We moved to Austria with six weeks' notice, so I can say what actually mattered. Before leaving: the right to work, somewhere to sleep for the first month, the children's documents, and medication. Everything else waited: the car, the furniture, the bank at home, the rest of our things. We lived out of suitcases for two months and it was fine. Tell her to be ruthless about what's truly urgent, and forgive herself for the rest.
Isabella Santos 🏆 Community expert
6 Sept 2026, 13:01
A friend has just been offered a job abroad with a start date five weeks away. She's panicking, and I've realised that the long, careful planning we talk about here isn't always possible. If you had to move countries in a few weeks, what would you prioritise, and what could safely wait until you'd arrived?