Moving abroad – what could be the motivation?
If you want to move abroad, there is obviously a reason. These reasons can be many and varied, each person is motivated by different things, each person wants to leave or experience something different. Some are motivated by money, others by adventure. We’ve put together the most common motivating “forces” that drive people abroad, even you.
Written by Reka Paulikovics
Many people dream of living in another country for at least a short period of their lives. Living in a foreign culture can offer new opportunities, a new lifestyle, a new career, a new direction and also new goals. It gives us the chance to leave the past behind and to discover ourselves in new situations, it is certain that learning about another culture will make us more, and learning a new language will be a win-win! Now for the reasons: why we want to go abroad. What motivates you?
To get away from it all
A large percentage of people who want to go abroad find their lives boring or “stale”. Are you bored with your job, your home, the food, the leisure activities? Do you always do the same thing and it’s no longer fulfilling? Moving abroad, even if only for a short time, can really help you to spice up your life. New challenges, new job, new people, new environment. Things to discover that will certainly not be boring.
Negativity
Of course, running away is unnecessary and won’t solve anything, but if you really don’t feel comfortable, don’t feel like you can fly with your wings spread and grow and develop in your current location, then moving abroad can help you to finally experience wholeness. What’s important is not to get immersed in negativity and being around people who are bad influences on you, but just be aware that this is not what you want and move on. Even abroad.
Feel like you’re missing out on something
When you get to a point where you consider yourself ‘old’ or ‘getting older’, you may feel like you’ve lived through the exciting times in your life and the happy times are behind you. You don’t really mean that, do you? It’s never too old or too late for anything. Moving abroad is very popular with people in their thirties, forties or even fifties, because it helps them to get enthusiastic about life again. You can experience new challenges and feel young again.
Change is natural and independent of any age, it helps us all grow in new and refreshing ways. Self-development doesn’t just happen when you’re young – it’s a process. Don’t be afraid of it!
Gaining experience as a young person
Moving abroad when you are young is a beneficial and courageous act. We have heard so much about young backpackers who take the world by the scruff of the neck and head off to gain some life experience. Life abroad is perfect for that. It may be a bit more daring and require more organisation than hitchhiking around your country, but if you’re young, moving to another country can make for a very rewarding life when you return home. Living abroad can help you test your limits and see what you’re really capable of – experiencing and living things that you can take with you for the rest of your life. If you’re young and curious, you can grow and blossom without huge responsibilities, which means you’ll pick up invaluable assets that you’ll forever thank your time abroad for.
Learning about other cultures
When you experience life in another country, you’ll be surrounded by people who have different lifestyles, morals, and traditions – which may be exactly what you want. When you see people who live differently, you can adopt new norms that are more in tune with who you are. What’s certain is that you can’t really experience a country and its culture in one short trip. By moving to that country for a while, you can experience more of what it has to offer. You can live like a local, instead of a tourist, so you can really appreciate a new way of life, which is much more rewarding than living in your home country all your life and only reading about other countries in books. Why not experience it first hand? You’ll learn more about manners, language, body language, norms, traditions, holidays, clothing, values, religion – all of which can enrich your life and change your perspective.
Lifestyle change
In many places in the world, it’s normal to work from 8 to 4 or 9 to 5, buy a house and a car on a weekday, and that’s the average (which is fine in principle). But there are people who don’t like these limits and want to live more freely. There are plenty of examples, especially overseas, of people living their lives differently. They don’t work in an office, they work at home or in the park, maybe they get a break in the middle of the day to take a nap. Moving abroad can also be a great way to experience what this change of lifestyle can feel like, a great opportunity to realise that life can be lived differently.
Working or studying
One of the most popular reasons people move abroad is to work or study. Some people find that there are more career opportunities in certain industries abroad, and so moving can be a step-up for them. Working abroad also means you can meet fascinating new people and work differently and in a different environment than at home.
Studying abroad may not need explaining, as you are not only enriching your mind with knowledge, but you are doing so in a completely new environment, which is also a fundamental development. Through the challenges abroad, you will certainly become a fuller, more open-minded individual. In addition, you are likely to develop lifelong international friendships.
Independence
Independence is invaluable. It is a wonderful feeling to be in control of your own life. Moving abroad encourages you to depend solely on yourself. When you travel alone to another country, you have no one to rely on to do the hard work for you. And that means you can start to trust yourself. Independence through a big move abroad can help you in many areas of your life, a skill you’ll be able to use throughout your life.
Career building
It looks good on a CV to have a job abroad, doesn’t it? If you know a foreign language well, companies may give you a job in the future on that fact alone. What’s more, employers like to see skills like critical and independent thinking, creativity, resourcefulness, self-reliance and passion – all things that you develop during a few years abroad. You’ll see the world, your life, and your work from a different perspective, and you’ll be able to put this to good use in your career.
Special experiences
Some things you definitely can’t get at home. For example, beach life, extreme sports that are specific to a place, certain foods, special fauna and flora, or landscapes and monuments. Some people are driven by this. We don’t have it all in our country, so we go on holiday, but these ‘tours’ are simply not long enough to experience everything. By living abroad, you can experience much more of these things and even find some real treasures for yourself.
As you can see from the above, there are many ways that many people think and think and of course the list is not exhaustive, as there are many other reasons why someone might want to live abroad. What is important is to find the reasons within yourself and discover your own motivation for wanting to live in another country.
Are you already planning an adventure? Do you still have questions? Do you need support?
A short trip or moving abroad can be a challenging time in your life. If you are still planning or have already started your journey, contact us with confidence!
Gather credible information, be aware of your options and most importantly, find the best people to help you realise your dreams. Search among the Continent Surfer providers by country or by activity.
You can be sure that our experts will help you with all their heart and soul, so that you won’t be surprised when you go abroad!
Did you know?
What does FOMO (fear of missing out) really mean? A recent study on the subject defined it as:
…‘‘the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out – that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you’’. Under this framing of FoMO, nearly three quarters of young adults reported they experienced the phenomenon.
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Source(s):
Original article: Külföldre költözés – mi lehet a motiváció? Translated by: BOGI – CONTINENT SURFER
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Like what we do?
If so, please support us, every little counts and much appreciated!
You will help us to come up with useful information regularly, so please support us every once in a while or even on a monthly basis! Thank you!
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