What Is a Scouting Trip? How It Can Make Your Move Abroad Easier
Thinking about moving abroad? Learn what a scouting trip is, why it matters, and how it can help you choose the right country for your new life.
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in. Make sure you’ve got your notebooks handy for this one, babes!
What is a scouting trip?
A scouting trip is a shorter trip to a destination that you are considering moving to. This is not a vacation; you are on a mission. While there is no official length of time that a scouting trip can take, there is an official question that every scouting trip leads with: Is this somewhere I can relocate to?
Planning, packing, and mentally preparing for a scouting trip will be fundamentally different than pre-vacation prep. Vacations are for fun times, excursions, lounging, and relaxing. Scouting trips are for vetting a location thoroughly, familiarizing yourself with neighborhoods, connecting with locals and internationals, checking out schools, supermarkets, public transportation, and all the things that are on your Must Have List.
That’s not to say that scouting trips can’t be fun (I’ve had a blast on the scouting trips I’ve been on), but having fun isn’t the goal. The goal is to determine if the place you are scouting is suitable for your future.
Why Scouting Trips Matter
Emotional (e.g. testing how you feel in a place)
A place can be perfect on paper but, oftentimes, we need to set our feet on the ground to know how we actually feel about a place. For example, years ago, I visited Lisboa, Portugal, in the hopes that it could be my forever home. I did all my research and it met all of my needs at the time, but as soon as I walked out of the airport, I knew that city wasn’t a good fit for me. That’s not me shading Portugal, I know some people who immediately loved it there, but it wasn’t until I landed that I knew I wasn’t one of those people.
Practical (housing, transport, neighborhood vibes)
In the most practical way possible, you gotta figure out where your basics are and if those basics have what you need. Scouting trips are great for checking our housing options and connecting with local real estate agents who will likely have more affordable housing options than those who are on social media. Also, scouting trips are ideal for figuring out what neighborhood you want to move into, especially if you are moving to a city. The internet can give you a lot of information, but nothing will answer your questions quite like seeing it for yourself. For example, when moving to Mexico, I’ve checked out neighborhoods and cities that were highly recommended by YouTube channels and creators and quickly realized that those vibes were not the vibes I wanted to live in on a day-to-day basis.
Safety + belonging check (look for your community)
Checking for safety on a scouting trip doesn’t necessarily mean that you are actively looking for crime like Scooby Doo and the team. One of the best ways I’ve found to gather this information is to go to a meet-up for people within my marginalized group or to schedule a hangout with someone that I’ve connected with on social media who is also within my marginalized group. Facebook Groups and Meetup are two fast and easy ways to be a part of a larger IRL conversation, and there are always events for travelers and locals who want to get more information. For one-on-one chats, which will be more intimate, I’ve found that connecting with someone on TikTok or Facebook has been the most helpful. Or make a friend at an event and ask them to hang out afterwards!
A lot of popular destinations that are labeled as “queer friendly” might not be the most inclusive of non-white queer people, so connecting with people on the ground will give you the best information. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and actively listen! Be a detective on your scouting trip. The more you ask, the more secure you’ll be in your decision.
The perks of shorter scouting trips
First, I consider a “shorter” scouting trip any scouting trip that is less than a week (7 days). For short scouting trips, I recommend only visiting one (MAYBE two) locations within the same country because you will not have the time needed to properly vet more places. I also recommend making a thorough itinerary for what you want your days to look like. Figure out which neighborhoods you want to explore and dedicate time to exploring them.
What is on your Must-Have List? Is it medically related? School-focused? Do you need to be close to certain things? What about transportation? Because you will not have a lot of time to deep dive into everything, use your time wisely and try your best not to get distracted. You will have all the time in the world for wanderlust after you pick your place :)
The benefits of longer scouting trips
I consider a “longer” scouting trip to be anything over 7 days. My longest scouting trip was a month, and I used it to explore 4 different cities in Mexico. Was it a bold choice? Yes. Was it helpful? Immensely.
Generally, I like to give myself between 4-7 days in one location before moving to the next, but if you are not someone who knows what to look for on a scouting trip, then consider giving yourself a little more time. On a longer scouting trip, you’ll have more breathing room to do everything you should do on a shorter trip. The pros of a longer trip are that you get more time to deep dive into a city, talk to locals without the rush, and you also have more space to pivot (if you are flexible).
I recommend longer scouting trips for people who have over 2 locations that they are considering moving to and, for longer scouting trips, those locations don’t have to be in the same country (though the country should be nearby).
For my longer scouting trip through Mexico, I ended up staying almost 2 weeks in Puebla City. If I stayed for a few days, then I potentially would have moved there instead of Playa Del Carmen. But, because I had the flexibility to extend my stay in Puebla from 5 days to 12 days, I got to learn more about the dynamics of the city and make a few local friends who confirmed that Puebla City would be a great place for visiting for me, but not living. That being said, my favorite regional Mexican food is in the state of Puebla 🇲🇽 Shout out to the home of the OG taco arabe 🤤
Who should consider a scouting trip?
These are the kinds of people who should consider a scouting trip. People who…
have the time and disposable income
are looking to invest in buying land/property
have dependents (school-aged children, older relatives, etc.)
are more intuitive when it comes to moving abroad (sometimes you just gotta touch the ground and catch a vibe)
Scouting trips don’t have to be expensive, either! If you plan it right, they can be surprisingly affordable.
If you’re interested in an article about planning a scouting trip (on a budget and/or bougie edition), let us know in the comments!
What difference does a scouting trip make?
Scouting trips will give you confirmation of whether or not you will move to a place. In my experience, there is no middle ground. If you do a scouting trip and decide to move to one of the places you scouted, perfect!! If you do a scouting trip and decide that you will not move to that place, then that is also a successful scouting trip because you got the information you needed to make the best decision for yourself long-term.
I believe these trips save you money in the long run because they prevent you from moving your entire life to a place that turns out not to be your vibe.
What to track or journal
First impressions, comfort level, accessibility, and affordability
Questions you didn’t think of until you were there
The things you loved AND the things you didn’t like about the location that relate to living there
How to plan a scouting trip (tips!)
Pick the places you want to scout and see how many are in the same country/close by
Make a list of what to prioritize in a short trip (housing, healthcare, everyday life)
Budget, budget, budget (short-term rentals, local transport, cooking instead of eating out)
Plan your trip during the low season or rainy season to save money on flights
Pack for practicality (walkable shoes, practical clothing for the weather)
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P.S. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, we’ve got you.
Moving abroad is a lot, and sometimes you just need a sounding board.
You can book a personalized consultation with Shayna, Candace, or both of us to talk through your options and get your next steps in order. No more spiraling, just a solid plan. 👇🏾
Can you move without a scouting trip?
Yes, absolutely. As a babe who never took a dedicated scouting trip before landing and living in multiple countries, I can confirm that this isn’t a make-or-break situation. For all the reasons Shayna listed above, scouting trips are amazing and can definitely help you get clearer about whether a country can be the best new home for you.
However, lucky for us, we live in a digital age that offers tons of other tools and creative avenues for researching a country or city without having to actually be there.
So if you can’t make an extra trip around the world to take a full-scale scouting trip, here are a few ways you can check the vibe and explore the logistics of a new city (and hopefully new home).
8 alternatives to a scouting trip: Other ways to “test” your new home abroad
If your budget or time is tight, here are 8 ways you can vet a city abroad without ever leaving your home:
Take virtual walking tours on YouTube or Google Maps Street View → Explore neighborhoods, see daily life, and get a feel for walkability, all from the comfort of your couch. For YouTube, simply search “[city of choice] walking tour”, sit back, and let yourself be led around to get a feel for the city.
Explore Reddit threads & niche forums → Search “expats in [city]” or “moving to [country]” for raw, unfiltered convos. Reddit is where the real ish comes out.
Attend virtual meetups or Eventbrite events → Join virtual meetups happening in your possible future city. This is also an awesome way to “test” community vibes.
Start using Instagram hashtags / TikTok geo-tags → Search by neighborhood or city hashtags (#BlackInLisbon, #SeoulLife) to get daily-life content from locals and expats in your city of choice.
Try out language exchange apps (Tandem, HelloTalk, italki) → Chat with locals before you arrive and ask candid questions. This is a perfect opportunity to get tangible information from people who are living there, while also practicing the local language if English isn’t as prevalent.
Search for university or community college expat office websites → Many international universities offer virtual info sessions and resources for incoming students that can be super useful for prospective residents, too.
Listen to expat podcasts → Hearing voices of people living there gives nuance you don’t always get in writing. Bonus: reach out to guests or speakers you find on these podcasts to explore more of their content and get a wider scope of their experience living abroad.
Check out local news sites in English → This is a more novel approach, but I think this is a great way to tap into the local community and educate yourself on what’s happening in the country/city day-to-day, from politics to culture to safety. An example of one of these sites/publications is Last Week in Denmark, a personal favorite of mine, and a source I continuously refer to as I stay informed on what is happening in my current home country.
Don’t let your budget stop your dream
Take it from me; I’ve moved abroad with light pockets, student loans, and the grace from above. But regardless of my limitations, I made it work. And so can you.
Don’t use your budget as an excuse to give up on scouting out your new hopeful home. Use it as an opportunity to get creative and explore other ways of testing out cities and countries that you might want to live in.
Ultimately, if you want to make moving and living abroad work, you will.
Cause where there is a will, there is a way out. ✈️
xo,
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Love all of these suggestions!
May I also say how much I dislike the "expat" term? I'm sure you know why, but to me, it's white folks' changing the name of their status - from "immigrant" (per their own racist/xeno beliefs) to "expat" to make it sound more....consensual? beneficial?
Anyhoo, keep doing what you do! It's inspiring!