Benefits of Living Abroad (3 Years Later)

I’ve been living abroad for close to 3 years now.

So far. I’ve made great friends. Learned Spanish. Driven a motorcycle through Medellin’s rush hour. And have flown inside armored helicopters through war torn nations.

Moving abroad has been an adventure of a lifetime, filled with unforgettable memories.

For those seeking to scratch the itch, scratch the itch. Making the plunge to moving abroad is part of living life to the fullest. After all…

Life is always better on the other side of regret of the things you didn’t do.

If you’re interested or thinking in living abroad, below is my crafted list I have found beneficial to moving abroad.

You Learn to Become a Good Neighbor

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s not as easy to make new friends as it was when I was a teenager.

It’s easy to become so focused on responsibility, that we forget how to play. So we lose touch with knowing how to be neighbors.

Living abroad nudges you to play again and incidentally become a good neighbor.

Nothing makes community more explicitly necessary than when adventure-seeking strangers realize they’re alone in a foreign country.

Some strangers you meet are temporary. Which is fine. You can still learn. You can still share meals. You can still build campfires together.

Other times you meet a soul and think, “Ahhh… You’re like me.” Those are the magical moments.

The longer I travel, the more I realize that this is what I really want.

Visiting the museums of Mexico City.

Swimming in Quintana Roo’s natural cenotes.

Dodging the rats in Provenza.

All are part of the travel adventure. All of it secondary.

Living abroad has taught me that places are only as good as the people you meet. And that usually depends on you being a good neighbor.

You Become a Sovereign Individual

Most of the trappings in the developed world usually fits this template:

• Get an education and debt
• Get a job that pays the bills
• Find a partner to tolerate
• Be religious or make fun of it
• Have a few Instagrammable interests
• Have an Instagrammable ‘squad’
• And most importantly, stay safe and never deviate

From this developed world, people also have the most opportunity to unplug from it all.

There is a bigger story line beyond the Matrix we’ve plugged ourselves into. But it is hard to see if our surrounding reinforces us to live the same way year after year.

The solution? A shit load of psychedelics. Or pick up a bag and travel.

Living abroad removes you from your routine. You get a mile high view of your life. From there you can begin changing things about yourself.

The people you meet abroad don’t know who you are. You can become anyone.

Perspective starts to change and the trappings can be dropped. It’s more powerful than psychedelics.

When you don’t have to fit any mold, the world becomes your oyster.

Romance

I’m not sure what I should say here. This is a difficult topic to broach.

I can say this though…

Some potential love interests while traveling can be the highest caliber.

Men, if you’re looking for a wife. Get your shit together and move abroad.

Traveling by default just makes you an interesting person.

“To Speak Another Language, is to Possess Another Soul”

This quote is taken from Charlemagne.

I learned Spanish while living abroad. Although I’ve taken formal classes in the past, classrooms can never teach you the nuances.

Living within a culture, really shows you a greater breadth of the human experience.

The world of English is large, but there is so much more going on at once beyond the culture the English language offers.

Travel gives you these insights. A fresh perspective to the question of what it means to be human.

Learning another language can be done from the comfort of your computer. But immersing yourself into another culture gives it a deeper meaning.

Financial Arbitrage

This depends highly on where in the world you go to. But for most readers, you are probably coming from a country with abundance.

When you earn in dollars and spend in pesos, your quality of life increases.

Just don’t be an asshole. Sometimes it’s okay to tell people to keep the change or not haggle. Or just give.

But at the same time don’t get used.

I digress…

Let me give an example of financial arbitrage.

As I write this, I’m currently at the capital of Colombia – Bogota. When I walk out the door I’m within 2 blocks from the best nightlife in the Capital. The area is fancy.

I’m paying around $100 per week on rent. And yesterday’s lunch was $4 – complete with fresh guava juice, 3 servings of chicken breast, a salad, beans, rice and soup.

Also, a 20 minute Uber ride will cost me $2.

My income is in dollars, so I’m definitely not budgeting while I’m here.

Learn How People Travel for Years

Traveling doesn’t have to be all play and no work. But a lot of times play is just so intertwined with work.

I guess you can notice this in some cultures that have siestas in the middle of the day. What a concept.

But beyond understanding the local concept of work. I find it super interesting in how other people like me have been traveling for years.

I won’t go into all the details. A lot can be written on this. But for the most part these are some common threads on people I’ve met who’ve been traveling for years:

• Living off savings and spending little
• Early retirement
• Traditionally retired
• Startup owner
• Completely remote workers

These people are probably some of the most interesting people I’ve met. They’re usually well travelled, can speak several languages, and are relatively wealthy by local standards.

Everyone has given me ideas on how I can travel indefinitely. For now I’m just a remote worker. But on the side, I’m building a machine to escape any ties from working for someone.

Why I Like Living Abroad

I love adventure in general. There’s so much to see in the world.

If I stayed home…

I would have never learned to ride a motorcycle.

I would have never met an indigenous Colombian Bruja that showed me magic.

I would have never known what it was like to feel alive while missiles fly across the sky.

Travel is the ultimate fulfillment of YOLO.