The essential moving guide for France
Moving to a new country fills you with excitement and anticipation. And, the excitement doubles if that country happens to be France. Congratulate yourself for having taken the right decisions, after all, France is a beautiful country to live in. You are surrounded by beautiful French people, great wine and food and loads of culture and art. All you need to do is start packing and get ready for the D-day when you move. You can hire expert packing and moving companies such as Shiply, who take all the responsibility for shipping your goods safely and responsibly.
Now comes the tough part. How do you ensure that your transition to the new country is smooth and easy? While one part of you is excited, the other part is incredibly nervous. After all, it indeed is a life-changing move to shift to another country with a completely different culture and language. But, no need to worry! All you need to do is go through the following tips and make a confident and a great start.
- Do your homework before moving to France. It means get aware of what you’re getting into and realize that France will be quite different from what you have heard about it or seen in films.
- For any questions regarding paperwork, the best place to get the answers is the consulate. Get complete info on the paperwork required to move to France.
- The harsh truth is that living in France can be expensive so save loads of dough before you move. Once you’ve decided to move, start saving as much money as you can and arrive with a healthy bank balance.
- Before moving to France, learn some French. While you can’t be fluent in French, it will help if you learn a few basic phrases to get started. Gradually, you can develop the fluency.
- Be aware of the cultural difference and the daily routine followed in France. Nothing is open on Sunday and expect lots of pushing in queues at a metro station or in front of an escalator.
- Get used to greeting people with a light brush of kisses on the cheeks. Do not hug them or you will only end up horrifying the French. Don’t expect them to be informal as the French can be quite reserved and aloof.
- It is a good idea to develop a friendship with like-minded people and make new friends. Take advantage of the opportunity to move out of your comfort zone. Ask them if they’d like to meet up for a coffee and you may soon have several friends who are good for a conversation starter.
- Download some key apps that are the most popular used in France. For example, Citymapper allows you to get from A-B via the easiest and fastest route possible. Uber app gets you a cheap taxi within a few minutes while Yelp directs you to the best places to eat and drink. Use bank apps to keep track of your money.
