For [doers] with a dream of leading a ‘less than common’ life.

Work a 9-to-5, for 40 years (perhaps even 50 given the perpetual push back in retirement age). Living only for the weekends, and finally, "retire" in a country you always dreamed about?

Relatable it is, for many, including myself.

But what is the true meaning of life if it were to be lived with such monotony? And with such restrain, only perhaps to realise that the reality of 'uprooting' well into your silver years may not seem like a practical move.

After all, your old bones may no longer seek that youthful adventure or lusting desire for a change of scene with every season.

Early this year, I found myself pondering about 'midlife crisis' questions (prematurely). That led to what was to become a family move to the land down under, in search of a 'less than common life' away from home, fuelled by the drive to give meaning to what 'living' truly means.

Below I share a list of questions that helped my family come to the decision of embarking on this relocation journey (I hope you'd find them useful):

1) Know your Why

• Why do you want to relocate to _____ , and how does it align to your personal and professional goals?

2) How will the move impact

• Your relationship with loved ones, family and friends?

• Your child's education and social development?

• Your career, have your research potential job opportunities?

• Your financial position? (relocation fees can be costly)

• Your expected quality of life?

• Your state of mental wellness? (does it add more stress or create more mental space for you to 'breathe')

3) What are the potential 'Wins' & 'Losses'

• Guard against being overly optimistic about the potential wins

• Be brutally honest with the potential losses

4) What needs to be researched on

• Viable visa pathway(s) for the relocation (you want to be creative and not too rigid about this).

• Resources/ agencies/ networks that I could leverage.

• Pre-requisites for visa application.

• Application process for visa approval.

• Expected cost of living.

• Tax structure and retirement saving system.

• Healthcare structure.

• Private health insurance requirements.

• Education system.

• Potential suburbs/ estate to live in.

• Possible job opportunities/ entrepreneurial ventures.

• Fees associated with relocating (visa fees, international shipment, air tickets, furnishing, vehicle, etc).

5) When is the right time to execute

• 'Action differentiates doers from dreamers'

• Identify the best timeframe based on your personal & family circumstances to execute the plan.

I wish you best of luck should you be likewise embarking on this exciting journey!

Here are some resources/ tools that should come in handy (#notsponsored):

• Planning tool - Notion

• Relocating with children - Article

• List of Australia Visa - Immi Australia

• Visa price estimator - Visa Fee Calculator

• Migration agent - NTrust, TrueBlue Migration

• Finding a home - Domain, Realestate.com.au

• Finding a vehicle - Carsales

• Finding a school - The good school guide

• Private health insurance - Bupa, Allianz, Nib

• Grocery calculator - Coles shopping cart

If you enjoyed this article, share it with someone who you think would find this useful. Stay tuned for more of such content.