ABSTRACT
Once decided on the site and with funding secured, you still have countless things to attend to before leaving home. In this chapter we suggest some of the issues you need to consider before heading overseas, including many things you might not imagine necessary at first glance. The list ranges from the obvious to the obscure, and we suggest different strategies for approaching the inevitable obstacles of life overseas. We focus on both life’s essentials (health, money, family, housing) and academic essentials (contacts, research clearance). Not everything can be done before departure, but there is truth to the adage that “preparation prevents poor performance.”
