Pre-moving abroad jitters

[Taco]

Shitting balls. Panic.

Googling "scary to move abroad" articles to calm my nerves. Wow moving needs Zen like temperance.

Just find a girlfriend online that lives in the city your moving to and she'll help you with everything once you get there. Its important to find a girl that's skilled in advanced "stress relieving" techniques in your new country.

When I moved to China a few years ago I was quickly overwhelmed by how difficult it was to do anything by myself. I didn't have time to find a girlfriend to help me and as a result ended up coming home after a few months. The point is if you don't find some friends in your new country quickly its going to be a difficult transition for you.

[manly5000]

Hey guys -- here's a question about one of my own "jitters" regarding moving abroad...

If you plan on permanently relocating to the country of your choosing, is the best way to handle your savings to put it in a bank like Citi that has branches in the country you are going to? Will they limit how much of your savings you can take out over time (i.e. tell you that you can't take it all out and close your account once abroad)?

Considering some of the problems people have had when using ATM cards abroad (like having their info tracked and money stolen from their accounts) it seems like the best thing would be to not ever use an ATM but just go right to one of the branches and withdraw at the teller whenever you need funds (assuming there are branches near where you live).

Thoughts?

[xiongmao]

Carry a couple of ATM cards with you - they're really useful.

If you're staying in the same country for a long time then open a local bank account. You can't always do this unless you have the right visa/rent an apartment etc.

There's always Western Union/MoneyGram. They're expensive but then again ATM fees are extortionate in Thailand*!

*Unless you know the secret fee-free ATM bank!