up sticks (UK), up stakes (US)
idiom

- to take all the things that you own and go and live in a different place

- to pack up one's belongings and move to a different place

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The English phrase "up sticks" dates to the early 19th century and has a nautical origin:

"Sticks" referred to a ship's masts.” Up" meant to raise or hoist,… a preliminary to raising anchor and setting sail to leave port.

The expression evolved from maritime usage to general civilian use, meaning to pack up and leave quickly or suddenly. The imagery is of literally pulling up the tent poles/stakes when breaking camp - similar to how sailors would "up" their masts when departing.

The etymology of the German phrase “die Zelte abbrechen" is more literal and straightforward:” Zelte" = tents, “abbrechen" = to break down, dismantle, tear down. The phrase exactly describes the physical act of dismantling a camp

Both phrases share the common conceptual thread of temporary structures being dismantled for departure, though the English version uses nautical metaphor while the German uses camping/military imagery. 

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SYNONYMS

(1) to move house, to relocate

change address, change house, change residence, emigrate, immigrate, migrate, move, move away, move house, move off, move on, move out, pack up shop, pull up roots, pull up stakes (US), relocate, resettle, start a new life, transplant, UP STICKS (UK), uproot

(2) to leave a location

abandon ship, abscond, bail, bail out, beat it, begone, blow (this joint), bolt, break camp, buzz off, call it a day, check out, clear off (out), cut and run, decamp, depart, do a bunk (a flit, a moonlight flit, a runner), escape, evacuate, exit (stage left, stage right), fly the coop, get going, get out of Dodge (City), give the slip, go/head for the hills, head out, hit the bricks (the exit, the road, the trail), high-tail it, jump ship, leave, make a break (for it), make an exit (off, one’s exit, oneself scarce, one’s way, tracks), pack (one’s) bags, pack it in, pull out, pull stakes (US), push off, quit, retire, run along, run away, run for the hills, sally forth, scamper off, scram, scurry off, set off (out), shift, skip along, skip town, slip away, slope off, split, start out, take a hike (flight, French leave, one’s leave, off, the exit), turn tail and run, up and go, up anchor, UP STICKS (UK), vamoose, walk away, walk out, withdraw

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“To UP STICKS and move to a new country needs very careful consideration.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D