How do I plan and
budget for the transition home?
Heading back
home can be expensive!
I
think returning home is more expensive than heading
overseas. Usually, heading overseas, you'll already
have a job set up. Your employer might be picking up
your plane ticket, housing - and other start-up
expenses. Also, life overseas is just a less
competitive environment. You won't feel nearly as
pressured to have a nice car, have the latest bling, all
the latest gadgets, and so on.
Plan your Costs
If
you haven't bought a home with your overseas savings
(many people do!), plan on several months rent, plus
security deposits of a month or two. Don't forget the
costs of turning on the utilities or changing them over
to your name.
Transportation
Where I come from, you have to have a car. Public
transportation is inadequate. So, the costs of a car and
insurance must be factored in (big expenses!).
The
Reverse Job Hunt
Plan on at least a month or two of expenses before you
land the right job. Add in the cost of appropriate
clothing if you don't have it.
Can
Do!
Approach the return home with the same spirit you headed
off overseas. For me, after being overseas since 1989 -
it really would be heading to another foreign country!
I truly feel I belong on Phuket Island, it is my home
now. And when I go back to the States to visit my
brothers, I feel a bit out of place.
Read the section about Reverse Culture Shock to
understand what you might go through.
