Top tips for an easier relocation

I have seen a phenomenal change in how people have been relocating in the last five years. It’s hard to believe that it was March 2020, just two months after the Pluto Saturn conjunction in Capricorn when the world first went into lockdown and all our lives changed forever. Followed by the Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Capricorn in December 2020 (the first in around 400 years), which I was fortunate enough to witness in the Kerry night skies.

Now in 2025, nearly four years after the world supposedly reopened from roughly September 2021 onwards, millions of people worldwide are still readjusting. As someone who somehow managed to keep her business going during those years (like many others, I was fortunate to be able to move my business mainly online) through my clients, I observed how people were changing their method of relocating.

Some people sold up altogether, others moved in three step stages, trying out three different places for a few weeks at a time, before settling on a final destination. In the case of couples, one person often went on ahead, with the other party following a few weeks or even months later. I watched clients sell up altogether, buy a plot of land and start building wooden homes whilst creating their own community.

Ever since Uranus moved into Gemini on the 7th July of this year, and with the world now officially seeing more ongoing turmoil and relentless wars than since World War II, the upheaval in all our lives is now in full force. Governments worldwide are changing their entry rules (hence it is not just the USA, far from it!) at the speed of light – whether you intend staying the usual tourist 90 days, or six months, or a year or longer. 

I am always amazed at how many people assume I don’t speak Italian – I do, and I also have my Codice Fiscale (Italian tax code) from when I last lived here, without which I would have not been able to buy my apartment so easily. Being a European Union citizen also made it far easier and I now have my Italian ID card, valid for 10 years. Anyone can apply for a tax code, which is the first step. You usually have to have ample proof of ID and a reasonably long term address.

To the consternation of my accountant here in Vibo, I am paying taxes in both Italy and Ireland for 2025 (it is just easier). Everyone thinks a major move is done and dusted in two to three months. It is not folks, it usually takes at the very, very least six months to get your new life in a new country in order. It has taken 50% of my time in the last 10 weeks just doing the “moving to Vibo” stuff. I bought an apartment in 13 days – from start to finish! How? Because my paperwork was fully in order and myself and the previous owner both used his solicitor (something not possible in Ireland for example). At the time of writing this, I now own an apartment, have an Italian phone, an Italian ID card, an Italian bank account. All my electricity, water and bins charges are set up. More importantly I also have a doctor, a dentist, a physiotherapist and a yoga teacher, a local gym, local cafes, and stunning beaches on my doorstep. I own a bike and use a taxi to get to Vibo Valentia, but will buy a car down the line.

I completed all the really important stuff in three months.

How? Persistence, focus, and determination.

So here are some things that a lotta people don’t know and which will help you to know:

• Apparently USA citizens can now stay a whopping 180 days in the UK without having to leave – do check this, as I found out by accident.
• If you come to Italy on a 90 day visa, you cannot then extend this time whilst here. You gotta leave, then come back. Same for most European countries in the Schengen Zone.
• Ireland is not part of the Schengen Zone.
• UK/Brexit – visas etc are changing all the time.
• Your passport usually needs to be valid for at least six months after you plan to exit (not enter) most countries. Printed proof of onward travel and where you are staying may be asked at immigration – I was mightily quizzed in the Caribbean!
• Make sure your bank cards won’t expire while you are travelling or relocating. Have a backup card like Revolut. I now carry cash too – lots of European cities are still very cash orientated, and Sum Up machines often fail in restaurants if the WiFi is weak.
• Bring plenty of cash, including small notes and coins – you will need them in lots of European towns when going to places like local markets or paying for street food. You will also need coins for bathroom use as places like train stations usually charge.
• Speaking of bathrooms, always have your own supply of tissues/toilet paper. Always!
• Dental work is almost never covered under travel and health insurance policies – or if it is, the max is usually €300. Yup, that’s me right now folks!
• The much-lauded European Health Insurance Card (valid for four years) does not cover you for much – depends on where you are. It did not cover me in Portugal when I had to go urgently to a private clinic several times for tests. It is more for dire emergencies – like a serious accident where you have to go to the emergency department of a hospital.
• Online doctors are now a thing – really useful to know –www.doctorsinitaly.com I have tried them and it works great – after three weeks of looking for a doctor here I found them and had the option of several appointments immediately. Other European countries have them- go check.
• If you fall even mildly ill, you may not be able to find a doctor easily – best ask at a local pharmacy – so a thorough first aid kit of you own is essential. Pack antibiotics too. Bring an extra two weeks’ supply of your personal medication. Ditto for homeopathy remedies, health supplements, Bach flower remedies, painkillers, indigestion tablets, insect repellent, suncream…etc etc…
• Doctors, dentists, pharmacist hours are all different, especially throughout Europe. If you are in a rural area, they may not be open Sunday.
• Pack a spare pair of glasses. Ditto for sunglasses. Ditto for contact lenses.
• Clear as much paperwork as possible if you are moving long term. Then clear it again. Then clear it a third time. Be really ruthless.
• Scan all important documents and back them up – to the cloud and to an external hard drive. Get a second hard drive. Pay someone to do this for you if it is too overwhelming. Pay for good cloud storage, the free cloud sites are easy to hack.
• Have the most essential of your documents also on your phone.
• Update your password list regularly, adding in the plethora of new sites we all have. Store them securely online. A paper copy with someone you trust or somewhere safe with you is also a good idea, for the days when there is no internet! It happens!
• File and or clear your emails. Weekly at the very least. I delete all emails over a year old with a few exceptions.
• Have your laptop and phone serviced before you leave.
• Buy two battery packs – I have one for travelling around, and usually a second one in my suitcase. Buy sufficient adaptors – I usually carry three. Lots of European hotels now have the USB ports in bedrooms for charging which is really useful.
• Suitcases – upgrade them. Just do it. I spend almost €500 in just 18 months on cheap suitcases – the wheels got damaged and the zips broke! Have luggage tags with name, telephone number (including country code) and email clearly legible.
• Those of you travelling from Canada, Australia, or USA to Europe will be caught out by the much lower luggage allowances throughout Europe. Even though charging for carry on suitcases has changed (the law has not yet been passed), you still have to pay to put suitcases in the hold. The cost adds up a lot, especially if you are flying regularly throughout Europe. Lots of companies now offer backpack/small suitcase convertible option like Temu. Google them.
• Try trains for a change – often roughly the same price and far more pleasant. Try first class once in a while, it’s not a lot more, and is well worth it. You save up to 50% by booking in advance. In Italy, Italotreno far surpasses the much-lauded Frecciarossa (part of Trenitalia). Try a Eurail pass too.
• Think carefully about storing anything. I stored hardly anything before leaving Ireland, yet the “hardly anything” still amounted to €4,000 in costs, plus a lot of headaches in getting my stuff collected in Ireland and subsequently delivered to Italy. It can be far easier to either sell or give tons of stuff away and buy again in your new location. It’s also exciting as it helps you set up for success as the new you in your new place.
• Don’t store anything with family or friends, I promise you, it will strain relationships pretty fast. Anyway, why should they?! 
• In Europe especially, visa categories are changing like lightning, and recently there is increasing open hostility towards Digital Nomads who are seen as not paying tax in the country they live in, nor are they seen to be bothering to integrate into local life. They have a point so take it on board. At the very least, make a bigger effort to integrate and learn the local language – even a handful of phrases generates enormous goodwill.
• If you don’t fall into one of the several visa categories, try a student visa. Often easy peasy to have issued!
• If you are not sure where you want to relocate to at first, try 10 days in two or three locations. If funds are low, try options like Workaway – free bed and board in return for roughly five hours work a day. Same with woofing – worldwide working on organic farms. Gazillions of job categories. It is however a lot harder to get a placement than it used to be, but do try. I used it a lot in Italy. Great to fill the gaps between where you are and where you want to be.
• I don’t recommend a guy called the Nomad Capitalist. I have been watching him for a while and was originally impressed until he posted about how easy it was to get a second passport for several Caribbean Islands and did a similar post for Ireland. I have been to most of the Caribbean Islands he recommends, and if you want to go do some hiking, then not much else other than drink rum punches on a beach for the rest of your life, go right ahead and contact him. His post about Ireland was totally inaccurate as the cost of living, ability to find housing are huge obstacles to moving there. His approach is as soulless as it gets. I’ve recently read tons of really negative reports about him so I recommend you avoid him and hire a good accountant and lawyer of your own instead.
• If you need financial help budgeting to plan your move or your finances generally check out Dave Ramsey (of course he is a Virgo!) and John Delony – great guys along with their co-hosts – the Ramsey Show – TheRamseyShowEpisodes.
• If you think you can’t afford to take time off to source new locations – think again – can you take all your vacation time at once? Combine two years vacation time together? It is how I went to South America for two months decades ago! Take unpaid leave (with tax back it often costs a lot less than you think). Ask to work remotely for a few weeks?
• Often it is also easier than you think to check tax laws out yourself. You are an adult – right? You got this! Government bodies and tax laws have not kept up with the explosion of small online businesses. You often know more than they do, believe me!
• Learn the language in your new country. Learn it properly. Duolingo is great to start off with, but invest on proper lessons. If you are moving somewhere long term it makes all the difference. It connects you to locals, you get access to how things are done locally in a way Google translate simply can’t replace!

Go check in with your soul as to why you want to relocate. As I have written before, it is usually a transit you are currently going through which leads to the quiet ‘but there must be more’ feeling. It never has anything to do with money or prestige, or a desire for a bigger house. It is almost always connected to wanting to feel your life matters, a desire to be a part of the community, to give back to society, to create something lasting with your life.

All of which are big reasons why Italy continues to be such a draw for so many people. It is the family orientated way of life, the closeknit community, to always having someone to help you, the attention to slowing down and taking each day as it comes.

I am available for consultations both for natal/transit sessions and relocated chart and astrocartography. Never in a million years did I think I would end up living the most authentic Italian life possible in a place called the Coast of the Gods – (Costa degli Dei), but now I do!

My next blog post will be a behind the scenes look at the fast changing world of sailing including Tall Ships so do look out for it.

How has your experience of relocating been so far, do drop me an email to info@marthaclarkeastrology.com. I’d love to know!