Before You Decide

Give this decision the weight it deserves:

• Live like a local first — stay long enough to shop for groceries, ride transit, and survive a rainy Tuesday
• Price the whole thing — relocation, visa fees, taxes, and the ongoing cost of keeping ties to home
• Have a social plan — know exactly how you'll build a new circle, not a vague hope that it'll happen
• Set a review date — give the move a fair one to two years before you call it permanent or pack it in

The people who make moves work aren't the bravest. They're the ones who plan for the hard parts before they arrive.