Relocating to a metropolis can be good, but it’s often quite overwhelming for those from small towns. At first glance, moving to a big city is a great idea, but people must be ready to survive the concrete jungle. Here are the good and bad things about relocating to a metropolitan area.
People from rural areas and small towns have pretty solid reasons to move to bigger cities – it’s usually those in pursuit of higher education or professionals looking to expand their business network. Still, an overwhelming amount of relocation stress can discourage anyone from making changes. To avoid that, it’s best to prepare for all the good and bad a metropolis offers.
#1 Moving to a Big City Can Help You Expand Your Professional Network
The main reason someone might want to move to a metropolitan area is work, which has been a fact for a while now. Some even opt for shipping overseas – they hire international relocation services to take them away from their comfort zone and into a life full of opportunities.
If you are motivated to leave the state (or country) for work, ask your employer about relocation and see if your current company has opportunities in some urban areas. The fact is that your business and well-being will improve because of an increase in job opportunities.
Cities may not seem like the best places to live with family, but they offer comfort in every step. The kids can attend any school or college, and you can look for work within your skill set in an almost indefinite amount of places. Although the competition is higher in metropolitan areas, if you keep looking, you’ll luck out for sure.
#2 Life in the Big City Can Inspire You to Pursue New Hobbies
If you don’t have many work skills, you can always pursue learning and improving them. Large cities offer an array of opportunities to hone your skills, from becoming buff at any gyms in your area to learning a new language, coding, cooking, and painting in affordable courses for adults.
In fact, socializing and attending such places will help you increase your network – you can make friends, fall in love, or connect with folks with similar professional ambitions. Volunteering for causes close to your heart can also lead to more networking and jobs, and using social media to investigate what the area has to offer will help you prepare in advance.
The best time to move to another state or country is when you feel fed up with your space. Start making a solid and realistic relocation plan when you no longer have anything in common with where you currently live.
If there are no opportunities to grow and advance as a person, call an overseas shipping company, organize your stuff with packing services, and say goodbye to who you once were. Remember, opportunities arise when you pursue them and come to those who work on self-improvement.
#3 You Can Make More Friends That Share the Same Interests and Feel Like You
Attending classes that offer skill improvement will bring you another benefit: making friends with the same interests. Some people often feel like the black sheep of the family or even town, mainly because nobody shares their interests.
If you care about a specific culture, maybe you can move abroad to soak it in in person. Perhaps you’re a fashionista and want to pursue a career in one of the best fashion places in the world. Having something that defines you and gives you purpose is unique, and your small town doesn’t always provide safe spaces for individuals like you.
Large cities could be a saving grace for outcasts, even though they’re often isolating because of the crowds walking the streets every day. The best thing you can do is mentally prepare for moving abroad alone and count on the very traits that make you unique to lead to some exquisite, long-lasting friendships.
Having a Pet Can Help You Feel Less Lonely and Join More Groups
The one thing we could recommend is relocating with dogs. If you don’t have one, adopt it from the local shelter and give it your undivided attention when life overwhelms you. Dogs will always be there for you; they love unconditionally and can have healing powers when you feel the loneliest.
However, you’ll have to walk your dog next to all that, too. That’s a great way to meet new people – other dog walkers may turn out friendly, have similar interests, or be equally alone and in need of friendship. There are many ways to meet folks in urban areas; you just need to muster the courage for them.
The man in the video below explains the easiest way to make friends in a new place, especially if you’re introverted. It may give you ideas for introducing yourself to fresh faces.
#4 You Will Learn and Know More Life Skills While Living in a Metropolis
Besides knowing how to cook or speak the local lingo, there are life skills to learn while staying in a metropolis. For example, knowing the best parking spaces or tricks for finding one may be integral to survival. It could seem irrelevant, but you haven’t experienced pain if you hadn’t looked for a parking space for an hour in town.
More than that, you’ll know the best time to avoid a rush hour when riding the subway or bus, learn about the cheap and good quality markets and greengrocers, and learn not to get suffocated by large crowds in one place.
Some who are moving overseas may also learn the fastest way to renew and get documents for traveling abroad, how best to communicate with the locals, and how to stay resilient in moments when you start missing the old home. These skills may not represent much, but when you suddenly go from calm to fast-paced environments, you see how meaningful survival skills are.
#5 Prepare for Traffic and Hours Spent Sitting In Your Car
What relocation day preparation may not thoroughly prepare you for is the traffic jams and rush hour in large cities. Before you call an overseas moving company to do their magic with car shipping services, think hard if you’re ready to drive in the chaos and mess of a metropolis.
Of course, not every city has long and excruciating rush hours and traffic jams, but most do – the more drivers there are, the chances for a gridlock are higher. You could be the most experienced driver in your part of the world, but nothing will prepare you for driving across boulevards, avenues, and downtown crossroads.
The main thing is being assertive, as long as you don’t break the law. It’ll be hard to take charge of your vehicle in rushed environments at first, but that’s just another skill you’ll learn when you get used to city living.
Don’t Worry if You Can’t Drive – There Are Ways to Get Around the City
You may worry about getting around a large place without a car, but don’t be. If you find a metropolitan area with good public transportation, you might be at your destination faster than some drivers.
There are also more and more bicycle-friendly places out there, and in places like Minneapolis and Stockholm, bikers have more advantages and are valued above all other drivers. A good bicycle is what to pack when relocating, or save money to buy one when you move.
To some women, not having a personal car to go around may seem a bit dangerous, but it doesn’t have to be. The fear of going home alone at night or getting into a taxi can be conquered by learning how to ride a scooter, buying a bike, or perhaps choosing one of the best countries for women to live and exist without fear.
#6 Big Cities Can Get Lonely if You Don’t Know How to Meet People
Sometimes, the charm and appeal of relocating to larger areas get beaten because everyone’s in a rush. They’re all going somewhere and don’t have time to stop and smell the roses. Those who research how to move to a big city alone can’t be aware of this unless someone tells them.
Carefully choosing where to move should mean avoiding some crucial relocation mistakes. If you have an acquaintance in a place you want to move to, contact them and ask about the atmosphere. If you don’t, the internet is your friend – people exchange all sorts of experiences online.
It would be sad to feel lonely and unaccomplished while keeping in touch with old friends, so it’d be best to research the social life of the place you wish to call home soon.
You Don’t Have to Live Alone In a New Place
Most importantly, you don’t have to live alone when you move out. You can visit websites such as Roommates to find folks that need housemates. This will reduce your expenses and help you make friends after relocating.
If someone you know lives in a metropolitan area, ask them if they need a roommate. Moving in with friends will ultimately be the best decision for your mental health and becoming accustomed to everything the blinding lights offer.
#7 The Prices You’re Used to May Not Be Attainable in a Metropolis
The fact that metropolitan areas are more expensive than smaller towns is nothing new. Folks move there to earn more money, but some aren’t always aware that they’ll be spending more. If you know how to balance finances and stay on top of them, that’s great. Otherwise, the costs may be a full-on culture shock.
When you gather relocation essentials and call an international moving company to help you move to a new home, ensure there’s some money left in your account to survive the first few weeks of metropolitan living.
If you really want to move but don’t have a big budget, these are things you can do to get through the initial stages of relocating to and living in your new home, such as:
- Before you move, simply look for smaller apartments,
- Use storage services from your relocation company to store items you don’t need right away,
- Look for places away from the center and downtown areas,
- Cut monthly expenses by getting rid of utilities and services you don’t use often,
- Cook instead of ordering and buying fast food,
- Avoid taxis and driving, and use public transport and your feet to get to places,
- Whenever something is free, use it – don’t pay for gym memberships if you can jog around the neighborhood, and don’t drink Starbucks every day if you can brew your own cup of joe.
Your Reasons to Live in a Big City Will Always Matter More Than the Good and the Bad Stuff
Moving internationally and interstate are challenges that can be conquered by preparing well. If you’re determined to move to another country, no good or bad or ups and downs will stop you from doing so.
Sure, the urban jungle may be overwhelming, hard to navigate, and tough to get used to, but once you break through the cracks and out of your shell, it will be the perfect time to enjoy your new home. Prepare for an adventure of a lifetime, pack well, and stay patient whenever the crowds begin to overwhelm you.
