Moving to Florida A guide for Expats

Moving to Florida as an expat can certainly be arduous. You'll have a lot of stuff to organize and a lot of things to take care of if your relocation is going to be at all successful. But, luckily, by starting on time and planning properly, you can tackle your relocation to Florida with success. So, let's go over all the steps you need to take as an expat to make Florida your new home.

Moving preparations

The only way to tackle your relocation properly is to start preparing for it months in advance. As you will soon learn, there is a number of things besides packing that you will have to take care of. And, the important thing to remember is that if you do not tackle them properly, you can easily ruin your whole relocation. So, do yourself a favor, and start preparing for moving to Florida as soon as you can.

Legal paperwork

The first thing we would advise you to do is to look into all the necessary legal paperwork for moving to Florida. The U.S. government can be quite strict when it comes to expats. Therefore, you want to have the right paperwork at the right time. Start researching your situation and look into applying for a visa or a green card as soon as possible. The last thing you need is to run into a complication with your paperwork with no time left to deal with it.

It may take a while for you to get all of the necessary legal papers, so make sure to start dealing with them on time.

Alt: A person signing a legal document.

Researching Florida

The next step in this process is to research Florida. Even though you might have seen a couple of movies or TV shows that supposedly happen in Florida, don't think that you have a clear idea of what living there is like. You need to go online and research your future neighborhood. Look into housing costs, living costs, relative safety and overall quality of life. You can even find testimonials from other expats who lived in Florida. The more you know about your future neighborhood and its lifestyle, the easier it will be for you to adjust.

Packing

Packing is one aspect of moving that you can tackle without professional help. Our advice is to simply find a capable friend to help you out. Ideally, you want someone who is hardworking, reliable and has moving experience. A single, trustworthy friend can make your packing procedure much faster and much more fun. Plus, you can go over your relocation with them and see if you missed anything.

Moving to Florida will only be possible if you pack your possessions properly.

Alt: A box filled with wrapping paper.

When it comes to packing for moving to Florida, you want to be as attentive as possible. It is up to you to make sure that your items survive the trip, so do your best to protect them. Start off by getting properly-sized moving boxes. They need to be able to fit both the items and the necessary wrapping and padding, so make sure to estimate the size properly. Also, try to make an inventory list before you go shopping for boxes. That way, you will make sure that you get the right amount. If you are not sure how to handle a certain aspect of packing or all of it simply becomes too much, contact your movers. It is better to have them pack instead of you than to risk your entire relocation.

Finding the right movers

Trying to move without having the right movers by your side is a fool's errand. Especially in the case of an international relocation. So, if you want to tackle your relocation seriously, start looking for movers the moment you decide that you are going to move. Start off by going online and checking which movers are capable of moving you to Florida. Know that international relocations can be terribly complicated, which is why you should only work with top-notch movers. You can risk working with subpar movers for a local relocation, but not when it comes to moving to a new country.

Your best bet is to hire local movers. Now, these can either be local to the area you are currently in, or they can be local to Florida. Both of them have their pros and cons when it comes to international relocation. Movers in India can easily help you pack. But, if you need packing supplies in the Sunshine State, you should go with Florida movers. So, there is no clear-cut way of deciding which ones are generally better. What you need to focus on is finding out which ones are truly capable of handling an international relocation. When talking to your movers, try to find out whether they have dealt relocations similar to yours in the past. It is usually the more experienced mover that is better suited to help you.

Come moving day, your movers will either be your best friends or your worst enemies.

Alt: A mover smiling while driving.

Moving organization

With the right movers by your side, you can start organizing your relocation. And the best mindset to have while organizing is being honest and attentive. Your movers know more about moving than you could ever learn by reading online. So, make sure to listen to their advice. The timing and the schedule of your relocation will have a big impact on its price, so make sure that you ask whether there are different time frames in which you can move. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to move you cheaply. Therefore, try to organize your life so that you can alter plans to fit your relocation.

Dealing with moving to Florida

The final thing we would like to point out is that moving to Florida can be stressful. There is a significant difference in lifestyle between Florida and India, which is why you should prepare yourself for a culture shock. So, try to find ways to calm yourself before moving. Do difrent styles of yoga, go for walks, get a pet... Whatever helps you keep calm your nerves.