76: What your dreamy European life would look like - it’s actually like this!

If you’ve ever dreamed of waking up in a European city, strolling cobblestone streets, or spending weekends hopping between countries—this episode is for you. After five years of living in Europe, I’m sharing what your day-to-day life could actually look like abroad. 

From quiet mornings at riverside cafés to living in cities that feel like open-air museums, I break down what it really feels like to live this kind of life. You’ll hear about slow mornings, spontaneous weekend trips, Christmas markets, and why everyday life here feels more intentional and peaceful.

This isn’t just a fantasy. It’s a life that’s possible. I hope this episode serves as a reminder for the type of life you're working towards. Give it a listen to get inspired!

👉Take the free quiz: Which European city should you move to? 🤔

Grab my free guide: 5 Exact Steps to Move Abroad

Website: jordangiberson.com
Instagram: @jordan.giberson

Transcript

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You can have warm golden sunsets over historic cities, skylines. You can have the Aper TiVo culture where drinks and conversation are just, enjoyed throughout the night and under the twinkling cafe lights, like it can't really look like this. Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. Today we're going to be talking about what your dreamy European life would actually look like. But before we get started with today's episode, I wanted to ask you if you know exactly where in Europe you want to move to. If you don't know exactly which city and country you are playing to move abroad to, or you want some reassurance that you're picking the right location abroad, I have a free quiz, where you can figure out your perfect European destination. If you go to Jordangiberson.com/quiz, then you can take the free quiz. It takes you under 2 minutes to take the quiz, and then it will show you your perfect European destination and some vital things that you should know about that location as well. Or you can also click on the link that's at the bottom of the podcast description, so you can take the quiz there. That might be a bit easier. With that being said, we'll go ahead and get started with today's episode. Let's picture that you are finally arriving in your European destination abroad. Welcome to Europe. You are waking up in a centuries old city with the smell of freshly baked croissants or rich espresso that is drifting through your window. Or you're smelling it as you're wandering through the streets. Let's say you're walking down the cobblestone streets and you're passing by flower laden balconies and open air markets that are just full of fresh produce. Let's say that you know that you're going to take a spontaneous road trip or a spontaneous terrain to another European destination that is just a quick train ride away. Europe is amazing. I love Europe and I know that this episode might sound a little bit like I'm overselling Europe or a little bit like I'm over romanticizing Europe. But I will say, and I will give examples of what my life actually looks like here and honestly, it is so different from my life in the US. I loved my life in the US. I think the US is incredible. I am not hating on the US, but Europe has a special charm and a special way of life that is quite different from the United States. And I do want to highlight the differences and what you're working towards really. I mean, if you are the person that has been listening to this podcast for a while, that is constantly looking at blogs of different places in Europe and how to move there and what life looks like, I want this to be your reminder of what you're working towards. That is the purpose of this episode. It's not to really like oversell you Europe. You have normal life things that you have to do still like doing laundry and working to make money. But I will say that, Europe is so dreamy and I wanted to highlight some of the ways that it is different to show you what my life looks like, just to give you a little glimpse of some of the things that I do that I feel like are quite dreamy. And, just to kind of give you a feel of what European life could look like for you, like what it would actually look like, and to remind you of what you're working towards and what your life could look like as well. So that if you're in the US and you're thinking, I wanna move there, I hope that this is a reminder for what life could look like and the life that you could build in Europe. That is really the purpose of what I'm trying to do today. I am not trying to over romanticize it, but I am trying to be realistic and really tell you what life is like over here and how it's different in a very beautiful and fun way. So one example that I was thinking about on whenever I was talking about the flower laid in balconies was on the first Sunday of each month, there is an outdoor flower market. It's in Chisik. It is my favorite area of London. I am obsessed with Chisik and I'll go there and get flowers for my friend George that's over there. He knows me by name. I go over and say hello to him and I will go get flowers and I'll have a casual walk along the river for, about 40 minutes. That's back to my flat. I just moved, say my recently to a little victorian flat that is along the river, and I'll get on my line bike as well sometimes, and I'll cycle back to my flat. So there is the flower market, and I think it is so lovely to have little flowers in the basket of a bike or to be holding them as I'm having a gentle stroll with the sun and watching the rowers on the river on the Thames as I'm walking back to my old Victorian flat that has crown molding inside, like it is just so lovely and picturesque and that is legitimately something that I love to do. On the first Sunday of each month, I don't go every single month, but a lot of times in the spring and summer months I'll enjoy that and it is something that I do really enjoy. So that is just one example that kind of came to mind. So again, today we're stepping into that dream life. Let's talk about the things that you get to do in Europe that you simply can't do in the US. The little luxuries, the magic of everyday moments and the kind of life that you might never have realized was even possible. I have these moments consistently, even after living in Europe, living in London for over 5 years. I still pause and think. Wow, I can't believe this is actually my life that I get to live a life like this. It might sound again like I'm romanticizing things and while you still have to work and do your laundry, like we said and deal with normal life admin things, it simultaneously feels so dreamy living here, and I want you to get a good feel for what it can actually look and feel like if you were to move abroad to Europe to remind you of what you're working towards. So the 1st thing that I wanted to talk about is just what it could be like living in a storybook, living in Europe. So your morning routine and what that might look like. It is straight out of a movie at times. There are no rushed commutes of being in a car and sitting in traffic for over an hour. It can be just a leisurely stroll to a charming cafe on your way to work where your barista knows your order. There are legitimately 10 coffee shops within a 10 minute walk for me. Where I live right now, I walk for 5 minutes with my laptop and I grab a coffee at a table that is right along the river or on the weekends. There is a crepe stand there and there are so many rowing clubs where I can watch the rowers practice or watch runners and moms with babies and strollers that are along this nice river path, that is something that I legitimately do enjoy as I live where I live. You might have freshly baked bread in the mornings from a local, bread maker, what would you call that? Bakery, instead of a prepackaged grocery store loaf, on Sundays I walk to the local bakery that is a 32nd to my house, which I will say is dangerous. I'm literally a 32nd walk to this little bakery. It's so sweet. They have amazing baked goods, and the people that work there are so kind. There's always people that are sitting at the little cafe tables and chairs outside enjoying a cup of coffee with a croissant in the mornings. But I go at least once a week to go grab. This week I went twice to grab a coffee and a croissant in the morning. It is just so peaceful and happy, or you might be moving to somewhere in Europe that has public squares, that are bustling with life, where people actually stop to enjoy their morning instead of racing to the next thing. So you might just have a very relaxing morning on your way to work to grab a coffee and a croissant from a cafe like I might do, or to go work in a coffee shop that is along the high street. You know, I live a 10 minute walk from 10 different coffee shops. No joke, I legitimately counted 10. I know tens and even numbers, so it feels like I'm faking it. But legitimately I did count and there are 10. So you might have, a morning routine that feels amazing, or you're jumping on a train and you're having it sipping in your coffee while you're looking out the window, while on your way into the city, to go to the office, and maybe that's what your mornings look like. Or it might be a slow Saturday or Sunday morning where you're walking to your main street, that's a 5 minute walk away and you're walking to a cafe and having a little breakfast. So that could be something that you know, is a little bit different, with Europe. And your city is like a museum without walls in Europe. I mean the castles, the cathedrals, the Roman ruins, they're a part of your daily view. You can go grab groceries, for example, from a market stall inside a 500 year old building, which is crazy. Like I said before, I'm living in a Victorian flat, so my flat has been here since the 18 hundreds, and I have crown molding that is really beautiful and it just has such a nice cozy atmosphere. You might prefer more modern and that's also completely fine. But I love the old Victorian homes. The last home that I lived in was also Victorian and it just has so much character and I just love the way that the buildings look. Even just wandering around the streets and my local neighborhood, it is just so sweet seeing all the different homes. I just love the look and the feel of it, that it just feels so European and so sweet. Just walking along the neighborhood. Instead of driving past strip malls and highways, which a lot of times we get in the US you might be walking to work that takes you past centuries old fountains and statues where you can really enjoy your way into the office and not just be looking at strip malls and highways that aren't as picturesque. 1 example that I was thinking about your city being a museum without walls, is that on Sundays, sometimes I go to my favorites museum in London that's called the Wallace Collection. So, sometimes I'll go in there and I'll get a tea and a scone with clotted cream and jam, which is so British, they have a little cafe in there that's really beautiful. It's, kind of a sunroom, sort of in the middle of the Wallace collection, but it has kind of sunroofs across the whole cafe with huge ceilings, like very tall ceilings. So sometimes I'll go in there and get a snack, you know, scone and tea, or I'll get a little sandwich or something, and I'll read my book for a little bit and just enjoy the cafe and just relaxing. And I normally walk there as well from, you know, where I was before. And then I'll walk around the large historic home, which is the Wallace collection. And it was built in the 17 hundreds. And it's free by the way. And then I just slowly wander around the old home from the 17 hundreds and look at the art because there is art covering every single wall. It's really an art museum with a cafe inside, and that's something that I really enjoy on Sundays. It's in Marla Bone area, which again, Marla Bone is really beautiful in and of itself. It's a very nice area of London. So I love just kind of wandering through Marla Bone. I'll wander into the Wallace collection to get a snack and read in the cafe, and then I'll look at the art for a little bit. And to me, it just feels so picturesque, you know. And the fact that it's just free. I mean, anybody can wander in if they want to and just enjoy the museum for free, which I just love. Another amazing thing about Europe and what your dreamy European life would look like is you can do weekend getaways to another country for super easy and super low cost, so you can hop on a train and be in a completely new country. You know for lunch, if you wanted to, you could leave in the morning and be there for lunch. You could have a Saturday brunch in Paris or a Sunday hike in the Swiss Alps if you wanted to. You can get affordable flights where$50 gets you to Italy for a weekend, which is crazy. Who can imagine that in the US? I mean, that is not how expensive flights are in the US. They're so much more expensive. You don't have to do these huge cross country road trips. It's not really needed. You can just hop on a scenic train, be looking out the window as you're traveling to your next country for a long weekend, and be in a completely different culture with a completely different language with completely different foods and completely different customs. I mean, just as an example, I was thinking about, I did a last minute long weekend trip to Munich, Germany a couple weeks ago, like legitimately 2 weeks ago. I booked a last minute flight, literally a few days in advance and in a few hours I was in a different country with a different culture, different food, different architecture. We looked at dordoles for potentially going to October Fest this year. We went to a couple of beer gardens to get a beer and a pretzel where there were legitimately 3 men wearing the traditional German outfits on ironically, I will point out, they just were wearing it like the, kinda like the German hat and with the leader hoses, like they were just wearing it just for real. Like they were not doing it ironically, that's just an outfit that they were wearing, which I just find incredible and I just love it. We went to a restaurant where they wouldn't let us sit at a table set for 4 because we were only 2 people. Hello German culture. They're so strict and they're like, well, you can't sit here at this table except for 4. And we're like, well, can you just let us sit here?'cause we're a table of 2 and there's so many tables that are open, like can we just sit here? And they were like, no, you can't sit here. It's a table for 4. It's set for 4. So anyways, it was just funny to see an example of German culture and we also wandered around the market in the morning and got a coffee and people watched outside while sitting down at a table. And it was only a couple hour flight from London for less than$200, and I booked it super last minute. I think I paid like 150 pounds. It was like 130 pounds or 150 pounds, which is less than$200. So it was a really cheap flight for me, and I booked it super last minute as well, like super last minute, and it was wonderful weather. Enjoyed myself. And those are just some of the things that I experienced on this long weekend trip that I took on a whim. And that could be you taking a trip on a whim and hopping on a train or hopping on a flight to a European city that is close by for just a quick weekend to get away. You could also have the Mediterranean summer you've always dreamed of. You could have long, lazy lunches by the sea in Greece or Spain or Portugal soaking up the sun and the gorgeous blue water. You can have warm golden sunsets over historic cities, skylines. You can have the Aper TiVo culture where drinks and conversation are just, enjoyed throughout the night and under the twinkling cafe lights, like it can't really look like this. I know it's almost sounding like I'm being funny or I'm being, dramatic. But it does actually look like this. It can actually look like this. So that could be the summer that you're looking for. And then thinking about going into the winter, there are Christmas markets and amazing fairytale like winters. You can be, wandering through centuries old Christmas markets in an old European village and sipping mold wine as the snow is falling lightly around you, there might be snow already there, depending on the time of the year and and where in Europe you are, there are handmade crafts and there's going to be the smell of roasting chestnuts that is filling the air as you're walking through the markets and instead of over commercialized malls. Your holiday season can be filled with centuries old traditions that are in Europe of like I said, enjoying the Christmas markets and just enjoying these small villages that have these old traditions and that are decorated with real Christmas trees, in their decorations and not just being in a strip mall or in an overly commercialized mall. And just in general, you have a slower, more luxurious everyday life potentially. You are never rushed out of a cafe or a restaurant In Europe, that is 1 of the things that I love the most and makes me so annoyed whenever I go back to the US. This really annoys me. I mean, this is 1 of those things I'm like, oh, in Europe it wouldn't be like this. Which I try really hard to never say that because shocker, my friends and family, if I ever say like, well, in Europe we do it this way, they're like, okay, please shut up. But I mean, 1 thing I do love is that in Europe, you're never rushed out of restaurants or cafes. You can linger over wine and conversation and people watching for hours if you want to. There's not wait staff that's hurrying you to leave so that they can just turn the table quickly and get more money. Dining is an experience, it's not just a necessity. It's really like meant to be an all night hours long experience if you want it to be where you can linger and have, a glass of two of wine and just, you know, enjoy conversation. There's no, tipping culture as well where it's as crazy in the US there's no awkward calculations. You just get to really enjoy the moment. Sometimes you can tip up to 10% if there is exceptional experience in Europe, and it depends on the country and what's expected, but it might be like 10% for instance. Whereas in the US it's more expected to be like, 18 to 25%? So I do love that in Europe and in London. I mean, in the UK you really never tip, like it's not expected. You never do it. It's weird if you do, you just pay the exact cost that they ask you to pay and there's no questions asked. It's not weird at all. And that's just normal. So I do love that about the cafe and restaurant experience in Europe and your life is just more about experiences and less about stuff in general. You might be going to farmer's markets, that's replacing the giant supermarkets. There's a local fruit and vegetable shop on the main street where I live, where I can get fresh fruits and vegetables, which I do really love. You can also do outdoor picnics. Maybe you are moving to paris and you're doing an outdoor picnic along the sun instead of a fast food restaurant on the go. You're just having some bread and cheese and wine and some, meats instead of, getting a quick McDonald's or Chick-fil-A. I love Chick-fil-A. I love it. But I mean, picture Chick-fil-A versus like sitting inside a Chick-fil-A or going through the drive through versus being on the sun and having a little picnic along the river or in a park somewhere in Munich like I did a couple weekends ago. I mean, it's just a completely different experience. There's also so many more opportunities to walk to where you want to go and where the walk is beautiful, where you're walking through a gorgeous neighborhood, you know, along historic buildings where there's water fountains or statues and where it's just beautiful architecture and people watching and it's feels nice instead of, you know, driving everywhere. And there's great biking systems as well. If you want to bike to where you want to go instead of sitting in traffic in a car. And having that experience or driving along the highway where you have, signs of Applebee's and McDonald's and there's construction everywhere. You don't have to look at that. You get to enjoy your experience of getting place to place as well. I love public transportation, honestly, and I'm getting ahead of myself because I'm talking about public transportation in a second. You know what, I'm not gonna get ahead of myself. I won't do it. I'll talk about public transportation in a second and why I think it's so great. But some other things that are just more about experiences and less about stuff is just people dress nice as well. I love that In Europe, I think people do care about the experience of dressing nicely. That doesn't mean dressing uncomfortably. It just means that you dress up and you feel good about yourself and not just wear, you know. The same black workout tights of athleisure wear that you would maybe wear in the US. And don't get me wrong, wearing athleisure wear is really nice and I do enjoy wearing athleisure wear sometimes, but it's also really nice to feel nice and to see other people dressing nice. There's just something about that that feels really classy and really good, and where you just feel more put together. And I love that people also just care less about getting a raise or the next promotion. They care more about living life well, and it just feels so much happier to me. Okay, now I can talk about public transportation. It's more of an experience and not a hassle. In Europe, most of the time it's not perfect, by any means, but there are high speed trains, for example, that can take you across countries while you're sipping a coffee and just enjoying looking out the window and watching the countryside roll by. There are not tons of gas stations everywhere and endless highway driving that you have to do. You just have efficient metros. Beautiful trams in some European cities and scenic train rides. It is a completely different experience. I legit take naps whenever I go on the trains. I love it. Or sometimes I'll read my book or I will catch up on messages or I will people watch. I'm not stressed with my shoulders constantly hurting me and tensing while I'm driving. I'm not sitting in traffic to get to work. Yes, sometimes the trains are more expensive in high peak hours, but I'm able to go to the office a little bit later and not have to experience that, which is really nice. People really do sit on the tube reading books or newspapers and it's just the cutest thing. Or if I'm on a train, I really enjoy the views of the countryside or the British architecture while I'm looking out the window. And it's just such a nice experience. I really do enjoy the experience of the public transportation system or just literally yesterday I got to go to one of my friend's citizenship ceremonies. So she became a dual citizen yesterday and there was a quick ceremony. So I got to go to that, which was so sweet of her to invite me. But on my way there, I actually took a bike, so I cycled, I took a line bike, which I am so in love with. But I took a line bike and I was you know, cycling through, Chelsea and Kensington, which is so beautiful. The cherry blossom trees are all blooming so beautifully right now. It's peak cherry blossom season right now in London. And I was just taking, the bike through, the neighborhoods to get to where I needed to go. And it was so beautiful. I wasn't cycling on a crazy highway where there was construction everywhere and, fast food restaurants. It was just a really beautiful scenic, bike ride in the sunshine and it was so lovely. So I really do enjoy the experience of getting from point A to point B. Just getting places to me is an experience in and of itself, and it's not a chore. And I really do turn off kind of mentally whenever I'm on trains and I really relax and it's not something like 45 minutes feels really quick because I'm so relaxed. Whereas when I'm in a car, a 10 minute drive or a 20 minute drive feels a lot longer to me than it would on the train just for me personally. So can you see yourself here in Europe living your dreamy European life that's actually like this? Imagine yourself stepping outside of your apartment on a crisp on a morning in Florence, the air is smelling like espresso and warm pastries, and you walk past grand historic buildings on your way to the sun drenched plaza. You are sitting on a stone bench sipping on your cappuccino, and you realize. This is your life now. This life is not just for travel bloggers, it's not just for the ultra rich. It is possible for you too. And I really wanted this episode to be something where you could visualize what your life could potentially look like. I tried to add a lot of imagery to show you what my life looks like, and just a few examples and what your life could look like in Europe and how it really is so different from the US in a beautiful way. I really do genuinely love my European life, and I often stop even after being in London for over 5 years. Sometimes I'm walking past Big Ben or I'm sitting on the grass and I'm sipping on a coffee waiting for a friend while I'm looking out at the tower Bridge in London. And I honestly stop and think. I can't believe this is my life. I can't believe I get to live here. And I, even after several years of being here, I legitimately do think that I'm not just saying that to convince you to move here. But I really just wanted this to be something where you're reminding yourself of what you're working towards of what your life could look like and how it does look so different from the US in a great way. And just to remind yourself of what it could look like. And it's, you know, I'm not trying to get you to forget those annoying things in life. Like sometimes trains are running late or sometimes you need to tour laundry, and you also need to work, like not every day can be sitting at a plaza sipping a cappuccino, but you can legitimately do this, on most days if you wanted to, you can do a trip to a European country once a month if you wanted to. You could do it every weekend if you wanted to. You'd be exhausted, but you could, if you wanted to. Like, it is so easy to do that. And like I said, I just wanted you to be reminded of what your life could look like and how it could look so different with your morning routine, feeling like it's out of a movie perhaps, or doing a quick weekend getaway to a completely different culture with you know, in a completely different country with a different culture and different food and, just seeing what the castles and cathedrals and Roman ruins are looking like, where it's just you step outside of your door and it's almost like a museum, without walls or having that Mediterranean summer that you've always dreamed of, or the Christmas markets and fairy tale winters that you can experience or you know, never running out of a cafe or a restaurant and being able to enjoy that European cafe experience anytime you want. And really enjoying that and not just being in a chain restaurant where it feels like a very local cafe experience, which is just so much more common in Europe and focusing on, you know. The experience isn't less about stuff like farmer's markets and outdoor picnics and walking and biking instead of being in traffic and people dressing nicer and you know, just enjoying the lifestyle and the public transportation of sitting on a train and looking out the window and just all of these things that are so unique to Europe in the life, that you could have. So again, I just want it to be an experience and I want it to be a, nice reminder of what you're working towards as you're thinking about moving abroad and figuring out a way to get here. So, yeah, and if you are trying to figure out exactly where you're moving to, you can start by taking that free quiz, to find out which European city suits you best so that you can turn your dream of moving abroad to Europe into a reality and know exactly where you want to go. Which is the 1st step of being able to move abroad to Europe, you need to know exactly where you want to move to. So as a 1st step, if you want to take the quiz, you can go to Jordangiberson.com/quiz, or you can click on the link that's in the podcast description. But yeah, that is it for me for today's episode. Again, thank you so much for listening to the episode. Another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I will catch you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.