If you’re moving quite a long way away, one of your worries will be how well you’ll settle into your new village, town or city, as well as how long it’ll actually take to feel at home?
It can take anywhere between six months and two years to feel like a local, but you can speed up the process by following at least some of these tips.
Take the plunge and introduce yourself to the neighbours
This is the easiest, but often the most overlooked, way to start the resettling process. The chances are that your new neighbours will be curious to know who you are, so don’t keep everyone in suspense – get knocking on a few doors.
Have an at-home day
This might sound old-fashioned, but it’s a good way to meet and greet the people in your neighbourhood. Post an invitation on the local noticeboard or just invite a few people who appeal to you and then lay on drinks and nibbles.
Take the dog for a walk
If you don’t have one already, then consider adopting, buying or even borrowing one. There’ll be some well-established dog-walking trails and you’ll meet the same characters each day if you stick to a regular slot. Dogs are great icebreakers so you’ll be bound to get talking.
Go to school events
Younger children never have difficulty making chums and so if you get dragged along in their wake into friendships with the parents, well, it’s just outsourcing, isn’t it?
Join the local Facebook page
This is a good way to target potential new friends as you can get a fair idea of who they are and what they’re about from their messages and online behaviour. You can also announce yourself and your move in a no-pressure sort of way.
Hang out in your front garden
If you spend as much time as possible in your front garden then you’ll end up talking to everyone and eventually, you’ll be able to persuade someone in through the gate.
Remember to be patient
You won’t settle overnight, but it can be an exciting process so you should relax, go with it and let nature take its course.
