Occasionally, there are things in life that draw you in with little to no explanation. Your intuition points you in a certain direction and you suddenly feel an inexplicable yet pressing need to follow. For me, that direction was abroad.

I can’t recall exactly what it was that made me want to live in another country. Like many others, I learned a bit about studying abroad as a student. I thought the experience would be cool, of course, but there was something more than that tugging at my brain. My intuition was telling me that this was something I had to do.  Years later, when I finally got the opportunity to live in Paris, I realized that being abroad was everything I had ever dreamed and so much more.

Now, having just moved to my fourth foreign country, I know that I am hooked. Life in different cultures has changed and molded who I am as a person in a good way, and I am curious to hear if it did the same for all of you fellow wanderers. Similarly, I hope it might help those of you reflecting on a desire to pursue similar dreams.

Self-Discovery

The first weeks were amazing! I often wandered around beautiful Parisian streets thinking “Wow! I am getting paid to live here.” Seeing my dreams come true was nothing short of fantastic. But it was a honeymoon phase.

When the honeymoon phase ended, it actually became somewhat uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, of course, but in a way that makes you question the standard practices you’ve been raised to embrace. According to Psychology Today, “your real life is the sum total of all of your experiences, not just the ones you’re comfortable with.” It’s the experiences that exist outside of your comfort zone that encourage personal growth and emotional highs.

When you’re not restricted to a single set of cultural norms, you get to know who you really are instead of who you are expected to be. The more ways of life you’re exposed to, the more options you have to find your best fit. In fact, people that live abroad tend to report a clearer sense of self, and I must say that I agree. I am much more comfortable with who I am as a person after being exposed to so many different and interesting people. Exposure to so many differences in people in so many cultures has made it much easier to learn from and accept others and to be really at ease with who I am.

Self-Development

After that first realization, I found that life in various countries continued to change me. With every country came new experiences and new lessons, and there is no limit to this type of learning:  Based on the experiences I was accumulating, the possibilities were endless. All at once, self-discovery had morphed into self-development.

Creativity flourishes when you’re exposed to new ideas and practices and I was no exception. In discovering a variety of societal norms, I found new ways to address my creative urges. Diverse cultural experiences can spur creativity, and sharpen our ability to connect concepts. I felt that I was becoming more well-rounded the longer I lived abroad, better able to connect patterns in events, behaviors and myself that I would otherwise not have been able to identify.

What’s wonderful is that the learning does not stop and each experience provides me with an opportunity to try something new. Meeting so many people with lifestyles so very different from my own keeps my mind open. When you’ve only lived one life, it’s easy to forget that your way is not the only way. Living in multiple countries allows and even forces you to live several lives, reminding you every day that different is not only common but beyond okay; a stimulus for diversity, innovation, and fun. It was this realization that formed the basis of my travel addiction.

Self-Satisfaction

When you’re culture hopping, you’re allowing yourself to feed curiosity on a regular basis. You learn new things about yourself, about others, and about the world. The more you learn, the more you want to know. It’s a cycle that creates a craving for knowledge that can only be satisfied by different experiences in new places.

Travel addiction is real, but so is the satisfaction you get when you give yourself a chance to live in the world instead of merely on it. Prior to my experiences abroad, it felt as if something was missing in my life and I couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t until I left home in search of something more, that I discovered the reason behind that feeling.

Several years and four countries later, I find myself forever thankful for that nagging intuition that prompted me to seek out life overseas. The experience has given me many opportunities and I know that it’s forced me to create a few myself. I know in my heart that this lifestyle that I have chosen is a gift that will keep on giving, and I’m very much looking forward to the lessons and experiences to come.