If you have ever considered packing your bags, grabbing your passport, and hopping on an airplane to a new life in a new country, you’ve probably thought about:
- the good food you’ll eat 🍝
- the cool sights you’ll see 📷
- the interesting lifestyle you’ll have ✈️
BUT THOSE ARE ONLY THE OBVIOUS ONES!
What if I told you that there are some unexpected benefits of living abroad?
What if I told you that your life would expand in ways that you couldn’t even foresee?
Let’s talk about 10 surprising benefits of living abroad that I’ve discovered in the last 3 years of my life abroad.
Benefit of Living Abroad #1: You Can Break a Lot of Rules
Humans are social creatures and social creatures subconsciously seek “rules” to maintain order and safety.
Some of them are obvious – break a law and you’ll go to jail. Black and white.
BUT ARE YOU AWARE OF HOW MANY UNOFFICIAL RULES YOU LIVE BY?
- no socks with sandals,
- no smacking gum,
- no stopping in the middle of walkways,
- no cutting in line,
- no staring at strangers.
Blah, Blah, Blah…
We are constantly forcing ourselves to fit into the mold of our community – whether it’s our town, state, or country.
BUT GUESS WHAT?
When you are an immigrant in a new country, you get a bit of a free pass to make social “faux pas” because the native residents assume your behavior is due to innocent cultural differences.
Hello, gray area!
RELATED READS:
-
5 Hard Truths About Living Abroad You Should Be Aware Of Before Moving
-
Moving Abroad as an Introvert: How to Mentally Prepare Yourself
Benefit of Living Abroad #2: You Can Pick and Choose Cultural Customs
Piggy-backing off the last point, you will be introduced to so many new cultural customs in your new country that you’ll love.
You will naturally fold aligned cultural costumes into your family’s culture.
After living in Mexico, my family now actively celebrates Day of the Dead and my kids can name and tell you details about all of their passed relatives from the past 2 generations.
AND THAT’S ALL BECAUSE WE LEARNED ABOUT DIA DE MUERTOS HERE IN MEXICO!
.
Having exposure to different cultures and different behaviors helps you piece together a unique, multi-layered identity.
Benefit of Living Abroad #3: Your “Should” List Drastically Decreases
After you’ve jumped off the hamster wheel, forfeited the rat race, and started life fresh in a new country you can suddenly ask yourself:
WHAT DO I REALLY WANT TO DO WITH MY TIME?
When my family moved abroad, we wanted to:
- slow down,
- make memories together, and
- build a supportive educational life for our daughters.
We cooked meals together, we took hikes, we went to local markets, we took weekend trips, and we eventually found a private Waldorf school for them to meet friends and learn Spanish.
Outside of maintaining my part-time accounting business, my “should list” pretty much disappeared the minute we touched down in Mexico.
We started living with the seasons, focusing on our families needs, and building lifelong memories together, because…there was no reason not to.
Benefit of Living Abroad #4: Your Resilience Will Become Rock Solid
IT TAKES GREAT COURAGE TO BE AN IMMIGRANT.
If you can stomach:
- moving to another country,
- integrating into a foreign culture, and
- building a life on your own terms amidst it all, then
You will have proven your own resilience.
Benefit of Living Abroad #5: You Will Realize How Endless Your Options Are
There is no limit to the possibilities for your life. Not even the sky, anymore.
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, BE ANYONE, AND GO ANYWHERE.
When you’re surrounded in your community of origin, you’ll notice that most of your friends and family all–
➡️follow the same patterns,
➡️behave in the same way, and
➡️prioritize similar things.
When everyone around you is doing the same things, you can make the mistake of thinking that it’s because it’s the only option.
But it’s NOT.
The minute you start a life abroad you realize that there are billions of people living lives completely different than you, and that realization gives your imagination freedom to explore.
Benefit of Living Abroad #6: Your Tolerance for Others Will Grow
It’s pretty hard to travel the world and meet people from all walks of life and stay close-minded.
PEOPLE WHO ARE INTOLERANT OF OTHERS TEND TO STAY IN THEIR OWN COMFORT ZONE.
No matter the race, religion, cultural practices, or values or a people group, you will realize how varied the world’s population is and how valuable that fact is.
As a side benefit, this will also help you realize that you can be true to yourself, because there really is no “one-size-fits-all” lifestyle mold.
Benefit of Living Abroad #7: Your Personal Identity Will Deepen
Sure, I’m American.
But in 2 years, I will also be Mexican (I’m on track for that coveted 2nd passport!).
And one day I hope to be Italian (a third passport dream, we’ll see how it goes…).
THE ERA OF HAVING ONLY ONE CULTURAL IDENTITY IS OVER FOR MANY OF US.
Right now, when I’m traveling and people ask where I’m from, I can say I’m American or that I came from Mexico. Both are true. Both are parts of me.
Living abroad means adding layers to your cultural identity.
Benefit of Living Abroad #8: You’ll Build Friendships All Over the World
Since moving to Mexico, we have made friends from Wales, England, the Netherlands, Canada, France, and Switzerland and of course, from Mexico.
WE’VE MET THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE MOST INTERESTING LIFE STORIES.
And here’s something I’ve noticed–
🌎 Expats by nature tend to be transitory.
🌎 We move a lot, we split our lives between countries.
So living the expat lifestyle often means making friends that eventually move away or return to their country of origin, which means you will have a network of friends located all over the world.
Benefit of Living Abroad #9: You’ll Become Immune to the Rat Race
I promise you that after you quit the rat race, your immune system will finally get a taste for the slower pace of life and you will never again be able to stomach the thought of hopping back on that hamster wheel.
I WOULD DO A LOT OF CREATIVE THINGS TO EARN MONEY TO SURVIVE BEFORE EVER GOING BACK TO WORK IN CORPORATE AMERICA.
I simply value quality of life more than financial wealth.
Benefit of Living Abroad #10: You Will Realize How Beautiful Life Is
Life is precious and we never know how much time we’re going to get.
If a life abroad is calling to you, it’s because something deep inside you knows it’s for you.
Living abroad can be:
- for a short season,
- for a medium season, or
- for forever.
AND I BELIEVE THAT ANY OF THOSE OPTIONS WILL ADD IMMEASURABLE VALUE TO YOUR LIFE STORY.
When you choose to live life on your own terms, you become extremely grateful for the joy your life brings to you.
When you experience joy and calm in your life, you raise the collective vibration which benefits everyone.
What Are You Waiting For? Time to Move Abroad!
If you are still reading, you have found the perfect corner of the internet to explore your dream of starting a life abroad.
When I was planning our big move 5 years ago, I didn’t have a community or any real resources on how to plan, what to pack, how to save money, etc. And we discuss all that and more in this online community.
I am currently working on a brand new course called “Dreaming of a Life Abroad” that will include vision boards, budgeting, mental preparation, and more. Sign up to get on the waitlist for more info! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
I look forward to meeting you and hearing about which country you are dreaming of moving to! Comment below, shoot me an email, and most importantly – stick around! Our community would love to have you join us 🙂
Xx Bri