134: Why moving abroad changes your standards for life

One of the most unexpected things moving abroad teaches you is how much your standards for life can change. Not in a spoiled way, but in a "wow, I didn't realize life could feel like this" kind of way. And once that shift happens, it's hard to unsee it.

In this episode, I break down what "standards" actually means in this context. This is not about luxury or upgrading your lifestyle. It's about what you start seeing as normal, healthy, enjoyable, and possible, including things like work-life balance, walkability, pace of life, travel access, community, and stress levels.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• How walkable cities and car-free daily life can make your routine feel more human and less rushed
• Why burnout is not actually inevitable and what a healthier work-life balance looks like abroad
• The beauty of slower, more intentional living including café culture, long dinners, and a life that isn't built around hustle
• How travel stops feeling like an escape and starts feeling like a natural part of everyday life
• Why living among things built with character and beauty quietly improves your well-being
• How experiencing different healthcare and safety net structures changes your baseline sense of security

I also keep it real with an important nuance. Living abroad is not perfect. Every country comes with trade-offs, loneliness, bureaucracy, and distance from the people you love. But experiencing another way of life changes your perspective forever.

The biggest takeaway? Sometimes moving abroad does not just change where you live. It changes what you believe is possible for your life.

👉Take the free quiz: Which European city should you move to? 🤔

Grab my free guide: 5 exact steps to move abroad

Website: jordangiberson.com
Instagram: @jordan.giberson

Transcript

0:00

One of the most beautiful things is that whenever we're in a new country and in a new culture, we see that there are other ways to live, other ways to build a life, and so beautiful to experience that whenever you travel I feel like experiencing another way of life, it's changed my perspective forever. Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Move Abroad Podcast. Today we're talking about why moving abroad changes your standard of life One thing I really didn't expect after moving abroad was how much my standards of life would change. And not really spoiled in a way, but more in like a wow, I didn't realize that life could feel this way. And I think once your standards change, it's a little bit hard to unsee it or go backwards. And I really don't mean like luxury. I mean that is what you really start to see as normal or healthy or enjoyable or possible that's different from the life that you have grown accustomed to Some examples might be your work-life balance, how walkable the city is, your social life, access to travel, the pace of life, healthcare, the time that you have, your stress levels, etc so let's talk about some of the ways that my standards have changed after moving abroad and what you might also become spoiled to once you move abroad as well So one of the first things for me is the walkability of daily life. I love that I can walk to my favorite local coffee shops. I live in an awesome place where there are 10 coffee shops within a 10-minute walk from me, so I am definitely spoiled in that regard. I love that I can walk to my favorite little cafes with outdoor seating. It's just super cute, and I love it. I also love that walking to parks is super walkable for me. I walk to the river that's, a minute and a half walk from where I am, and I love that. I also love that I can walk to my local grocery store. There's a little bakery around the corner where I know the people that work at the bakery, and I say hello whenever I pass by. I love that everything around me is so walkable. I just love that part of European life in general. It's one of my most favorite things about living in Europe is that everything is connected. Your community and all the things that you need is within a 10-minute walk from you. I also love public transportation. Everything is walkable, but I love my experience personally. Maybe some people don't like this, but I love that I walk to the station. I enjoy my walk there, and it's also very healthy for you to walk, and it's built into my normal everyday life. So I walk to the Tube station, and I go on the Tube and I read my book and I catch up on messages sometimes. Sometimes I even take a little nap. I just close my eyes and I'm super relaxed. So I love public transportation. I just, love that it's so walkable and whenever you're on public transport you're not, like, gripping the steering wheel or needing to focus, and it's more of a relaxing experience for me personally. Minus 5:00 traffic. 5:00 traffic, it is very packed in there and it's not the most desirable, but no traffic ever is, whether you're sitting in a car and needing to focus and you realize that your shoulders are really tense or being on the Tube. it's not the best thing ever, but public transport I just, chef's kiss. I think it's the best. I also think that it's really nice that you don't need a car. I like that I don't have to worry about that, about paying for insurance and paying for things to be repaired. So maybe someday I will get a car, but I love that I don't have to do that. I love that London is so walkable, and many other European cities are also very walkable I just think that my daily life starts to feel a little bit more human and a little bit less rushed. I love that I don't have to sit on the highway where it's not very cute and there are a million billboards everywhere. I just love that everything is walkable. in the US we're very used to car culture and having parking lots everywhere, whereas a lot of Europe is a little bit different in that regard. So, this is something that I really enjoy is the walkability, and that the walks are not ugly along a highway. They're very beautiful and picturesque and very enjoyable to walk around The second thing that has made me absolutely spoiled in Europe is the work-life balance. It really depends on the company culture and on your manager, but I feel like overall there is a lot fewer live to work vibes. There are longer lunches, more vacation time. People actually take their vacation time, whereas in the US you feel a little bit guilty taking your vacation days. In Europe, everyone takes every single holiday that they are given. So in the UK it's about 25 days a year. That's very typical across most organizations. And in European countries it'll also be 20 to... It could be up to 40, like in some countries, or maybe even more. Like, it really is so much more of a work-life balance where you do have time off of work, and it's not a shameful thing to do, but it's encouraged and it's a normal part of life in your work life and being able to take time off and just enjoy. Like, most of Europe takes off like all of August because their kids are off and they just enjoy, and businesses just close down. I love that part of Europe Another thing that has made me spoiled for European life is the slower, more intentional living style of cafe culture, relaxing with a croissant and a coffee, of having really long dinners where you're not pressured to leave the second you finish your dinner. It irritates me to no end whenever I feel like a waiter is rushing me after I finish a meal in the US. It makes me so mad. In Europe, they're hands-off. They let you enjoy your meal, and it just feels like such a more relaxing experience where they're not just trying to, turn the tables and get you to leave. But you can enjoy a nice long dinner out. Even if you finish your food and your wine, an hour ago, they're not going to ask you to leave. You get to just enjoy, and I just love that. I think people also might enjoy their weekdays a little bit more, where it's less about constant work and just enjoying the weekdays a little bit more, and less hustle culture I think too. So more slow, intentional living I think is a bigger part of European lifestyle. The next one that has made me completely spoiled for living in Europe is that travel becomes a normal part of life. The flights to get you to different countries across Europe are extremely cheap, and the flights don't take that long, so you can easily do a weekend trip to Spain or to Portugal or to the United Kingdom or to Greece. The flights don't take that long, so you could easily get to another European country in an hour flight or two-hour flight. Probably max would be four hours, like traveling all the way across Europe, but that's pretty uncommon. The flights are just really short, and they are a lot cheaper in Europe as well. And you can also use trains to get across Europe, which is my preferred travel And you can also use trains to travel across Europe, which is my preferred way to travel if that's possible. So it's just amazing, you can travel across Europe and it's normal in everyday life. I do multiple trips to Europe every single year, and it just feels very normal to me. Like, last year I went to Paris and Munich, and I know I went to other European countries. Where else did I go? I'm talking about going to Munich again this year. Where else do I plan on going? I don't know. It's a mystery. I don't know where I'm gonna go yet. And that's what's so great, is that you can plan a last-minute trip, and you don't have to plan a year in advance like most Americans do whenever they're traveling to Europe. It can be very spur of the moment, booking a last-minute trip, because it's really easy and you can do it in a quick weekend. You don't even need to take time off if you don't want to. Or you can just take one extra day off because, heck, you have 25 or more holiday days, so you have the ability to do that and be able to enjoy those holiday days that you have. The next thing that has made me absolutely spoiled to living in Europe is that things here actually have character and are built to last. Things are not just how we build them in modern day, think a skyscraper or modern homes. All of the homes have such detail. I live in a home that's a Victorian period home. And while it's not, crazy, crown molding everywhere, like, I do have crown molding on the ceiling, and it's actually normal here. So I love that things have character and that they are just so beautiful to look at. Just think about European churches. There are a million churches across Europe, and they're just stunning. The detail that was put into every single church and so many buildings across Europe in general is just amazing. I love that. It's just so stunning to look at, And I genuinely feel like it's something that I've become so spoiled to because I'm just so used to it now. All the buildings in London and across European cities are just so beautiful to look at. Whenever I go to the US and I'm driving along the highway or I'm going to a dinner and it's, a chain restaurant, I'm like, "Ugh," "this is not cute." I'm just so used to things being really cute or having crazy history. Like, oh yeah, this church was built in 1500, or this art piece that you can view that's free in this massive gallery was painted in 1200 by this famous artist. It's so cool that there's so much history across Europe and that things are so beautiful. Even nature is really beautiful. A lot of the parks are very well-maintained across Europe, and they're just really nice to walk through and experience. Things just look very beautiful, and I feel like it just adds to romanticizing your life in a way. I do feel like my life is romanticized in a way, but in a way that's actually really real, and I love that experience as I'm living in Europe and just enjoying everyday normal life. Whereas in the US, things look very different I was in the US semi-recently, a few months ago, and I remember I was at dinner with my partner, with my boyfriend, and he was like, "Well, do you think you'd ever wanna move back to the US?" Because he'd be open to it. And I was like, Honestly, the thought of being here..." Like, this is one of the cutest restaurants that we could find, one of the nicest ones, and it just feels like every restaurant looks the same. And I was like, just I don't enjoy my experience at restaurants as much as I do in Europe where they all have so much character, and they just feel, smaller and cute and intimate, or they could be really nice, but they just have a very different feel. I feel like you can find that in specific cities. New York has some really amazing restaurants and just cool vibes that you can't find in a lot of other American cities, in my opinion. And maybe that makes me sound really bratty. Maybe it makes me sound really spoiled, but the truth is, I am very spoiled because I'm used to restaurants being so beautiful and, the buildings being so beautiful and, sitting on a table that's, a cute Parisian table that's, a marble table that's just beautiful. Because I just... I don't know. I think the things are very beautiful here, the way that they're decorated and the way the buildings are, and maybe I'm going on and on about this too much. But I remember that experience being on the restaurant, and I was like, "Honestly, this is the nicest restaurant that we could find, the cutest one." And I don't mean, like, it was a super crazy expensive restaurant, but just a normal, nice restaurant in the area. And it was, one of the nicest areas that you could be in around Austin. And I was "Eh." Like, it's okay. So anyways, I've definitely been spoiled to everything having so much character, all the history around me, and that things are just built to last, and things are built to be really beautiful. And I'm absolutely spoiled to that by living in Europe Another thing that I am absolutely spoiled about by living in Europe is the healthcare and safety nets. I think that, no place is perfect, and the healthcare system in the UK or in other European countries might not be perfect, but they have amazing healthcare, and it's also either heavily subsidized or it's completely free. I have gone to the doctor many times in the UK and... Well, not many, many times, but I have had to have some pretty serious tests before, and it was completely free for me, which is amazing. I also get, healthcare provided by my company that I work for, and it's great because I don't actually have to pay anything for that, and it doesn't actually cost the company that much. So I know that even if I decided to leave this company, even if I decided to be a freelancer or do whatever where I wasn't being taken care of by a company, I could easily pay for private healthcare if I wanted to, just to have that extra boost to be able to have a doctor's appointment that day, like the next hour if I wanted to, which gives me a lot of peace. Whereas I know in the US, if I wasn't working for a good company and I wanted to be a freelancer or build my own business, that... and not have that extra like, you know, healthcare that my company is providing, that I wouldn't have to worry because healthcare is free across Europe, and it's also a really solid system. And if I wanted to pay a little bit extra to have private healthcare, it does not cost nearly as much as it does in the US. It might cost you $100 a month or even less, versus in the US where it's thousands per month. So I just think it's such a nice thing to have that you have this safety net, and you don't have to worry about your healthcare needs being taken care of. And just because your healthcare needs are being taken care of without paying thousands and thousands, it does not mean that it's not as good. I feel like a lot of people might think that the best healthcare is in the US, and while, yes, the US does have amazing doctors, it does have amazing hospitals, it does not mean that the healthcare is not good across Europe. It is really great. They have the same technology. They have amazing doctors with a lot of knowledge, and I've just become absolutely spoiled to this system in Europe with healthcare. Well, those were a few ways that living in Europe has absolutely spoiled me for moving back to the US. I will say that every country has its trade-offs. No country is perfect, and I don't want you to hear this because I think it sounded a little bit like Europe is perfect and America is bad. That's not true. I don't mean that. I think that the US is a great country, and I think to be an American, you are one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to have access to live in the US. While the US is not perfect by any means, and while I do love living in London, and while I do love living and being a part of European life, no place is perfect. Every country does have its trade-offs. I think that living abroad sometimes does also come with loneliness or bureaucracy. Dealing with the visa is super irritating that we have to even have that. Distance from family is a little bit frustrating too. Living abroad does have its trade-offs, but For me, I feel like experiencing another way of life, it's changed my perspective forever. I love my life that I built in Europe. I wouldn't have been here so long if I didn't, right? I just got my permanent residency in the UK. I've been living here for, let's see, over six years now. Like six and a half years, which is crazy. It's gone by so fast. And I love that I have the best of both worlds, where I get to enjoy European life and all that it has to offer, and all these amazing things that I talked about in this episode, and more. I'm sure after I finish this episode, I'll be like, "Oh, wait, that other thing that I love about living in Europe", I love that I can also enjoy visiting my family every six months, or more often, depending on what's going on in life. And I love that I get to still enjoy life in the US, where I love celebrating the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving, and country music and country dancing that I loved so much whenever I was in Texas. And lake life, where you go out on the boat. There's different things that are great about being in the US that I do absolutely miss, but I am spoiled to European life too. So if I can balance it and have the best of both worlds, then that is the biggest win for me. But I do want you to know, like I hope that I'm not like absolutely trashing America, because I do think that the US is a great place to live, and Europe is not perfect. But I love all these things that I talked about, and they have made me spoiled in a way where whenever I do come back to the US, I'm like, Ugh," like, "this is so irritating." Like, another thing that comes to mind is the tip culture in the US. Oh my gosh, I cannot stand the tipping culture in the US. It's horrible. The worst story I can think of is I remember I was in the airport in the US, and then I remember there was nobody at this little where you could get little snacks and stuff, right? And it was a self-checkout. No one helped me. No one asked, "Can I help you today, ma'am? Is there anything I can do? Let me help you check out." No one helped me. No one asked. There was no one around. And they had the audacity whenever I was checking out to ask if I wanted to tip. Oh my gosh. The tipping culture in the US is way out of hand. I hope that the US kinda cleans that up in the next few years, because it's horrible, and super irritating, and makes me feel anxious with every single thing. Everyone wants a tip. And it's very irritating. Maybe you have a job where you get tips, and you're like, "Oh," like, "you don't understand, it's so important." I'm not saying I don't tip. I do. Especially in restaurants, that's how they make their money is via tips. So anyways, I'm going on and on about this. But the tipping culture, I'm like, "Ugh," like, "this is so irritating." Like in Europe, like what you need to pay is like whatever is listed, and there's no taxes added on to that price. There's not a tip that gets added on to that price. What you see on the board is what you get, and I love that. So anyways I hope that something that came clear in this episode too is that moving abroad, it doesn't just change where you live and where you physically are. I think it also changes what you believe is possible for your life, and that travel opens that up for us. One of the most beautiful things about travel is that whenever we're in a new country and in a new culture, we see that there are other ways to live, other ways to build a life, and so beautiful to experience that whenever you travel. And it's leveling up whenever you move abroad, that you get to really fully immerse yourself in everyday life and to experience what that new culture looks like and how there are multiple ways to live where you can be maybe more intentional or to question some of the default lifestyle choices that you've made in the past in ways that aren't really serving you. So I think that's also a really cool part of moving abroad and ways that changed and been not spoiled in that regard, but I think just ways that I've changed a little bit in a positive way So there you have it. That is why moving abroad changes your standards for life, and why whenever you move abroad to Europe, you will become a little bit spoiled to a different way of living, if I do say so myself. So if this is you, if you're like, "Yes," like, "I love this. I really want to move abroad," there is a guide that you can download. It's called the Five Exact Steps to Move Abroad, so you can go grab that on the link that's in the podcast description. So you can find it there, or you can go to Jordangiberson.com/guide, and you can download that free guide if that's of interest to you. But if not, I hope that you enjoyed this episode. I hope that you found it fun and interesting and, a little bit eye-opening of different ways that you might have a mentality shift, and ways that you might be spoiled, too, if you end up moving abroad. And I hope that someday you do. So anyways, that is it for me for today's episode. I hope you enjoyed another episode of The Move Abroad Podcast. I will catch you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.