Top 10 Reasons to Move Abroad
Moving abroad is an adventure of a lifetime. I say this from experience, having lived abroad for four years in Spain and Italy. If you ever thought about moving abroad, here are ten reasons you should.
1. Have a Grand Adventure and Enjoy More Freedom
Take a moment to imagine. You’ve made it. You left the United States and you just landed in your new adopted country. You’re eager to create an incredible life full of grand adventure and more freedom. Your whole world can open up if you are ready to embrace new experiences and remain adaptable.
There’s more personal freedom to enjoy when you are abroad. When you go on holiday you stay on holiday instead of being peppered with emails. When I lived in Spain, I observed how my co-workers behaved when they left work. When they signed off from work, they stayed signed off. This is a concept I fully embraced. I was blessed with three-day weekends and would often take trips to different parts of Spain. And whenever there was a holiday I would visit new countries and make phenomenal memories.
2. Travel to New Countries
Travel is my favorite reason to move abroad. You can easily explore your new country but also countries in surrounding areas. One grievance I had about the US was how expensive it was to fly within the country, let alone outside of it.
Fortunately, airplane tickets within Europe are very affordable. I’ve had round trip flights for as low as 100 euros to another country. Finding amazing flight prices with apps, I’ve traveled to Poland, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, and more. I’ve also been blessed to travel within Africa, specifically Egypt and Morocco.
Philae Temple, Philae Island, Egypt
“I’ve also been blessed to travel within Africa, specifically Egypt”
3. Reinvent Yourself
You can create a new version of yourself and explore who you want to be in this moment in your life. You have the unique opportunity to be in a place where no one knows you. You can reinvent yourself and learn how to become more than what you’ve known.
Think about the aspects of your life you don’t enjoy now and strive to work on them or shed them in your new country. It can be easier to start fresh in a place so different from your own. For example, if you never traveled before because of fear, now that you’ve moved abroad you know you can make brave decisions. You can become a solo traveler.
4. Become Exposed to New Cultures
When you move abroad, you have the wonderful opportunity to become exposed to new cultures. You will learn about new foods, music, social customs and more. You can even become a cultural expert by making friends with locals and being curious.
For example, in Spain I became friends with people I worked with and learned about the rich history within Madrid and different parts of Spain. You can also dispel any remaining stereotypes or impressions from movies and TV you had about the culture before you arrived. Cultural immersion is a beautiful window into a new worldview and understanding people different than you. As a result, you increase your ability to have empathy for other people and expand your capacity to understand diverse perspectives.
Chefchaouen, Blue City, Morocco
“Cultural immersion is a beautiful window into a new worldview and understanding people different than you.”
5. Learn a New Language
When you speak two languages you literally double how many people you can communicate with. It is a powerful life skill and professional tool. If you want to learn a new language, moving abroad will certainly help you practice. You will be exposed to the language passively by hearing it in your daily life and also actively when you speak the language. When you start to learn jokes and understand cultural references, your experience becomes that much brighter and full.
Start small and learn how to order coffee, ask for the bathroom, the bill, and saying thank you. Then you can increase your vocabulary through independent study and go to language exchanges to practice with locals. Language exchange events bring locals and people from other cultures together so they can practice with native speakers. For example, I spoke with Spanish people in Spanish for 30 minutes and then they spoke with me in English after. For additional support you can hire tutors and use apps like Babbel, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Italki. Please note, when learning a new language, be intentional and prepare yourself for hours of study to gain full command of any new language.
6. Make new friends and increase your network
It is an amazing experience to make new friends and increase your network beyond what you could have imagined. When I moved, I didn’t realize the rich cultural tapestry my new friends would form in my life. I love that I have families in Spain and Italy I can stay with. And friends from places like Croatia, ready to give me a tour of the Split. When you make new friends you automatically increase your network and diversify the kinds of people you know.
But my favorite edition of making friends abroad is when friends become family. In Italy, I have a birthday twin and I view her children as my little brother and sister. I love them and can’t wait for my next trip to Italy.
7. Become More Open-Minded
Eating different foods, listening to new music, and learning about a new culture, does not automatically make you open-minded. But if you live your life with the energy to have a good experience, you will definitely become more open-minded and ready to try new things.
As an example, I am a notoriously picky eater, but living abroad has expanded my palate. When I remained open-minded, tried new foods, and new methods of cooking I embraced the beauty of another culture. Traveling with the intention to understand helps you discover there’s more than one way to interact with people, more than one way to live and so on.
8. Increase Your Self-Confidence
Give yourself props! If you managed to successfully navigate the visa application process, finding a job or program, and an apartment in a new country where you don’t speak the language? You are a beast and worthy of praise. Imagine me giving you slow claps. The sheer fact you had the courage to do something different and go after a dream you made reality, should increase your self-confidence.
Your confidence will also increase because you learn how to rely on yourself in new situations. You develop your ability to troubleshoot, adapt, and problem solve. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear; it’s taking action despite fear.
“Your confidence will also increase because you learn how to rely on yourself in new situations. ”
9. Learn to Trust Your Instincts
Have your wits about you! Remember being a foreigner in a new country can make you a target, especially if you are a woman. But if you practice safety and trust your instincts you can avoid dangerous situations. This advice goes for any place including your native country.
One night in Madrid, I was walking home in the rain so I briefly put my phone in my coat pocket to pull my hood up. Then I had this sensation someone was behind me and I saw a pale hand reaching out for my phone. Instincts took over and I unleashed a roar so loud, the man ran for his life. I was so upset I briefly ran after him shouting until I realized, Herisa, he’s running away. I had no idea that’s how I would react. But through my life experiences I’ve learned I can trust my instincts and how I handle emergency situations. Pro-tip, if you put your phone in your coat pocket pull the zipper or button it.
Crystal Palace, Madrid, Spain
“You will thank yourself for saying yes to your dreams.” -Herisa the Traveler
10. You Will Thank Yourself Later
You will thank yourself for saying yes to your dreams. Saying yes to the adventurer, to the wanderer, to the question you want answered. A question, you might not have gotten an answer to at the end of your life abroad but you at least had fun trying to find it.
Cheers to you, the person reading this who is endlessly fascinated by a life abroad. It is certainly a romanticized ideal. But it’s not perfect, nothing ever is. However, the journey as in all things is worth it.
