I have never been abroad, it is anxious to go there, I do not know what to do or how to behave.

After the outbreak of the war, many citizens of our country were forced to leave their homes. Some thought it would be best to go abroad. However, not all such rapid changes in life are easy. Perhaps it's not easy for anyone. There are those who have never been abroad before and do not know what to do or how to behave.



GettyImages If you too decided to go to live abroad (already there or just preparing for a trip), "Site" He offers you a little guide. It is not designed to teach you, but to keep you safe and secure.

My mother is almost 60 years old. She has two very close friends. They lived in Ukraine all their lives, like my mother. Never been abroad. They were at our house recently and I heard them talking. They said that maybe they should go to work. It’s hard to find a job in war, and they want to be useful.

One of the friends lamented that she had never been abroad, did not know how to behave and what to do. And I realized that a lot of people now feel insecure. Therefore, I collected some advice in this article. Sometimes quite obvious, but I think someone very useful.



It is very important before the trip to collect information about the country in which you are going to go. In the first days of the war, it was not possible to do this, everything was done in a hurry. If you want to leave now, you have time and opportunity. Find out more about the country and the city. Any information from knowledge of disadvantaged areas to the quality of water and food will be useful.

The more you know, the easier it will be for you to navigate. And more importantly, you'll feel calmer. When you are calm, it is more difficult to deceive or disorient. People abroad are very kind to Ukrainians, but things happen. You should always be alert.



Money and documents must be prepared for different situations. Before leaving, make copies of all documents. Send the scans to your post office, put them in cloud storage. You can even take them with you on a flash drive. This will be very useful if you lose your passport.

Don't take too much cash with you. Don't put everything in one pocket. It is better to pay with a bank card. Find out if the card is supported abroad in advance. Write down a bank phone somewhere just in case.

Don’t put valuables and wallets in your back pocket. It is best to carry them in an inner pocket with a clasp or in a bag. By the way, there is a study that proves that if you put a photo of a small child in your wallet, the chances that the wallet will be returned are much higher. We could try. It is best to protect your wallet from theft.



Before the trip, you can install the application “Anti-theft alarm”, “Remote control of Android”, Find My iPhone or something similar on the phone. They will help to scare away robbers with an alarm. If it does not work, then you can track the phone.

There are also apps with which you can select a group of people who will receive an alert if something goes wrong. With one click, you can send alerts to your contacts. They'll get coordinates and a local rescue number. Some phones have a built-in feature, but there are separate apps as well.



Try to plan your trip in advance. Make sure you have somewhere to go. It is best to take care of housing and work in advance. But you have to look at the circumstances. If you are leaving a combat zone and are planning to obtain refugee status, the issue should also be clarified in advance. There are many volunteers who can help with this.

It is also necessary to learn a little language before the trip. No one says to master it perfectly, but you need to learn at least a few phrases. Knowing the language is much easier. Now, many countries have made sure that Ukrainian translators are on the ground, so do not worry that no one will understand you.



The most important thing on the road is to take care of your safety. Don’t talk to people who seem unreliable. Don't even get in the transport. Feel free to ask for documents, ask questions. Unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of the grief of others. We have already written about the need to remember a woman who goes abroad. It turned out to be a good safety note.

Also, don't be afraid. We have warned you against many things, but you should not be afraid of the idea of going abroad. There are good people everywhere. We see it every day. Residents of other countries warmly receive Ukrainian refugees and take care of them. For which we are incredibly grateful! We think you can find a safe place to live until the war is over. Then we return home to a free country.