might be helpful for you if you're interested in that, but I think that spending time there is really, really helpful just to get a feel for it. Because I think even if you visited as a vacationer and you saw the place like that, I think having the lens of, could I live here and what would that feel like and look like for me is quite different. So anyways, that is mistake number one. I would choose my location a little bit more carefully. Mistake number two is that I would plan my Visa strategy earlier and a bit more thoroughly. People underestimate how important visas are. I think that we know that they're important, but it's a little bit of a gray area or question mark because we're not used to having visas. If you've never lived abroad before, you probably have never had a visa. So I think we just don't quite understand what the process is. And I think that it's, easy to get overwhelmed, but I think that what I would've done is just do a little bit more research to understand the visa, the eligibility requirements, and to understand if it led to permanent residency, perhaps, just to kind of know, because later I found out that the visa that I originally came on did not work towards my permanent residency or citizenship after that. It would've been helpful to just understand that. I don't think that I would've changed anything. I mean, it's just the path that I took and it led me to where I am and I am happy with where I am. if you are planning to move abroad, I think just understanding the Visa process and the visa like requirements, just making sure that you do fulfill all of them. Seeing how long you can hold that visa and the restrictions of the visa, what you're allowed and not allowed to do how long you can have the visa for some visas, you can have it for a maximum amount of time. Some visas, you can extend it, some lead to permanent residency and some don't. Visas are something that you want to be a little bit careful about. You don't want to. On one hand, get very overwhelmed with the process and the requirements and get so overwhelmed to where you don't move forward. But I think that on the other hand, it is helpful to have an understanding of the visa process and what you are and are not allowed to do. So I think just sitting down for an hour and just doing research, sitting down, very focused and figuring out all about that visa that you're planning on getting, just to make sure that's the best path for you forward. But knowing that, you know what? If you get a visa and you decide to pivot and get a different visa after that like I did, then that's okay too. So that is my mistake. Number two, I would plan my visa strategy a little bit earlier and have a better understanding of the visa eligibility requirements, the process, et cetera. So all about visas. The third mistake that I think that I made is I would focus a lot more on building a social life sooner. Making friends abroad takes a lot of effort. You have to be the one that puts in the effort. You have to be the one that invites people to things, the one that hosts things. You can't assume that it's just going to happen or that it's going to fall into place. A lot of times people have their routines, people have their. Friend groups, and I think that you do have to put a bit of work in to finagle yourself into friend groups and to become top of mind over time with different people that you like and that you want to spend time with. So while I did make friends, whenever I moved to London fairly soon, I still had to put a lot of effort in and whenever I moved to the UK at first, so I moved to Brighton first before I moved to London. I did not make but one friend in Brighton, just one friend. And although he was a really good friend to me, I think that I probably would've been a little bit happier there if I would've put more effort into making friends. So that was one thing. I think it just helps you settle in so much better. It just helps the transition. It makes you feel more a part of your community and it helps you to feel like. I don't know, just it helps so much to build a sense of community. I think it's the number one thing that makes us feel settled whenever we move abroad instead of just me, myself and I, or maybe just you and your partner, or you and your family. It's just so important to build community. So I think one of the biggest mistakes that people make is not building a social life sooner. And that's something that I wish that I would have done. Some things that you could do ahead of moving abroad actually would be to join online groups, maybe to book events or join different communities earlier, like a running group or, I mean, there's so many different. Community groups for anything that you're interested in, especially if you're moving to a bigger city. So you can do research online to kind of figure out what some of those communities might be or some of the ways that you might be able to meet people. So another example would be a language class. I think that would be a great way to meet people or running group, or maybe you're really into pottery. I think it's just joining things where you can meet people and say yes to more things. In the beginning, I learned this lesson from my cousin actually. She said to say yes whenever people invite you, because if you don't say yes the first time, there might not be a second invite. It sounds a little bit harsh, but I actually think that it's really true whenever you're first starting to establish friends. I think it's so important just to say yes to everything. Even if you feel tired, even if it's not super convenient, just to say yes, that you start to become top of mind and you start to build that relationship with them. I also think it's really fair to admit that. Loneliness is just a part of life. There have definitely been times where I have been lonely while living abroad, where I don't feel like I have as many friends. London is a very pass through city, kind of like New York City where there's a lot of people that come and go. So you do have to constantly put in effort to maintain friends, and I think that loneliness is just. I think it's just a natural part of life. I think we all go through moments of loneliness and periods of life where we feel a little bit more lonely, but I would just say to put effort into building friendships sooner along the way rather than later, because you'll feel a lot more at home in that city abroad if you put in effort into building those friendships. But just acknowledge that loneliness is a part of it and is very, very normal, and not to get freaked out or think that you're not doing enough if you do have moments. You know, a Friday night or Saturday night, whenever you're alone, or even for a whole weekend if you don't have plans. That's definitely been me on more than one occasion, so there's no shame in that, but I'd just say to really focus on building a social life sooner, which was my mistake. Number three. Mistake number four that I made that I would do differently if I moved abroad again, would be that I would stress less about getting everything perfect. I think this is one of the number one mistakes that people make, is that they want everything to be perfect. They want everything to be planned or to try to understand every single thing without moving forward. And I think that's what gets people so stuck, and I think that was something that I made the mistake about is. I stressed so much about trying to get everything perfect. I remember freaking out about my financial situation, which I think is totally fair and is very valid. You wanna make sure that your financials are in order, but I was so stressed about it and I ended up being fine. I think that there were things that I was so stressed about. Some things that I just planned on a whim, such last minute, like I didn't book my first flight to move abroad until like a week before. I didn't have anywhere to live a week before, which looking back, I'm like, girl, you were crazy. But I think that I was just really stressed about getting certain things perfect about visas and where to live and what to bring, and just the right decisions, like quote unquote, the right decisions of what to pack. I mean, there were so many things that I. Wanted to get perfect, but I feel like I was just moving so blindly and just trying to. Get through everything to be able to move abroad. Like my own personal checklist. And I think that I would just stress a lot less. I think things aren't gonna be perfect. There would've been things that I would've forgotten about. I think there is no perfect move abroad plan, even if you were super Type A and you try to think of every single thing. And I think there is definitely a way that you can plan things very thoroughly and work ahead so that you're not as stressed. But I think that. I would've stressed a lot less about trying to make everything perfect. I would've, I think it's good to try to plan, but I think that I was. Quite stressed and I was kind of stumbling into the next thing of trying to move abroad, and I think that I would've just took a breather and stressed a lot less because I think a lot of the things that we worry about in terms of moving abroad aren't nearly as big of a deal as we think that they are. And even if things aren't sorted, whenever we do move, whenever our flight does come, a lot of those things we can do later. It's not the end of the world. Like if you don't sell your car before you move abroad, you can come back in a few months and you can sell it. I mean, just as one example, like I think a lot of the things that we think are the end of the world or that we stress over so much all end up working out and are totally fine. So I think that my mistake number four is I would've stressed a little bit less about trying to get everything perfect. And lastly, my mistake number five is that. I would have been more confident about my decision. I wish that I would have walked into everything with a bit more confidence and a little bit more like, I don't know, just trusting myself. I think that I wanted reassurance from everyone. I think part of that came from my age. I think, I moved abroad whenever I was fairly young. I think that as you grow older, naturally we become a bit more confident in ourselves. But I wish that I would have just been more confident about the decision or just said, you know what? I'm giving this my all. I'm gonna give it a go and try it out, and if I don't love it, it's not permanent. I think that was one of the things that helped me finally get over the hurdle of deciding to move abroad is that I said, no one is going to hold me. Hostage there. I can move back whenever I want. Even if I move there for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks, whatever. Like if I hate it, I'm not trapped at all. I can move back whenever I want and that's okay. So I think I just gave myself that freedom to say, I can move back whenever I want to. No one's holding me hostage. So I think just realizing that it. Is reversible helped me to finally move back. And I also knew that if I did not move abroad, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I knew that later in life I would have regretted it because it was something that I thought about so much. So I think that I should have just trusted myself and acknowledged that yes, I can move back whenever I want to, and if I don't move, I will regret it. And if I move, I'll be so proud of myself. So I just, I wish that I would've had more confidence and not been so go through a little bit, or at least I did, I had to go through a bit of an emotional, like making the final decision of doing it, of deciding, yes, I'm going to move abroad. But I wish that I wouldn't have relied so much on the opinions of others, on the opinions of my family who did not support me at the very beginning. So if that's you. I totally get it. I was there. And they will come around, and from friends as well. I think that people just didn't get it. And I think that, I didn't even quite understand why this was so important to me to move abroad. But look at me now. I've been here for over 6 years and it's the best decision that I've ever made. So I wish that I would've trusted myself more and walked into it with a bit more confidence and said, you know what? Yes, this is what I'm doing. I am listening to your opinion. I hear you that you're nervous about this move, but like, no, this is what I'm doing and I'm moving forward and just had a bit more confidence in myself. So that's another mistake that I wish that I would not have made, and something that if I moved abroad again, I think I would just trust my gut and trust myself that I will figure it out and it's a reversible thing. It's not permanent. So for me, those were my five biggest mistakes. There are a few others that are like smaller things, but I feel like if I moved abroad again and did all these things correctly, then my move and experience would be a lot more positive. So the first mistake that I would make sure that I focus on if I moved abroad again. Would be to choose my location a bit more carefully to choose my neighborhood and my city, and just make sure that it fits me best and I'm positioning myself in the best way to be happy with my move. Mistake number two is I would play my Visa strategy earlier and just make sure that everything is. Like I have all my ducks in a row for my visa. I think I would've done more research to understand if I was eligible, if like how long the visa process takes to get it, all the paperwork that I might need, and just feel like I fully understand the process and what that looks like so that I can make sure that everything is done properly. And getting the visa moving broad. So that's my mistake. Number two is around the visa. Mistake number three is that I would focus on building a social life sooner because I believe that building community is one of the number one things that you can do. Probably number one thing that you can do to feel settled in your city, the fastest to feel the most content with your new life, to feel the most ingrained in society and feel like you belong there is to build a social life. So that is one of the biggest mistakes I feel like I made. I wish I would've put more effort in and what I would recommend for you and what I would recommend for myself if I did move abroad again. My mistake number four is that I would stress a lot less about trying to get everything perfect, about trying to plan everything while planning is really good, and I think it's helpful. I think the most important thing is just taking steps forward. You can plan all you want, but until you actually take steps forward, the planning doesn't mean anything. I think just stressing a lot less about trying to make everything perfect and just realizing it's not gonna be perfect, and that's just life. But as long as I'm taking steps forward, then everything will shake out and be okay, and I can trust myself that if there are bumps along the way or things that I have to figure out, that I will figure them out because I trust myself to figure things out as problems do arise, and the fifth mistake that I wish that I would not have made, but I hope that you just feel a lot more confident in the move and to feel confident about the decision to move abroad. That's something that I really wish that I would've done and something that I would encourage you to do as well. There are a million mistakes that I could tell you about, but I think that those are some of the biggest ones. I mean, everything else is just, small things that don't really matter about. Oh, you should pack less. Or maybe you should bring a few comfort items from you from home that make you feel better, or trying to, have a rough routine whenever you arrive. I mean, there are a million things you could try to do to make it more perfect, but I really just think that as long as you avoid the really big mistakes, really, I mean. Everything will settle itself. This is one kind of interesting comparison. Whenever I go on a trip I'm like, did I get everything? Did I remember everything? Like, we just wanna make sure the house is perfect. And I'm like, you know what? As long as I have my phone and my passport, I am fine. I can buy anything once I'm there. If there's a mess in my home, whenever I leave, it will be okay. As long as I have my passport and I have some belongings with me, I'm gonna be fine. So I think this is kind of a little bit of a similar comparison to moving abroad. As long as you have the big thing sorted, you've done the big things, you have a way to make money. You have your visa, you booked a flight and you have accommodation. All the other things will work out and it will be okay. I think that we need a lot less than we need to plan a lot less perhaps, or do a lot less than we actually think that we need to do. I know there are a lot of small things, but I think as long as you get the big things done, which are pretty obvious, like you have to have a visa for example, then a lot of things will kind of settle themselves. You will figure it out. And I think that we can trust ourselves that as any issues arise, then we can figure it out, So I think that you are going to figure things out as you go, and that's actually part of what moving abroad actually builds in you too. It builds confidence, it builds a transformation in yourself that you grow so much whenever you move abroad. So I think it's just all part of the process. So anyways, that is it for me for today's episode. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I hope that you learned from my mistakes that I made about moving abroad, and I hope that you found this useful to think about, these mistakes and to avoid these ones and perhaps. Make your own. But honestly, like I said, as long as you have the big things, then I think you just don't have to worry and you can move abroad with confidence and with peace. Thank you again for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I will catch you here again at next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.