Last month marked five years since we moved from Australia to the UK.

Moving overseas was something that Nick and I spoke about doing one day, then all of a sudden that one day came, and I was on a plane moving to the other side of the world without a lot of thought about how much the move would impact our lives.

There’s been a lot that I’ve had to learn, overcome, and continually adapt to, which are things that I thought would be interesting to talk about in a blog post.

I hope that by sharing my thoughts, I can shed some light on things to consider if you’re thinking of moving overseas, or if you’ve already moved overseas, not feel alone if you’ve felt some of the same things I have.

What’s been good about moving overseas?

Here are some of the things that I’ve enjoyed about moving overseas.

We added to our family

The best thing about moving overseas has been the addition to our family by Thomas, our crazy, TV and food obsessed little one.

Having a baby in the UK was a different experience for me, compared to having a baby in Australia.

Prenatal tests and ultrasounds happened less here than in Australia, and postnatal appointments and check ups in the UK have basically been non existent, compared to the check up and health appointment frequency that I experienced in Australia.

These things aren’t to say that I had a better or worse experience in either country, my experiences were just different.

However, luckily the outcome was the same, and I was very fortunate to bring home a healthy baby.

There was no culture shock

Moving to the UK meant that I didn’t experience any culture shock at all, even weather wise.

The most common question I get asked is why did I want to leave the sunny weather of Australia for the dreariness of the UK.

My response is that living in Melbourne meant I was exposed to four seasons in one day, so the weather in the UK is very similar to where I lived in Australia.

The winters do get colder here, and in summer there are days that are really hot. It also feels hotter at lower temperatures here compared to Australia.

As English is the UK’s main language, they drive on the same side of the road as Australia, and the food is basically the same, I haven’t had any culture shock whatsoever.

We’ve experienced living somewhere else

I like the fact that we’ve experienced living overseas, even though at first I was really self-conscious about my accent.

It makes for interesting conversations when people ask why we moved, what’s different about living here, and it makes Ryan laugh to know that he and his brother were born in different countries.

Travelling is easier

Travelling from the UK is easier.

Instead of taking 24 hours to get to Europe from Australia, I can be in a European country as quickly as 45 minutes.

We’ve taken advantage of this by taking some family trips within Europe, and beyond, which I’m grateful for.

There’s more to do

It always amazes me how many different towns and villages there are to visit in the UK.

In Australia, I feel like all I ever did on weekends was go shopping, as once you’ve done the main tourist attractions there isn’t much left to do.

What’s been hard about moving overseas?

Here are some of the things that have been hard about moving overseas.

Lack of family support

This is by far the hardest thing about moving overseas, it’s something that affects me on a weekly basis, and something I didn’t even think about before moving.

My entire family, apart from my sister, live in Australia, which means everything child related needs to be handled by Nick and I.

I often get envious of my UK friends who have grandparents to pick their children up from school, who can look after their children if they’re sick, or who can get a break by having family members babysit for them.

Not having family support has impacted my employment, and many times my mental health, especially during times when I’ve felt burnt out.

Loss of friendships

I’ve always worked really, really hard at my friendships, and leaving my friends in Australia was really hard.

I remember getting on the plane to move here and crying because of the friends I was leaving behind.

I still keep in contact with some of my Australian friends, but our friendships are different.

I’ve slowly learnt to overcome the pain associated with missing special events and milestones, and spend less time looking at my friend’s social media accounts to avoid the hurt from realising I’m no longer part of their daily lives.

Technology has helped me to keep in contact with friends, but overtime there have been close friends I’ve lost contact with because a message doesn’t get replied to, or a phone call is too hard because of the time difference.

I’ve made friends in the UK, but its taken time for some of these friendships to develop, and none of them are at the level I had with my Australian friends.

Moving houses

We’ve moved houses three times since living in the UK, and are in the process of moving a fourth time.

We sold our home in Melbourne a few years after we moved, and it’s only now that I realise how much I should have appreciated owning a home, which provided us with a bit more stability than renting has.

I’m glad we moved, but there are times when I really miss my Australian friends, or I’m at home alone with the boys and desperate for a break, but have no family to help.

Overall, moving overseas has been the right thing for my family, it’s forced me to get out of my comfort zone, make new friends, and look at things differently.

I hope this post has given you some insight into the good and more difficult aspects of moving overseas, and hasn’t discouraged you from giving it a go if it’s something you’d like to, or have to do.

Would you consider moving overseas, or have you?