Use cases
Making the final call
There comes a point in any move when the map stops broadening your search and starts helping you close it. The compare table — exported, printed, set on a kitchen table — is the artefact that turns a decision into a conversation that actually ends.
The situation
Three to five candidates on a shortlist. A trip behind you. Notes on every one. Now you and a partner need to pick. The trap at this stage is endless re-comparing. The way out is forcing the conversation onto a single piece of paper.
The path
- 01Cut the shortlist to three or five
More than five and you are not ready for the final call yet. Use the compare table for one elimination round and drop the candidate that lost on the most rows.
- 02Open the final compare table
All five locations, all twenty-two metrics, green and red highlights doing the heavy lifting. The colours alone end most arguments without anyone having to read a single number.
- 03Print the table
The browser's print dialog re-flows the table to fit A4. Print two copies. Paper beats a phone screen for the conversation that follows: fewer notifications, more space to scribble on the margin.
- 04Walk through it with a partner
Read the rows out loud. Note which rows actually matter to you and which were just nice-to-knows. Most decisions hinge on three or four rows. The rest is noise.
- 05Pick one and commit
The map is done at this point. Open the relocation checklist for the chosen country and move into the next phase of work — the one that involves forms, deadlines, and signatures.
What you walk away with
- A decision. With a name and a date.
- A printout to keep in a folder for the inevitable second-guessing a month from now.
- A clean handoff into the relocation checklist for the chosen country.
When this does not fit
If you cannot bring yourself to commit even with the table on paper, the constraint is not information any more. It is something else. A pause, a conversation, a different question. That part of the work is not the map's to do.
Frequently asked
Should we keep the second-place candidate as a backup?
Yes, for at least a year. A visa rejection, a sudden price change, a relative falling ill — any of these can flip you from option A back to option B overnight. Keep the second-place compare URL bookmarked.
What if we cannot agree?
Pick the candidate with the fewest hard reds for whichever partner feels less strongly about the move. The one who pulled the trigger lives with fewer regrets than the one who was reluctant.
Can we share the compare table with a relocation consultant?
The shared URL works for anyone with a browser. Pair it with your trip notes and a good consultant can prepare specifics for your top one or two candidates before the first call.
Verified · 2026-05-26