What to Take and What to Leave When Moving Abroad

The cat is out of the bag. We’re moving to Spain. *hooray!* But now comes the really hard part of transporting a life, and deciding what to pack when we move abroad. It’s not a process for the faint of heart.

Can I Marie Kondo My Whole Life?

I’m walking around my house these days asking myself if my pillows bring my joy and depending on my answer to that very deep question, do they come with us to Spain, get donated, or hit the trash can? Trying to Marie Kondo all of my earthly possessions seems like it would take a really long time, time I don’t have right now as we’d like to leave the country before the end of 2021. So how do we decide what to pack as we prepare to move abroad?

What to Bring, What Stays Behind, When Moving Abroad

One thing that is breaking my heart is that I’m leaving one child behind here in the United States. The fact is, he’s not really a child in the eyes of the law, so I can’t pack him up in my suitcase. He will be twenty this year and he has already begun to build a life here and isn’t interested in starting over, in Spanish. Even though, for the record, he speaks the best Spanish of all three of my children. *sigh*

On the other hand, I’ve promised the other two kids, who will be part of our new Spanish adventure, that we will be bringing our 120-pound Labradoodle with us. Does anybody know how expensive it is to transport 120 pounds worth of canine girth across an ocean? Hint: It’s a lot. And I don’t know how Baldwin is going to adapt to sunny Spain, but because he brings my children joy and he is part of the family, he has become part of the “comes with us” pile of precious cargo.

Starting Over Means Starting from Scratch

I’ve been asking people who have done this type of move, “What should I bring? What should I leave behind?” And overwhelmingly people have told me to sell all my stuff – furniture, dishes, big winter coats – that I won’t need or can easily replace in Spain. Not only is the price of shipping large quantities of goods really expensive, they say, starting over in a new country, is an opportunity to acquire new “stuff” that reflects your new environment and the new life you want to live.

That really got me thinking. I am looking at this move abroad as a radical break from my current life. Not only will I be in a new country, speaking a new language in a climate that is the antithesis of my Wisconsin roots, I will have a new Spanish home that is nothing like my sturdy Philadelphia twin. Don’t I want my new home to reflect the new life I’m planning to create? I’d say yes.

Bring the Things That Are Uniquely You

One woman suggested I only bring my artwork and knick knacks that are uniquely me to Spain, so that that I can still feel rooted in my new home. Because after all, I may be starting a new life, but I’m not discarding any part of myself. I am proud of the life I’ve created over the years. I’m not running away from that, I’m just running towards something different.

What Would You Bring?

To be perfectly honest, the only thing I know I’m bringing for sure to Spain, is the swimming suit I bought last year and never got a chance to take to the beach because of COVID and my books. So, I’ll be the well-read Black girl on the beach. I know, not exactly practical. Clearly, I still need help. Tell me, what would you pack if you were moving abroad this year? Even better, if you have moved abroad, what did you bring and what did you leave behind?

I’m listening.

(p.s. I’m also bringing my mother’s black cast-iron skillet. Can’t live without that!)