Moving to a new city or another country because of love sounds really romantic, and it is. It is something that your body and mind simply makes you do every time you find someone you can love. It will stop or completely change everything you planned about the future up to that moment.
The toughest decision to make is whether or not you should pursue the happiness even though that “happiness” lives in another city, state or continent. You can choose to stay in a long-distance relationship and start thinking about that… “bumpy road” that lies ahead, you can out that relationship to a halt, or decide to move in with your partner (wherever he or she is lives at that moment).
Whatever you decide to do will be a risk, and you need to make sure that the risk you are taking is a well calculated one.
First, you need to know that such relationships are very different from relationships that happen in the same city. You need to invest more commitment to sustain that kind of a relationship when compared to a local one.
The fact that you are even thinking about moving in with your partner in such a relationship is an accomplishment.
The survey
There is a study conducted by an American company which surveyed around 5,000 random people to see how many actually decided to move because of a partner. It turned out that a vast majority of them did that, but only some of them are actually proud of their decision.
One out of every five people relocated because of a relationship once in their lives and nearly a third of those 5,000 people relocated because of love more than once.
In the end, almost half of them weren’t satisfied with the decision they made. 20% had to split after the relocation, 18% said that relocation failed to save their relationship, 17% didn’t like their new location, and 10% fell in love with someone else. So, let’s say that there is a 50% chance that your relocation will not work.
But, should you really move? The easiest thing to do is calling some removal company from London, but the question you should ask yourself first is “is this really going to work?”. This is what you should ask yourself before you make your decision.
1. Is your partner the “ONE”?
Moving to a new place, new city, or a new state is a difficult decision to make. You have to plan a lot, coordinate, and sacrifice your entire life in order to do that. You are probably going to need around a year to finally settle in that home, and a huge part of your future is going to depend on your partner. This is why you need to make sure that the partner you have is the one you can trust.
2. Financial situation
Cost of living is very high wherever you decide to live. Moving to a new place will make you look for a new job and that is why you need to think about how much money you have at the time of the move and how much money your partner earns at that moment. Don’t be afraid to ask those difficult questions. Love can’t pay your bills. Put your budget together to avoid possible conflicts down the road.
3. Backup plan
You always need a backup plan. This is why you need to plan everything ahead so you could have your old life back if anything goes south. Make sure you renew your lease and regularly sublet your room so you could have a place to go back to if anything goes wrong.
4. Why are you the one who’s moving?
You probably think that your partner loves you the same way you love your partner. However, you should rethink your current situation. It’s ok if you two made the decision based on practical reasons, but you are making a huge mistake if that relocation brings more trouble than solutions.
5. Will you like the new city?
You don’t like cold weather and in spite of that you decided to move to the north of Russia, Alaska, or Norway. You like partying but you are moving to a small town. I don’t care how much you love the person you are moving with, the living conditions you don’t like will destroy your relationship. You two will need some sort of compromise.
You need to think about the current situation, analyze the quality of your relationship, talk with your partner about the future and find some “middle-ground” in your plans. You should listen to your heart, but you should also be smart about the decisions you make.