ABSTRACT
Moving abroad, even for a short-term stay, reflects a complicated decision. Reasons people give for doing so vary enormously: for some it is work that predominates, for others the move is really made for the family. Some feel they are getting too comfortable where they are living – it is simply time to move on. Some are coming towards things by moving, others are fleeing. Some have always cherished a dream of living abroad, others have never thought about it. Some have already lived in several different cultures, others have never left the region where they were born. For some, feeling rooted or attached to a particular community is extremely important, others do not seem to need roots, carry portable roots around the world with them, or feel rooted elsewhere, such as in strongly held religious beliefs. Some hesitate, some discuss the decision at length and prepare every imaginable detail, others simply say yes, phone the moving company, and walk out the door. For some couples, moving because of the career of one spouse means the other has to give up professional ambitions, for others dual careers are not a significant factor. And transporting children of different ages means quite different things: the opinions they have about moving, and their degree of participation in the decision-making process, will obviously be quite different at different ages.
