When considering your options post-graduation, have you thought about moving abroad after college? We get why you might not—there are many decisions and pressures you have to face all at once. Not only are you most likely facing a move (somewhere, anywhere?), as well as a change of social life and daily rhythm, but you’re also considering how to spend the majority of your time and focus. The pressures of university life may still be a reality as you also must attempt figuring out your future professional life (and all the decisions, job applications, and efforts this entails).
You could keep studying… or… you could go abroad after college!
Still, while it may seem daunting at first, and that decisions may mean permanent and irrevocable trajectories that narrow a range of possibilities, any thoughtful contemplation or life experience can remind us that everything remains in flux, and the pressure is more self-imposed than anything. One of the benefits of our newly globalized, information society is that current generations can adopt a broad view and balance multiple attachments. A career is no longer limited to one town or one company for a lifetime.
The ability to provide diversified experience is valued in society, and it is something that new graduates should be eager to take advantage of. One way to achieve this diversified portfolio and wide-ranging experience is to consider travel abroad after college and completing your (formal) education (we’re lifelong learners, right?). It may mean moving beyond one’s comfort zone and taking a few risks. This, however, provides character-building and enriching experience that is almost always rewarding and useful for your future life path.
Read on to learn our best advice on how to live abroad after college and make the most of the experience.
What makes moving abroad after college SO awesome
There is so much excitement to be had! It *is* a little scary, but that’s kind of what makes it great?! Besides, who doesn’t love A D V E N T U R E!!!
Moving abroad after college can mean learning a language, falling in love (with food, a culture, or a person), and, not to be cliché, but discovering yourself. The challenge of confronting new and different situations on a daily basis, and the independence that such a completely foreign experience affords, allows you to build an understanding of how you manage life. It is truly exciting to discover what you are capable of, to see, taste, touch, and hear the things that you may only read about or watch on TV. It might be beautiful, or it might be a little bit intimidating at times, but the power of that experience is consistently amazing and worthwhile.
Even a crummy day abroad pretty much beats a regular day back home.
Living and operating in a foreign culture strengthens your ability to communicate and adapt, and because you have experienced what it is like to be navigating the unknown, you will develop an empathy for others in your life. While the way things are done in your new location may seem irritating at first, or just inefficient or incorrect, over time you begin to understand why they are done that way, further amplifying your empathy. This empathy and understanding will enable you to be truly successful in working with others throughout your life. In addition to a more obvious new skill like a second language, communication skills are invaluable and helpful for any future career path.
Of course, it is scary to embark on something so different, with so many unknown variables. Often times it is difficult to form new relationships. However, this will be an inevitable challenge no matter what you do, as you are moving on from college and will have to change your social environment and construct a new one. In a foreign country, you can rely on the common experience from other expats (foreigners living in a new country), your own supply of self-reliance and courage, and, of course, a little help from your old friends. New technology means that home and support from family and old friends is usually just a free internet message away. Even if you live abroad for a year after college, the experience will go by like *that*.
9 pro tips before you go abroad after college
You did it! Now it’s time to learn how to live abroad after college.
As you transition between college and your life abroad, here are some tips as to how to weather the experience, get the most out of it, and maybe even completely fall in love with it:
1. Don’t expect to maintain your regular routine.
Expecting to keep to a rigid schedule is a way to set oneself up for failure. It may mean disappointment on a regular basis. Keeping a more flexible mindset means less problems when things don’t go as planned. Regularity and life abroad are somewhat at odds with each other (at least in the beginning)—give yourself some time to settle into your new day-to-day life.
2. Try new food, and keep trying it.
When you go abroad after college, TASTE. EVERYTHING. The first or even second time you try something, it may seem not that great. It could be that first try wasn’t the best rendition of the dish. And it could also be your taste buds are still adapting. It’s possible to go from “meh” about a dish in the first few months, to craving it in the end! In Spain, try to give tortilla a first, second and third try! In China, try as many different noodle soups that you can stomach. Malbec flights in Argentina, anyone?
3. Don’t worry about losing friendships at home.
It may seem like you are missing out on experiences back home, or that you are not maintaining bonds with friends. However, everyone is growing and spreading out after college. Good friends will always remain good friends, and everyone is moving in new directions. Instead, focus on the amazing friends you’re making in your new home! Can you even remember how you got on without them for so long before?!
New heights? New views? New friends? YES PLZ.
4. Try to learn the language as much as possible.
It is often easy to fall into a group of expats, especially if you’re taking on an English-teaching job. Remember this is an unparalleled experience for language immersion and even if it is sometimes a pain, you will thank yourself later. It is one of the most tangible skills you can walk away with after your international experience—not to mention it gives you unmatched clues and insights to the complexities/beauty of the local culture (that you’ll simply miss out on if you skip learning even the basics!).
5. Don’t get offended easily.
Even in a warm and hospitable culture like that of Colombia, Spain, or Thailand, sometimes things or people can seem rude, even when it is really just a different lifestyle or approach. There may be less “please” or more raised voices than you are used to, but that doesn’t mean someone is rude or angry, that is just the manner of speech. When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable. — Kip Fadiman
6. Do your homework when it comes to the financials.
There are lots of websites dedicated to helping you pay for your travel abroad after college, oftentimes breaking down the general cost of things. Make sure to budget within your range from the beginning, so you aren’t caught in a jam. Don’t just think about how much the Airbnb costs, think about the cost of getting there and back, and whether you need to get there before the grocery store closes, or if you can swing eating out.
[How to Raise Money for a Trip Fast]
You can live abroad for a year after college ANYWHERE. Which place is right for you?
7. Listen to advice, but also your own intuition.
Sometimes locals or fellow expats may be eager to give you their two cents. Sometimes it is useful, sometimes it isn’t, just as if you were at home. Feel free to pick and choose!
8. Push yourself...
New experiences and especially language learning can be exhausting when you go abroad after college, and you may not feel like a certain activity you are invited to do, and it can be tempting to remain at home when you finally are settled in your own space. The more you try and explore though, the easier it gets!
Push yourself to challenge your preconceived notions. It’s hard to be afraid of entire regions or countries once you’ve interacted in otherwise-mundane ways. Seeing foreigners live their lives, smile and laugh, wash their clothes, walk their dogs, share ice cream with their kids, sit on a bench with an elder... all of these experiences complicate our feelings of hate or prejudice, so much that it will probably make those feelings vanquish entirely. It allows us to be open, to trust, to break down cultural barriers, and turn a once stranger into just another human (or better yet a friend).
9. ...But don’t be too hard on yourself!
You may feel down sometimes, or a little frustrated. You might even feel anxious from time to time (travel anxiety is real, yo!). That’s understandable, and allowable. Give yourself some rest time or indulge in a familiar treat, like that overpriced latte or a ticket to the English-speaking movie theater.
Then remember that every second of your life abroad is an opportunity to better understand yourself, your own country, the world. Traveling re-acquaints us with the joy of learning, exploring for the sake of exploring, and knowing we don’t have to cram certain facts and details into our memory for some stupid test. We can observe at our own pace, reflect as we must, and absorb all we can. For ourselves and no one else.
Give your passport a workout.
Most popular ways to live abroad for a year after college
So how does one swing living abroad after college?
- Study abroad. We know you just finished school, but learning is still pretty dope, right? Sign up for a language school or university classes and keep those brain muscles working. One way a lot of people to do it is through continued study. You can learn as much from your new classmates as you do from the course material. Remember, you still have time to work for the rest of your life!
- Volunteer abroad. You’re hungry for experience and many places are in need of extra hands, finances, and support to accomplish missions related to social support. You can find opportunities in Marine Conservation, Construction, and even Animal Welfare! The trick is to find a project that matches your skills set and has tangible outcomes that you can accomplish in your preferred program duration. Don’t sign up for something unethical!
- Intern abroad. Get your foot in the door with a high-impact international internship in a variety of sectors. This can be a great segue to a more permanent life abroad (#HIRED) or a way to get a taste of a career path that you have a budding interest in. It’s traveling, but with a huge resume boost as an already-included souvenir!
- Teach and work abroad. Dude. There are so many ways that you can move abroad after college and make money! Get a TEFL certificate then put your native English speaking skills to good (and profitable) use. Become an au pair and travel with your family on vacations in the Mediterranean. Work a ski resort in New Zealand or as a writer in Ireland. Just find the perfect job and go! Working abroad might not make you a millionaire (unless you teach in Korea or Dubai, that is), but you will make enough to be able to experience the country and make a few trips to nearby cities and countries. It is also a great way to meet the locals and learn from them and about their culture!
[Pro Tips on Finding Work Abroad After Graduation]
You’re ready for moving abroad after college
Learn how to move abroad after college & live with 0 regrets.
Of course, it is impossible to highlight every advantage to travel abroad after college. The most valuable takeaways, of course are the skills of empathy, the new perspectives you can adopt, and the friendships that you make. You will have stories and memories to cherish forever. You will also become much more independent. After having to find your way through a foreign city with limited language skills, figuring out how to pay the electric bill back home is not nearly as challenging. Most of all, as you learn to become more flexible and adapt, you can truly enjoy any experience to a greater degree.
Over the course of a lifetime, you will no doubt discover what your priorities are, and how you can live your best life. After you figure out how to move abroad after college (and actually do it!), your ability to name these priorities and live a fulfilled, purposeful life becomes even easier. You can see how people from very different backgrounds go through experiences, or maybe even enjoy some experiences with them, and in seeing how other people find meaning, reflect on how you find meaning so that you can make the best of life!