Climate Changes Impact Your Relocation

One of the things that might take you by surprise when you move to a new place is how much the weather and climate impact your happiness in that place.

Often times, this doesn’t sink in until several months after you’ve relocated – I remember being really excited to move from New York to Paris, thinking about how beautiful the city was to me, and being eager to walk and explore the city streets. One evening, on my way back home, plodding through wet streets with my umbrella held overhead, I became aggravated. I suddenly realized that Paris is often grey or raining, and this took away my eagerness to walk around the city. Without that desire, I began to question why I was living in a place that I couldn’t happily explore.

What I learned from my experience is that it’s crucial to make sure you understand the weather patterns of your host country. If you live someplace sunny, like California, and you move someplace like London, or even Seattle, you’re in for a complete change.
Seasons can also have a big impact on your life. One aspect is having seasons, as in New England (Northeast region of the US), or not having seasons, as in Florida, or the Caribbean, where it is mostly sunny and warm all year round. The other aspect is “season reversal”. If you live in the United States and move to Australia, Christmas will be warm and sunny, and June, July and August will find you shivering and wearing your winter coat. It’s a very jarring experience.
So, before you relocate someplace, take care to research and understand that area’s climate and typical season forecast. If you are moving someplace with a vastly different climate, this will impact the activities you can or will want to do, so in conjunction with climate changes, make sure you take the time to find out what activities support the climate. In other words, if you are someone used to being indoors a lot, and are moving to a place where the social life revolves around the outdoors – you might want to consider getting some hiking gear, or good walking shoes, at a minimum. And, vice versa, if the place you’re going has lousy weather, it would help you to learn about classes and programs that are offered at indoor venues, as well as what travel agencies are best/least expensive, should you want to plan a getaway to a warm and wonderful spot!

© 2009. This article was excerpted with permission from Heather Markel. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Heather Markel from www.culturetransition.com. Originally published in www.WomensOnlineMagazine.com, July 2009”.

About the Author:
Heather Markel is a Culture Transition Specialist. Heather works with relocating professionals and their families to manage and overcome the unique set of personal, professional, and social issues that arise following relocation to a new city and/or country. Heather has lived, worked and studied in four countries, and two US States. She speaks six languages. She loves traveling and discovering new friends, and new places. To find out more, visit www.howtofeelathomeawayfromhome.com

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

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