Moving to another country is a major decision in your and your family’s lives, and therefore you should take a considerable amount of time to really think things through. You may have been holidaying in Tenerife and decided you liked it so much you wanted to stay, but both liking the island isn’t enough, you have to be fully committed to the move. Here are some of the things that you need to consider:

• What do you intend to do with your current home? Most people decide to sell their homes before they move abroad, and with many good reasons. But perhaps it would be better to wait and instead rent the house out to another family for a while. If you were to regret the move and start missing your home and your friends and family and if this resulted in you deciding to move back home, where would you go? Furthermore, moving abroad is costly, you may decide it makes more sense financially to move as little of your belongings as possible and get some stuff in Tenerife to replenish what you have lost and furnish your new home. If you then end up moving back home you will either have to pay to bring back the furniture with you from your Tenerife home or buy completely new furniture again.

• Is everybody in your family completely happy with the move? Sadly, divorce rates between couples who emigrate to Tenerife are quite high, whether this be the shock of the move or the missing of friends and family, or a resentment one person may feel if they didn’t want to move but felt they had little choice or would just get used to is. Your relationship needs to be strong and you both need to be completely sure that you are happy with moving to Tenerife. The effects a move can have on children, especially in terms of behavioral and emotional problems and falling behind academically can be quite drastic and can even affect your child’s adult life. Let your child have an opinion and tell you how they really feel, they may resent you for not giving them the opportunity to tell you their worries and feel supported by you.

• What are you going to do when you get there? Do you have job lined up? Are you going to buy a property or lease one? Can you speak the local language? Tenerife isn’t the easiest of places to get a job, therefore it is always advisable to have one lined up to start as soon as you move. Are you going to buy a property in Tenerife straight away? Not knowing the island like a local person you may not know exactly which area is best suited to you, therefore it may be better to get a long lease on a house while you do your research. If you cannot speak Spanish, finding a job will be much more difficult for you, living there and doing day to day things like shopping will be more complicated and it may even hinder you finding a property unless you can find an English speaking estate agent.

• What are you going to do with your car? Are you going to take your care with you or are you going to sell it? If you intend to take it with you, how are you going to get it there?

• Are you going to hire a removals company to help you to move your belongings to Tenerife? In this type of situation a removals company is highly advisable as you are moving your things over quite a distance so they need to be handled carefully to avoid anything being damaged. Removal companies are able to help you pack and also offer insurance.