If you have the option, how long and how much would you spend on a trial run before fully moving to a new country?

Posted by Plorntus@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 13 comments

For context:

I'm from the UK and have been living in Spain for 9 years now with my partner who is Spanish but born and grew up in a Latin American country; that is to say - we're not strangers to living abroad away from people we know.

We're looking to move to the Netherlands next year, we both have jobs we can 'take with us', we both have a right to live and work in Europe and my partner has some of her immediate family there (which we do not have any here in Spain).

We want to do a trial run before fully committing, during the winter months, as of course the lifestyle to southern Spain is going to be very different. We can both work abroad during this time without moving our work contracts to entities that exist within the Netherlands. We have spent time over there but thats been spread across many years and typically is 1-2 weeks at a time maximum.

I kind of feel the minimum amount of time is around 3 months to get a feel for a place but of course housing is expensive and its very unlikely we'll be able to find anything for that short of a term that is not a 'vacation rental'. This means all in all we'd be looking at spending around €9,000 on a 3month 'trial run' (including our current rent in Spain).

Would you spend that amount of money before moving or do you think this is wholly unnecessary and a shorter(/no) trial-period is better?

When I moved to Spain I did not even have the option for such a thing so it never came into the equation - so of course now I'm torn on whether it makes sense to do it.

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KezaBoo@reddit

I have moved to 9 different countries in my life (not just as short stays, these were longer than 2 years in each spot). I've never done a trial run in any of them. The longer you stay somewhere the easier it is to talk yourself out of living there for whatever reason. My strategy has always been just do it and work it out later. Save the €9k as an emergency back up plan if you really don't like it and need to move somewhere else.

I have also found that the first 3-6 months anywhere are a nightmare and it's all about life admin and getting used to things. You don't get to truly enjoy a place until you've spent at least 6 months working out all the kinks. I feel like 3-4 years in any one city is the sweet spot, by then I'm generally ready to move on to something new.

Catcher_Thelonious@reddit

Hi, KezaBoo. Don't recall bumping into you before.

Like you, I've relocated internationally more than half a dozen times and never ran a trial, just took the leap. But, in most of those moves I had an HR department taking care of the paperwork and assisting with housing. I also knew I was employable elsewhere so didn't have to worry overly much about things not working out. I'd just move on to the next place and next employer. What's more, I was never looking for a home, just a place to enjoy for a few years.

For myself, I have always found the first few months the most interesting and exhilarating, when everything's new and you haven't yet fallen into a routine.

HugeRoof@reddit

We typically try to visit for at least two weeks during the "worst" time of the year. We rent an AirBNB in a area we are considering, we shop at the local markets, cook our own food, etc. We just try to live much like we would if we were there permanently. We do that twice. First trip determines if it gets a second trip. Second trip is a few months later, usually the second trip will be neighborhood hunting, pre-move preparations, getting a teeth cleaning at a local dentist, my wife taking a local art class, etc.

No_Translator8881@reddit

This \^

antizana@reddit

I think a trial run is a waste of time. You’ve spent time there, you know what it looks like and have some contacts.

The real reason that I think it is a waste of time is because what makes you ultimately like a place and feel at home are the connections and community, and there’s not much you will be able to build in 3 months. It usually takes 6 months to a year to start feeling at home in a place (obviously that is also arbitrary and person-dependent) and if you come in with the mindset that it’s temporary and only 3 months, you won’t be trying to find new friends, start hobbies, or make much meaningful progress with the language in such a short time.

Pettefletpluk@reddit

Yeah, 6 months at least. 3 months might still fall in the 'honeymoon' period. 6 months will tell if one would like to just remain a tourist or stay.

dianeruth@reddit

We're doing a 'trial run' but it's mostly just enough time to check out a few neighborhoods and pick a place to live and file some residence permitting stuff on site (we don't live near an embassy so this would involve flights either way).

Reasonable-Amount474@reddit

What do you think may be better in NL?

Are those important to you?

3 months isn’t long enough IMHO to make that decision unless it’s already something you “know”.

Shawnino@reddit

No such thing as a trial run exists.

You're either a tourist with all that entails, or an immigrant with all that entails (sorting out utilities, residency, medical, learning the language/culture...).

Changing your living situation is a big commitment, so, putting a value on it is tough.

I'd approch this from a time perspective. DO at least a month IN THE FREEZING AND HUMID DUTCH WINTER.

Report back.

Ok-Assistance4133@reddit

How will you know if the Netherlands will be the "right" place for you after 3 months? It might be enough time to help you make a decision, but it's a big expense. Instead maybe identify a few things that would be deciding factors for you and then schedule a few short trips to test those out. Make a list of success factors. NL from Spain will always be a big adjustment. I think that 9k is a huge expense upfront, you probably don't need to spend that much time or money.

Plorntus@reddit (OP)

Hmm yeah to be honest the 3 months was a bit of an arbitrary target period as I feel like most of the 'problems' would become evident during that time.

More so spending the time to surface things we can't predict would be an annoyance/issue ahead of time.

But yeah the main problem is the big expense up front, we are thankfully in a situation where it is possible to spend that but it does seem potentially like a big waste of money. On the other hand, it could be invaluable if we do realise we're making a mistake and stop the move as the expense to move -> move back would be more than that all in all (especially considering right now we've got a good deal on our rent in Spain).

I guess we just gotta figure out what these 'potential unknown issues' could actually be and actively try to find out the ones that would cause us to want to move back to Spain.

ShiftyBastardo@reddit

a good way to get a feel for a place quickly is to shop in the grocery stores and cook some meals at home. your 3 month target is ideal, but the first month will tell you a lot, particularly going in winter as you mention.