Some of us are born, raised, and grow up all in the same place, and there is nothing wrong with that, but many others travel or immigrate at some point in their lives, and if you are one of those people, you are in the right place. Even though it is fun to imagine just being spontaneous and carefree and hopping onto a plane or a bus or ship, in real life, there is a whole lot of planning and a load of headaches involved, from booking the trip to making sure your passport is still valid, to setting up your mobile phone so that it will work overseas, it can all get very chaotic, very quickly. Not only on the practical side but also from a legal and financial view, there are a lot of details and things you should have in mind that you can quickly lose track of, or not even know about. No problem, this article is going to give you a few pointers to get you started, so let’s jump straight in.
Golden Visa
Being allowed to live and work in another country can be a long, arduous, and complicated process, but for those with some money to spend, it does not always have to be the case. Enter the golden visa Portugal, one of multiple countries that offer you and other wealthy candidates the opportunity to easily get the right to residency by investing money, sometimes without even needing to live in the country. Put simply, a golden visa gives you the chance to get a residency permit by purchasing a house in the country or making a sizable investment or donation. The requirements to apply for a golden visa are quite simple too, applicants must be at least 18 years old, have no previous criminal record, and obviously have enough funds to make the required investment, that goes without saying. For countries in the EU, you get the added benefit of gaining access to many of the bonuses from being a resident of the bloc, like free movement between EU countries, to name but one. If the country you want to travel or move to has the golden visa as an option, and you are wealthy enough to afford it, there really is no reason not to take advantage of it.
Start Saving Now
Even if you are still just in the daydreaming phase, it is never too early to start saving up here and there, while you map out a rough plan of where you want to go and how long you would want to stay. Putting aside just $500 a month, for example, and you will have $5,000 ready for the vacation by the time December comes around. Budgeting does not mean you have to turn into Scrooge and hate every penny you spend, it just means being aware of your finances, and what you are spending them on, that is all, so spend extravagantly on things you actually love but also cut costs mercilessly on things that you don’t.
Legal Trouble
You really want to do everything you possibly can to stay as far away from legal trouble as possible, as legal complications get even trickier to navigate when you are under the jurisdiction of another country, so before you head to another country, familiarize yourself a bit with the local laws and customs. Stay clear of any risky or illegal activities (obviously), and make sure you have your passport and other important documents on you at all times. Make sure you know where your embassy or consulate is, so if you run into trouble you know where you can go to for help. Remain calm and respectful at all times, even though it may be all-too-tempting to just fly off the handle, try and control yourself, especially if you are talking with the authorities, and any aggressive or disrespectful behavior could make a situation that is annoying a disaster.
Travel Insurance
Make sure you have travel insurance, as it might be a lot less expensive to manage travel disruptions if you do, that can cover the cost of unexpected, annoying expenses, and you will find many of the best travel credit cards often offer some kind of protection for you, from trip delay insurance to baggage insurance and the like. Or you can also just go to any travel insurance firm of course, and get covered for problems you might potentially run into, so if you are going on a cruise, something like trip delay coverage might be smart, just as an example.
Immigration Issues
If you want to immigrate, you are going to want to reach out to an immigration lawyer, and he will need some information from you, like your current immigration status, and any immigration issues you may have encountered in the past. These play a pretty significant role in determining the type of immigration benefits you may be eligible for. Your lawyer needs to be aware of any past denials of immigration benefits, visa denials, or revocations, everything matters, even lengthy visa stamp delays, he will need to know them all.
Scams
Scammers are absolutely everywhere, and tourists are among the easiest prey for them, so be aware of common scams and give them a wide berth. Tour scams for example, where they try to convince you to buy tickets for tours that don’t exist, so before you head out for a tour, make sure everything is above-board and that the tour operator is licensed and insured. Another common one is taxi scams, where some taxi drivers overcharge you, especially if you aren’t familiar with the local currency. Again, they are easy to avoid, and licensed and reliable taxis are already recognizable from a mile away, if not, research reputable cab services first.
Traveling for fun, or just immigrating, there are levels of risk and excitement involved that simply can not be anticipated or planned in. That said, however, there are also plenty of silly and frustrating situations that are very much avoidable if you plan ahead a little and recognize them. Hopefully, you now have an idea of what may await you.
