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10 things expats wish they had known before they left their homes behind

Expat life can seem like a dream — but people who have done it know it has its own challenges. Here, experienced expats share the advantages, pitfalls, and everyday adventures of living abroad.

  • Travel fiends who want to take it to the next level might consider a one-way ticket to an interesting locale to live and work.
  • We spoke with a handful of seasoned expatriates, who gave their best advice for working and living abroad — and for coming back home again.

I had no idea how to give someone a credit card.

The process is admittedly obvious: take the card out of your wallet and, with your hand, give it to a cashier's hand. But I was living in South Korea, where many of my habits needed to be revised — how I rolled up my jeans, not getting leftovers from a restaurant, saying thank you if someone complimented me on being pale or having a small face.

I had seen salespeople giving their customers receipts and cards with two hands or a hand on the arm, bows aplenty. It seemed appropriate to mirror their actions and finish it with a small bow for good measure. So, that's what I did. Cashiers did the same back to me. I felt like I made a minor inroad into integrating.

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Joyously, I shared this success with my Korean friends. And I was roundly made fun of.

My close friend was between visible horror and amusement, covering her hands with her face out of second-hand humiliation. "That's too much! Don't do that!" Thus I stopped bowing at the pimply 16 year old at 7/11 who scanned my coffee.

It's not glamourous, rewarding or even very interesting, but that's a lot of what living abroad is —looking stupid, trying to look less stupid, terrible loneliness, fleeting successes, and insights that seemed difficult to wrest. Living in Korea for nearly a year and a half wasn't as gleeful as what my Instagram feed suggested, but what I learned was valuable.

I chatted with American and British expatriates who have found new homes in places like Indonesia, France, Thailand and other incredible spots. Here's what they wish they knew before they jetted off from their birthplaces for a life of equal parts embarrassment and adventure.

You will feel lonely

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Don't stress when things go wrong. In fact, you should expect things to go wrong.

If the first country doesn't feel right, you can always go elsewhere.

You won't learn the language overnight — and you might not even need it.

You will get rid of a lot of stuff.

"You don't need 40 pairs of underwear and 16 pairs of shoes," Pirolli, who now lives in Naples, said. "I can't tell you how liberating that's been."

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Don't bother trying to move your furniture, car and even much of your clothing and personal items when you leave home. Donate, give to friends or sell everything that isn't essential.

Your new home might not accommodate your dietary restrictions.

O'Donnell is a vegetarian, but she had difficulty finding accommodations for that during her years in Thailand. "I

The same goes for gluten-free, nut-free, pork-free and other dietary restrictions. Sometimes your dietary needs coincide with the local diet, though. Vegetarians will have an easier time in Hindu parts of India, for instance, where many keep a meat-free diet for religious reasons.

Get your papers in order.

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You might need your diploma, a criminal background check, and other documents to get a job in some countries.

When you're already there, paying your taxes and securing legal work will be helpful for securing a long-term resident visa or citizenship.

Chris Houghton, a British citizen living in Bali, told Business Insider that an international drivers license is a must for the expat hot spot of Southeast Asia. "Everyone drives scooters in Southeast Asia," he said. "You'll need one to get around for sure."

You won't feel at home for years — or forever.

You might not be able to come back to your home country without feeling foreign all over again.

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Living abroad will change you.

He was also shocked by how closed off his family and friends seemed compared to the adventurous attitude he and many nomads must develop. If you're away for long enough, Pirolli said, "

You don't have to plan as much as you think you do

I wish I'd known how easy it would be to earn a living remotely while living abroad," Bali resident Clare Harrison, founder of tech internship program Start Me Up, told Business Insider. "All I needed was an internet connection and I could run my business remotely."

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