5 Things Expats Should do Before Returning Home
Is it time to return home after living overseas? Are you having a hard time with the thought that in a few weeks or months you’ll no longer be living where you are? Are you looking for ways to really savour and absorb the last few weeks of your expat country?
Then you’re in the right spot. I’ve left two expat locations - Angola and Argentina. I'm gonna be honest, it wasn’t easy either time. I cried like a baby on the way to the airports those final nights. And I cried when the planes took off.
But I did find ways to make my last few weeks in each expat country special. Today I want to pass those onto you so you can fully be present and enjoy your last few weeks living abroad.
1. A Last Trip
Is there a place close by that you’ve had your eye on to visit but haven’t actually gone to yet? Living in Angola, we had the privilege of going on several safaris but I had always wanted to go to Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa. So when we found out we would be leaving Africa in a couple months, we decided to book one last safari trip to Sabi Sands. It was beautiful and we appreciated it so much because we knew it would be years, maybe even a decade plus before we could come back to Africa for another safari.
Maybe instead of a trip like a safari you decide to go tour a nearby town that you never had a chance to visit.
Going on one last regional trip is a great way to give yourself a memorable send off.
2. Say Goodbye to Friends or Coworkers
This is hard y’all. The people you meet overseas are literally the best and you may never see them again. Of course it’s easier to stay in touch with all the social media nowadays but it’s not always the same. There are so. many. things. I miss about my friend group in Angola and it’s been over 3 years since I left!
Before you leave, be sure to have a big lunch or party with all your friends to say goodbye. When I was leaving Angola, I had a last lunch with all my girlfriends. Having them all in one place was the perfect send off. I may or may not have shed some tears on the drive home. And then Andrew and I had a party at our house the weekend before we left Angola.
It was so much fun and the perfect way to spend a few more concentrated hours with our awesome friends! I doubt we’ll ever have all those people in one room again since they now live all over the USA. But we’ll always treasure that memory.
Make sure you leave yourself time to spend with your friends before leaving to really soak up their friendship!
3. Take a photo tour
When you’re living someplace, the cafes, the building architecture, the food all feels like a part of your normal life. But as soon as you leave you will never have access to those things again and you’ll probably want photos to remind yourself of your time living overseas.
When I left Angola, I created a photo book of our time there. But in order to do that, I needed a lot of photos. So a girlfriend of mine had the idea to dedicate a whole day to drive around Luanda and take photos of everything - street life, grocery stores, restaurants, the ocean - everything. And 3 years later I’m so grateful we did that because now I have so many precious reminders of my time there.
Even if a photo book isn't your thing, you’ll still want the memories. I had no idea I’d start an expat blog and YouTube channel years later. But I’m sure glad I have all those Angola photos to share with you now!
4. Your Favorite Spots
Do you have a favorite restaurant? Or a favorite street to drive/walk down? Go to those places you’ve been so many times and really absorb everything. A couple weeks before leaving Argentina, I went on a run in the park in my neighborhood and really tried to soak up the energy of the city. Normally, people all over when I’m trying to run annoys me but that day, I could feel their energy. I could feel the energy of the whole city and it made me run faster! But most importantly I savored that energy for the whole run knowing I would only have access to it for a couple more weeks.
Maybe running isn’t your thing, but there are so many other ways to enjoy your city in the final weeks before moving.
List everything you want to do that you haven’t had a chance to do yet. Because remember, you may never come back to this part of the world. Treat it like a vacation where you only have 1 week to fit in everything. Then go do all those things! You don’t want to leave with any regrets or thoughts of “I wish i had…” or “I never got around to…”
Before leaving both Angola and Argentina, we made a list (literally on paper) of everything we wanted to do or eat before we left.
The lists included:
-some video and photos I wanted to get
-foods I wanted to eat
-favorite restaurants to go back to
-coffee at a cafe
-walking through our old neighborhood
-trying foods I never got around to
Hmm, a disproportionate amount of these revolved around food...lol
It’s possible you’ll go back to that country, but most likely you’ll spend your future travelling and exploring new places. So enjoy all your favorite spots before you leave.
5. Eat All the Food
Again with the food! Indulge in all the traditional food of your expat country because you never know when you’ll be going back.
Before Andrew and I left Argentina, we were so sick of Argentine foods because we ate it non-stop for the last 3 weeks! We knew it would be a long time until we returned so we wanted to get our fill of empanadas, gelato, alfajores, dulce de leche and provoleta.
Also be sure to try foods you either never got around to or that didn't look good to you. When we were in Argentina, we were vegetarians and then became pescatarians about a year into our 3 years there. In our last 2 weeks, we decided to have a steak. I mean, you can’t live in Buenos Aires for 3 years and not have a steak! I’m so glad we did try it and now we have that memory of having their most famous food.
We also brought some goodies home with us on the plane like alfajores and dulce de leche. If you’re able, that’s a great way to prolong your adventure. In a few weeks, when you’re missing your old home, open up the food you packed in your suitcase and enjoy!
Leaving the country you’ve spent years living in is never easy. But if you implement these 5 tips, it will help you through the process and leave you with fond memories.
