How-to October 17, 2022

Moving in With Friends? Here’s What You Need to Know

Julie Grace

Originally from The Golden City, Julie has explored the ins and outs of moving and has written all the tips down.

Starting an adventure like moving in with friends is a fantastic opportunity to get to know each other even better. However, there are many benefits you could enjoy besides having your BFF always by your side in good and bad. So, let’s find out how to make this transition as seamless as possible.

When Moving in With Friends, Choose the Country Together

Moving in with friends is a great way to save money, but it can also be a great way to travel the world. If you and your friends are planning on moving in together, why not choose to live together? You can experience a new culture and lifestyle and bond over your shared experiences. Plus, it’ll be a great way to save on travel costs. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a country to live in with your friends:

  • What’s the cost of living like – Make sure you choose a country where the cost of living is affordable, so you can split the expenses evenly between everyone.
  • What’s the climate like – You’ll want to choose a country with a climate that everyone is comfortable with. If you have friends from warm climates, they might not be too keen on living in a cold country.
  • What’s the culture like – overcoming the culture shock surely is easier in two. However, check the local customs before relocating and learn as much as possible about them.
  • What’s the language like – Unless everyone in your group is fluent in the same language, you’ll want to choose a country where the predominant language is one that everyone knows. This way, you won’t have to worry about miscommunications.
  • What are the visa requirements – Research the visa requirements of the country you’re planning on living in so everyone in your group can obtain the necessary documents.

Living abroad with friends is a great way to save money and bond with one another, but the most important thing is to choose the future place together. That way, you both will be satisfied with the country and the city, even if they weren’t your first choice.

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Choose One of the Best Cities for Americans When Moving Overseas

The decision to move overseas can be a difficult one, but it’s important to choose the right city to make the transition as smooth as possible. Here are some of the best cities for Americans when relocating overseas:

  • Málaga, Spain,
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
  • Sydney, Australia,
  • Prague, Czech Republic,
  • Basel, Switzerland.

Expats generally agree that it’s simple to settle down and meet new people wherever you go, but different places will offer different amenities. Foreign residents in Prague and Málaga are content with their ability to manage their personal money and the low cost of living, whereas expats in Málaga and Dubai value their high standard of living.

Barcelona, Spain
Spain is a popular destination among American expats

Go Over Your Finances

Try to reach an agreement on different aspects of sharing a home by sitting down with your companion. You must consider all the possible obligations, so the budget should be one of the first things to discuss. After all, you won’t be living on your own, and knowing how to balance finances abroad should be a lot easier when you have a companion to figure it out and split the expenses with.

So, yes, talking about money is absolutely a must, although it can be quite uncomfortable for some people. However, it’s crucial to do it before you and your pal sign a lease together. Compare your disposable income and spending patterns, decide what can be afforded and what you should avoid, how to share the payments, and plan ahead for what to do if one of you runs into financial trouble.

Ensure You Split the Chores

Household chores can be a real pain, but it’s important to make sure that you and your buddy are splitting them up fairly. If one person is doing all the work around the house, it’s only going to lead to resentment and, eventually, a friendship breakup. And no one wants to make the relocation across the world one of the worst experiences just because you two haven’t organized properly. In fact, it’s probably one of the relocation mistakes you want to avoid.

So, sit down with your BFF and come up with a system that works for both of you. You may want to alternate who cooks dinner each night or take turns doing the laundry. Whatever you do, just make sure that the workload is balanced and fair.

Set up cleaning guidelines and assign work in groups. Discuss your housekeeping procedures and establish clear ground rules for your shared residence, such as no smoking inside and no stacks of dirty dishes in the kitchen. Make a list of your daily, weekly, and also monthly responsibilities and decide how to divide them.

You could also rotate the tasks or designate particular responsibilities for each of you (this is a fantastic solution if one of you doesn’t mind doing something while the other one despises it to death). Create a system that effectively keeps track of who needs to do what and when.

Talk About Your Day-To-Day Routines

Comparing your everyday schedule is the next thing you should discuss. Ensure you both are aware of each other’s wake-up times, workday lengths, routines for early mornings and late nights, preferred temperature ranges, and other schedule-related needs and preferences. Try to plan your lifestyles and everyday activities so that they don’t conflict and you both feel at home in your shared space.

After all, there are some things you’ll need to take into account to make sure moving abroad goes smoothly. For starters, you’ll need to figure out who will be responsible for what tasks around the house. Will one person cook while the other cleans, or will you split everything evenly? Once you’ve got that figured out, you’ll need to create a daily routine that works for both of you.

Wake up at the same time each day and decide who will prepare breakfast. Then, take turns getting ready for the day. While one person is in the shower, the other can start cleaning up the kitchen or living room. Once you’re both ready for the day, you can head out and start your day-to-day activities.

Remember to communicate with each other throughout the day so that you know what’s going on. This is especially important if one of you has plans that will interfere with the daily routine. For example, if one of you has to work late, the other can make dinner.

At the end of the day, it’s important to debrief with each other. Talk about how your day went and what you accomplished. This is a good time to also talk about any problems that come up and how you can solve them. By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid any potential arguments and keep things running smoothly in your new home.

Two women sitting on a white bench and smiling after moving internationally
Talk, talk and talk about everything with your pal

Avoid Cluttering the Home and Make a List of Items You Will Bring

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a move and start packing everything in your home, but this can lead to an unorganized and cluttered new place. To avoid this, one of the relocation tips you should follow is to create a list of items to pack. This will allow you to stay focused while packing and avoid bringing things you don’t need. In case you are booking a professional packing service, the only thing you’ll have to prepare yourself are the relocation essentials.

Learn how to declutter faster with some useful tips and tricks from the video below.

Be Aware That You Are Each Other’s Support System in a New Country

You are not alone in this new country. You and your pal are a team and should support each other through the challenges and stresses of living abroad. Be patient with each other and try to be understanding when things are tough. It’s important to remember that you are both experiencing the same thing, so be there for each other. You’ll see how adjusting to a new country will be a breeze.

Doing things together as a couple can help you feel more connected to each other and provide some much-needed distraction from the difficulties of living overseas in a new country. Try exploring your new surroundings together, cooking your favorite meals, or watching movies. Whatever you do, be sure you take the time to enjoy each other’s company and to appreciate the fact that you are sharing this experience together.

Three girls looking at a phone
You can count on your roommates to cheer you up when you're feeling down

Start Learning the Language Together

We’ve all experienced it at least once. When you are traveling in a strange place or with individuals who speak different languages, you may find that you suddenly become more reserved. One of the hardest things to do is to overcome a language barrier since, whether speaking English or French, we are all terrified of speaking incorrectly, mispronouncing words, or saying things that aren’t very clear.

But your situation is a bit different because you’re not alone in this journey – you have a BFF with whom you can share all the tips for learning a new language. It could be a turning point for both of you because we all know how relocating alone can be stressful. So, practice the language together any time you’re free, and check out some amazing hacks on how to quickly learn a new language in the following video.

Hire an International Moving Company to Handle the Logistics of the Move

When you’re moving internationally, there are a lot of logistics to think about. Booking international moving services can help make the process much easier. They can handle everything from packing to shipping your belongings. Plus, they’ll have a network of resources in the destination country that can help make the relocation efficient and smooth.

There are a few things to keep in mind when hiring an international moving company. First, you have to know how to stay away from relocation scams. And to do that, you can simply check the company’s info online on the official website of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). That way, you’ll avoid all the relocation stress an unworthy team can cause.

Get quotes from several different companies. This will help you compare costs and services. Make sure to get references from each company and read online reviews. And be sure to ask about their experience with shipping to your destination country.

A woman searching for an international moving company on a laptop
Have the best relocation crew by your side when relocating overseas

Moving in With Friends Means You’ll Never Be Alone

There are plenty of reasons why living with friends is the best way to go. For one, you’ll never be alone again – unless you want to be, of course. Even if everyone is out doing their own thing, it’s nice knowing that there are people nearby should you need them. Plus, living with friends means always having someone to watch TV with, cook for you when you’re too lazy to do it yourself, or go on impromptu adventures with. In short, life is just more fun when you have friends by your side.

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