How my life will change when and if I choose to move overseas?

That is the question you should ask from yourself and find all the possible information regarding your destination. This helps you to form a clear picture what it is like in your destination and how your daily life might change and are you prepared for it. The chances are that nothing at all will change or the changes will be minimal. Then again, the other extreme is that everything might change. All this really depends on your destination country and city. Some countries might follow different religion than you, language spoken could be something you have never even heard of, seasons and weather might be tough and annoying, services and goods you have taken for granted might be unavailable or have a very high pricetag attached to them. Situations and combinations are limitless and pretty much dependant on you, what you hold dear and important to you. After all most human beings are quite flexible and adabt pretty easily to different situations given they have enough time to adjust themselves.

There is something you will have to adapt to regardless if you are relocating yourself only to the country next to your own where the used language, culture and way of life might be similar to yours. The issue will be changing social network. Your friends and relatives might come and visit you providing familiar feeling and environment, but they are not there to stay. If you have a hobby you enjoy, continue it in your new destination if anyhow possible. Eventually you will get to know people with similar interests thus giving you a basis to start building your new social network. This is especially important for accompanying spouses who possibly will not be working, but staying home as a "housewife". The one working will find it easier to make new contacts due to work.

How to get by with daily life?

That is a good question and possibly even the most stressing one if your plan is to go to a bit more excotic place. Even if the issue causes sleepless nights, eventually the concept of life and daily life especially is pretty much the same regardless of the place in question. Ways to make things happen might be a bit different, but the routines and habits usually stay. And once you learn the places where to go for certain items or issues, the "challenge level" for daily life returns to normal levels. Milk is milk everywhere, right?

What to expect?

My advice is to expect nothing much at all and to take everything as it comes. Being open to life and to new experiences you will actually smoothen the upcoming change and avoid possible disappointments. If you set too high expectations and realize later on that nearly all of them failed to fulfill, you might become disappointed. On the other hand, some people find the reality to be much more pleasant and enjoyable than they had expected in the first place. For me though, I've realized that keeping the expectations in minimum and realistic works best for me. I knew for sure, that moving to China will be stressing experience due to massive cultural differences and language barrier. That proved to be true tenfold, the only way for a foreigner to get things done is to learn the lingo, even slowly and painfully. Or hire an ayi, a Chinese maid. We chose to learn the language because it doesn't only make your everyday life easier, it also enriches it as you begin to understand what is going on around you at least in some degree.

One thing is for certain though. You will gain lifelong memories that you can always treasure and return to when you get older. If you get lucky, you might get lifelong friends as well that is the most precious "souvenir" you can possibly get. Expect also that after the experience you will be a bigger person who has much wider perspective on different things. You might start thinking differently about people immigrating to your own native country, value of traveling around, are the old traditional ways necessarily the best ones to do certain things etc. The possibilities are limitless.

Who will help me if problems arise?

When everything you try feels to fail there is something you should always remember: you are not the first expatriate and definitely not the only one having the same problem. The same question you have have undoubtely been asked quite many times already and the answer is bound to be hidden somewhere in the internet. People living abroad are usually quite a friendly bunch and they do share hints and tips for newcomers and experienced travellers alike. The trick is to find the correct place, so 'googling' will usually give some hints at least.

Also, if you are a sent employee, do not forget to ask support from your own company. It is in their interests to make your transition period and eventually the whole assigment as smooth as possible.