Is Relocation Right for You

Is Redrehort Right for YouIs Relocation Right for YouUse local resources to decide if a long-distance move will fit your lifestyle.So youve had it with the big city and youre ready for the country life. Or maybe working in Middle America has run its course and you want to try living on one of the coasts for a while. People decide to relocate for a variety of reasons, and work is usually one of them. But before you pack your bags and forward your mail, here are some things to consider.Many people get an idea in their head about a place that doesnt reflect what life there is really like, says Jacob Young, an SEO specialist and online reputation manager for Young Social Media. Just because you had a great vacation in southern California and fell in love with the San Diego Zoo doesnt mean you will also love battling the traffic there every day.When youre looking at the city youre thinking of moving to, you have to switch brains, Young said. Make sure you have the right frame of mind and dont think about your memories from childhood. The best way to assess what life in a new place would really be like is to pseudolive there, he said. There are plenty of resources online that can help you get a realistic picture of what life would be like in a new town - such as local news sites, realtors and chambers of commerce but Google Earth probably provides the best picture of daily life. I would go to Google maps, take the street view and walk from where Id be living to where the job would be, said Young, who moved from Los Angeles to Chicago last winter.Relocating from the City of Angels to the Windy City could have been a shock to many professionals, but Young knew exactly what he was getting into and hes loving it. He recommends that jobseekers who are considering a move should do a virtual audit of the location and find the closest points of interest that fit their lifestyle.What can I do around work? Is there a gym? A tanning salon? Young said. Those are the types of things youd have to think about.Perhaps no one can answer these questions better than the real-life locals who live there. Young suggests tracking down some of these folks who might have the same interests as you through meet-up groups and social networking sites. From there, he said, you can ask about everything from the local nightlife to dog-friendly restaurants. You have to be very, very niche, he said.The weather could be another key factor in planning a move, and Young stresses to take the seasons into account Bostons winters and Houstons summers can be quite brutal if youre coming from another part of the country. A good way to gauge this is by downloading a weather app on your phone that tracks the forecast of a particular zip code. You can tell at any given moment while youre enjoying a Starbucks in Seattle that theres a wind chill of 20-below in Minneapolis.Of course, though, nothing can be better than actually visiting your target city. But Young warns that jobseekers sh ouldnt go there as a tourist. Go be a local for a weekend, he said. Get on the train and see how easy it is to get around.You might find that the culture just isnt your cup of tea or that the zoologischer garten wasnt all its cracked up to be after all. I really believe its worth it to take that extra time, Young said. If you hate it, that is going to be the worst feeling when you wake up every single day.