Travelling beyond your relocation destination

When relocating, you’ll need to research the destination before you can settle in. Locating the best local restaurants, theatres and cultural centers are part and parcel of making your new abode feel more like a real home. As you become more comfortable, you’ll increasingly be able to think of it as a jumping off point for further exploration too. Good transport connections can bring weekend city breaks and exotic vacations to your doorstep. We’ve gathered together some ambitious infrastructure projects from around the world that are opening new routes and new destinations for travelers. 

If you’re relocating to the U.K., it’s very easy to become myopically attached to London, however, there are sights to be seen beyond the nation’s capital. To boost the economy in the north of the country, a high-speed rail network is under construction. Due to open in 2026, the HS2 will make Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds more accessible, with trains running up to 14 times an hour. 

In mainland Europe, not even the Alps can stand in the way of your weekend escape, thanks to a 94 mile tunnel through the mountains that is opening up rail connections from northern Italy to the Netherlands. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, which has been in construction for the past 17 years, is currently taking some passengers trains through Switzerland and should be fully operational by 2020.

Relocating to the Middle East opens both Europe and Asia Pacific as destinations because of the sheer number of flights that make their way through this aviation hub. Dubai has set about extending Al Maktourm International to create the world’s largest airport. Once the US$ 42 billion project is complete, the airport will be able to process more than 220 million passengers a year. More than double the capacity of Atlanta, which is currently the world’s busiest airport.

The Etihad Rail Project, costed at around US $11 billion, will unite the seven Emirates with a single rail network. This 1,200 kilometre network is expected to be a driver of growth in the region over the next 10 years and represents some of longest laying of track in the region since the days of the Ottoman Empire.

Living and working in Hong Kong, it’s can sometimes feel isolated from Greater China. However, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is set to open later this year, will link together the three major cities of the Pearl River Delta. The bridge and tunnel network features three cable-stayed bridges, including the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built, an undersea tunnel and three artificial islands, costing an estimated US$ 15.9 million.

Airport expansion across Australia is increasing options for travel in the region. Brisbane has opened a new runway to double capacity by 2020 and Perth has unveiled an AU $2.5 billion expansion plan that will be enacted over the next seven to 10 years. Also, with non-stop services now available from New York and London to Perth and Sydney, round-the-world travel is becoming more accessible and Australia no longer seems a world away from Europe and the U.S. 

Wherever you’re headed, make sure you know how well connected your destination is and what potential projects are driving growth in the surrounding regions. Your travel bug won’t be cured by moving to your new location, so plan where you’d like to go next!