10 Ways Living Abroad Changed Me Forever And Why You’ll Never See Life The Same Way Again!

How Living Abroad Rewires Your Brain (And Your Life Forever)

From food to friendships, moving abroad reshaped my beliefs, habits, and sense of home in ways I never imagined.I thought moving abroad was all about living the dream. 

Snapping pics with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, sipping wine in a Hemingwayesque Spanish café while Flamenco dancers twirled in the streets…

But oh, was I wrong.

The moment I stepped off the plane in Barcelona to start my first Camino de Santiago, I had no idea that what I was really stepping into was a completely new version of myself.

I didn’t just land in a new country, I landed in a whole new mindset.

A new way of living. A new me.

And honestly? I wasn’t prepared for that.

What if everything you believe about time, relationships, and happiness is just shaped by where you were born?

What If Success Isn’t What You Think?

Forget the grind. Success isn’t 80-hour weeks…it’s a two-hour lunch in France.

It’s slow mornings in Spain, where the toughest choice is coffee or breakfast before your day’s walk on the Camino

After years in Ukraine, Georgia, France, and Albania, I’ve learned one thing: We’ve got it all backwards!

Thinking of living abroad? Or just craving a new perspective? 

Here’s what changed everything for me.

Stop following the rules and start making your own! 

Start living the way the rest of the world does.

1. Time Doesn’t Work the Way You Think It Does

What I Used to Believe: Time is money. Time equals efficiency. If you’re not moving fast, you’re wasting it.

What I Learned: In places like Albania and Georgia, time is fluid, not a rigidly defined concept.

Life isn’t about squeezing every minute into a spreadsheet, it’s about savoring the present moment.

Real-Life Example: The first time I sat down for a meal in Georgia, I thought I’d stumbled into a parallel universe.

Three hours later, after endless courses and wine refills, I realized this was how it was done.

No one was in a rush.

Time, in this culture, wasn’t a pressure cooker… it was a slow simmer.

And that simmer changed my approach to everything.

My new mantra?

“Life isn’t a race.”

2. The Myth of “The Right Way” to Eat, Work, and Live

What I Used to Believe: I thought life had a rulebook. One “right” way to eat, work, and live.

What I Learned: Every culture thinks their way is best… and sometimes, they’re right.

Real-Life Example: When I first moved to France, I was shocked by how long lunches could take.

In France, lunch isn’t a 10-minute inhale at your desk. It can be an event. Two hours, courses, conversation, even wine (in the middle of a workday!).

Back home? Lunch was a race, scarf it down, check the clock, get back to work.

Efficiency over enjoyment.

Turns out, I wasn’t winning at life. I was just rushing through it.

Now? I’ll take the long lunch. Preferably with wine.

3. Friendships Abroad Are Both Easier and Harder

What I Used to Believe: Making friends was as simple as chatting with a stranger and hoping for the best.

What I Learned: Some cultures welcome you with open arms, while others take time to let you in, but those deeper connections are worth the wait.

Real-Life Example: In the U.S., I was used to casual conversations turning into “friendships” within days.

But in France? 

The pace was slower.

People didn’t open up immediately, but once they did, those friendships ran deep.

So, I stopped trying to rush things and learned to appreciate quality over quantity.

In fact, some of my best friendships took the longest to develop, go figure…

4. The Power of Speaking a Second (or Third) Language

What I Used to Believe: I could get by with English, everywhere. Even in France…lol.

What I Learned: Speaking the local language is everything.

It changes how you’re perceived and how you experience the world around you.

Real-Life Example: I thought I could get by in France with just basic French.

Turns out, knowing a few phrases gets you a polite nod, but fluency gets you respect.

Once I could hold a conversation, I noticed how much warmer the locals became and much easier things got.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just another tourist, I was almost a local…and after a few years, like family.

Now, I even have a French Godson…

5. The Concept of “Success” Means Something Different Everywhere

What I Used to Believe: Success was all about the hustle… the bigger paycheck, the nicer car, the fancier office. 

What I Learned: In many places, like Spain and France, success has less to do with material achievement and more to do with balance, relationships, and living well.

Real-Life Example: In Spain, I met a lawyer who worked three days a week and spent the rest of his time enjoying long meals with family and friends.

I thought he was crazy. 

But then, I saw the contentment in his life and he had time for what mattered.

After that, I started thinking: Maybe that’s the real success.

6. Learning to Be Comfortable With Discomfort

What I Used to Believe: If something’s difficult or uncomfortable, avoid it.

What I Learned: Growth only happens when you put yourself in uncomfortable situations, and you learn to thrive in them.

Real-Life Example: My first week in Ukraine was a mess.

I didn’t speak Russian or Ukrainian, didn’t know how to navigate the shopping, and couldn’t figure out the public transportation system.

But I pushed through, embracing the chaos.

Every day was uncomfortable, but with each new challenge, I felt myself growing.

Discomfort became my greatest teacher.

7. Minimalism Isn’t Just a Trend… It’s a Survival Skill

What I Used to Believe: More stuff = more security. 

What I Learned: Living with less means more freedom.

Real life example: I left for Poland to do my CELTA course, with just a backpack for a whole month.

What struck me, though, was how little I missed the stuff I thought I might need.

Packing light? It gave me a sense of freedom I hadn’t expected.

Turns out, minimalism isn’t just a trend. It’s a lifestyle.

8. Reverse Culture Shock Is Real… and It Hits Hard

What I Used to Believe: Coming home from travel meant slipping right back into my old life.

What I Learned: The more you experience abroad, the more you’ll realize that home doesn’t feel the same anymore.

Real-Life Example: After returning from my Camino and spending 3 months in France, I felt like I didn’t belong.

Suddenly, I found myself irritated by things that never bothered me before.

My “home” felt foreign.

But here’s the truth: I had changed, not the place.

And that’s okay.

9. Living Abroad Makes You Question Everything You Once Knew

What I Used to Believe: The way I grew up was the best, the default, the correct way.

What I Learned: Living abroad makes you question everything you think you know about right and wrong.

Real-Life Example: In France, people don’t see work as something that defines them, it’s just one part of a fulfilling life.

Back in the U.S., I was all about the grind.

But after seeing how balanced people were in France, I questioned: Why do we place so much value on work in the U.S.? 

Maybe there’s more to life than just the hustle.

10. You Never Really “Go Home” Again

What I Used to Believe: I could always go back to the way things were: my old life, my old routines, my old self. 

What I Learned: Once you’ve lived abroad, “home” becomes a feeling, not a place.

Real-Life Example: Every time I returned from a trip to Spain or Ukraine, I felt like a stranger in my own country.

Home became a mosaic of the places I’d lived, and I couldn’t quite fit back into the box I used to live in.

But that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?

I was no longer bound by one place, I was at home wherever I went.

How Living Abroad Changes You (Even If You Never Move)

Living abroad doesn’t just change your address, it rewires how you see time, relationships, and success.

I’ve lived in places like Albania, Georgia, and Ukraine, and the biggest transformation wasn’t where I went… it was how I saw the world.

And here’s the twist: You don’t have to move abroad to apply these lessons. A new mindset can change everything.

What’s the biggest shift you’ve had while traveling?