80: How to move to another country from America: A step-by-step guide to moving to Europe

Thinking about moving abroad but not sure where to start? This episode breaks down exactly how to move from the U.S. to Europe — step by step. Whether you’re dreaming of a fresh start, craving a lifestyle change, or just overwhelmed by all the logistics, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

We’ll cover how to:

• Get clear on your “why” for moving abroad
• Choose the best destination country for your goals
• Find a visa path that actually works for Americans
• Build a realistic timeline for your move
• Budget and handle your finances
• Manage logistics, paperwork, and housing
• Book your move and get settled
• Extend your stay and plan for long-term life abroad

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear roadmap for your move — even if you’re starting from zero.

👉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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I think just getting clear on your why helps you make faster decisions later, especially when choosing, which countries and visas are valid for you. Like make that conscious decision and kind of confirm that you actually do want to do it, 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 how to move to another country from America. This episode is for you if you've been dreaming of moving abroad, but feel stuck if you are in the process, but it just feels really overwhelming and unclear if you've started Googling, but you just don't know what to do first. If that is you, then this is an episode for you. By the end of this episode, I hope that you'll have a clear roadmap and know exactly what to focus on next, even if you're starting from 0. So this is meant to be a step-by-step breakdown of how to move abroad from the US, especially to Europe. So this is the episode for you if you are wanting to move abroad from the US or from any other country really, and move abroad to Europe. So we're talking about this exact steps that you need to take in order to move abroad. So let's go ahead and get started. Step number 1 is to decide that you're actually going to move abroad and clarify your why. Now, I know that it sounds a little bit silly to say that you need to decide that you're going to move abroad. I know it sounds a little bit silly, but our mindset on moving abroad really matters. I said that I was going to move abroad to London for a couple years, whenever I was still living in Texas, but I didn't decide I was actually going to do it until 2 years later after I had been saying it already. I had to get to the point where I was determined to make it happen, and I knew it was something that I was going to do, not just something where the possibility of it made me excited. You have to consciously make the decision that you're actually going to move abroad. It really does matter to kind of get to that mental place. So that's what I say whenever I say the step number 1 is that you have to decide you're actually going to move abroad, that you're actually going to make it happen, and then also to clarify your why. Why are you moving abroad? Is it for a different lifestyle? Is it for the adventure? Is it because you feel burnt out in your current life? Is it because of the cost of living? Is it for political reasons, etcetera? There can be so many reasons why. Mine was that I wanted the adventure of it. I just felt like it was something really exciting to do. I wanted a change for my normal life and I just felt really excited about the potential of moving abroad and a different life and living in Europe and having the European lifestyle. And I knew that London would still have a really great job market for marketing. So that was another reason why I was really interested in London because I knew I'd have good expat community so I could meet people who are also Americans or who spoke English. Because I didn't speak another language and that wasn't something at the time that I was very interested in doing. And because I wanted the adventure and yeah, but it definitely wasn't because of cost of living, because London is expensive for me, it wasn't for political reasons, but I hear that all the time that some people, that's one of their biggest reasons. Lifestyle, you know, it could be so many different reasons, but I think it is important to clarify your why. Why are you moving abroad? Because I think that it just helps you figure out where you really want to move abroad in Europe to make sure that your why is aligned to where you're going and how you move. I think just your goals shape the rest of the steps. So you might want to ask yourself questions like, do I want to stay long term or short term? That might change where you want to go, and your why Do I want to work, study? Am I retiring? Am I doing freelance work? Do I want to move alone? Or with a partner with kids? I think just getting clear on your why helps you make faster decisions later, especially when choosing, which countries and visas are valid for you. So I think just step number 1, decide that you're actually going to move abroad. Like make that conscious decision and kind of confirm that you actually do want to do it, and clarify your why. That's step number 1. And then step 2 would be to choose your destination country. You can't necessarily have it all. You might have to make up a list of your non-negotiables, and that's something that I did whenever I moved abroad. So some different factors that you might want to consider would be the weather. Is that something that's really important to you, that you need to be somewhere that's warm and sunny all the time? Or do you want colder weather? Is that something that you're looking after? Is that something that you're looking for good schools? Is that a factor for you? The language, the job market or remote work opportunities, the lifestyle, you know, thinking about urban versus a small town, thinking about the climate, thinking about pace of life. So what are those lifestyle, features that you're looking for the most? The cost of living. The ease of visas for Americans. The expat community, which is really important, especially if you are moving abroad solo. An expats are really just people who have moved abroad into a country that's not originally their own. It's important to have both local friends and expat friends. I strongly believe that. So I would be thinking about these different factors whenever you're thinking about where you might want to move to. So, yeah, I think just kind of figuring out what are your non-negotiables, what are the most important factors for you. You could say that the weather and good schools, that those are your number 2 things that you're not willing to sacrifice. And that's your number 1 and number 2 priority whenever you're looking to move abroad. So you have to figure out what those non-negotiables list is whenever you're choosing your destination country. And then just a few tips is start broad and then go narrow. For example, you might say, I want to move to somewhere in Western Europe. Or I want to move to Portugal. I know I wanna move to Portugal, but I just don't know exactly which city I'm kind of considering these 3. So start broad and then try to go narrow from there. And also, you can use tools like numbeo to figure out the cost of living, and you can go to Reddit for example. There is a Reddit called I Want Out, which is a really funny name in my opinion, or expat YouTubers or reading blogs online to figure out what life looks like and podcasts just like this one. You know, you're already listening to this podcast, so this is also a great place to figure out where you want to move to and to narrow that down so all these tools can kind of help you figure out where might be a good fit for you. And then you also might want to consider taking my free quiz that I have to help narrow down cities. So the link to the quiz is actually in the podcast description and it just helps you narrow down the country and city that is best for you and fits you best and what you're looking for. So that might be another good tool to use. You can also go to Jordangiberson.com/quiz or click on the link that's in the podcast description, but that might also be another tool that could be helpful for you in figuring out where you want to move abroad to. So you don't need to find your forever country. You just need to pick a good first country. You can always move or you could say, I really wanna move to Munich, Germany, and you spend a year in Munich, Germany, but then while you're there, had spent a bit of time in Berlin, for example. And then you decide actually Berlin's a better fit for me. And then you can move to Berlin. You know, it doesn't have to be your perfect place. It doesn't have to be your perfect country. You can always move if you want to. You just kind of need to choose somewhere and be dedicated to that place that you don't end up in this loop of not making a decision, and so then you are not moving forward, if that makes sense. One tool that might be helpful for you as well in choosing your destination country is episode 22. So, episode 22 on this podcast is how to choose the best place to Move Abroad. It might be helpful for you to dig into this topic more, so I would recommend going and checking out that episode if you want a bit of support in figuring out where you should move abroad to. Moving on to step number 3. Step number 3 is to choose a visa path. You can't just move to Europe. You need a legal reason to live there. Some of the most common visa paths for Americans are a student visa. So for example, you can go and get your master's degree in Europe. So a master's program would be a legal reason to live there that we just did a podcast episode on that. So if you want to learn more about a master's degree and why that might be a really good foot in the door for you to be able to move abroad, just go back 1 episode and listen to that episode on getting a master's degree. So a student visa is a very common visa path for Americans. Also work visa, work visa is very common as well. A lot of my friends have a work visa, most of my friends do. So you need a job offer first in order to get that. But that is another common way that people move abroad. The next common way would be a freelance or self-employed visa. These are really popular in countries like Spain and Portugal and Germany, but many countries have freelance or self-employed visas, so that's another really common one. If you are able to build up freelance work of some sort, like designing websites or copywriting, there's a million different things that you could do, but freelance, self-employed, visa, also another popular one. And along those same lines, a digital nomad visa, that's also a really popular visa and can be quite similar to the freelance and self-employed visa. It is growing a lot in popularity in Portugal, Croatia, Spain. Those might be some countries that you might consider. But a lot of countries have digital nomad visas, so that's also another really popular one and it's quite easy to get as well. So that could be a good option for you if you have some sort of a remote job or some sort of freelance work or you're self-employed. So, you'll have to dig into the different qualifications for a freelance slash self-employed visa versus a digital nomad visa, because both are common and a lot of countries do have both. So you'll just have to dig into the eligibility requirements and like what the requirements are because they might be slightly different. And so to help you kinda make that decision. But anyways, I digress. Another really popular visa is the retirement and passive income visa. An example would be Portugal's D7 Visa. So if you have rental property income, for example, and you have enough money to bring in from that, then that would be another good example of a popular visa. And then maybe a family reunification visa, which is if you're joining a spouse or a partner, that might be another popular visa that you might have. So those are some common visa paths for Americans. And then just as a tip on this, you know, check government immigration websites for the details. I think it's always best to go direct to the source because they're always kept up to date. Whereas if you go to like a lawyer's blog for example, they might be easier to understand and digest the information on the visas, but sometimes they're not the most up to date. I do think that they're good for learning, but then always go direct to the government immigration website for details on the exact requirements, timelines for visas and things like that. And then another tip on visas is I would not recommend to wait until you feel ready. You're never gonna feel completely ready. Just start exploring what you might qualify for now, and give it time to just like let it digest and let yourself kind of process the information, but I would say just go ahead and start digging into it because you're never gonna feel completely ready. But I do think that it's good to start figuring out which visa you think might be best for you. Choosing your visa is the foundation for your move. You have to have a visa. It is your hall pass for being able to move abroad is what I always say. And everything else, your timeline, your housing, your healthcare, it all builds from there. Once you decide where you're going to move to and which visa specifically you're going to get in that country. You're kind of set from there. And from there it's just kind of going through a checklist and making sure you accomplish all the things you need to in order to move abroad. So once you accomplish those 2 things, then that's a huge win. You're in a really, really good place. So that is what I would recommend as the next couple steps. So you can go back and listen to episode 50, which is 10 easiest visas to get in Europe to dig more into this topic of visas. So I highly recommend episode 50, which is 10 easiest visas to get in Europe. So you can kind of, scroll back down to that episode and go give it listen, if you are wanting to dig more into the topic of visas. Moving on to step number 4, which is build a realistic timeline and target date for moving abroad. The reason why this helps is that it reduces overwhelm and it makes your dream actionable. Once you choose a date, it'll help keep you motivated with a goal and a deadline in mind. If you can, I would recommend actually going ahead and adding it to your calendar because I think it just keeps you accountable and it keeps a specific date in mind and something that you're working towards. But an example timeline for a move abroad to Europe might be 6 to 9 months before moving abroad, you might want to decide where to move specifically and explore the visa options. So those were the previous 2 steps that we talked about. And once you decide where exactly you're moving to, as in the specific country and the specific city, and you explore visa options and you kind of figure out which visa you need, that is the most important thing and it will set you up for success. Because I think the rest of it kind of it is a lot easier once you've decided those 2 things. So that's in the first 6 to 9 months before moving abroad. Then 5 to 7 months before moving abroad, I'd recommend you start budgeting for your move and start networking. You could start networking online, trying to connect with people, trying to figure out ways to connect with people once you're there. But if you're able to have a few connections, and to just network on LinkedIn or, some other way that you network online, maybe it's social media. I think that that might be a bit helpful and it helps you start feeling a bit more connected to the place as well. And then 4 to 6 months before moving, I would recommend to look into applying for the Visa. I would highly recommend seeing the timeline for the Visa as you might want to apply a bit closer to the date of your move. But I would say just look into the Visa and make sure you know how long it will take to process the Visa, because you might wanna do it a little bit later, but you might need to go ahead and start doing that 4 to 6 months before moving. So, applying for the visa is something you'll want to think about 4 to 6 months before moving. And then another thing you might want to consider in those 4 to 6 months before moving is to downsize and to get organized. Start getting rid of all the things that you don't need. Start kind of thinking about how, like what stuff you want to actually move abroad, what you're gonna get rid of and start going through things because we know we just accumulate a lot of crap over the years. So I would recommend starting to think about downsizing and organizing your things. And then 3 to 5 months before moving, I would recommend securing housing if you can start thinking about that. Even if it's just temporary housing, which I would recommend you do before you secure long-term housing so that you can make sure that it all looks good and it feels good and it's good area, etcetera. You might wanna consider planning logistics in that time, planning any healthcare needs that you might have, and then starting to learn the local language if that's needed. You might wanna start doing that before 3 to 5 months before moving, but I feel like 3 to 5 months is a good time to start getting some of the basics checked off and just kind of get ahead of that because I would recommend doing a language class once you move abroad. I think it's a good way to connect with local people, to connect with other people who have just moved abroad. And, yeah, I think that could be a good idea, but you could start learning online if that would be helpful for you, or take a local class. So those are the things that I would do in the 3 to 5 months before moving, and then 2 to 4 months before moving, you might wanna start looking at booking your flights, finalizing your final travel arrangements. And just addressing your financial and legal matters. You'll want to make sure that your finances are all in order and that you have the amount saved. Just to make sure you have a bit of a financial buffer for yourself, and just securing any last minute legal matters that you might need to address. And then 1 to 2 months before moving, I'd recommend packing and you're saying your goodbyes and you're getting on that plane and you're moving, which is so exciting. And then just a pro tip, I would recommend that you give yourself a lot of buffer time because moving abroad takes longer than expected, and you just wanna make sure you have all your ducks in a row and you're not just scrambling at the last second to do everything. If you are a last minute scrambler, I get it. I am quite similar. I tend to do things quite last minute, but if you want this to be a bit more of a peaceful experience and experience where you feel at ease, then starting ahead of time on these things, especially for the things that you don't necessarily have control over the timeline, like applying for the visa for example, then I think that that would be helpful just to make sure you don't forget anything and you're not really stressed because you want this to be, an experience where you feel at ease. And you're feeling excited and not just stressed and just as a reminder, you don't have to move tomorrow. You just have to have a plan to move eventually. I think just setting a date if you can, and that way you have a goal in mind. You have a deadline in mind. Then it will help you work backwards to say, okay, what do I need to accomplish? 4 to 6 months before moving, what do I need to accomplish? 6 to 9 months before moving or 1 to months before moving. That way, you're kind of setting goals, and if you are a super organized person, you can even add those goals in an Excel spreadsheet or some other planning tool that you have, or adding those dates in your calendar so that you can keep yourself accountable so that you can move abroad when you actually want to. This was kind of a quick overview of a move abroad timeline, but if you go back and listen to episode 58, it is called your Perfect Move Abroad timeline. Then you can dig into this topic a bit more, so talk in more detail about timeline and moving abroad so you can go check out episode 58, your Perfect Move Abroad Timeline. So moving on to step number 5, which is handling your finances. You'll want to budget for things like your Visa application fees, your plane ticket, your first month's rent and the deposit, travel insurance, and or healthcare that you might need to pay for. A lot of visas will require that you pay for your own health insurance depending on the visa that you get. If it's a longer term visa, a lot of times you don't have to do this. If it's a short-term visa, like a master's program, for example, or if you're doing a digital nomad visa, then you more than likely will need to pay for your own health insurance. But it shouldn't be too expensive. But yeah, just you'll want to budget for that and it will depend on the country that you move to as well. So just check in on the cost of living expenses to figure out how much that might cost so you can budget for that. And then things like language classes as well, if you want to do those. And then to have an emergency fund, you might wanna consider having 3 to 6 months of living expenses so that if there are any financial surprises, you have the money to cover it. And it's not a super stressful experience, I'd say especially if you have more responsibilities in life, especially if it's you and a partner. And especially if you have kids. I would recommend having a bit more in your emergency fund versus just you where you don't have as many obligations or just things where you might have emergency circumstances. So yeah, I'd say those are the things that you might wanna consider budgeting for. You can also consider creating a move abroad savings account that's a bit separate so that you can keep that money separate and just be focusing on that savings account specifically, and making sure you're building it up to the amount that you know that you need to have in there so that you feel secure and where you have your emergency funded and things like that. So I would say also just make sure you know what the cost of living is and how much income you'll need to sustain your lifestyle. numbeo is a really great place to see the cost of living in different places as it will vary depending on where you decide to move abroad to. So numbeo, that's N-U-M-B-E-O. So I would recommend just making sure you know the cost of living, because then that way you can be a lot more exact on whenever you're budgeting for the visa application fees and your plane ticket and your rent and all those things that we just listed out. So I would make sure that you know what the cost of living is. And then you might also want to just consider as an optional thing to start earning money remotely if that's something that you were considering doing, to start building up your freelancing clients. Consider looking for a remote job or maybe you wanna start that online business. Just depends on what visa path that you were looking at. And, just kind of like whenever we're talking about your finances and expenses, if that's something that you were considering doing to have some side income or like I said, remote job or online business, you might wanna start looking at that as well. So I will say money does not have to stop you, but you do need to get intentional about it. You do need to make sure that you have enough to cover you. You don't want moving abroad to be a super stressful experience, especially when it comes to finances. You want it to be an experience where you feel at ease and an experience that feels good, not one where your timeline is super rushed and where your finances feel really tight. So I would consider making sure that you have a certain amount saved up for. And if you do wanna dig into this topic more on finances and budgeting, go back and listen to episode 64, which is budgeting. How much do you really need to move abroad? So if you wanna dig into that topic more, go back to episode 64 and give that a listen. Moving on to step number 6, which is really, really exciting. I'm being sarcastic. It is logistics and paperwork. Who doesn't love logistics and paperwork? So the paperwork will probably all be at the part of your visa application, and each visa will give you a clear list of all the documents that you will need and a timeline of the process for applying and receiving your visa. Like I said, when we were talking about a timeline for your move abroad, I would recommend starting your Visa application process earlier rather than later. Some visas will require that you don't apply sooner than 3 months before your move abroad, for example, so you might not even be able to apply for visa until 3 months before your move, for example, but you'll just have to look into the visa and just make sure that you know what that timeline might look like so that you can apply earlier rather than later and not make that stressful or not apply for your visa. And then it does take 6 months, but you are planning on moving in 3 months. So I think just make sure that you know what that timeline looks like. But that is a part of moving abroad is figuring out the logistics and the paperwork, which basically just means your visa application and getting that all sorted. Some key documents that you might need to prepare for your visa would be a valid passport. Make sure you check that expiration date. You wanna make sure that you have good runway on your passport, for example. You will need to make sure you have at least 6 months on your visa, but I'd recommend having a lot more time on there if you're able to. And then birth certificate, you might need to get your official copies for that. You might need to do a background check. You might need to share your degree or diplomas, and you might need to get that translated perhaps depending on the country and the visa application. You might need to share your bank statements, which is like proof of funds to make sure you aren't completely broke and moving to the country with no money, and then the government needs to take care of you or you end up homeless. They wanna make sure that doesn't happen. So you might need to provide bank statements. You might need to provide health insurance policy to show that you do have health insurance. It depends on the visa. If you have a work visa, for example, normally you won't need to provide health insurance, you just will use the public healthcare. But if you have a digital nomad visa, for example, or a master's degree. Like you have a student visa for example, then you might need to provide that health insurance policy, for example. So those are some of the things that you might need to prepare and have ready whenever you're applying for your visa. And just as a pro tip, I would just start collecting the paperwork early. Some items might take weeks or months to get back, so it's better just to have them ready to go for whenever. You do need to start on your paperwork for your visa. You might also just want to create a Google Drive folder or something similar for backups of everything so that you just make sure you have all of your copies of everything prepared for when you are applying for your application. Visa officers love organized people. It makes their job really easy and it will reduce the risk of delays for your visa. You don't want to apply for a visa and then not have proper paperwork or not have something done, and then they are asking you questions and then it delays the process. So if you are able to have things ready and make sure you have all your ducks in a row, it will make the process for getting a visa so much smoother and easier. And then step number 7 will be to find housing. Many people rent temporary housing first, like from Airbnb or some sort of other website where you can find short-term rentals, which I would recommend you do because they might be more priced for the locals rather than Airbnb, which might be a little bit more expensive. So you can just Google short-term rental. In Madrid, Spain, for example. So I would recommend renting temporary housing first. While it doesn't feel as comfortable to do that, I just think that you are putting yourself more at risk if you go ahead and secure a year long agreement to rent somewhere, and then you go there and it smells really weird. Or you go there and you realize that it's actually on a really busy road and it's really loud and so you can't sleep at night or that it actually is in a really sketchy neighborhood and you didn't realize that until you moved there. So I just think that you're putting yourself more at risk if you don't do temporary accommodation first, or perhaps you're able to do a trip there, to do a quick, you know, week or month long trip or whatever you're able to do and find accommodation then. But I just, I would be a bit hesitant to get long-term accommodation before actually seeing it. But that's just me. Some people go ahead and secure a year long lease and it's totally fine. But I've also known friends that have done that where they were moving from the US and they move to Europe and they signed a year long agreement and then they arrived there and then they hated the place and it was like really gross. And it was, the area was fine, but it was really dark in the apartment and they like it didn't have any natural lighting hardly at all, but the photos looked really bright. So I think it's just something to be really careful about, but something to just kind of think about as you're trying to decide whether you get a temporary housing first, or go ahead and sign a year long, or 2 year long lease or whatever that looks like for you. So after arrival, you can look for long-term accommodation on local sites. You can look on places like Idealista in Spain or Seleger. I'm definitely pronouncing that wrong. It's S-E-L-E-G-E-R. Seleger. I know I'm saying that wrong in France. You know, there's local sites everywhere. So I think you can use those local sites and what I would recommend is to just ask local people where the best websites are. You can also use Facebook expat groups, for example, to send a message and ask people, or kind of just search and scroll through because someone has probably asked a similar question before. You can also just work on understanding the local norms on those Facebook groups and just by asking people, for example, whether places are normally furnished or unfurnished what the rental deposits typically look like. You can also see if there are agencies that list out and manage properties for landlords, it might just depend on the country and whether that's something that they typically do. So you might want to connect with local agencies in the area that you want to move to and get on their list and tell them what you're looking for so that they can match you with properties. Countries will all have their own different websites, different apps, different pro tips on the best ways to get connected to properties. It's just really worth asking any local person that you can get connected with, which will be a lot easier if you're already living there to be honest, but I think it's just making sure you're getting connected with people and asking people what the best way is. Or you can maybe try just doing a Google search to figure out what the best way to get connected with properties is. But I do think that this is one where it might be helpful if you do ask people and if you're already living there. I also, just like I said, I would be careful about getting long-term accommodation before actually seeing it in person. So whether you decide to do temporary housing first and then look for long-term accommodation once you're there or you decide to do a quick trip abroad the place that you're moving to, and then you look for places once you're already there, then that could be helpful too. But if you decide just to go for it and get long-term accommodation and you think it'll be fine, then that is also totally fine. Totally your call. But yeah, I'd say it's okay to land with a temporary place first. It just gives you more time to figure out your area and where you want to move abroad to. So that is step number 7 is finding housing. Next, we're onto step number 8, which is book the Move and Go. So book your flight. Once your visa is approved, then you know exactly when you can actually move abroad because you have to have your visa and have it approved before you actually book your flight. I would not book your flight before your Visa has come in, in case there are any delays. You might also want to consider shipping your essentials, or you might wanna travel light and buy whatever you need once you're there. So you might wanna consider doing two to three suitcases only. Or you might wanna ship some of your items, some of your furniture items and shipping containers. This might take a few weeks to get there, so you'll have to plan accordingly. And then in this time, you know you're saying your goodbyes. You are setting up your international phone plans, notifying your bank that you'll be away and living in another country, and you might want to also join expat groups in your city before you actually arrive. Whether that's a Facebook group or some other way that you're getting connected to the local community. And yes, it will feel scary, but it also is going to feel super thrilling. And that's exactly how you're going to grow, is just taking the steps forward and just doing it scared. Even though you're scared, you're just gonna take steps and do it anyways, so that is our step 8 is booking the move and going. And then step number 9 is once you're there to settle in and extend your stay if you want to. So you might need to register with local authorities. That's often required once you're there, you might want to open a local bank account, which you might need to have more permanent housing before you do this. Just kind of depends. You might want to get a sim card or a new local phone plan and set that up. You might want to join language classes. Once you're there, you'll want to obviously work on making some friends. You can go to websites like meetup.com. You can, make friends from your language classes. You can make friends in your coworking spaces and workout classes, whatever you're interested in. And however you're able to connect with people. Maybe it's just sitting at a coffee shop and chatting with the person next to you, but that will be something you'll want to work on doing as well. And then maybe you'll want to plan on staying longer after you've been there for a little while, you'll want to make sure that you track your visa and make sure that you know what your visa end date is and what the extension process looks like, so that way if you've been staying there for 9 months and your visa ends after a year. Then you make sure that you know what that extension process looks like and you extend your visa on time to make sure that you can stay longer if you decide to do so, and then also just to apply for a new visa. If you're switching categories, maybe you got your master's degree in the first year, and then you're going to get a work visa, so you might want to apply to change your visa. And then a lot of countries will allow you to apply for permanent residency after 5 years. So maybe that's something that you might not consider at the very beginning, but then once you're there for a couple years, you realize that you love it there and you want to stay there forever like me. But yeah, I think that's something to just kind of keep in the back of your mind is that you know, how long does permanent residency take if I decided to do that, and what does that process look like?\ So you don't need to have the rest of your life figured out, you just need to take it one step at a time and figure out the next step. So definitely just focus on getting there, but just to kind of keep these things in the back of your mind, which is step number 9, just to settle in once you get there and to extend your stay. If you decide you want to stay longer. So those are these steps that I would take in order to move abroad from America to Europe or from any country really. So in summary, step number 1 was to decide that you're actually going to move abroad and clarify your why. Step number 2 is to choose your destination, country and the city. Step number 3 is to choose a visa path that you're going to take. Step number 4 is to build a realistic timeline and a target date for moving abroad. Step number 5 is to handle your finances and make sure you have all your finances and ducks in a row on that. Step number 6 is logistics and paperwork, and making sure that your Visa application is all set up and good to go. Number 7 is finding housing and making sure that's set up. And step number 8 is to book the move and go. Lastly, step number 9 is to settle in and extend your stay if you decide to do that. So you can absolutely move abroad and now you know how you know all the steps from step number 1 to 9 to make it happen for yourself. This was meant to be a. Quick overview to kind of show you the steps in order to move abroad, but I do hope that it's helpful that I provided a few more episodes that you can dig into for topics that you want to get a bit more understanding on. So I hope that that is also a bit helpful for you, but you don't need to be rich. You don't need to be fluent in another language or wildly brave. You just need to plan and commit to moving abroad, and you can absolutely make it happen. You were meant to live a bold and adventurous life, and this is just your 1st step to making it happen. So I hope that this episode was helpful for you. Again, we mentioned it earlier in the episode, but if you are interested in helping getting connected to the best European city that is the best fit for you. You can take the free quiz that's on my website. You can click on the link that's in the podcast description at the bottom, or you can go to Jordangibserson.com/quiz and go take that quiz to get matched with your perfect European destination. I again hope that this episode was helpful to have an overview of how to move to another country from America or from whatever country you are hoping to move abroad from. But yeah, thank you again for listening to another episode of the. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I will catch you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then. thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I will catch you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.