Feeling At Home: Dispatches From Home

Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
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Now that you are all moved in, I am sure that you would love to put your feet up and relax.

But there is one more chore on your To-do list (there is always one more chore, isn’t there?), and it can be a big one: updating people with your new contact details, and making sure they can easily communicate with you.

Make a list

I’d suggest writing down a list of who needs your new address, and how you will contact them. Even if you have an excellent memory, you can easily miss someone, and who wants to be dealing with ruffled feathers, hurt feelings, or late-payment fees because of an oversight?

Follow the guidelines

Banks, government offices, insurance companies and the like will often have strict guidelines for updating your files, so make sure to follow them to the letter. I had to dispute late charges from my French mobile phone company for over 2 years because I had sent them a registered letter to the wrong office number…

Cover all bases

For your personal contacts, remember that you probably won’t be able to reach everyone through a single channel – your grandmother may not be on Facebook (heck, even I am not on Facebook!), so you may need to phone or write her.

That’s where the list comes in handy: it allows you to keep track of everyone’s preferred contact method, and you can cross off names as you go.

Email is of course very convenient for this purpose. You could even put your new contact details in your signature for a while.

For family members and close friends, don’t dismiss snail mail as a thing of the past. If you send them a quick note, chances are you will receive a nice card or a letter in return – and who doesn’t enjoy getting “real” mail? I also find that there is something very symbolic in seeing your new address handwritten on an envelope. It really says, “we are settled now; this truly is home.”

Lastly, if you know that many relatives and friends are anxiously awaiting news and updates on your life abroad, why not set up a blog where everyone can catch up and comment on your adventures?

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Emmanuelle

Images by melinnis (top) and Anemone Letterpress (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons