This is a companion piece to my other post “The Top 8 Hardest Things About Living Abroad”. I wrote the other one first because I figured most people probably can imagine the best things more easily and I wanted to share some of the challenges. But there are definitely amazing things as well. I have also shared The Most Important Things You’ll Learn About Yourself Living Overseas, but this article is going to focus on just the best things. The things that make all the challenges and lessons worth it.
Gaining new perspectives on life
Even if you are well-traveled, well-read, and have friends in your home country from other places, there’s nothing like living abroad to give you new perspectives on life. It’s just different when you live somewhere and start to notice the little things and how different people’s lives are compared to what you are used to. Once you live abroad you have a deep comparison of just how different things can be, and when you examine what your own views and expectations on life are, you can see things from a new angle.
Experiencing new cultures
Everyone knows this, but again I think it is worth emphasizing the difference between traveling somewhere and living there. When you visit a place you just get a snapshot, and often of the best or most famous spots. But once you live there you become part of the fabric of the culture and it rubs off on you and starts to become part of who you are, rather than just something you observed. This is something that just can’t be replicated without living abroad.
Being able to make quick trips around a different part of the world
This is a huge one for people who are from North America. Instead of quick trips to Vegas, Palm Springs, Cabo, and maybe the Caribbean, whole different parts of the world open up to you. For me being based in Singapore, places like Bali, Thailand, the Maldives, Taiwan, and much more are just hours away and it is easy to head over for a 3 or 4-day trip. Europe is the same way, with the whole continent being at your fingertips if you live in any major metropolitan area. It is super fun to be able to take a quick getaway to places that seemed so far off and exotic when you lived on the other side of the world.
Really getting to know new cuisines
Since food is very close to my heart, this is really important to me. Growing up in Seattle we had access to a great variety of cuisines, especially Asian and Latin. But even though you could find a lot of restaurants dedicated to authenticity, it just isn’t the same as spending years deep-diving into new cuisines when you are living abroad. Singapore is a well-known foodie haven, with a mix of Chinese, Southeast Asian, and South Asian cuisines. And I am still discovering new dishes and specialties after almost 10 years.
Getting your head out of the bad parts of your home country
We all can get stuck in the cycle of click-bait headlines and one-liners that seem to dominate the news these days. But I think it has been very healthy for me to take a step back and see issues in the US through a broader lens. I used to be quite political, or at least up-to-date, and paying attention through the Bush years through Obama’s election. But I was very grateful to be living overseas for the 2016 and 2020 elections and not have it dominate my conversations, friendships, and worries during those times.
Making friends from across the world
Of course, I had lots of international friends in the US as well, but it is a different kind of shared experience and bond when you are both from another place than you are living. I was technically an immigrant to America, but I arrived when I was a baby, so I didn’t have that bond. But when you are living overseas you feel more connected to people who have also moved to that country from somewhere else. This was especially important and noticeable in a less accessible country like China, where it was harder to integrate with locals. The juxtaposition of being from different places, but learning and experiencing a new country together can be a great catalyst for amazing friendships.
Proving that you can make it on your own
Living on your own can be difficult even in your own country, especially if it is your first time or you have moved to a new city. But making the move to a new country is in a whole other league. You may not even speak the local language, you have a new job, need to make new friends, eat new food, use a new currency, and all of this without the support of anyone around you. It can be scary and lonely at times, it can also create some of the best memories you’ll ever have. And when you look back it will be something you will be grateful and proud of doing.
Building a new life for yourself
Sometimes we get stuck in our routines, friends we have known for a long time, our jobs and careers, the places we eat, activities we do, romantic relationships, maybe even our personalities and the way we present ourselves to the world. There’s no better time to reinvent yourself than when you move to a new country. You’re free to build a new, hopefully better life for yourself. Erase mistakes or poor choices from your past, choose different kinds of people to be friends with, build an improved professional reputation, and experiment with new romances. When you start living abroad, the world really is your oyster.
So these are my top 8 things about living abroad. I hope you learned something and it gives you the motivation to jump on a chance to move overseas if it ever comes your way. It will definitely change you forever and give you new perspectives and experiences you never could have if you don’t give it a try.