I used to think real European travel meant paying triple for an espresso at a café with an English menu screaming Tourists Welcome!
Or elbowing your way through photo-bombing chaos for a shot of a landmark that looks better on a postcard.
The first time I moved abroad, I thought I was just changing my location. I didn’t realize I was about to reprogram my brain.
I used to think I was a pretty savvy traveler.
I’ve navigated post-Soviet Ukraine in the late ’90s, dodged aggressive taxi scams in Tbilisi, Georgia, even survived the on-street survey scams of Phuket, Thailand.
But then I almost booked a hotel that didn’t even exist.
Let’s face it! Europe in 2025 is shaping up to be a bureaucratic, overpriced, overcrowded mess!
I thought I was prepared.
I once met a fellow traveler in Bangkok, Thailand who had been lured in by the Instagram fantasy of digital nomad life in Chiang Mai: cheap rent, endless coconuts, and a laptop lifestyle that looked effortless.
I thought the best travel experiences had price tags.
From rushed meals to oversized portions! Why Americans are doing dining all wrong, and what Europe gets right!
As an expat, I’ve lived in multiple countries without ever needing a car. Here’s how I made it work, and why it might be the best reason for you to move abroad too!
I was recently reminded of how American food was, well… different, when my Italian landlord here in Saranda asked me about peanut butter.