12 Reasons Moving Abroad Alone is the MOST Enriching Experience

Moving abroad alone is something that has defined who I am. Moving abroad right after college was a big step for me, but now I can’t imagine my life any other way. I’ve moved to six cities and four+ countries alone… and counting!

If you are considering moving to another country alone but just need a little extra push, I’d be happy to provide a bit of inspo. Taking a big step like this by yourself can be EXTREMELY daunting, but it could end up being the most transformative thing you do in your LIFE.

If you’re in a time of your life where moving abroad is a real possibility, I encourage you to do it. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the best thing to remember is that your hometown will ALWAYS be there if you want to return.

Intro to My Experience Moving Abroad Alone

As I visited my home in California after living abroad in London for 6 months, I could already kind of feel that I was different then than the last time I was there. No, not because I occasionally got a little twinge of an English accent on certain words, or because I was paler than I had ever been before in my life (really). I really was different, and I had an all-around better understanding of life. Or, I felt like I did, anyway.

Before, I was young with no specific ties to home. I had identified within myself a strong passion for traveling, and wanted to put off getting a ‘real world’ job as long as possible, try and see as much of the world as I could, and start a travel blog before running out of money.

And, to be honest, nothing had really changed, but my outlook became more.. streamlined. The first time I moved abroad alone, I got a whole lot of reality in a very short amount of time. It all came at me at once and I had to try and drink from the fire hose of life pointed right at my face. It was my first move to London that got me addicted to the lifestyle of both traveling and moving abroad alone, and I haven’t stopped since.

I’ve moved to London, Croatia, Sydney, Western Australia, and Melbourne alone – like, properly moved, and needed to get new jobs, friends, housing, and all of the above with it. Each experience brought with it new lessons and life experiences that you could never get in a classroom or an office.

Because of that, I’m here to share what living in different countries teaches you. Read my currently updated story here or some inspiring quotes about moving away.

When you move abroad alone, there are no immediate friends to shop with, to make food with, to go out with, and no one even to watch TV with on a Tuesday evening. You have do this all on your own, and find people to share experiences with, on your own. It can be one of the most life-changing experiences you’ll ever have.

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Moving Abroad Alone: What Does Living in Different Countries Teach You?

Anyone who has moved abroad alone will be able to relate to the unique challenges it presents. You deal with things you have never dealt with before, in ways that you are not used to. You must approach life from a different angle, and adapt to challenges you may never have foreseen. But when you get the hang of it, it feels like the best possible kind of success.

Here are some ways dealing with life in a different country after moving abroad alone makes you into a better person. Personally, there are things I learned the easy way and definitely some I learned the hard way, but I truly believe that I am and anyone who has done the same is now better for it.

You Learn To Be Comfortable With and Accept Yourself

First of all, moving abroad alone teaches you how to be comfortable with yourself. If you aren’t comfortable with yourself, how can you be fully comfortable with anybody else? Spending time and living life alone really helps you get to know yourself, and all the different parts of you that make you who you are.

There are annoying parts, parts you love, and parts you don’t like as much, but you can really identify these different aspects of yourself and learn to accept them all as you tackle the world solo.

You Learn to Adapt to Another Culture

Most people have traveled abroad, but it really is a different experience to actually MOVE to another country. While traveling, you can choose to immerse yourself in the culture, or you can choose not to. When you move somewhere, you’re as immersed as can be whether you like it or not.

You must learn to go through everyday life in this culture – from speaking and interacting to grocery shopping and going out to eat. You have to find a place to live, a job, and friends; you have to learn how things are done there. It’ll be even more immersive if it’s a whole different language, but no matter how far you move there are adaptations to be made.

I was lucky they spoke the same language as me the first time I moved overseas, but the culture in London was actually very different. Different accents and slang were just the beginning of the things to get used to – London is so multicultural that I was pretty much getting used to many cultures at once.

One of the hardest things for me to adapt to after moving to London alone was the fact that in London, no one really talks to each other… in the US it’s not weird to talk to the person next to you on the bus or in front of you in line at a cafe. Here, it is…. I got many weird looks starting ‘normal’ small talk with people, because it is not normal here. It’s a huge learning experience to live in another culture, no matter how ‘different’ it may seem.

Starting New Means Starting Fresh with Literally Everything

When you move abroad alone, you start the freshest of the fresh. If you didn’t bring something with you, you’re going to have to go out and get it.

For example, I was in my room, trying to get a long thread off of one of my shirts. I naturally went downstairs to get the scissors. I searched in the kitchen, and asked my flatmates about them. Turns out, I can’t just go downstairs to get ‘the’ scissors when we have all just moved into the flat from other countries. We don’t have any scissors, because no one brought or bought any!

I had the same issue with superglue, saran wrap, plastic bags… things that at least one of your roommates usually has somewhere. Not here! You can’t just go and check your dad’s supply closet or your friend’s garage. The reality when moving abroad alone is that if you didn’t bring it with you or buy it, it’s not there! You have to take 10 steps back and think about the basic necessities, and go out and get them.

You Have No Choice But to be Independent and Self-Sufficient

Chances are when moving abroad alone, a large part of your support system is still back at home or where you came from. Although they still support you from far away, you learn to be your own immediate support system and carry out all your errands and tasks as conveniently as possible by yourself.

You get all your own food and home supplies, when you make money you spend it yourself, on yourself. You learn not to need others and to carry out your life and be reliant mostly on yourself. If anything goes wrong you are the sole person responsible for figuring out a solution.

At home, you’d usually have roommates or even a significant other who could grab you something from the store or share supplies with. You’d get dinner with friends or cook with your roommates, or rely on partners for so many more things. After moving abroad solo, you learn that it IS possible to rely solely on yourself, even if you don’t always have to, and get a lot of satisfaction in doing so!

You Start to More Fully Appreciate Help and Support from People

Whether it’s kind words from a relative or advice from best friends at home, you find that any small encouragement from anyone is so much more appreciated and helpful. Whether you are having a slightly tough time or not, you learn that it’s okay to accept assistance when you need it.

Support from others seems more heartfelt after moving abroad alone, and you feel like you can appreciate it more. You also relate more to other travelers and really take their experiences and stories to heart to help shape your experiences abroad as well.

You Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Realities of Life and the Commonalities of Life Across Cultures

The reality check you get when moving abroad alone is similar to the one you get entering the real world after college, but like, on steroids. You officially learn how to live on your own, fund all your own shit, and find a job and friends in a new city, but all the while taking in a completely new culture without familiar people or sights you’re used to.

You’ll also find things that are the same across cultures, and things that are the same basically anywhere you go. People make their lives work in so many different ways. If you make/save enough money to pay your bills, eat, and do what you want to do… whether that’s travel, go to shows, advance your career, or get a bottomless brunch every weekend… you can make it work.

You Learn to Enjoy Your Own Company

During my first few months, I spent a TON of time alone… And I liked it. It taught me to enjoy my own company and that being alone can really be wonderful. You learn how to feed off of your own energy rather than other people’s, and that you don’t need other people to constantly validate yourself. All you need is you – which is the only thing you will ever always have.

But, You Also Learn to Make Friends and Be Creative Finding New People to Hang With

When you move abroad alone, you obviously have to make at least some kind of friends. As great as it is to get to know yourself and be comfortable alone, shared experience is always integral to human need. Moving to another city is one thing, and you will probably know at least some people in the area. But, moving to another country is an entirely new beginning.

You learn to really push out of your comfort zone and find ways to meet people, because this is the only choice you really have – even in places where is it quite strange to talk to strangers out of context!

I had some quite strange experiences meeting people in London, which was harder than I thought it would be. Read about some of my friend-making tactics here. I ended up meeting some lifelong friends in the process!

You Realize That Material Things are Not That Big of a Deal – You Can Live with Less!

When you can only take a few suitcases, you force yourself to be more tactful with your belongings and learn not to live in excess.

I had a huge wardrobe at home. Huge. I love clothes, and I love shopping. I also find it hard to throw things away, always keeping them for when I ‘might’ need them. But, moving abroad alone started to change all that. When you have to take a 12-hour flight with a few bags, you have to decide what you really need.

You need to whittle down your belongings to the bare bones, and be okay living with less. And when you plan on traveling more or coming home from said location in the not-so-distant future, you have to decide how much you can shop in order to still be able to carry everything again. Hint – you can’t shop much at all.

I have shopped less in the last 5 years than I ever have before, and I have actually finally realized how much I don’t need to shop at all and that what I have is completely adequate. Of course, it can be hard – but when you really have no space for new things you learn you honestly don’t have a need for them either. It’s just a want.

You Figure Out How to Take Care of Yourself According to New Laws

You need a doctor? Ummm…. hm. About that. You need a job? First, you need a national insurance number. A what? Every country has different laws when it comes to getting a job, going to the doctor, insurance, or other basic things you take for granted, and you must adapt when you move to a new place.

These are the difficulties of moving abroad alone that no one talks about – getting sick, getting your visa in the first place, or having to apply for all sorts of strange things from the government before having the real right to work. You learn to be diligent in figuring out how basic processes like these work in a new place, or it could turn out badly.

You Learn to Be Patient and Not to Expect Way Too Much Of Yourself All the Time

I thought that I would be completely fine moving away, but the truth is that yes, it does get hard sometimes, and that’s okay. You learn to give yourself the benefit of the doubt, to be patient with yourself, and to allow yourself to be homesick, sad, or anxious at times.

At first, you may wonder why all these new emotions are happening, but then you’ll realize that what you are doing is indeed difficult, and that you shouldn’t expect yourself to just be able to get through everything without a few bumps.

You learn to embrace the bumps and grow from them, and to always love and be patient with yourself even if you don’t live up to all the expectations you have of yourself. This one is usually harder for me as I’m the type of person to always expect way too much of myself, but I’ve improved!

What Living in Different Countries Teaches You: Conclusion

Anyway, these are some things I learned from moving abroad alone many times that I think will be relatable for other expats and for YOU if you decide to do it too! It’s truly one of the most fulfilling challenges to overcome, and you’ll learn so much about yourself.

I plan to spend the rest of my life growing in the same ways I did when I first moved overseas – traveling, learning about life, experiencing other places and cultures, working different jobs, taking care of myself, and using all that experience to become the best person I can be. To me, that’s what life’s about.