IT’S TIME TO GET A MOVE ON – OR IS IT?
If you have always dreamed of starting a new life in Turkey and you have come so far down the road it’s now no longer a matter of “if” but “when”, it’s probably going to be tough to hold yourself back. It’s more than likely you’ll just want to get on with it.
But. if you can just rein in the understandable enthusiasm for a moment, it is worth just taking a bit of time to think ahead rather than charge in without a great deal of thought about the consequences of arriving in a different country at a particular time of year.
Timing is everything
For a start, do you really want to arrive in the middle of summer when temperatures can be in the high 40s and you’re going to struggle with the physical side of moving house? A bit of heavy furniture which needs shifting up two flights of stairs can be a bit of a pain any time. Imagine having to do it when you’re already wilting in the heat when you’re just sitting still.
Likewise, when it comes to unpacking numerous suitcases and packing boxes, it may not seem much of a challenge on a rainy day in Lancashire. But, after an hour when it’s 45C outside, it can feel like a prolonged Zumba session.
Okay, so what about the Turkish winter? Surely, that can’t be as grim or as cold as the UK … and, to be honest, it’s nothing compared to a blizzard on Scafell Pike. But did you know, when it rains in Turkey, it often really RAINS – a relentless downpour which can turn everything to mud which then seems to find its way everywhere inside your lovely new home.
When Is The Right Time?
We’re not trying to put you off; after all we do specialise in helping wannabe expats settle in a place in the sun. It’s just life can be made so much easier with a bit of forward planning and, if you are likely to be heading for the Turquoise Coast, we’d recommend arriving in May or late September. That way, you avoid the extremes of climate and temperature and you’ll have time to settle in your new place before heatwaves or the thunderstorms wash over you.
For example, if you arrive in May, you have time to get the air-conditioning serviced or fitted before you really need it and you can spend a bit of time getting a feel for your new home in your first summer season as a resident. Arrive in September or October, and you will have the benefit of being able to enjoy the last of the summer season before the resorts and attractions shut up shop and the rains arrive.
Winter Is Coming
Winter in Turkey can be great too – a time to forge new friendships with folk too busy to really pay you much attention in high season; a time to find the cosy places where people gather round fires to chat and, if you’ve managed to complete the logistics of moving in, you’ll have time to look for a place to spend your first Christmas.
We understand picking your moment to move house can be difficult; sometimes, we’re victims to the vagaries of things like the property market, complications tied to pensions, our own retirement or whatever.
But, if you can take your time, pace yourself and plan ahead, it can pay dividends in the long run – even if it means it takes a little longer to achieve that lifelong goal of living overseas.