Have you ever relocated?

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Renting. Around here, if you are offered a job in a different country they have to offer a relocation package too. That changes thinks a little. I don't care much about furniture and such, but shipping my books costed a small fortune

It can make it harder to find a job if it's one which you'd have to move for; a lot of people prefer to hire locally. It's also inconvenient to go to interviews--you may have to travel rather far to attend one, though some employers will do phone interviews. Still, it is doable if you're motivated. And I've always rented, so that's nice and simple.

I've relocated twice with my family, twice when I was little. I wasn't even 2 when it all happened.

When my wife and I got married we moved from Sydney Australia to San Francisco. We had $500 between us.

My wife put her rubbish in a US mail box because it looked like an Australian trash bin!

We thought you looked for jobs in the newspaper but there were hardly any. We didn't know that you were supposed to send "resumes" to 100 companies and wait for a possible reply.

We didn't know that we were supposed to tip waitresses so the second time we went to a bar everyone ignored us.

I went to the head office of Pacific Gas and Electric and asked to speak to the Chief Substation Engineer. I said "Hey I am from Australia, give me a job". He said "Yes. Go down to personnel and tell them you are hired."

I went down there and they said "Are you kidding? We haven't hired anyone in six months and there is a huge waiting list."
I said "That may be but I have a job."

Then we went to rent an apartment. No one told us that there were "black" parts of town where white couples shouldn't rent.
So we got an apartment on the edge of the Filmore. Half the people were black but they were all nice to us.

Then I went to buy a car. There were no prices on the cars. The salesman said "Make us an offer"
I had no idea what cars were worth so I said "$1000".
He said "I will have to ask the boss."
We went backwards and forwards a few times until they accepted a figure.

Later on friends said to me "Wow, you sure got a bargain on that car!"

Perhaps God looks after dumb foreigners.

Having a job waiting is the key, unless you have someone you can stay with to save expenses when you get there. It can be tricky working out all the logistics of selling your house, moving, and starting a new job, which is why many companies have relocation specialists to help out.

I don't think you mentioned what you do for a living, but if it's a high-demand profession, finding a job in another city isn't that big of a problem. Companies understand that good candidates can be found just about anywhere, and make allowances for it.

I do non-profit fundraising/communications. I want to find a job with an autism organization. I would not expect any relocation package. It is looking like an unrealistic dream, more and more.