The Myth of Perfect Timing to Move Abroad (And Why You’ll Wait Forever If You Believe It)

If I had a dollar for every time someone said they were “just waiting for the perfect time” to move abroad, I’d have enough money to buy a villa in Tuscany, sip cappuccinos every morning, and never stress about visas again.

Here’s the hard truth: there is no perfect time.

Not for uprooting your life, not for chasing a dream that keeps you awake at 2 a.m., not even when every voice in your head insists that the stars need to align.

And anyone who tells you otherwise? They’re selling a fairy tale.

Waiting Feels Safe, But It’s a Trap

We tell ourselves we need perfect timing because it feels safe.

Safe from mistakes.
Safe from failure.
Safe from judgment.

We tell ourselves we need more money, a more stable job, kids to be older (or younger), or politics to calm down. And so we wait.

Waiting feels productive. Waiting looks responsible. Waiting is polite procrastination dressed up as planning. But here’s the kicker: waiting doesn’t make life safer. It just makes your dream smaller, dimmer, and further away.

The Illusion of “Ready”

Most people imagine “ready” as some magical state where everything falls into place:

• Finances flawless.

• Visa guaranteed.

• Kids coordinated.

• Language mastered.

• Career bulletproof.

Reality check: that “ready” doesn’t exist. You’ll never have all the answers, never anticipate every obstacle. And that’s okay.

Life abroad isn’t about perfection.

It’s about showing up, making decisions, and learning along the way.

The truth is, the moment you accept that imperfection is part of the process, everything starts to feel… possible.

My Own “Not Ready” Move Abroad Story

Sitting in our brand new apartment (two months into our lease), still visiting my oncologist every three months to check in on my remission status, we got the offer to move to Switzerland. We finally found an apartment we loved. We had a brand new car that I actually didn't regret buying upon driving it off the lot. My house, which I purchased in 2005 in Illinois, was renter-free, so we needed to sell it (and were going to lose a ton of money). And don't get me started about our 'savings' (which amounted to less than $2,000 in our checking account, thanks Cancer).

We had a literal shit-ton of reasons NOT to make the move. It was far from the 'perfect' scenario for moving abroad. We could have said, "Nope, it's not the right time," but we chose to do it anyway.

Fast forward to 2017 when we got the offer to move to Vienna. Here's me, home alone in Basel, Switzerland, holding my less than two-month old daughter (my husband was traveling in Vienna for work) when he called to tell me, "They want me to move to Vienna. What do you think?"

I had no job, a brand new baby, and knew only my husband and daughter there. I didn't have a built in job (like I did when we moved to Basel). I didn't have 12-months of maternity leave (like they have in Austria), so I'd be hard-pressed to find daycare for my daughter if I could even find a job. But, I said "sure. Sounds like fun" because it meant my husband could (theoretically) be home more to spend time with us.

Again, the most inopportune time to move... and we did it anyway. Job hunting while parenting a newborn is not for the weak of heart. Figuring out daycare in another language from another country isn't easy. But the timing would never be perfect, so off we went to Austria.

This is the part where I remind you: you don’t have to feel ready to take the leap. You just have to be willing to take imperfect action.

Asking the Right Questions

Instead of asking, “Is this the perfect time?” ask yourself questions that actually matter:

• “Is this important enough for me to figure it out, even if it’s messy?”

• “Am I willing to trade short-term discomfort for long-term fulfillment?”

• “If I look back ten years from now, will I regret waiting?”

These questions force clarity.

They cut through fear.

They stop you from hiding behind excuses and start you moving toward what you really want.

Imperfect Timing Is the Only Timing You Get

Here’s the reality: your move abroad will never be convenient.

Something will always feel off—money, timing, job, language skills.

The people who make it happen aren’t waiting for every green light.

They embrace the mess, the chaos, the unknown, and figure it out on the fly.

That’s how progress happens. That’s how a dream becomes a real, lived experience.

The Subtle Ways We Wait

Sometimes waiting doesn’t look like sitting on a suitcase staring at a calendar. It’s subtler:

• Constantly “researching” without acting.

• Over-planning instead of booking flights.

• Asking everyone for permission before making a decision.

All of it feels responsible.
All of it keeps you comfortable.
And all of it keeps your life exactly where it is—safe, predictable, and unfulfilled.

Your Move Won’t Be Perfect, But It Can Be Real

Perfect timing is seductive, but it’s also a trap.

It keeps your dream stuck in the “someday” zone while your current life quietly drains you.

The moment you stop chasing perfect, you open the door to actual action.

You start researching, budgeting, figuring out visas, and imagining yourself living the life you’ve been dreaming of—messy, imperfect, and real.

Because here’s the truth: a messy, real start beats a perfect plan that never happens.

The Fear of Doing It “Wrong”

Let’s be honest: part of why we wait is fear.
Fear of failure.
Fear of judgment.
Fear of leaving comfort behind.

You worry you’ll pick the wrong city, the wrong school, the wrong apartment.
You worry about money, language barriers, the unknown.

And yes, those fears are real—but they’re not permanent obstacles.

They’re problems to solve, not reasons to freeze.

The only way forward is to accept the fear, step into it, and make decisions anyway.

The world doesn’t stop spinning while you wait to feel ready.

Life moves, and if you don’t move with it, you’ll always be behind.

Imperfect Action Is Better Than Perfect Planning

I want you to hear this: action teaches you more than research ever will.

Buying a plane ticket teaches budgeting.
Signing a lease teaches bureaucracy.
Starting conversations in a foreign language teaches confidence.

Action forces solutions. Waiting forces regrets.

Bottom Line

The myth of perfect timing keeps more dreams buried than fear ever will.

There is no “perfect” moment. There is only the moment you decide: enough waiting, let’s go.

If you keep waiting for all the stars to align, you’ll wake up ten years later with the same dream… and a lot less time to live it.

Need Help Actually Making the Move?

If you’re done waiting and ready to start building a life abroad—no perfect timing required—my 7-day JUMPSTART challenge is designed for you. It’s strategy, clarity, and action, even when the stars aren’t aligned.

No sugar-coating. No waiting for magic. No Zoom calls. No videos to watch. Just a real plan for the life you want abroad, now.