Moving abroad isn’t an easy task. Take it from me, I’ve recently moved overseas from the UK to Portugal. Once you’ve made the decision to take the plunge many think it’s just a case of landing in their country of choice and everything else falls into place.

Unfortunately, the reality is a good bit different. You can plan from here to Christmas but home’s home and overseas is something else altogether. I remember having talk after talk with family and friends, always revolving around the same topic: “are you sure you know what you’re doing?”. Yes, I did. No doubts. But now I’ve done the actual moving, if I’m honest, it involves a bit more than the pre-move planning.

And I’m not talking about visas and legit crap like medical cover and so on. I’m talking about the actual experience. Personally, I chose a country whose native language isn’t the same as mine. That in itself should be given a lot of consideration. I knew I was willing to learn Portuguese but still, that doesn’t mean it makes the actual learning process easier. I’d advise anyone to seriously think about this aspect. Language can and will be a huge barrier and will ultimately add to the pressures of moving abroad.

Once I finally reached Lisbon, having put in place some foundations (job, somewhere to live, bank accounts etc) I hit the ground running. I’d already started on the language before I came out and walked straight into a job helping to run a restaurant. However, I didn’t factor in the working week. Coming from a country that generally rewards its employees for working hard, I’ve had a fair shock realising that I’m expected to work twice as hard in order to earn 2/3 of what I made in the UK. Not to mention a six day week.

Are you prepared for that? One day off. After knocking out somewhere between 60/65 hours. Trust me – you’re knackered. Kinda makes a reality out of the term ‘culture shock’! Also factor in that some countries overall opinion of how to treat their employees isn’t exactly satisfying. Now I know I’m talking specifically about Portugal but to be honest, many countries differ in how they run societally. In that sense, Portugal’s probably not a lot different from many others.

Don’t get me wrong, my boss isn’t a bad guy. The problem is cultural. But then again, is that his problem, or mine? As far as I’m concerned, I moved here, not the other way round. So I’ve got to suck it up and just go with the flow. Which brings me to my next point. The difference in cultures.

The Portuguese are friendly, family oriented people. But they’re damned hard working for the main, not to mention big wine and cuisine lovers. In short, they’ve turned eating and drinking into an art form. Something I’m not used to! Here, two hour lunches and even longer dinners are the norm. As is drinking. Many drink during the working day. It’s an everyday occurrence. Not so where I’m from. We kinda wait ‘til the weekend kicks in and then have a good old time of it.

In Portugal, it’s paced out, seven days a week. To be honest I’m still struggling with it. I’m used to wolfing down my meals and doing one out the door. Here, meal times are extremely sociable affairs. Lots of talking, exchanging news and so on. And there’s a lot more eating out. Most eat sitting down for lunch, not ‘on the hoof’, which is common place back in England. Not that I’m complaining. It’s just taking more adjusting to than I reckoned on.

Also think about really inane stuff like the weather. The dream of moving abroad to a hotter country may seem extremely inviting when you’re sat shivering. The reality is a bit different. Trying to work and/or move around in 30/40º can turn even the best of us sluggish. Not to mention sleeping. Again, I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to point out the realities over the day dreams.

I’m told that many don’t make it between the six to twelve months mark. After the honeymoon period wears off, adding up all the cultural differences, minus what you’re normally used to, can be crunch time for many. And I can believe the stats. As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing ok and handling the ‘differences’, despite feeling wasted most days.

In conclusion, if you’re seriously thinking about moving abroad, think about some of the followin:

• Think about how much you're going to miss family and friends. I was realistic - I knew I was going to miss my brother badly. And I do. I can live with it, we both do. But life's a little less sweet without him. Having said that, he's a little over two hours away and there's every chance he'll come and live here at some point. But it's still a definite downside.
• Take some time to visit your chosen country more than once. Try and develop a real ‘feel’ for it. Try to choose somewhere that you'll hopefully 'fit' into. It's no good thinking rural if you're a city dweller, or vice versa. Be honest with yourself.
• Understand that holidaying and living really are worlds apart.
• Attempt to create links, if at all possible. Luckily my mum already lived in Lisbon with her partner and both have made the move a lot smoother than it could have been.
• Seriously consider the language. I honestly recommend you try for a country that speaks the same language as you do. It will take some of the pressure off.
• Sounds daft but what can you live without? For e.g. sliced bread here is rare. As is fresh milk, it’s usually the long-life kind. And I’ve yet to see a good old fashioned sausage anywhere!
• To make any move work, you’re better off accepting and embracing the culture. I think it’s a recipe for disaster if you try and fight it. You’ll always be thinking ‘well in X we’d do this’ or ‘back home you can find such and such freely available’. By clinging to ‘home’, you’re already creating negative comparisons. Accept and adapt. There’s nothing wrong with retaining who you are yet blending with your adopted country.
• Respect your host country. After all, you chose it.

And if you have made the move, nice one. If not and you’re currently considering moving abroad, do your homework. And the best of luck!