Moving abroad looks different for every household. These sixteen creator-owned videos share personal experiences of arrival, work, housing and everyday life across twelve destinations. Use them to discover questions to research, rather than to decide which immigration permission applies to you.
Each creator, original title and upload date is identified below. Our notes are based on uploader descriptions and public metadata; we have not watched every video in full. The stories reflect the creator’s circumstances at the time of recording. Some descriptions contain commercial links, which are identified where relevant.
For current official resources, use the destination directory. Keep practical next actions in the moving checklist, or browse the immigration guide library.
Make a story useful for your own plan
Before watching, write down your destination, purpose, household and likely arrival period. While watching, separate personal observations from statements about rules. Keep the video’s date beside any costs or administrative details, and use the relevant authority to verify those details before acting. The questions beside each video are starting points for your own comparison.
Germany: 9 things I wish I knew before moving to Germany
By hello erika. Uploaded 2023-02-02.
Erika's description and chapters cover renting, daily errands, recycling and getting around. Use the account to build an arrival checklist, then verify any employment or healthcare statements against current official guidance.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Germany destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What does the rental actually include?
- Which local errands will require language help?
Description includes voluntary creator support links.
Canada: My Reality And My REGRETS Moving To Canada I What I Wish I Knew Before Moving To Canada
By Seyi Obasi – The Canadian Dream. Uploaded 2025-02-01.
Seyi describes lessons from looking for work and adjusting to a new culture. Use this personal reflection to identify gaps in your settlement plan; her experience does not establish your eligibility or job prospects.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Canada destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- How long could I manage without my expected first job?
- Who can help me understand local hiring practices?
Description promotes paid immigration-planning consultations and CV services; inclusion is not an endorsement of those services or outcome claims.
United Kingdom: 10 things I wish I knew before moving to London
By Dasha | life & career in London. Uploaded 2026-04-07.
Dasha's chapters introduce her rental experience, neighbourhood differences and everyday London life. Her account is useful for listing housing questions, without treating the amount she paid upfront as a standard or lawful requirement for every tenancy.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official United Kingdom destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What upfront payment is being requested, and what do current tenancy rules allow?
- How would the neighbourhood affect my commute and support network?
Description links to the creator's other videos and social profile.
United Kingdom: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Moving to the UK (American in England)
By Gizzelle Cade. Uploaded 2025-07-08.
The uploader's chapters cover smaller homes, grocery shopping, public transport and making friends. Compare these everyday adjustments with the town and household situation you are considering, rather than assuming one account describes the whole UK.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official United Kingdom destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- Could I manage my daily routine without a car?
- How will I build friendships outside work or study?
Description promotes the creator's channel.
Australia: 7 things I wish I knew before moving to Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
By Milly Robinson. Uploaded 2024-04-23.
Milly's description and chapters discuss work, friendships, weather and renting after her move to Sydney. Use the topics to stress-test your own plans; any salary or visa discussion reflects its recording context and needs a current independent check.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Australia destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- Which costs could arrive before my first pay?
- What would maintaining relationships across time zones look like?
Description links to the creator's social profiles.
Netherlands: Realistic days living in The Netherlands as an Expat
By Janica´s Journey. Uploaded 2026-03-08.
Janica describes balancing work, Dutch learning and the feeling of belonging to two places. This daily-life perspective can prompt a more realistic weekly routine and language plan alongside the administrative checklist for your move.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Netherlands destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- Where will language practice fit into my working week?
- How will I stay connected to people in both countries?
Description includes a voluntary support link and an insurance referral.
Singapore: THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE MOVING TO SINGAPORE! EXPAT LIVING
By Georgia Caney. Uploaded 2019-06-30.
Georgia's chapters include shopping, social life, humidity and everyday communication. This older account is best used for questions about adapting, while current rents, prices and immigration requirements need separate up-to-date research.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Singapore destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- How would the climate change my commute and daily routine?
- What local shopping and community options could I explore?
Description promotes the creator's ebook and includes referral or discount links.
United States: CULTURE SHOCK! Moving to the USA 🇺🇸
By Richard Bauer. Uploaded 2022-07-29.
Richard's description highlights the shock of paying for things he had taken for granted in South Africa. Use it as a prompt to list unfamiliar household expenses, without assuming the same services, prices or experience in every US location.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official United States destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- Which services does my current budget overlook?
- What costs depend on the state, city or employer?
Description includes creator support and equipment or music links.
New Zealand: We moved to New Zealand with two young children… here’s what it’s REALLY been like first weeks!
By With Jennie. Uploaded 2026-05-02.
Jennie presents an early family update about settling in with two young children. The description distinguishes immediate impressions from later plans, making this a useful prompt for planning the first weeks without treating it as a long-term assessment.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official New Zealand destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What would make the first fortnight manageable for my children?
- Which impressions should I revisit after several months?
Description promotes future channel updates.
United Arab Emirates: I Lived in Dubai for 1 Year – My Honest Review
By Tuomas. Uploaded 2024-02-20.
Tuomas describes his first year in Dubai through chapters on weather, lifestyle and culture. Compare that working and household context with your own; the video's financial or tax commentary needs verification from current official sources or qualified advisers.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official United Arab Emirates destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- How would heat affect the routine I want?
- Which parts of this lifestyle depend on the creator's work and income?
Description promotes relocation, property and rental services.
South Africa: We Moved from the USA to South Africa 🇿🇦, Living on $1,200/Month!
By Webnation.. Uploaded 2026-04-26.
The description presents a family interview, apartment tour and discussion of their spending categories. Treat the budget named in the title as their reported situation, then build your own figures for your household, neighbourhood and date of travel.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official South Africa destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What does this household's stated budget include or leave out?
- How would school, transport and insurance alter my own total?
Description promotes a paid South Africa group trip.
South Africa: How I Left the U.S. Behind for a Dream Life in South Africa (cape town)
By frankie with a cam. Uploaded 2025-06-19.
Frankie's description introduces his decision to leave the US, lifestyle adjustments and difficulties during the move. Compare the motivations and trade-offs with your own situation, while checking permissions and practical requirements independently.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official South Africa destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What problem am I expecting a move to solve?
- Which difficulties would still follow me to a new country?
Description promotes a paid move-abroad course and travel-personality quiz.
Brazil: Why I Left the US for Brazil: Cost of Living, Dating & Unexpected Truths
By MJ Harris. Uploaded 2026-06-08.
MJ's description compares personal experiences in Salvador, São Paulo and Rio, including language, bureaucracy and race. Use the account to consider how identity and location may shape daily life; it cannot predict another migrant's experience or expenses.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Brazil destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What Portuguese learning support could I arrange?
- Whose experiences should I seek in the specific city I am considering?
Description promotes a book and financial-services businesses.
Japan: We moved to Japan! – Ep #1: "The Big Move" First Month Vlog
By Our Japan Life. Uploaded 2025-04-07.
The couple's description covers downsizing, furnishing their home and learning local routines after arrival. This smaller-city account can broaden a shortlist beyond Tokyo and prompt a practical list of what must be sold, shipped or replaced.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Japan destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What would I replace locally instead of shipping?
- Who can explain the neighbourhood's daily routines?
Description promotes the creator's travel channel.
Japan: Leaving Japan and Here's What I've Learned | Unspoken Realities (Ep. 1)
By Brendan in Japan. Uploaded 2026-06-26.
Brendan introduces the practical and emotional side of leaving a country his family had called home. Pair this departure perspective with arrival stories to consider an exit plan and the decisions that might change after living abroad.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Japan destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- What would make me reconsider a move?
- What reserve and documents would I need if I chose to leave?
Description promotes later episodes in the creator's series.
Japan: Moving to and Living in Japan 🇯🇵 11 Years of Experience in 20 Minutes | Life in Japan EP 294
By Life in Japan. Uploaded 2025-01-24.
The chapter list covers housing, schools, paperwork, learning Japanese and finding community. Use these themes to organise family research, with current official sources providing the separate check on residence permissions and other rules.
Watch the original video on YouTube · Official Japan destination resources
Questions to compare with your situation
- Which school and language questions must be answered before arrival?
- Who could help with unfamiliar forms and community introductions?
Description includes tax-service, VPN and equipment affiliate links.
Turn what you watched into a useful next step
Choose one practical issue from a video, such as arriving before a tenancy begins or looking for local support. Write a question you can answer for your own circumstances, identify the organization responsible and record the next action. Keep unsupported assumptions open. A useful story adds context to your preparation; it does not replace official application instructions.
Tell us about a broken link through contact and corrections. Our editorial standards explain how we separate official information from lived experience.