Would I move abroad again if I could go back and start over at 23 knowing everything I know today?

It is one of the biggest questions I ask myself from time to time. And today I am answering it honestly. Not from a place of selling you on the dream. Not from a highlight reel of the best moments. But from a genuinely reflective place of looking back at one of the biggest decisions I have ever made and asking — would I do it again?

There are things I would absolutely do the same. There are things I would do differently. And there are things that surprised me in ways I never expected. By the end of this post I will have answered all of it, including whether I would still choose the same country and whether I would still leave America altogether.

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What I Got Right When I Moved Abroad

Let me start with the good stuff. Because there is a lot of it.

Moving abroad is still, to this day, the best decision I have ever made for myself. And I say that not because everything was easy or perfect. I say it because of what the experience gave me that I simply could not have gotten any other way.

The Confidence I Built

One of the biggest things moving abroad gave me was a deep and quiet confidence that I did not have before. When you pick up your entire life and move it to another country where you know nobody, you are forced to figure things out on your own in a way that nothing else quite prepares you for. Over time, that builds something in you. A kind of self-assurance that comes from knowing you have already done something genuinely hard.

The People I Met

I have met some of my closest friends through moving abroad. People from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and all over Europe who have shaped the way I see the world in ways I am deeply grateful for. Moreover, meeting people who grew up in completely different environments with completely different mindsets has stretched me in ways that staying in Texas simply never could have.

The Travel and Experiences

Living in Europe meant that hopping on a two-hour flight to another country became completely normal. I ran a half marathon in Barcelona. I spent a random weekend in Munich. I have traveled more in my years abroad than I ever would have in an entire lifetime in the US. And beyond the travel itself, the experiences I have had and the opportunities that opened up because of moving abroad have shaped my life in ways I could not have imagined at 23.

Who I Became

Perhaps most importantly, moving abroad changed who I am as a person. I became more independent, more open-minded, and more adaptable. I built a life from scratch in a country where I knew nobody. And I look back at my younger self and feel genuinely proud of her for doing something that scary and that hard. The woman I am today was shaped by that decision in ways I would never trade.

Would I be the same person if I had never left? Honestly, no. And I mean that as one of the most meaningful things I can say.

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What Surprised Me About Living Abroad

Now for the part that people do not always talk about. The things that genuinely caught me off guard.

It Took Longer to Feel Settled Than I Expected

Before moving abroad I think I imagined that within a few months everything would feel normal and I would feel completely at home. The reality is that truly feeling settled takes much longer than most people expect. There were moments well into my time in London where I still felt like I was finding my footing. And that is completely normal, even if nobody warns you about it in advance.

I Underestimated How Much I Would Miss Everyday Moments

Missing the big moments, the weddings, the holidays, the birthdays, was something I had anticipated. What I had not anticipated was how much I would miss the small ordinary things. Sunday dinners. A random Tuesday phone call with my mom. Just being physically present in the same city as the people I love most. That kind of distance has a weight to it that is hard to fully understand until you are living it.

Bureaucracy Was Harder Than I Imagined

Nobody tells you how genuinely exhausting the administrative side of living in another country can be. Visas, paperwork, banking, taxes, and navigating systems that work completely differently than what you grew up with. It is manageable and absolutely worth it. But it is also harder than it looks from the outside.

Making Deep Friendships Took Real Time

I moved abroad knowing nobody. And while I eventually built friendship circles that I am so grateful for, getting there took much longer and much more intentional effort than I expected. Adult friendships in a new country do not happen automatically. They require consistent showing up, saying yes, and putting yourself out there in ways that can feel uncomfortable at first.

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What I Would Do Differently If I Could Go Back

This is probably the most valuable section for anyone who is still in the planning stages. Because looking back, there are a few things I would genuinely do differently.

I Would Worry Less

So much of the energy I spent in the early days of thinking about moving abroad went into trying to make the perfect decision and eliminate every possible risk. In hindsight, the worrying did not make the move better. It just delayed it and made the lead-up harder than it needed to be. I would tell my younger self to trust herself more and worry less.

I Would Learn About Visas Earlier

Visas were one of the things I felt the most underprepared for. Starting the research earlier and understanding the landscape of what was available to me would have saved a significant amount of stress and uncertainty in the process of actually making the move happen.

I Would Test Drive Cities Differently

Before moving abroad I visited places like a tourist. In hindsight I wish I had visited them the way I now recommend others do, through the lens of could I actually build a life here rather than do I enjoy visiting here. Those are very different questions that give you very different answers.

I Would Build Community Sooner and More Intentionally

Looking back, I wish I had prioritized building community even more deliberately in my early months abroad. Joining clubs, saying yes to more invitations, attending events consistently — these are the things that make the biggest difference in how quickly you feel settled. I eventually figured this out, but starting sooner would have made those early months feel so much less lonely.

I Would Document More

The early months go by so quickly. I wish I had taken more photos, recorded more videos, and written more down. Those first experiences of building a life abroad from scratch are something I wish I had captured more carefully, because they go by faster than you expect.

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Would I Still Choose the Same Country?

This is a genuinely interesting question to sit with. And the honest answer is yes, I would still choose London. It has been the right city for me and I love the life I have built here.

That said, looking back I can also see that there are other cities in Europe where I think I would have had an incredible life too. Lisbon was somewhere I visited and immediately thought, I could live here. Amsterdam surprised me in the same way. Madrid has always felt like somewhere I could thrive.

How Priorities Change Over Time

Something worth saying here is that the right country for you at 23 might not be the right country for you at 33. At 23 I was drawn to London for the adventure, the career opportunities, and the energy of a major international city. As I have grown, I have started to value things like nature, community feel, affordability, and a slightly slower pace of life a little more.

This is actually an important reminder for anyone choosing where to move abroad. The right country is not a fixed answer. It can evolve as your life and your priorities evolve. And that is completely okay.

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Would I Still Leave America?

Yes. Absolutely and without hesitation.

And I want to say that clearly not from a place of criticizing the US. The US is an incredible country with so many things going for it, and I am grateful to be American every single day. But for me specifically, the life I wanted, the values I wanted my daily life to reflect, the pace and the adventure and the opportunities I was chasing, were better available to me abroad than they were at home.

Someone else with different priorities might make a completely different choice. And that is the right answer for them. But for me, leaving was the decision that aligned most deeply with who I am and what I wanted my life to look like. And I would make it again without a second thought.

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What I Would Tell My Younger Self

If I could go back and sit down with my 23-year-old self before she got on that plane, here is what I would say.

You do not have to know exactly how it is all going to work out. Stop trying to eliminate every risk because you cannot and the trying is exhausting. It is okay to be scared. Fear does not mean you are making the wrong decision. Sometimes it means you are making exactly the right one.

Homesickness does not mean you made a mistake. Missing the people you love is not a sign that you should turn around. It is a sign that you love them, and you can love them from anywhere.

You are going to become more capable than you think you are. Every hard thing you figure out on your own will add to a kind of confidence that nobody can take from you. Trust that process even when it feels slow.

And finally, your life abroad will not be perfect. But it will be bigger, richer, and more meaningful than you can imagine right now. Trust yourself. Get on the plane.

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Final Answer: Would I Move Abroad Again?

So would I move abroad again if I could go back?

One million percent yes.

Not because everything was easy or because living abroad has been a perfect experience. But because of who I became through it. Because of the people I met, the experiences I had, the life I built, and the version of myself I grew into that I simply would not have found any other way.

Moving abroad did not give me a perfect life. But it gave me a bigger life. A more adventurous life. A life that has stretched me and shaped me in ways I am deeply grateful for every single day.

And if you are sitting here right now wondering whether moving abroad is the right decision for you, I want to leave you with the question that has always helped me most.

Five years from now, which decision are you more likely to regret? Trying it? Or always wondering what would have happened if you had?

Only you know the answer. But I hope this helped you get a little closer to it.

Ready to take your first step? Grab the free guide, the 5 Exact Steps to Move Abroad, at jordangiberson.com/guide

Still figuring out which European city is the right fit for you? Take the free quiz at jordangiberson.com/quiz