Our Experience Moving to France

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If you would have asked me what I thought my future would look like a few years ago, moving to Europe would have never even crossed my mind. Before a month ago, I had never lived outside of Minnesota. Moving to France was obviously a huge change, and I have learned a lot along the way. 

If you are considering moving, or curious about what our move to Europe was like, this post is for you. I will touch on everything from visas and packing to settling down in our new place. Luckily, we have the easier route of moving to Europe as Kelvin’s team helps us/makes the bigger decisions for us. Kelvin’s team picks out our apartment and car, so I cannot speak to what it is like to try to find housing or a car, but I will try to touch on everything else. 

Why We Moved to Europe

Kelvin and I moved to France together about a month ago (later than originally planned because we were waiting on our visas). Kelvin has been living in Europe for the past four years for his career as a professional hockey player. Now, after getting married in July, I finally moved here with him. We will spend the season living here and the off-season back home in the United States – which is perfect because being away from our families for this long is hard.

Despite having spent months in Europe together during Kelvin’s previous seasons, this was a huge change for us (in the best way possible). It has truly been a dream come true getting to move to another country together as a newly married couple. Of course, it has not all been smooth sailing, but the challenges of moving abroad are definitely worth it.

The Logistics

From the visas, to finding a place to live, and packing, moving to another country takes a lot of planning and preparation. Applying for your visa can be very time consuming and being that you cannot leave without it, it is arguably the most important part. Most visas will require you to prove “accommodations” during the visa appointment, so you will need to have proof of where you will live prior to that appointment.

Read more about the visa application process in my post Applying for a French Visa.

Our apartment is picked out and rented by the team, so we did not have to worry about finding a place on our own. The team sent us the paperwork we needed for the visa appointment that proves we have accommodations. After you have your living arrangements and the visa, you can book your plane ticket and start to plan everything else… what you are going to pack, your cell phone provider, insurance if needed, transportation, internet, etc.

Packing for Europe

I am an avid over-packer, so this part of the move was very challenging for me. My goal was to keep it to three suitcases, a hockey bag, and two carry-on suitcases for the two of us… I was able to achieve that goal, but I definitely took up the majority of the room in the suitcases. I sold A LOT of clothes before this move, and I was very particular about what I packed with how tiny our closet was going to be here. I am far from a minimalist… so packing for every season but not overpacking was a struggle.

The best suitcases for travel linked here!

Clothes/shoes, electronics, and skincare/makeup were the main thing I brought with me. Besides our phone and computer chargers, we decided it was best to buy anything that plugs-in once we arrived in France (things like blowdryers, hair-straighteners, blender, etc). Packing cubes were essential for keeping my clothes organized in my suitcase and in my closet now that we are here. We have a TINY closet, like I said, so I use the packing cubes here to keep my off-season clothes organized and tucked away.

My favorite packing cubes! It comes with everything you will need to stay organized on your trip!

I also love these compressive packing cubes for when you are trying to shove all your belongings in a carry-on suitcase (like I do on almost every trip I take – whatever it takes to save money on flights… Right?).

A few of the random things I packed were command hooks for our apartment, pictures, a couple books, Ibuprofen/Tylenol, and resistance bands for working out until I am able to get our gym membership. The command hooks have been a huge help in our shoebox apartment (they sell them here, but they are much cheaper in the US). We brought the basic over the counter medicine from back home because Ibuprofen and Tylenol are not as easy to get here (although, Europe’s variations of those are now sold behind most pharmacy counters).

Some companies will ship bags/boxes of your things, many of which will pick them up from your house and deliver them to your new place. It was just more reasonable for us to bring everything on the airplane.

Phone Carriers

Finding a French phone provider was actually extremely easy. There are many companies here that will ship you a new SIM card with your new number. I used a company called Prixtel last time I was here for a few months. Prixtel is great if you are staying in European countries only; it is super cheap (only 6 euros/month), and you can cancel at any time. I decided to go with a different company this time because I did not like having poor service and being charged more for using my phone when I traveled outside of the EU – like to Switzerland.

This time around, I am using a company called Free Mobile. They sent me a SIM card in three days, and I was able to start using my phone right away. They have a great plan for someone like me, who plans to be traveling a bunch, and I won’t be charged more for using my phone outside of the EU. This plan is also super cheap compared to phone plans back home.

If you are traveling to Europe for a short time, I highly recommend looking into getting a SIM card for a limited time to save money on your phone bills back home!

Insurance

Kelvin has insurance through his team, but getting his “French Green Card” which is needed to actually be seen by a doctor was a huge pain last year. It is very confusing, so for me personally, I decided it was best to get travel insurance for two reasons. 1. I needed to prove I had medical insurance during the Visa appointment because of the type of visa. And 2. I wanted the peace of mind when traveling outside of France to know I was covered if anything did happen. I went with the IMG Travel Medical Plan, which was very reasonable for good coverage the entire time we are here.

Finally in France

Figuring out all the details can be overwhelming; honestly, it is sometimes easier to just wait until you get there – especially for internet and phone plans. There is a lot of learning along the way but it really is the best experience. It has pushed me so far outside of my comfort zone but has also been the most rewarding experience. I highly recommend to take the opportunity to explore somewhere new if you have the chance.

We also realize how easy our move is because of how much support we have from the team Kelvin plays for. We are so grateful for this experience and I cannot wait to share the journey with you all.