10 Reasons Moving Abroad In Your Twenties Can Be The Best Thing You Can Do

by Sabrina Bertazzo

When I was 22, I got a job offer to work in London. My parents tried hard to stop me going, scared that something horrible would happen to me, but they failed. I packed my bag and went. Nobody, including myself, knew that a 3-month internship would turn into a decade of expat life.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

But why did I decide to stay in the British capital for so long? And what are the reasons why you should also move abroad in your 20s? For a start, this is the best time to take advantage of your youth and experience something completely new while discovering your international and wild side. Within a blink of an eye, you’ll be weighted down by many obligations and limitation that will make impossible for you to leave the nest and I know for a fact that you will regret not taking the chance.

1 –  It will widen your mind beyond imagination

Travel is the best way to gain a new perspective on your own life but also about the world. It widens your mind and horizons beyond what you think possible or accessible. Trying new food, listening and learning a new language or just get accustomed to a new culture are all part of your personal development and education.
By gaining a new perspective, you will become more adaptable and able to understand people from all over the world. This new ability will help throughout your life.

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{ Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus.}. . If in India I chased women in saris for photo opportunities, here in #Laos the tiny novices are my favourite subject. I love their orange robes and they love chatting to tourists to practice their English. Did I mention I'm in LOVE with this country? Please #visitLaos ☺️

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2 – It makes you braver

For some reasons, most people are braver in their 20s and better at taking risks. You will see everything as opportunities rather than dangers and this will allow you to grow faster as a human being. I took a massive risk moving to London, leaving my family and friends behind, but so far, I haven’t had a single day where I thought that was a mistake. In fact, I still think that was the best decision of my life.

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{ exhilarating } today I've jumped off of a plane at 13000 feet, strapped to a beautiful stranger on gorgeous #LakeWanaka with @skyewanaka. There are no words to describe what I've felt, the thoughts, the sights and the rush of adrenaline pumping into my veins... but let me tell you something: those moments between life and death, between the sky and the earth, were the most incredible, full, unforgettable, real, alive and freeing of my entire life. I Am Free. #makingitremarkable. . @kiwiexperience @purenewzealand totally #nzmustdo

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3 – It gives you better career opportunities

My previous career surely benefited by the fact that I had an international background and I know that my profile was more appetible than others who only worked in one country their entire life. I have the proof that having lived and worked abroad was that extra plus that made me the winning candidate when I went for interviews and new jobs. If you also are dreaming of an international career, your 20s is the best moment to lay the bricks for a great start.You know what? That was the toughest experience of my life, but it helped me to build my character, it strengthen me like nothing else and boosted my self-confidence in an exponential way.

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{ Where I am at } is not actually where I am at. Where I am at is merely a point on the path to where I am going. . Incredible afternoon stop at Lake Rotoiti after an incredible morning at Abel Tasman national park. I'm now enjoying the fireplace and the coziness of @bazilshosteland_surfschool while watching the #lordoftherings with some new @kiwiexperience friends. By the way, this hostel in #Westport is SO cool! ? wish I could stay an entire week! One of the best hostel in New Zealand so far! ???? . @purenewzealand ~ #nzmustdo

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4 - What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Ten years ago, I was terrified. I cried for weeks because I didn’t know what to expect and I was scared of the unknown. I had to cope with a new language  and I was moving to England with a very broken English. I had to face a totally new environment where I felt as a little child. But you know what? That was the toughest experience of my life, but it helped me to build my character, it strengthen me like nothing else and boosted my self-confidence in an exponential way.

5 –  It Pushes You Out of Your Comfort Zone

Being catapulted into a new world can be a true shock to the system. It truly was for me. And I am not talking about crossing the street in a place where they drive on the wrong side of the road (!!!), I’m talking about adapting to a country where they put chicken in their pizzas! LOL! Only joking! But seriously, adapting to all the little and big differences from your own home country is hard. But these are the are elements that will help you grow as an adult and help you become a better, rounder human being. And you know what’s amazing? Once you accomplish all of this you will truly feel like nothing can stop you. You will feel like you can do anything like a super human.

{ #wanderlust } It has been raining non stop in Airlie Beach today so we weren't able to fly around the #Whitsundays as expected, but we will very soon... Mr Beard and I decided to spend the day playing and decorating our mobile home. Not sure we will give it back in Sydney... Can I take her to New Zealand @jucyworld ????. #JucyWorld. . #exploreaustralia #hellobluey #FocusAustralia #athomeintheworld #liveintrepid #cityglimpses #mytinyatlas #discoveraustralia

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6 -Explore the world to understand yourself

While you will be at the other side of the world (but it could also be just at the other side of the border), you will have the opportunity to finally take off your mask. Yes, the one you wear at home and that everybody knows you for. Don’t deny it, everybody has one and living abroad allows you to finally drop it. This is an incredibly freeing experience and it might be your first (and last?) chance to really look inside yourself and reinvent yourself. On top of this, free from conditionings and restrictions, you will discover what really makes you happy and makes your heart beat.

{ o n t o p o f t h e w or l d. a g a i n } This is me in #selfiemode at Marion's Lookout on top of #CradleMountain in @tasmania. . Another fantastic walk yesterday, just after a freezing sunrise shooting session. And the sky was finally blue! ? Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last pic, quite stunning uh?. . Keep following my adventures on my #360Tasmania album on my FB page [facebook.com/sabrinaandreasachs] as I've little to no network for snappy! ?. . #olympusinspired @olympus_au • @jobyinc • @loweprobags

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7 – It will make you a citizen of the world and you will want more of it

I think that the reason why I’ve the wanderlust bug is mainly because I lived in a very multicultural city for a long time which exposed me to the most erse culture and this instilled an insane amount of curiosity in my blood. I’ve also noticed that looking at my friends who decided to stay at home in their 20s that…well they are still at home. This means that you’ll likely travel more when you’re older if you do it when you are young.

8 – You’ll become independent and unstoppable

Day by day, you will learn how to fend for yourself abroad which will make you an independent and autonomous inidual for the rest of your life. Yes, it’s true that at first everything is a struggle abroad, but this will only help you becoming stronger and stronger.

{ putting #Cambodia on the #DigitalNomads map } I've just kicked off a collaboration with @ maads Asia, a chain of gorgeous hotels with character all around this beautiful country. . Today, I'm working from #TeaHouse in #phnompenh. . Pic by @alessandra_rings my travel companion on this new biz adventure.

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9 – Truly learn a new language

When I left home with my broken English and a bag full of hopes and fears, I had a dream. I wanted to learn English and learn it fast. There is nothing else that can speed up the learning process as living in a country where it is spoken. And this exactly what happen to me. And let me tell you, learning and becoming bilingual is still the most rewarding achievement of my entire life.

E x p l o r e M o r e • What's better than discovering hidden gardens, climbing private fences, shooting and posing in the middle of a railway, meeting other random Instagramers doing the same, waiting for the light to be just perfect for that shot you had in mind for months, attempt a few time lapses during the golden hour in front of the Opera House while the sun dives on the other side of the bridge, laughing, learning and ultimately exploring? . Well, doing all of these things with an #instabuddy, of course! ? Thanks to my fav #travel app, Instagram, I got to hang out again with my talented and local expert ? FRANCESCO { @francescocamilloph}, yesterday. Thank you for showing me your #Sydney. Let's catch sunrise together soon! ? . #thestoryteller_inOZ #myaustralia #escapeordinary

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10 – Now is the right moment!

Of course, you can also move later in life, let’s say when you have a house, a mortgage, small children, older parents and a sparkling career. Yeah! Why not? Carpe diem. Do it now! #YOLO!