Preparing to go:

Well when I said I needed a year to prepare I really needed a year to prepare! Now three days out we finally feel like we have it under control. 

I am a bit of a list girl so was able to check off tasks as we went along.  We have moved house and jobs heaps of times, but preparing to move overseas is a little more detailed.

I would strongly recommend that you do not decide to renovate your son’s house 5 months out from leaving the country. 

We were a little overwhelmed with the amount of farewells and good wishes we received (feels like people think we won’t be returning) but we will be in contact via social media. So, with work, home and family now sorted we can work on our arrival into Canada, first up accommodation. 

We have been keeping an eye on Craig’s List, AIRBNB and motel accommodation to see what our best options will be.

Craigs list had some short-term accommodation options that gave us an idea of what to expect for the type of accommodation, location and pricing.

AIRBNB had some options, however with the time of year we want, there was not a lot of “long-term” options as the Summer holidays took up bits and pieces.

Motel accommodation didn’t really offer any long-term benefits.  The end result was to get the living costs the same as we would pay at home.

In the end we went with Kijij Central which offers accommodation and allowed us to connect with and sublet a furnished suite for 4 months at a reasonable rental price.

So with accommodation sorted we are now looking at purchasing a car. When researching buying a car in the US, they only way we could do it was to start up a company for $1000 and then the company has to buy the car through a broker.   But in Canada you can just purchase a car, insure it and off you go, so much easier!  So, stay tuned to see what we end up with.