Global Family Journey

Life across borders is a journey. Each stage is a trail marked by choices and turning points.

With a trusted guide, you can walk it with clarity and confidence. Expat Valley exists to walk beside you, guiding you each step of the way. Continue reading to learn more about the five key stages of Global Family Life:

Exploration
Departure
Settling-In
Living Abroad
Repatriation

For each stage, we have develop a Global Family Checklist with key milestones, family reflections, strategies and tools, and tips on how to set your compass. Request your family’s relocation checklist here.

Exploration

This is where the dream begins to take shape. Families weigh possibilities, name hopes and fears, and ask if a global move is right for them. It’s a season of imagining the future while staying honest about what it would mean for everyone.

Departure

The move becomes real. Excitement, goodbyes, and logistics overlap, and families prepare hearts as well as suitcases. This stage is about slowing down enough to honour farewells, strengthen routines, and carry your family vision into the move.

Settling-In

Daily life in a new country is both discovery and disorientation. Families adjust to new routines, schools, and communities while carrying the highs and lows of transition. The goal here is to create stability in the midst of change and give everyone space to adapt at their own pace.

Living Abroad

Over time, families start feeling at home, though maybe not entirely. They learn to live between cultures, building friendships, traditions and rhythms that blend the old and the new. Thriving here means staying curious, cultivating resilience, and nurturing both local roots and global connections.

Repatriation

Coming “home” is often harder than leaving. Familiar places feel different, and families face reverse culture shock alongside the joy of reconnecting. Thriving in repatriation means treating it as a new transition, giving space for grief and gratitude, and carrying forward the richness of life abroad.