Says the person who has no idea what it’s like to undergo this kind of adventure.
There’s a ton of work before we leave the country. I think people assume just because we rent, we don’t have as much to do before we can leave. That is not the case.  In fact, if we owned a house, we’d at least have an asset to leverage at some point, either, by selling it, or at least renting it out. But nope we don’t have that.  So our list is long, with other ‘renters items’ we have to do (admittedly similar to what we’d have to do if we owned and wanted to rent  it out).  We also have additional ‘business’ things we need to take care of – mainly paperwork stuff. There’s so much to do that sometimes I think I’m losing my mind. Ok, most of the time I feel like I’m losing my mind.
Yes, we’ve done this before, moving countries, but this time, it’s different. This time, there are two kids in tow, (both with opinions about what to keep, what to sell and where to go.) This time, I’m working as well as trying to deal with travel details, selling stuff, paperwork, building the business (i.e. paying for this thing). This time, there are two countries (US and NZ) who need to take a slice of the paperwork action. This time, I’m older.
This time, most people don’t get it, and that’s more than a little isolating. But you know something? I am fulfilling a dream I’ve had for almost 35 years, and I get to take my family with me! That’s pretty cool. No, that’s amazing! Plus, I’m incredibly fortunate that I have a husband who’s willing to share the dream and kids who are up for an adventure. I have to constantly remind myself of this ‘amazingness’ in the middle of children screaming and crying and me being sad about letting go.  It will be worth it, it will. Sometimes it just feels so overwhelming and I think it’s more mental overwhelm than the physical overwhelm.

 
So yes there is so much to do, but most of it is getting over my bad self and realising that it will work out, that yes I will forget stuff (sorry clients) and that I will have to deal with things later than I had hoped. We did build in ‘blank days’ after all. (Knowing full well that things will take longer than I hoped, so having built in extra days to get stuff done.)
What I’ve discovered in my research on how to do this, is that there is a distinct shortage of information on the hard work that goes into leaving. No one seems to get talk about it. It’s probably so they don’t scare people off from doing the same. But I’m here to tell you that it’s bloody hard! Being on the road seems so much ‘easier’ than actually leaving. Mind you I bet it’s not. The time I spend sorting and organizing and dealing with stuff will be quickly eaten up with figuring out how to buy food, how to read public transport signs and how to manage laundry days. So I need to be realistic. However, I WON’T have to ferry kids to school, sell stuff on Trade Me (oh god how frustrating that has been, luckily Nat has taken the heavy lift in on this one – thanks Nato), put curtains back up, pack boxes, make multiple trips to the op shop, spackle holes in the walls (because I put a million holes in the wall for pictures. I cannot get a picture up straight the first time to save myself, I’m horizontally and directionally challenged) and deal with things like NZ based company directors, business credit cards and schooling curriculums. All that stuff would’ve been done and I’m looking forward to all those fiddly bits being taken care of. I’m looking forward to focusing on building the business and doing some real marketing(!)* and figuring out how to teach the kids on a day to day basis.
So there’s tons to do, and people for some reason don’t seem to get it. I think most people think it’s just a matter of making a couple of calls and your stuff disappears, then you buy your ticket and turn up to the airport, get on a plane and go. Maybe that’s the case when you’re 22 with no commitments and no stuff, but not wen you’re mid 40’s with two kids.
As a side note, for the record, yes I suck at personal social media, I find it quite a drain and unfulfilling. But from a business perspective, I’m excited to get stuck into it. It’s what I do professionally after all, even though you wouldn’t think so. (I am open to really enjoying WYD social media, which is personal.) I love writing, and I enjoy the blog process. I’m not the best writer or blogger, but I enjoy it when I have something I like to write about. So who knows, personal and business SM