98: Everyone thinks moving abroad is hard—they’re wrong

Most people believe moving abroad is complicated, expensive, and nearly impossible. But what if that belief is holding you back from something far simpler than you realize? In this episode, I break down the biggest misconceptions about visas, jobs, housing, and money—and show you why moving abroad is actually easier than most people think.

I’ll share stories (including my own first move abroad) that reveal how much smoother the process can be with the right mindset and a clear plan. You’ll learn:

• Why visas aren’t as difficult as they seem (and which ones are easiest).
• How finding work abroad—or keeping your remote job—might be simpler than you expect.
• The easiest ways to secure housing without stress.
• How support systems like expat groups make the transition smoother.

By the end of this episode, you’ll see that moving abroad isn’t a mountain to climb—it’s a series of manageable steps. And you’ll walk away with practical tips to make your move even easier.

If you’ve been dreaming of life overseas but keep telling yourself it’s too hard, this episode is for you.

👉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

0:00

But what I'm saying is it is easier done than said the actual steps of moving abroad, like. It's actually not as complicated as what we make it up in our mind. It's actually just kind of deciding that that's what you really want and just going after 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. Thanks for joining me for today's episode, which is about moving abroad and why it's actually a lot simpler than what people think. So I feel like this is going to be a little bit of a controversial opinion of mine. Because I have a quote that I thought of and I was like, this is brilliant. And I don't know if you're gonna think that it's also brilliant, but the quote that I had thought of is that moving abroad is easier done than said. And that is the theme of this episode. So the saying that you've probably heard is that it's easier said than done, so it's easy to talk about it and say you're going to do it and it's more difficult to actually get it done, but I feel like this is actually the opposite. It's easier to say and believe that you're going to do it and to really want that to the point where you're actually going to do it and to get over that fear than it is to actually do it. I feel like the actual moving abroad part is. Simpler than what people think that it is. I think that whenever you boil it down, it's actually quite simple in the process that you have to go through to move abroad, but it's more difficult actually to say that you're going to move abroad. So the quote of today's episode is easier done than said. So again, I think this might be a little bit controversial because I've obviously done it. I did it, you know, several years ago now, so maybe it. Seems easier to me now that I'm on the other side of it than somebody who might be living in the US and wanting to move abroad. But whenever you break down the steps, I'm like, actually, I think that it's the hard part is emotionally deciding that you're going to move abroad and finally coming to that decision rather than the actual doing. So we'll get into why I believe that that is the case. And hopefully make you feel more confident and empowered to take the first steps. That's really my purpose in putting together this episode. And I sort of said to this a second ago, but whenever I look back to when I moved abroad, all of the struggles that I faced, a lot of them were actually emotional. But whenever I look at the steps I had to take to move abroad, like going through the Visa application and figuring out where to live. When I was going to move and closing down my life in the US and what that looked like. I feel like all that was actually quite simple. But the difficult part was, I think the emotional part of moving abroad. So, that's kind of what I mean by easier done than said. So I do hope that by the end of this episode, you will feel more confident and more empowered to take the first step and remind yourself that it is easier done than said. So what are some of the common misconceptions of what makes moving abroad so difficult? I feel like one of the biggest things is that people think it's really complicated to get the visa and you've never had to get a visa before, so you don't know what the process looks like and it feels a little bit overwhelming or confusing as to what the process is and the paperwork and do I need to get a lawyer? And I honestly think that it's not as complicated as what we make it. This might be a controversial opinion of mine, but I honestly think that the process of getting a visa is probably just as difficult, if not easier than getting your driver's license in the US. And maybe you can also compare it to getting a passport. You have to go through a process to get a passport and to get your driver's license, you have to apply. Maybe you had to show your birth certificate to prove that it is you. Maybe you had to provide, you know, you had to go to an appointment and you had to, tell them your height and your weight and your eye color, and you had to do the photo. You know, go through the process and I mean, getting your driver's license, you had to do a test, you had to do a practical test, you had to study for it. I actually think that getting a visa is so much simpler and I feel like we make it this big thing in our heads where it feels perhaps a little bit complicated or we just don't quite understand the process. But in reality, it's actually a lot simpler than other. Things that you've done in the past, like getting a passport and getting your license, I feel like the process, you can kind of compare to that. If you can go through the process and get your driver's license, then you can definitely go through the process to get your visa. It's nothing to be overwhelmed by. Another big fear that keeps people from moving abroad is that finding a job is impossible. Let me tell you, finding a job is not impossible. And I will caveat this to say that some places are going to be more difficult to get a job than others. So you have to be practical about where you want to move abroad to, or just be open to knowing that certain places are going to be a little bit more challenging or competitive. So for example, if you're trying to move to a small town in southern Italy and that is your dream and you want to get a job in marketing at a big company, okay, that's going to be quite difficult because that's not really what Southern Italy is famous for. There's not really a great job market for that. Or take London, for example. London is a little bit more competitive of a city, so there are a lot of people applying for the same jobs. It's just a little bit more challenging to move to London because. It's one of the top cities in the world that people want to move to and for a good reason. I love London. I think it's a really great place to live, but there are so many other places in the UK or across Europe where it actually is easier than you think, probably to find a job. So it would be like. Trying to move to another state. And granted, I know it's a little bit different, but I feel like we overcomplicate this and think that there's some special formula to get a job abroad. And they think that it's impossible. But it's not impossible. Like I know so many people who have done it and they're not necessarily special. And I, I'll talk about an example a little bit later in the episode, but I feel like a lot of people think that. Finding a job is impossible. There's some special formula, special thing you have to do, and yes, maybe there's certain things that you can do like tweaking your resume. To make it more applicable to that country or that job. Maybe there's smaller things that you can tweak in your conversations with potential employers for interviews. Like maybe there's different things they want to hear or, like different questions that they're asking. But really it's probably going to look quite similar to the process that you would have in the United States for the job that you already have. So I think that finding a job is not as impossible as what people think. People might also be overwhelmed by housing and logistics, thinking that it will take forever, that there's so much to do. It's such a long list. They feel overwhelmed and so they never move forward. But I honestly think that you just take it one step at a time. And maybe you do have more responsibilities. Maybe you have multiple cars and you have a family, so you need to think about schools and a job for both you and your spouse perhaps. So. That might take a little bit longer, but you just might need a little bit of a longer lead time. Whereas if you're a single person, you're not with someone right now, it's just you. You don't own a house. Maybe you have one car, just as an example. Maybe the logistics won't take as long, so it's just not as complicated. So you just don't need as long of a lead time to kind of work through those things. But it's just, it's not impossible. I feel like these are just some of the fears that keep people from moving abroad, but it's actually probably a lot simpler than what you're building it up in your head. So just talking about these specific examples that we've talked about, visas being impossible. A lot of countries actually have pretty straightforward visa options for Americans. It does depend on the visa route that you're taking, but all in all, I feel like across Europe there's pretty much a visa for any reason that you would want to move abroad, and it does kind of depend on the country, so you'll have to do a little bit of research, but whether you want to be a freelancer or you want to start your own company, or you want to work for a company and be an employee, or you are going to be retired, there are so many different visa options for Americans and it's a lot easier for Americans to move abroad to Europe than it would be for people from a lot of other countries across the world. Some visas can be applied for online, and it's just a quick application that you have to fill out online, and some just require only a few documents to actually get the visa. So it could be a lot simpler than what you actually think that it is. And I gave the example a second ago of a driver's license. It will be. So much easier than getting your driver's license. I would compare it maybe to getting a passport, as in, yes, you will need you to fill out some paperwork, maybe there's some requirements that you have to follow, and just make sure that you are checking all those boxes, but it's actually a lot easier than probably what you think it is, and I feel like a lot of us overcomplicate this or get overwhelmed because we've never had to get a visa before, so we just don't know what it looks like. But it's actually a lot simpler than what you think that it is. If you do want a bit more guidance on visas, I have a lot of episodes on visas actually, but one of my favorites would be episode 50, which is called the 10 Easiest Visas to get in Europe. So if you want to learn a bit more about visas and the easier routes to move abroad in Europe, then go back to episode 50 and give that a listen. I feel like another big reason why people think that it's so difficult to move to Europe is that they believe that it's really hard to find a job, but jobs are actually a lot more accessible than what people assume. There are many English speaking roles that are very common across Europe. There are great remote work options and international companies that make relocation a lot easier and the transition and they are looking for Americans or looking for people that speak English. So it's actually. A lot easier than what people think that it is. I'm not saying that you will apply for your first job and you will get that right out the gate, but what I am saying is that it's definitely accessible. I feel like it will be perhaps a little bit more difficult. You might have a couple more hoops to jump through if you were to find a job in Europe versus finding a new job in the US, for example. Or let's say that you're moving to a different state, for example, and try and find a job there and proving to them that you are going to move there. You are serious about moving there. You wanna be there long term. So I feel like you have similar hoops to jump through, but so many people move across to different states all the time and it's no big deal. And I feel like. There's just not as much visibility into people that are moving abroad. You hear of a lot of friends moving to different cities in the same states or maybe moving to different states, and so you think that that's more accessible and a lot easier, but in reality, it's probably just as difficult, if not maybe a little bit more difficult to get a job in Europe. But it's kind of a similar type of thing, like you do need a visa and I'm not going to say that. You apply to your first job and you're going to get it. But what I am saying is I feel like a lot of people overcomplicate it in their minds and they think that it's just impossible or that it's really difficult, or you have to be really special to get a job in Europe. But there are so many different options or there are a lot of companies that are English speaking, they provide remote work. There's international companies where you can get a job as an American. If you want to learn more about this, there's actually quite a few episodes on getting a job abroad, but one of my favorites is episode 49. Can I get a job abroad if I only speak English? So if you want to learn more about getting a job abroad in Europe, then go back and listen to episode 49. I feel like another thing that people overcomplicate is housing. I feel like it can be way easier than what people think that it is. I do recommend that people have a short term rental unless they're able to do a short trip abroad before they actually move there to go see the place that they'll live in person, because I just think that whenever you view the videos or photos online, it can look really great online, but then whenever you get there, it has a weird smell or you realize the neighbors are really loud, or it's actually on a really loud street, or there's a train right underneath it that shakes the house whenever the train goes by. Like I just think that you need to be there in person. So I would recommend if you don't have the opportunity to do a short trip. Abroad to do viewings for apartments before you actually move there than to do a short term accommodation and then move there afterwards. So there's so many different options for short term or long term. Let's, like even Facebook marketplace has places available rights move, zoopla, Airbnb for short term. I mean, honestly, if you just Google, short term accommodation in Munich, Germany, or, sublet in Munich, Germany, or. You look up, like apartments for rent in Munich, Germany, or wherever you're moving to, then I feel like it's, it's not as complicated as what we make it. Again, I feel like we hear of people moving across states all the time in the US and or just even cities and people do a similar process, I suppose, and I, again, I understand that it is a little bit more difficult to move to another country, but what I'm saying and what I'm trying to get across is I feel like. The actual steps that you take are about as complicated as a move that you would make in the us. I feel like it's more of the emotional hoops that you have to jump through. Just convincing yourself that this is what you want and that you will still have relationships with your family, and that you'll figure out the time difference and that you can make friends abroad. I feel like it's a lot of those emotional. Thoughts or hesitations that we really need to work through whenever we're thinking about moving abroad. And this really depends on the person for sure, but I feel like the practical, like actually what you do A to Z of actually moving abroad is the easy part in a way. And that's what I'm really trying to get across is that moving abroad is actually easier than you think, like the actual moving abroad. And so I'm just talking about some of the, the biggest things that I feel like people think are hurdles and why they're not actually hurdles. So anyways, housing can be easier than what you actually think. Another thing is just planning, like planning simplifies everything. I feel like whenever you break down all the steps and when you want to accomplish things, it becomes a lot clearer as to what you need to do when, and it really depends on how, not complicated, but how, many responsibilities you have. So like if you own a home, if you have kids, if you have multiple vehicles, then maybe you need to plan further in advance. So an example of breaking it down step by step might be to choose the country and the city that you want to move to, and then figure out which visa you need. So maybe you need to find a job first and then apply for your visa then, or if you are doing your own thing. So like if you're gonna be a freelancer or a student or, start a company, then a lot of times you're secure the visa,, as the next step, and then you find housing and then you settle down. Like you fix all of the last minute things that you need to do in the US or wherever you're moving from to kind of close down your life, like selling your vehicle, figuring out what to do with it, figuring out what to do with your apartment, for instance, like all those little details. And then you move, like you just buy a flight and you go over there. And I know I'm really oversimplifying the process, but I do think that it doesn't take a special person is what I'm trying to communicate. That it's easier done than said, you know, the process is not actually that difficult. It's just more difficult to kind of get yourself. Mentally over the line to like actually go out and do it is, is my opinion, to kinda like start working through the steps and figure out like, okay, what is my actual next step that I need to do to accomplish, to move abroad? Another hesitation might be the support system that you're worried about building community or keeping relationships, back home. I think that that is a transition and no matter where you live, you have to build new community. So it's just taking active steps towards trying to meet people. So, I mean that's just another step to moving abroad So story time on our theme today of Easier Done Than Said. I'll tell my story and then I'll tell a story about someone else who literally moved abroad a week ago. I will tell you a little bit about my story. So for me, moving abroad, the difficult part was actually the emotional side. It was deciding that I for sure wanted to move abroad, that I was not going to stay in Texas like my family wanted. That I was sort of disappointing my family a little bit by moving abroad because they didn't understand why I wanted to leave them and move to another country. So when I think about it, the difficult part was. I think the emotional part was deciding that I actually wanted to move abroad, and I felt a lot of guilt around that and I just did an episode about that as well. But I think that was the most difficult part for me was the emotional part. So story time. I have a friend who is moving, actually just moved a week ago from South Africa to Munich, Germany. He had told me about a year and a half ago that he really wanted to move to Europe in general. He was leaning towards Germany. But he didn't know if he'd actually do it. And he was kind of like, eh, I feel like I'd be disappointed in my life if I never did it. I really wanna move there. I wanna live there longer term. I wanna live there at least five years. But you know, I don't know. I don't know if I wanna do it. And he's kind of like, uh, I don't know. And I was like, no, if this is something you really want to do, you have to go for it. You have to do it. Like, I was really encouraging him to do it. Fast forward about a year from then, he did a trip to Munich. He went and visited Munich. He checked it out, like saw Germany in general went to, I think he actually went to Berlin, not Munich,, but he just saw Germany, spent some time there, did a quick like trip abroad to experience it, see what it was like. And then he was like, yeah, I like really wanna move here. So then he went back to South Africa and he just started applying jobs online. Cleaned up his resume a little bit, didn't do anything super special with it, just kind of cleaned it up. And then started applying to jobs. And after a few applications that he put in, he got a job. He got a job offer. They said, we're willing to sponsor your visa. Here's your job offer. They chose him. They liked him. They got on well with him. He was the best fit for the job, and they were happy to sponsor his visa. Like, it doesn't get better than that. Like he just moved there a week ago. Had to go through the process of getting the visa, but as I said. It is a process that you go through, but it's no more difficult probably than getting your driver's license. Like you do have to fill out paperwork, you have to go through the process. You like do your f your fingerprints and they take a photo of you and bad bing bada boom. And he like bought a flight to go to. Munich and he got an apartment like for a, a temporary apartment because he didn't have a viewing for apartments while he was there previously. So he went through this process fairly quickly, only applied to a few jobs, got an offer, went. They, like, took him through the visa process. He didn't really have to do anything for it. The company took him through it and he moved abroad. And let me tell you, I wanna do an episode where I bring him on and interview him about his process, but, and I. Adore this person, like he is a really good friend of mine, so. I hope that this doesn't sound offensive, but there's nothing special about him and there's nothing special about me. I feel like a lot of people who think about moving abroad think that the people that get to do it are really special, that they're, there's something different about them. And honestly, like there, I know lots of people that live abroad that have moved abroad, and there's like nothing special about them. They're very normal, and if they can do it, then you can absolutely do it. So this person that I'm talking about. He just went through the process. He like just applied for jobs. They gave him the visa. He bought a flight, came over here and it was like a probably, he started in maybe June and now it's September. Like he just moved there and he's starting his job on Monday. So, you know, if he could do it, you can absolutely do it. So I put together this episode because I want to tell you, I do empathize. I know it. It's a new thing. Sometimes it does feel overwhelming. Fears are very valid in life. We all have fears about doing new things, about changing our life. I do totally understand that, and I'm not trying to belittle that. But what I'm saying is it is easier done than said the actual steps of moving abroad, like. It's actually not as complicated as what we make it up in our mind. It's actually just kind of deciding that that's what you really want and just going after it. I feel like that's the hard part. It's actually the mind, like your mindset that is a little bit more difficult, but the actual doing part of just going through the steps to move abroad and actually doing the thing is actually not as difficult. So that's what I'm really trying to get across with this episode. I hope that is coming across. But yeah, I think that's that story with my friend and I hope that we'll be able to get him on an episode soon. But it's like, if he can do it, you can do it. So the actual doing part, it's actually quite simple to go through the process, like the Visa, it's just a little bit of paperwork, finding a new apartment. It's just like if you're finding an apartment in another state, like. You do a bit of research online, quit Google about like how to secure a place and you just kind of take it one step at a time and it's actually a lot easier than what you think that it is, especially if you're a frequent traveler. If you've done lots of travel abroad, I mean, I do understand that moving is a totally different thing, but it's, it's actually not as complicated, I feel like as what people think that it is, or like there's no hidden secrets or. Like specific steps or like some hidden mystery about it. I feel like it's actually, you know, as simple as that, it's like deciding where you want to go, starting to apply for jobs, make sure you have a visa whenever you move there. Like book your flight, make sure you have temporary accommodation when you get there. And then like do some apartment viewings or house viewings once you get there to find your new house. And then there's like other small details like. Getting a phone number in that country and setting up a bank if you need to do that. But that's not even something that you necessarily have to do immediately. And honestly, if you get an account with Revolut, it takes only a few minutes. I know someone that just moved to London and they're sitting on the couch next to me and just got a Revolut account. Bad bing bada boom. They got a bank account and it's like actually pretty easy now. So I feel like moving abroad probably a few decades ago was a lot more complicated than it is now. But because everything's online, it's actually probably so much easier than what we build it up in our minds. So I really do think that the doing part is. I'm not going to say easy. I don't think that's a great word, but it's, it's actually a lot simpler than what you think that it is and a lot more doable than you think that it is. The harder part is just reframing the mindset, so moving abroad, it's not only possible, it's definitely achievable. If I can do it, if my friend who just moved to Munich, Germany can do it, you can totally do it. So I would just encourage you to see it as an adventure and something really exciting rather than a daunting task where you kind of. I want to do it, but then you kind of keep pushing it and saying, okay, I'll do that in two years time. Okay, I'll do that. I'll do that again in two years time, you just kind of keep like kicking the can down the road. So I just want to remind you as long as you just keep taking one step at a time, it's actually a lot simpler than you think. So what can you do as next steps if you want to go into a little bit more detail, I did mention a couple other podcast episodes that might be helpful for you. So if you're interested in learning more about visas and which ones are easiest, then maybe you listen to episode 50 10 Easiest Visas to get in Europe. Maybe your next step is to get a job. You already know where you want to go to, so maybe listen to episode 49. Can I get a job abroad if I only speak English? Or maybe you're trying to decide where you want to move abroad to, you still don't know for sure. Then a great place would actually be the quiz. There's a quiz that you can actually just click on the link that's at the bottom of this podcast description, and you can get matched with your perfect European destination that that really matches who you are and what you're looking for. Then I would encourage you to go take that quiz. Or you can also take the quiz. If you go on my website, you go to Jordangiberson.com/quiz, then you can take the quiz there. It just takes two minutes. It shouldn't take too long. And you can get the result about where you should move to. So if that's your next step, then that would be great as well so I hope that you found this episode encouraging. The purpose was really to make you understand that it's not as complicated as you think it is easier done than said. It's easier to do it than to say you're going to do it and believe you're going to do it. That's the harder part. Is that the mental barrier of deciding that that's actually what you want to do and to go after it. I feel like that's the harder part is some of that mindset work, but the actual. Step taking that you have to do is actually a lot simpler. So I hope that this episode gave you some encouragement to realize that there's not some hidden thing that you don't know about some hidden secret or like thing that you're going to mess up and it's gonna make moving abroad really difficult for you. Like no, it's, it's really not that complicated. You just take it one step at a time. And if you do want a step-by-step guide about moving to Europe, you can actually just go listen to episode 80. So episode 80 is how to Move to another Country from America, a step-by-step guide to Moving to Europe. So if you want the exact. Steps of what you need to do to move abroad to Europe. That could also be a really great resource for you. So go back and listen to that episode if you want to hear you know what step you should be taking next in your journey of moving abroad. So that is it for me for today's episode. I hope that this was an encouraging episode that you are like, yes, it is easier than I think that it is. I'm just overcomplicating it in my head and I'm ready to take the next step. I hope that's what you're feeling after listening to this episode. That you find it really encouraging and you feel right to take the next step, whether it's listening to another episode or finally taking that next step that you need to take in order to move abroad to Europe 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.