50 (yes, 50) reasons why you should live abroad in your 20s

This is for anyone standing on the edge of change — the “should I?” phase of moving abroad. It’s not doubt you’re feeling, it’s a calling. Don’t ignore it. Lean in,

trust it, and book that one-way ticket.

Need more convincing? Here’s 50 reasons why you should do it:

1. Learn (and actually practice) another language.

2. Push your comfort zone to a whole new level.

3. Meet people you never would if you stayed in the same place.

4. Experience your career in a different country, or try an entirely new one.

5. Discover what true independence feels like.

6. Travel more, and to places you'd never think to.

7. Get really good at making friends anywhere.

8. See your priorities from a completely fresh perspective.

9. Let go of materialism and realise how little you actually need to be happy.

10. Start living in the moment, rather than waiting for it.

11. Stop living for the weekend and start living for life.

12. Learn to trust your gut and make confident decisions.

13. Add “international experience” to your résumé and boost your career appeal.

14. Become a more interesting, well-rounded person with incredible stories to tell.

15. Understand that life really is about the journey, not the destination.

16. Master the art of budgeting (because travel and experiences become more important that stuff).

17. Figure out what truly matters to you.

18. Feel at home no matter where you are in the world.

19. Adapt quickly to new environments and cultures.

20. Stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them.

    
    
    

    

    

    

    

    

21. Build confidence that will last a lifetime.

22. Learn to enjoy your own company.

23. Find inspiration to do more, be more, and try new things.

24. Discover sides of yourself you didn’t even know existed.

25. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

26. Watch opportunities appear in ways you never expected.

27. Experience moments you couldn’t have predicted or dreamed of.

28. Feel excitement running through your everyday life.

29. Appreciate your home country more deeply when you visit.

30. Treasure family time like never before.

    
    
    

    

    

    

    

    

31. Have your family visit you—and see your new life through their eyes.

32. Learn more about your own country by viewing it from afar.

33. Become more open-minded through daily immersion in another culture.

34. Raise your standards for how people treat you (and yourself).

35. Get better at being spontaneous—and packing light.

36. Realise that asking for help isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom.

37. Strike up conversations with strangers without hesitation or fear.

38. Strengthen your problem-solving skills when things don't go to plan.

39. Develop patience on a whole new level.

40. Fall back in love with life.

    
    
    

    

    

    

    

    

41. Build a global network of friends, colleagues, and connections.

42. Cultivate emotional resilience that makes you unstoppable.

43. Be humbled by how little you know of the world.

44. Learn to share spaces and live harmoniously with all kinds of people.

45. Feel a deep sense of empowerment and self-trust.

46. Collect memories that make your Instagram followers seriously jealous.

47. Inspire others to take the leap, too.

    
    
    

    

    

    

    

    

48. Practice skills you never needed back home—like navigating bureaucracy in another language.

49. Dodge the social trap of “settling down too soon.”

50. Most importantly, avoid living with the regret of wondering “what if?”

If you’re reading this, chances are the idea of moving abroad has already crossed your mind. It’s haunting you for a reason. Somewhere out there, your future self is sitting in a café in Paris, sipping an Aperol Spritz, quietly thanking you for taking the plunge.

Before I moved to London, I had only ever lived in Western Australia. I’d travelled, yes—but I’d never experienced another country the way you do when you actually live abroad.

Back then, I’d never even been to Germany. Now I’ve been five times, and as I write this, I’m sitting in my favourite café, working on a blog that only exists because I decided to move overseas.

I don’t have the house I’ve bought. I don’t have an expensive ring on my finger from a fiancé I finally convinced to propose. I don’t have the latest dyson vacuum cleaner society swears will make me happy. But what I do have is a love for life — and an excitement I wake up with every single day.

So move abroad. One day you’ll look back and realise that booking that one-way ticket was the beginning of everything. 

A x