How much did you plan/analyse your move over, beforehand?

I'm not going to get into the visa research because it was atypical and a sore spot, but for the move I did very little research.  After I got my visa, I found this site, so I sort of followed the "what to bring/what not to bring".  I think YMMV with that thread as I didn't find some of what was listed as overly useful.  But, for the most part, I did very little research in what to bring/cost of living/blah blah.  As I said in the other thread, if I had known, I might have picked up some gadgets, but that's it.

I remember my dad asking me 'why are you packing so much?' and I said 'because Im staying there forever!'

I had no idea what lay in store for me. True, I had already lived in the UK for 6 months as a student in uni housing, but that was only barely a preparation for my big move. Its crazy because I am normally an 'over' researcher--research things to death before I actually do them. I didnt want anything to stop me I suppose. I was in love and because of that nothing else would matter. Ha! 20 years and a second husband later...  

Like many others I didn't do too much research. I had spoken to one of my professors, who is English, about opportunities in British universities. Figured out the cost and time invested was going to be significantly less than doing a similar degree in the states, and so off I went! (After getting the loans and the visa, of course! )

Here's the thing, I wasn't planning on staying. I like England, but wasn't terribly fussed about staying - then the boyfriend came along!  So, getting the PSW was a bit of surprise for me that I wasn't too prepared for, and only managed it by applying at almost the last possible moment. Oops!  If I had to do it over again I would have explored the PSW as an option even though I didn't think I was going to stay, because anything might happen! Now I am much better versed in the possibilities for extending my stay (even though I know it is full likely that the requirements are going to change!)

I planned and analysed my daughter's schooling a lot and made sure that was all sorted, with a lot of help from DH (who wasn't DH yet). Other than that I just went for it!

I've moved on average every 3 years since I graduated from high school, so moving to a new place is no big deal to me anymore.  There are always things to adjust to, and they're never the things you thought they would be.  

This was me, except I moved every two-ish years    The UK is the fourth foreign country I've lived in, and by far the easiest, mostly because of lingual and cultural similarities, but also because of my husband and the roots he already had here.  I also think that it helped that I went into it knowing it was permanent, so that has helped me to ignore the bad stuff and just get on with building my life here.  

I'm not one of Nature's planners, so I basically just packed up my stuff and jumped on a plane.  I was pretty confident about being able to find a job since I'd done my teacher training in the UK.  But mostly I wanted to be with my husband, so I went where he needed to be.  

I clicked the "some foresight" option.  That being said, most of the foresight was just making sure my now hubby was the one.  I'd been married once before and didn't want to make another mistake.  But I was pretty sure, pretty quickly.  The rest of the foresight was just in researching the visa situation--pretty much knew it'd be fiancee, then FLR, then ILR, then citizenship.

I was recently divorced and staying at a friends (no real lease), also had some money saved to cushion me and fund the move.  I got rid of most everything I owned (after the divorce I had already downsized, so it was just downsizing a bit more).  I would not have been able to justify the cost of shipping stuff over.  Mostly I gave stuff to friends, donated my books to used book shops, art supplies went to the poor students I worked with, my sister got my grandmother's chest, and my old work got my futon to use as a couch in the breakroom.  I owned no other furniture.  I had great fun giving my stuff away!

So basically my move happened in two stages.  The first stage was coming over for a 6 months visit.  This is when my now hubby proposed to me (I pretty much knew he was going to).  I had brought over my smaller harp and my big backpack.  My fiddle was already in the UK from a previous visit (I left it there, knowing I was returning very soon, and borrowed a fiddle from my teacher when I got back to the US)

The second stage was packing up 6 *small* boxes of books, CD's and some art supplies and mailing them to my hubby-to-be in the UK.  I brought my bigger harp (the case was stuffed with clothes to protect it and the harp in it's case was bubble-wrapped and put into a big box.  It went on the plane as extra baggage, costing me a mere $80 as opposed to upwards of $1300 to ship it), and two suitcases, plus my laptop as my carry-on.

That's it.  I left about 5 boxes of stuff at my friends' house in the US and I don't even know anymore what's in them, so obviously I won't ever need that stuff!

I was looking for a private school job both in the States and overseas.  I had a few interviews set up all over the US, then went to a job fair in Montreal and was asked if I would like to interview for a job in London.  Heck yeah!  So after interviewing and finding out that I got the job (including 2 phone interviews), I began to explore what it would all be like...but really, I just went with it and figured I'd be fine.  I knew I was going to make almost as much as I had made in Boston (in units) so I hoped that I could afford to live in London.  And 5-1/2 years later, I'm doing great.  I always wanted to live overseas somewhere as many of my family have done, and just lucked out in living in London and working at an amazing school.

I jumped in with both feet without looking first!

But, having no spouse, no kids, no mortgage, no ties to where I was in my life or with what I was doing, it was easy peasy for me.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my decision...

Well I did some what plan - I am a planner but not such much of the cultural aspect but the everyday aspect.  I had responisbilites in Texas that obviously had to get taking care of you just cant walk out of a house (oh well you can but I wouldnt) and I co-owned a Tyson my dog but I knew I was moving here quicker then anticipated but my roommate loved that dog as much as me.  I also knew I had to get my bills sorted - hello debt mgmt plan and I needed to keep my job to pay for it ;-)

Sure I stressed over what I was putting in my boxes and if I could live without xyz and I am sure I could but did I want too? NO I needed this house to be part of me as well as him.  Some people can come on the 2 suitcases and honestly my hat is off to you but heck I could never have done it.

I didnt have to plan to much though as it just was right and everything else just flows into action ;-)

went to a job fair in Montreal

Feel a little sad and homesick now!  Maybe I need to pop over to France to sort that out! 

Lol. I did not look into it further than the visa requirements (this was in 1999 when all I had to do was show up at the US Embassy with some cash and a marriage certificate.) I just figured it would be a big adventure and everything would fall into place...it has, and it did!

Being in the process, I can already say I'm overanalyzing just about everything.

If I only considered finances and just looked at numbers on paper, the decision would have been easy, and made already...but I'm considering more than what's just on paper - things more subjective that you can't really put a cold hard number on.  It's this stuff that's making things (I don't want to say difficult) interesting.

Not at all.

I didn't just leave, I left skidmarks.

I very naively thought, "I've been to England several times, moving there won't be such a huge adjustment."      LOL

Planning is good (and I usually plan things to death) but it can only get you so far.  Then it's "learn by experience" time. 
I had to wander the aisles of the supermarket and discover what was there.  And I cried the first time when I couldn't find half the ingredients for my favorite recipes. 
I had to learn how to catch a bus, where to stand, when to wave, what to do with that piece of paper the driver gave me.
I'm embarrassed to think how long I might have sat in a pub waiting for someone to take my order.  How thankful I am that someone else knew to order at the bar.   
I never bagged my own groceries in the US.  I got some funny looks at UK supermarkets when I stood there looking confused watching my items being tossed aside by the checker.   

I think I didn't do too much planning because it's always been our intention to move back to the US.  Not because I dislike England, I know how lucky I am to have lived this adventure here.  But I have a lot of loved ones waiting for me "back home" and grandbaby number 4 on the way.  I will miss Yorkshire especially when it's time to leave but I miss my family more.  And I have a wonderful husband who from day one has been willing to move.  I feel very blessed to have people I love, and who love me, on both sides of the ocean.

Other than figuring out the visa thing and what to keep/sell/give away in my small apartment, I didn't plan anything.  My sons were grown and on their own, I was a secretary so didn't have some great career.  I was moving over to marry a headteacher who owned a house.  Easy peasy.  I planned on getting temp clerical work which I did.