# Long-term Planning



## fleurdelisle (Jan 15, 2012)

I have long had dreams of moving to Venice, and would like to one day make it a reality. I'm an American citizen, married to an American citizen (and nowhere near retirement age) and so clearly the visa situation will eventually be the biggest hurdle to overcome. That said, I'm a planner, and would like to optimize our chances of making this happen while I'm still young. I'd like some advice on what I can do in a five-year time frame to (a) turn our dream into reality, and (b) how we best prepare ourselves to make a successful move. On my list so far:
1. Work on learning Italian
2. Pay off all existing debt and drastically improve our financial situation. And in this hints would be useful: when applying for a visa, how do the authorities look at different types of savings/investments/assets? I'd also like to have ample money set aside to handle the expenses that come along with an international move.
3. Figure out ways to earn an income online (although it's my understanding that even if our income comes entirely from out of the country we would still require a work visa?). I have some writing income, and hope to boost that in coming years. I'm assuming that this is a more realistic option that trying to find a job (and get a visa) in a country where we are not yet anywhere near fluent in the language.

Any helpful advice? I'd like to begin working now to make sure that when we are ready to actively begin the process -- for now I'm working with a five year time-frame -- in earnest that we have done everything possible to put ourselves in a good position to make it a reality. Would it make any difference if my parents were already living there with elective residency permits? Would the process be easier if we were somehow able to purchase property? I would hate to buy a place and then not be able to live there. We will have a school-age child, so splitting our time between the US and Italy via a Schengen visa is not an option.


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