Combatting homesickness when you move to the USA
At some stage, everyone who moves to another country will find themselves missing home – it’s just part and parcel of relocating. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to ease these feelings of homesickness.
Research, research, research!
Anytime you feel those nerves start to set in, we recommend distracting yourself by researching all of the exciting aspects of spending time in the USA. The beaches you’d like to visit, cities you want to plan breaks to, foods you can try, and so on. Researching all that America has to offer will remind you of the reasons you’re making the exciting step that you are, and soon those worries will be nowhere in sight.
Anytime you feel those nerves start to set in, we recommend distracting yourself by researching all of the exciting aspects of spending time in the USA.
Accept that homesickness is normal
There’s no hard and fast rule about when you should feel homesick, and for how long. Missing the country you’ve always known, and the people you know there, is a perfectly natural part of the moving process, so don’t beat yourself up unnecessarily. Give yourself time to get in the swing of things. We recommend getting out and about and fully embracing the differences. Before you know it, you’ll feel right at home.
Take advantage of being a new arrival
You’ve made the move – you’re in the USA! This is the moment you’ve been working towards for months, possibly years, so it’s time to get out there and enjoy every single aspect! Go and see all the sights you researched whilst back on your sofa in the UK, dreaming of your life in the sunshine. Try all the foods, introduce yourself to everyone, and make the most of the warm weather to get more active. Enjoy these early days, and embrace it as the fresh start you wanted when you made the decision to buy in the USA.
Starting a hobby or joining a team could help you start to settle in as you meet like-minded people.
Pursue a hobby or join a group
Is there an activity or hobby that you’ve been promising yourself you’ll start doing “someday”? Well, now’s the time to take that up! Joining a group, or a team, or taking a class is a great way to spend your time, plus this is the perfect environment for meeting likeminded individual’s that could become friends.
Get connected
When homesickness sets in, you need to be able to reach out to those you miss. This is why you should prioritise getting connected as soon as you arrive in the USA. Having a phone and the Internet set up will mean you can speak with loved ones when you need to, and will stop you feeling so far away.
When homesickness sets in, you need to be able to reach out to those you miss.
Move at the best time for your children
If you’re relocating with children, we recommend that you try and time the move to coincide with the school term times in the USA. Not only will this minimise disruption to their education, it will also ease the transition into their new school. Prior to moving, we suggest you get your children involved in the research – show them what their new school will be like, and have fun planning all of the fun family activities you can enjoy once you’ve made the move. This will help them to feel involved, and will get them excited about the move.
Find an expat community
You’ll find that most places have some kind of expat community, so search forums and look out for events, as these are a great way to meet people like you. Being able to talk with those who’ve made the same move will show you that you aren’t alone, plus they’ll probably have tons of invaluable advice for you.
The Emigration Guide has been put together by overseas property experts and expats who understand the process of emigrating inside out, having emigrated themselves or helped others to do so. The guide will help you to: