Locations
Testimonials
Get a Quote 
We’re big Harvard Business Review readers here at Shleppers, and of course, we couldn’t ignore an article on How to Return Home After an Assignment Abroad. Culture shock is always an issue, whether you’re moving overseas for the first time ever, or you’re coming back to the States after an extended period away.
What we’ve learned over the years is that it’s not only international moves that provoke culture shock worries: lots of people who have moved to NYC from smaller towns worry about what the experience will be like when they move back home.
Top Reasons to Move Out of NYC
Because we’re very interested in being NYC’s best moving company, we pay a lot of attention to our customers. They tell us a lot about why they’re moving – whether it’s to another New York neighborhood or a longer distance move, to New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts or even further.
The number one reason people move out of New York City is because they’re pursuing a career opportunity elsewhere. Romantic and family considerations come next: people relocate to be with their true love or to have more space to raise their kids. A surprising number of families go back to one of the parents’ hometowns to start this next phase of their life. Depending on the size of the community you’re heading for, this is where the culture shock comes in.
Here are three ways to deal with the culture shock that comes from moving from NYC to a small town:
1) Remember That Time Didn’t Stop While You Were Away
The hometown you move back to may not be exactly like the hometown you moved away from – especially if you’ve been away for a decade or more. Don’t rely on your memory of how things used to be to shape your expectations: bring yourself up to speed by reading local media and talking to friends who live in the area now before you move back home.
2) Take Advantage of Family-Friendly Fun
If you’re moving from NYC specifically to provide a small-town living experience to your kids, you’ll want to take advantage of family friendly fun events. You can meet a lot of people by attending sports games, fun fairs, and seasonal events like haunted corn mazes and spring runs. Focusing on the fun can help the kids think a little less about what they miss about life in New York.
3) Have a Homesickness Plan
As you adjust to life in your small town, there are going to be things you miss about life in NYC. Some of those things might be small – it might be impossible to get a decent bagel where you are – and others might be larger, like the ability to be anonymous in a crowd of people, even if just for a little while. Create a plan to address these issues of homesickness. Online shopping makes most of the trappings of NYC life instantly available; for the experiential elements, planning a return visit can help.