We came to an AI for a week......and saw an apartment we liked, shown to us by a couple we had just met- that we liked! Sent our kids for a week to look the place over, then came back ourselves with friends for two weeks to see the north coast as well as the south, have a second look at the apartment and make a deal with the seller.
The rest is history.......
HOWEVER - and it's a BIG HOWEVER- we have travelled (a lot) and 'roughed it' in the wilds of Northern Ontario camping, spent time in absolute luxury in Italy and Eqypt, did the average "American" vacation thing etc. We've travelled by car, bus, train, plane , ferry, boat, horse and foot (and finally this year we'll travel by ship) so NOTHING 'fazes' us.
We've slept on ground sheets in sleeping bags, cots, pullmans, cars,planes, tent trailers, travel trailers, pull out couches(sofa's), blankets on wood floors/ceramics, feather beds, water beds, foam beds,etc.etc.
The six month suggestion of not buying anything-call it a trial run- is a good one for most.
Some know very quickly if they'll 'adapt' while others won't, for even longer than the six month trial but at least the trial allows time to adjust to a new land, new culture, new language before any 'fixed' decisions are made.