Why We Decided to Move Abroad

A year ago, my husband and I visited London for the first time. We came back to Seattle raving about the city and even joked about moving there (which is a big deal, because my husband is typically not a fan of city life). This ‘joke’ ended up spiraling into a much more serious conversation about our lives and we found ourselves asking the questions – “what’s on our bucket list?”, “is there anything we’d regret NOT doing before having children?”, “what’s next in our career?”.

We spent the next few weeks wrestling the idea of moving, and finally came to the conclusion that it was the right decision for us. Here are the top 5 reasons why we decided to move abroad (get ready for some serious Eat, Pray, Love vibes!).

1 – We got bit by the travel bug. No seriously though – after spending 2 weeks on our honeymoon traipsing around England and Greece, and then exploring Japan for a week last year….we had a burning desire to travel more. Flights from Seattle aren’t cheap so the fact that London would make traveling to other countries so much more accessible and affordable (2-hour train ride to Paris!) was enticing!

2 – We wanted to enhance our resumes/CV. It’s no secret that international business experience can be a huge selling point for your resume. Being able to adapt to different cultures, government policies, and business needs is an invaluable skill. We’ve been lucky to be at a company that has supported our move, and to also take on new job positions that will continue to ‘stretch’ us as we build our careers.

3 – We didn’t want to have any regrets. Growing up in Utah (me) and Florida (my husband) meant that we didn’t grow up with a ton of diversity. In fact, several of my childhood friends have still never ventured outside of the U.S! This is not necessarily a bad thing, but we personally wanted to experience more. We knew that if there was even an OUNCE of desire to move abroad, if we didn’t go, that regret would stay with us forever. After all, you never hear about people ‘regretting’ their move abroad.

4 – We wanted to have fun. My husband and I both started working in the corporate world straight out of college, right after graduation (there was no honeymoon period where we took 3 months off and backpacked around Europe). By the ages of 26 and 27, we had successful careers and had saved enough money to buy a modern, new construction 4-bedroom home in Seattle. All of the decisions we had made in our lives had been ‘safe’ and ‘expected’; it had been awhile since we had felt out of our comfort zone. We decided that it was time for us to….(in my husband’s own words) “make a fun decision for once!”

5 – We wanted to learn. Living abroad means you get to experience different cultures and beliefs. It builds character. You meet new people and forge new relationships. You try exotic foods. You are surrounded by new sights and smells. We wanted to be exposed to a brand-new environment, so that we could learn about others and also, learn a little bit more about ourselves.

It’s not going to be all rainbows and butterflies. We know that moving abroad will be at times challenging and frustrating. To say we are terrified to move is an understatement – but the love and support we’ve received from our friends, families, and colleagues has made things so much easier. Nervous as we are…we’re also so excited for this new adventure!