There’s so much at stake when one uproots oneself from a place called home, perhaps all one’s life, to relocate elsewhere. Even though one may have done all the research and taken all the intelligent steps, one can find that, years after one has relocated, one falls into a number of categories. One may end up disappointed, ecstatic, or just about on average satisfied that one has done the right thing.

We are all different and each of us may have different visions than another individual or individuals. This is so true in just about anything in life – occupation, entertainment, dining, neighborhoods, religious and ethnic backgrounds and dispositions…and certainly in being happy in a new locale, state, or part of the world.

Perhaps that is why we can never visit online or other forums for absolute approval or disapproval of a desire to live somewhere. We can be guided only so much by others’ experiences, points of view, and their stories of success or failure.

We must also constantly be aware that so much goes into making a place of residence the place that it is – weather, jobs, traffic, crime, religious and political climate, level of tolerance for others of differing perspectives, cultural opportunities, recreation, dining, entertainment, educational infrastructure, access to decent medical care, family and friends…and the list goes on.

We can do all the research online on forums and other sites, we can visit different areas for extended periods, chat with locals, read local newspapers and use other media – all good to go. I believe, however, that in the final analysis, we sometimes can never know unless we try it out by actually living somewhere. However, though it’s not foolproof, doing all the necessary research, visits, and soul-searching can at least give us a clearer idea of whether we should eliminate a place from our list or go right on ahead with the relocation plans.

There will always be pros and cons wherever we go in life, in whichever part of the world or the country we yearn for. And what’s fantastic for one person is a disappointment for another. At least by exploring the pros and cons which a very large percentage of people experience, one can determine whether: (a) one can be happy with such a list or (b) one does not feel the same way as the majority and therefore need not be guided accordingly.

Potential transplants must also determine whether they have the financial, emotional, and other resources to fall back on should they decide that their new locale is not the place to be. Or at least they might evaluate whether they can make the best of a bad situation and move on with life. Then, of course, they might just find out that moving to their new town, city, or country was the best decision they ever made.