Test Before You Commit

Whenever you can, try the country on first. Spend two to three months living there, not vacationing.

Can't do a trial run? Then talk to people who already moved there. Set up real calls, not just forum scrolling. Ask about the frustrations, not the highlights. And seek out someone who tried it and left — the person who returned will tell you more useful truth than the one who stayed and romanticized it.