There are many ways to live aboard for a year. I have listed 10 steps to get you there.
1. Determine why you want to move overseas and for how long
Working out the “why “is the most important thing to do. Whether this is to broaden your experience, or to go somewhere with more freedom, it is important to understand why you want to move overseas. The length of stay will determine what you need to during your preparation phase.
2. Start with a plan
Create a plan to move overseas. You may want to move overseas say in 6 months’ time. This is a good timeframe to research the place and work out how you can support yourself of the time overseas
3. Decide where to move
4. Workout the cost to live overseas for a year
There are three key components to this. The way I see this is, you have cost to get there and set yourself up. Then there is the ongoing cost to live there. There is the additional cost of travelling around while you are overseas or cost to relocate to other locations when you are there.
The cost to go there will involve moving out of your existing home, storage and other cost you need to pay while you are overseas. There is the travel insurance, plane ticket and initial accommodation costs, payment of bond for your new place and a few items you may need to buy when you arrive. The second group of costs include monthly rent, utilities, food costs, transport and basic entertainment cost. The third category includes the cost to travel to nearby places and luxuries. The main thing is to realistic about all these costs. Below is a list of things to consider before you go
Category 1: The packing up & moving phase:
Cost for storage, cost to maintain existing insurances, cost to maintain other payments in your home country (e.g., mortgage, car payments etc)
Cost to move there, this includes plane ticket, transit costs, things you need to buy to get set up
Things to get you set up, initial short-term accommodation cost rental bond, small items like kitchen utensils and other things
Category 2: Ongoing rental, utilities, food, transport and entertainment cost
Category 3: Travel and Luxuries – Weekend trips, sightseeing and other expenses
3. Prepare for your move
Now you worked out how much money you need to get you overseas and back, including the cost of staying there during the year, you can now work out how to support yourself. This can be done by a few ways. The easiest can be to negotiate with your existing work to work remotely.
4. Negotiate with your company to work from home
The last couple of years has changed the way we all work. Working from home prior to 2020 was seen as a benefit, whereas during the last 2 years it was part of the norm. Most companies had period during the last 2 years where most of the workforce that do not need to physically be in the office work from home. The concept of working from home is now a norm and this is a good opportunity to formalise this arrangement. The best way is to start with a few days a week.
5. Move from partial working from home to 100% working from home
Once you’ve successfully worked from home a few days a week for a few months and proven it to be more productive, start negotiating to work 100% remote from home. The key is to ensure your productivity is increased to prove you are doing more working remotely compared to working in the office. Start working out a Plan B. This can be either looking for opportunities that include remote working or start listing your expertise as a service on sites such as fiver or upwork.
6. Transform from a hoarder to a minimalist
Let’s face it, when moving overseas you will likely not bring everything with you. The likey scenario is you will carry whatever you can on the plane. This can be 20-30kgs plus 7kg hand carry depending on the airline. You will need to sometime decide on what to bring. Try to think about what you will that are absolutely essential and cannot buy over there. A good idea is to commence a few months before you plan to move aboard the minimalist process. Start decluttering your home and start selling things you do not use. This is a very good opportunity to get either sell things, give away things, or throw out things you do not need. The goal is to have most of your possession in storage before you leave. The less things you have the better and ideally can be stowed away at your parent’s garage or somewhere like that.
7. Work out alterative income sources to support you.
Prior to moving overseas, prepare to learn a new skill that can allow you to make a living overseas. You can sell your services via various online platforms such as fiver or upwork. It may take you a few months to learn a new skill and additional time to get your first few clients. This is something you can do while you are still working at your current job. Think about what skills you currently have and whether your services can be sold online.
8. Cost may be less than you think
If you are moving overseas from a higher income country to a lower income country, the cost may be less than you expect. If you are planning to move overseas for 1 years and find a country that cost less than $1000 per month for living cost, the cost of the entire year can equal the cost of an expensive holiday. This is something to keep in mind. If you work doesn’t allow you to work overseas and you have started to have a few clients with your new online gigs, you can still move overseas providing you have some savings.
9. Work out which country allows you to stay for an extended period of time
There are countries that allow you to stay for 12 months without a visa, or others that allow you to stay for 3 months within a 6-month period. Some countries allow you to stay for 12 months and obtain a digital nomad visa if you prove you have income coming in. The best way is to create a list of these countries. Some of the countries that fall in this category include Georgia, Armenia, Estonia, Croatia, Bali etc. Search for Digital Nomad on google and there will be list of countries shown. The thing to look out for is whether you need to have a visa to enter and how long can you stay for a one-year period. You may need to consider moving around if the country allows you to stay for 90 days. The key is to research, research and research once you’ve decided on the place you want to move to.
10. Start packing your bag
Work out the bare minimum you need with you overseas and start to packing. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy items overseas then paying for the increase weigh for your luggage. Do some research before you go overseas in particular what you can buy and not buy. Some countries may not have the latest computers or phones available or may be more expensive compared to your home country.