As soon as you have decided to move abroad – and even before you have started looking at areas and properties in which to settle, it is very important to involved your family from day one. You are taking a big and exciting step and need to pull together, work as a team and have your children involved with your plans right at the beginning. Include them in all your research and make sure you answer all their questions as truthfully as you can.

As far as schools go, do as much research as you can beforehand and a good tip is to plan the actual date of your move, if you can, during school holidays to give your children a real chance of settling in generally before it starts. Talk about your new country early on and well in advance of moving and gen up on its history and culture. Put a positive spin on your future move whilst recognising that there may be times when you all will miss certain things about the UK. 

Reassure your family that you will easily be able to keep in touch with people at home and if your children are old enough, promise them they can Skype their friends regularly.

If you have a pet that is coming with you, the best you can do is keep to its daily routine as much as possible. Dogs and cats have simple needs and as long as you give them a little extra attention, a few treats and plan to bring with you their favourite bedding and toys, they will be just fine. Naturally, you will need to sort out their vaccines and passport requirements for the country to which you are going very early on but as far as THEY are concerned, the more of the same, the better. Whether your journey involves driving or flying, ask your vet for a tranquilliser to ease the transition for your pet.

Discussing your plans fully with your family, giving them plenty of time to get used to the idea of moving and how excited you are at this opportunity will stand you in good stead.  Excitement is catching! Listen to everyone’s views – you don’t have to abide by them but making them feel involved and having their feelings catered for will mean they will be more amenable to the whole idea.

Moving abroad “en famille” means each member has a voice and if you give them the idea that you are all in this together and that it is an adventure, they will adapt much more easily to the whole notion of moving and be comforted by knowing they have a strong family unit.

Good communication at family level is very important and everyone will benefit from feeling involved. A gradual build-up to the day of moving means that you are all prepared to go out into the big wide world and embrace your new home overseas.

Start your hunt for a home in France here…
If you’re searching for a French property, a good place to start is the France Buying Guide’s property search facility. To start your search now visit http://www.francebuyingguide.com/content/france-properties