Wanderlust – So You Want to Pack Up and Start Over Somewhere New?
Maybe it’s the November “blahs” – but cold weather, dark days, and the absence of that summer sunshine can leave you hungry for something different.
The urge to sell everything you own and relocate for a new adventure comes easily to those who are restless in the here and now.
Zoe Simmon’s in her article The Benefits of Leaving Everything Behind and Starting Again explores her choice to pack everything she owned in a little Toyota Corolla for her fresh break. She explains, “Moving is terrifying – but it just might be the best thing you’ll ever do. There’s new opportunities, new places to visit, and new relationships to explore. Most of all, there’s a new you”
Sounds starry-eyed and romantic. But the realist in you probably wonders how you would even start to go about it?
Natalie Rinn with NYLON suggests it’s as simple as three easy steps:
- Make the decision to leave – and be ready to commit to it.
(I would propose that it’s here too you’re going to have to be practical and think about where it is you’re planning on moving to and what kind of job prospects are open to you in this new region)
- Tell your friends, family and loved ones that you’re leaving them (it won’t be easy)
- Pack and find a way to move everything you want to bring with you to your new hometown – and find roof to put over your head.
Anne Dorko’s A Modern-Day Nomad’s Guide: How to Leave Everything Behind and Start Over offers a more practical checklist
- Inspect and strategize your resources (know what you have, what you’re tossing, and what you’re taking with you)
- Create a monthly budget (money matters when you’re on a new adventure – make sure you plan for all the incidentals and unexpected costs)
- Know your Skills (and how you can leverage them to create a secondary income source or land the job of your dreams)
- Understand your Debts (without financial freedom, moving can sometimes be impractical)
- Plan for the best and worse case scenarios
- g. Do you need a visa for where you’re heading? What if you’re denied? Do you know what you’ll do or where you’ll go next?
- Know your back up plans – inside and out
- Evaluate what Home Means to You (where you live in your new adventure could look very different – are you willing to sacrifice what your vision of home is in order to live in a new place?)
- Appreciate Your Family (leaving isn’t just hard on you – it will be hard on those that you love. Make a plan to keep in touch with those that mean the most to you and stick to it)
However, it’s important to recognize too that sometimes daydreams are simply that – thought experiments when your mind fantasizes about a whole slew of “what ifs” that don’t truly align with you who are.
Hillary Hoffower with Business Insider explores the seven signs that you’re not ready to move to a new city, even if you think you are. It’s important to understand your desires to moving. Being bored often isn’t a good enough reason to uproot your life. If you feel like something is missing from your life, can you truly say that you’ve made the effort to find that missing piece where you are? It’s easy to want things to be different, but if you’re not willing to change for them it’s likely that any move would just be a temporary fix.
Hoffower asserts that “while relocating can be a means of growth, it won’t magically conjure up a new, better you. Only you can do that.”
If after careful and thoughtful consideration you’re still on the hunt to move understand that as Canadians there are relocation tax benefits that you can take advantage of (if you’re staying in the country). An article from The Canadian Press explains that “the most common error people make is not being aware of everything they can claim. Eligible moving expenses include real estate commissions and legal fees, transportation and storage costs, travel expenses including meals, temporary living expenses, utility hookup and disconnections, mortgage interest, property taxes and insurance premiums. Deductions are valid as long as the move takes the employee 40 kilometres closer to their new work location.”
We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t remind you that if you choose to make the leap to relocate and start anew a professional Realtor can be a valuable resource to make sure you’re asking the right questions for wherever you’re headed. Even if your agent isn’t in the market you’re going to, they may be able to provide you an excellent referral of someone you can trust.
Whether its all purely daydreams or you’re seriously thinking about taking that leap of faith, we wish you the absolute best of luck!
Happy Dreaming!
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