...I'm moving to Orlando, Florida, USA in a couple of months from the UK. I'm organising and planning the move and want to make sure i'm not missing anything off my list of 'tasks to complete in the UK before I leave'.

Just wondering about those people who have already done an international move...is there anything you wish you'd done BEFORE you left the UK that you wish you had ?

Just for example..somebody who had moved abroad said he'd wished he'd applied for his International Driving Licence while he was still in the UK. Another said they'd wished they'd done more shopping for clothes in the UK because US fashion is so different...

So do you have a list of things that one shouldn't forget to do before leaving the UK ?

Get a visa. Other than that pretty much anything else is pretty straight forward and can be overcome very easily if needed.

Bugger you beat me to it

The question that eveyone wants to know is, what visa are you coming over on? It it a company transfer? That might influence the answers to your question.

Other than that, here's a couple of things of the top of my head

1. Keep your UK bank accounts open, you can change your address to the US one once you move.

2. Stock up on teabags, percy pigs, digestives and the like. And eat lots of bacon and sausage because you won't find any decent equivalents here.

3. Douse yourself in water and then stand in front of a hot oven with the door open and a pair of mouse ears on, that should help you get acclimatised to Orlando.

DONT get an international driving license if your current license is in English.

Print out address labels with your new address and leave them in the UK house that you are vacating - makes forwarding any post much easier. (Occasionally items slip through the Royal Mail forwarding service)

Get the international phone number and email addresses for UK utility providers, banks and other organisations. (My bargain-basement US phone service doesn't let me call 0845 etc numbers.)

Keep your bank accounts open. Change as much as possible to be managed online (all credit cards, bank accounts, utilities).

This is a very usefull website for alternative phone numbers.

http://www.saynoto0870.com/

Use the search facility in the top left.

I always hit the John before any long trip.

Tell the people you love that you love them face to face and give them a big hug.

I've picked up some great pre-move tips - I should be moving over to the US by the end of this year but this last one made me cry! Over-emotional or what??

Mental heath check up?

Plan plan plan. Outline things you need to do (i.e. visa, passport, banking, credit cards, canceling the utilities, etc) and put them on a list. Outline the things you want to pack and how to get them organized. Also plan a yard sale to get rid of some of the junk, and maybe ebay the more valuable bits you won't bring over.

If you have kids, get them the proper vaccinations for schools as the UK set is not the same as the ones that will be required in the US (and the US is a bit more strict on getting your jabs). Also get their transcripts together so you have something to show the teachers when you arrive at the new school.

Make the plan so everything is done 48 hours before you actually get on the plane. Trust me, your plans will slip and there is always a last minute to do. I would also plan a farewell party about a week or so before you leave so you don't have to "drop in" to this that and the other persons house while you are in the middle of a move. Instead have them come to you. (In fact, some professional expats tell folks they are leaving a day earlier then they actually are so they can have one last day of peace).

An International Driver's license does not give you the right to drive in the US. Your UK license does that and once you are a resident, you need to apply for a state driver's license.

The ID license is only really to translate a foreign langage DL to an English language DL.

As for clothing, if you don't like the clothing in the US perhaps you might want to revisit the reasons for living there.

The food staples are also different. Perhaps you might want to see if you can bring a case or two of your favorite food products.

.....



(Thought that would be for moving to Houston)

Nah, Houston is heaven on earth

Madam, that has not been supported by scientific method. Don't make me call tonrob in here!