"Haven't we all known that guy or girl who managed to house-sit in the greatest apartments and homes, for a year? You wonder how they do it. Part of it is luck and intent. Part of it is going with the flow (like the thrill-seeker does) and being open to opportunities."

Several days before my move to Amsterdam, I was at a Halloween party with a friend of mine and brought up my upcoming departure. "WHAT??!!" he was dumbfounded, "You're moving to Amsterdam?!"

"Yes," I said, "I already told you this months ago."

"Yeah, but everyone always says they're going to move to another country, but no one ever goes through with it," he'd responded.

He hit upon a key point in regards to planning a big move abroad (or even to another faraway city in your own country). The reason so many people talk endlessly about impending moves and rarely make them is quite simply fear.

Yet, the flipside of that fear is the adreline rush that comes from doing something completely unexpected or at the very least pivoting your life in a completely different direction.

Whether you're a 'playing it safe' coward or a reckless, risk-taker, you'll likely experience a little of both of the aforementioned (the principle of Yin-Yang holds true in every facet of life). Both are necessary for your mind/body/spirit voyage, but both require a bit of awareness on your part.

Taming the Fear

This is obviously the more prevalent of the two. You're making a giant move and what if you hate it? What if it's a huge mistake? What if you miss out on what's going on in your home city? What if you don't find work?

A friend of mine from London once gave me beautiful advice on dealing with the fear (which produces anxiety and as a result atrophy). She told me not to plan a 'forever move.' She told me to look at short-term options.

In layman's terms (or in my case L.A.-mans terms), when most people join a gym, they are pressured into taking on a one or two year membership. But then they never end up going. When I joined a health club ten years ago, I decided for once, to go month-to-month. Guess what? I go to the gym three to four times a week and now I buy the one-year membership plans.

In more germane terms, when I moved to Amsterdam, I sublet my place in Manhattan for a year--that way I would have a back-up plan, in case I didn't like it. I'll never forget the day that I left that NY apartment. I literally said to myself, out loud: "Well, here goes." Little did I know I would end up staying for years.

When planning your big move, don't make it such a big move. Plan month-to-month and take a wait-and-see attitude. Figure out a way to be in that place as much as possible if you can't make the move right away. Try to budget in two trips there a year (for at least two or three weeks).

I know this isn't possible for everyone. You will have to do housing swaps, figure out ways to work remotely or telecommute. But, if you want it badly enough, it can be done.

Keeping Your Cool

If you have the thrill-seeker gene, you're the one your friends dub the 'wild card.' You may decide to take off and move in an instant. I've known people who have suddenly had an epiphany and sold their worldly possessions and just bolted.

There's nothing theoretically wrong with this. I actually really admire people who can do it. This is especially good if you're 22, just graduated from university, and don't mind sleeping on dirty floors...wherever.

However, if you have a Chic Trek mentality--which I obviously do--you want 'the best.' That doesn't always mean the most expensive. But it means, by hook or by crook, you find a way to bring the beautiful and extraordinary into your life. That sort of brilliance generally takes a little time and stepping back. By a little time, I mean at least weeks.

Haven't we all known that guy or girl who managed to house-sit in the greatest apartments and homes, for a year? You wonder how they do it. Part of it is luck and intent. Part of it is going with the flow (like the thrill-seeker does) and being open to opportunities.

The other part involves a little strategic, creative planning--not tripping over yourself in the process of getting excited about your move.

List-making is the best. Make lists of contacts you know over there (even friends of friends) and find out what field they work in. Make lists of new companies in the goal-city or companies from your country that are opening up offices there. Make lists of neighborhoods you love there. Make lists of local websites...and so on.

And if you really can't resist diving into the unknown...make the lists anyway...and then take off in the morning (with them in-hand).