Having children is expensive as it is. Any parent will tell you that. And to move abroad with them? Let’s not even go there! From flights to shifting your priced possessions, everything’s an expense when you decide to make the leap and move abroad with your children. But let’s assume you’ve already made the move. How on earth can you stretch your budget when living abroad with your little ones?
Here are my top tips for making every penny go further in a new and exciting country.
Don’t rush into removals
There’s an Elvis song that croons ‘only fools rush in’ and while he was talking about love, we think it applies to international removals too. If you’re planning to move abroad with kids, the chances are you have to take a ton of stuff with you—maybe even everything from play gyms to breast pumps if your child is still small!
So, you shouldn’t just plump for the first and cheapest international removals company you see, because if your stuff gets lost or damaged, you might end up paying for that decision in the long run.
Instead, head to international removals comparison website Buzzmove and browse over the trusted removals firms they have on offer. You’ll thank yourself later—especially once you’ve go ta cracking deal that you won’t pay for down the road!
Get a job
While some people advocate for skill swapping when travelling to save money, with kids in tow that can be easier said than done. However, getting a job can give you either a more rigid or flexible schedule to work with (depending on the job) which can either allow you to arrange childcare, or just work around your kid’s routine.
While visa requirements are certainly something to be wary of if you go down this path, you can certainly make your travel lucrative if you put in a few hours of work each day, and if you’re moving abroad its almost guaranteed that you’ll have to get a job anyway.
Some of the best jobs travellers can take are arduous but seasonal, like fruit picking, while others are year-round, like language teaching and tutoring. Figure out which works best for your family and do your research!
Don’t eat out every day
Even in places where the street food is delicious and affordable, dining in once or twice can really stretch your budget. This goes double in places where the cost of living is high, like Barcelona and Paris, and tripleif you have more mouths to feed! Besides, cooking can bring you closer to the local culture while on your travels.
Skip the tourist trapsattractions
You might want a shot at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but so does everyone else. One of the best ways to save plenty of money while travelling is to avoid the areas likely to be marked up for tourists, even if they seem more convenient. Don’t eat on the restaurants right off central plazas and look for alternative ways to get those Empire State Building skyline views. Plus, if your kids are little, the likelihood they’d remember a visit to a tourist trap is slim to none anyway.
Long story short, be smart in your tourist choices and don’t get sucked in to overpaying for things that maybe, probably, definitely aren’t worth it.
So, those are my top tips for living abroad on the cheap with kids. I hope they come in handy!
Thanks for yOur article, we are considerinG a move with two small kIds. Where have you Relocated to?