Are you thinking about living abroad?

It's been more than 3 years since I left Germany.

Here are 7 things I learned:

1) Leaving your nest leads to personal growth.

I Don't believe in self-inflicted suffering to feel productive.

But getting out of the comfort zone by leaving home DOES boost your personal growth.

Even if it's just learning how to operate a laundry or clear a blocked kitchen sink.

2) There is ALWAYS somebody to help you.

You always meet kind people. It doesn't matter where you go. Regardless of country, language, culture, religion, etc.

3) Your expectations are never met.

This applies both to your positive and negative expectations.

The best scenarios you can imagine are unlikely to happen, as well as the worst.

4) Other places are different, but never better.

Our motivation for traveling is often to find a place where the grass is greener. Here's a fact, though:

For every green blade of grass, there is a brown one:

Cape Verdes beaches are way more beautiful than German ones. But besides that, it's mostly desert.

Brazilian culture is way more open and lively but comes with a lack of empathy and respect for privacy.

It's not about finding a place where the grass is greener.

It's about finding a place where the brown blades of grass are acceptable for you.

5) You can't escape your problems.

Traveling is exciting. And with every excitement comes distraction.

That's why seemingly traveling can cure all your problems.

But they didn't disappear. They are just waiting for the next moment of mental settlement to burst out with even more ferocity.

6) Traveling won't fulfill your desire to travel.

You'd guess you can satisfy your desire for traveling by traveling more.

But here's a weird fact: The more you travel, the bigger your desire to travel.

Maybe this is just a personal trademark of mine - "Hummeln im Arsch" or itchy feet, as the English would say.

But the more I travel, the more I need it. It's an addiction: Because of the constant excitement, staying still for a moment is hard.

It's a dangerous habituation process: What once was very stimulating becomes the new normal to be fulfilled.

In entertainment (for 3 seasons, I worked as an entertainer in hotels), this is called "Post entertainment depression."

After several months of constant stimulation, you fall into a deep hole until you get used to the lower level of stimulation.

7) With every encounter, your perception of "possible" widens.

I remember backpacking for the first time - by bus and hostel stays. One day I met a guy who did something seemingly impossible to me:

He just traveled by hitchhiking, never knowing where he would end up or sleep the next night.

This was a huge realization for me and led to me doing the same thing just one year later.

What is your biggest realization from traveling/living abroad?

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