77: You can love the US… and still want to leave

You don’t have to hate the U.S. to move abroad. In this episode, we explore the idea that wanting to live in another country doesn’t mean you’re trying to escape your current life or country — it might just mean you’re curious, ready for change, or seeking a different pace. We talk about letting go of guilt, embracing growth, and owning the simple truth: you’re allowed to want more than the "American Dream".

In this episode:

• Why you don’t need a “big reason” to move abroad
• The myth that moving means you're running away from something
• How to balance love for your home country with the desire for something new
• Why it’s okay to leave a good life in pursuit of something different
• A reminder that “because I want to” is reason enough

If you’ve been thinking about moving abroad but feeling unsure—this episode is for you. You don’t need to wait for a crisis, or justify your decision to anyone. Wanting something different is reason enough. 

If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who’s been dreaming about life abroad too.

👉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

0:00

At the end of the day, moving abroad is not about rejection, it's about exploration. It's about leaning into a new way of life that calls to you, even if you can't fully explain why. And that was really me. 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's episode, we're talking about something that I hear often, which is I feel kind of guilty for wanting to move abroad. I don't even hate the US. And I want to tell you right now, you don't have to hate the US to move abroad. You really don't. You are allowed to want more than the American dream. So let's talk about it. There's this weird narrative and thought process that if you want to leave the US, then it must mean that something is terribly wrong with living in the US and that you're trying to get away from something like you must be trying to get away from something or maybe you hate American culture or American politics. That's a really big one, or the people there, I feel like 1 of the biggest ones is politics. That people feel like they really want to get out of the US because of politics, or maybe people assume that of you, but that's not why you want to leave the US. So, I think that there are some negative reasons that you might want to leave the US because you feel like the American food is not very good, or you really don't like the American politics and what's going on right now, or you don't like American culture and you think that it's, really negative and you think that other countries might be better. And while some people do leave because they're frustrated or burnt out or feel like they need to escape, there's a whole other group of people maybe like you who just want something different. You might be curious about another culture, about another country, about another way of life. You might just crave a slower lifestyle and want to live in a country where they don't value work as much and what job you have and the hustle culture that we have in the US. You might just want a slower lifestyle and pace of life and something that's more focused on your life rather than on your work. Or you might just want to immerse yourself in a new culture or experience life from a totally different lens. This is not anti-American. It's just human to want those experiences and that's totally okay. I remember one time, this was actually quite recent during New Year's, I was at a little New Year's get together with a small group of friends and one of my friends new boyfriends walked up to me, and I introduced myself and he was like, oh, you're the girl that moved to London. What the United States isn't good enough for you. And he actually seemed kind of serious whenever he was saying it. And I said, no, it's not that I don't love the US, I love the US. I just felt really excited about London and the new adventure of living in London and it's just a really good fit for me and I really enjoy it. But I love that I get to live in London and enjoy life in Europe, but then I get to come back to the United States and enjoy the best of both worlds really. So it wasn't because I was trying to escape something that the US wasn't good enough for me in his words, but just that I was craving a new experience and I just fell in love with the city of London and European life and I decided to go for it. And it's been a really good fit for me. So it doesn't always have to be an escape from something, or escape from the US because something's terribly wrong. And I wanted you to know that it doesn't always have to be negative reasons why you're trying to escape the US. It could be just, you know, wanting something different. Which brings me on to my 2nd point is that it's okay to leave a good life. There's something that trips up a lot of people and it's that I have a really good life here. Why would I leave it? And I feel like there's always that question in life about is the grass always greener on the other side? And while that's a really valid question to be asking yourself, I think that you can have a different perspective. You are allowed to want more than just good. You're allowed to pursue joy and growth and curiosity in life in general. Even if your life in the US is really comfortable, even if you have a really great life, you don't always wanna just see comfort in life. Sometimes you wanna push yourself. Our brains are wired as many of us know, to keep us safe. That's how our brains are wired. But in order to do the amazing things in life, the things that you look back on your life and you say, wow, I can't believe I did that, but I'm so glad that I did. Those are the things that make you uncomfortable. So you might have a really great life, but that doesn't mean that, the grass is always greener on the other side. That might mean that, yeah, you have a good life, but you're going to leave for a little bit and experience a different life and to challenge yourself in a new way. But then you might be there for a year or 2 years and go back to your old comfortable life. That was a good life that you really enjoyed. Do you know what I mean? We grow whenever we stretch ourselves. And moving abroad is a huge stretch emotionally, practically, and culturally. But it's also really exciting. It's so rewarding and it's really expansive for just learning and growing as a person who you are. You are not betraying your life in the US. You are just building on it. You're not betraying your friends or who you are. You are building on top of who you already are. You're adding another layer to yourself and to your story. So we've covered that. You know, there's the assumption that you have to escape, and that's what it means. Whenever you're moving abroad, you're escaping the United States for some reason, and that's not true. We've also talked about that it's okay to leave a good life. It doesn't mean that it's a negative thing. And then the next thing I wanted to discuss is that you can love 2 things at once. You can love America and want to live somewhere else. You can miss Trader Joe's and road trips in your favorite car and your local target. And also love walking to a cafe from your really cute apartment in France, or shopping at a local market in Portugal that's right around the corner from your apartment. You don't have to choose one life over another forever. You are not stuck. You are not being disloyal. You are just choosing what feels aligned right now. And it doesn't always have to be aligned forever. It could just be something that you do for a year or 2, and then you go back to the United States. But I think sometimes people will just ask you why are you leaving? And you can say, because I want to. And that's enough. It doesn't have to be a forever thing, and it doesn't have to mean that the United States is a bad place to be. I still think that the United States is an amazing country and people who are born there are so incredibly lucky. But I also do think that there's things that are potentially lacking or experiences that you can have in other places that you wouldn't get in the United States. Just as an example, what we just talked about, shopping at a local market or going to a really cute cafe, or visiting amazing museums or seeing amazing architecture that's from the 15 hundreds or earlier, things like that you can't really experience in the US. So it's just a different life experience. But it doesn't mean that life in the United States is not good enough or that you hate the United States, or that you just can't stand the politics. And so you have to leave because of that. And maybe that is 1 of your reasons, and I think that's totally fine. I think there are some reasons to want to escape the US that might be valid for some reasons, but I think that it doesn't always have to be that you're escaping something. At the end of the day, moving abroad is not about rejection, it's about exploration. It's about leaning into a new way of life that calls to you, even if you can't fully explain why. And that was really me. I couldn't fully explain why I wanted to move to London, why I was so obsessed with it. People still ask me to this day, why did you want to move to London? And I give them some reasons, like I love the architecture and the history. And I love the mix of cultures here, and I love that you can never be bored here because there's so much going on all the time. But the truth is, I can't fully explain it. The truth is that I just had a, pool to London that was honestly unexplainable. My obsession with London, I feel like I can't even fully explain it to this day, even after living here for, so many years, over 5 years now. And I feel like sometimes your heart might just be whispering. What if you don't have to justify it? You don't have to explain to people why you don't have to feel like you're justifying why you still think the United States is so great, and you can do that if you want to, but I think the whole point of this conversation is that you don't have to justify why you want to leave. You might just have a dream that sparked in your heart and you just have to listen. So if you've been sitting with the guilt or confusion of feeling like people think that you hate the US because you're talking about moving abroad, just know that you're not alone. You are allowed to follow what lights you up and what inspires you and the dreams that you have for your life and the things that you really want to accomplish in this life, especially'cause our time is so limited our most valuable resource in this life is time. And if you have the opportunity to follow your dream and to go after the things that you really want in life, then please do because you will regret it if you don't do it later in life. And you don't have to hate where you are to want to go somewhere new. So, I hope this episode inspired you a bit to not feel guilty for wanting to leave the US and for all of those people that might wonder why the United States isn't good enough for you. It's not always about that, for some people it is for me, it wasn't because I hated the politics or I felt like the food wasn't good enough or that I hated the healthcare system. It wasn't coming from a place of hate and frustration towards the United States, although I think there are some things that we could improve as a country, as is with many countries, no country is ever perfect, but it wasn't coming from a place of negativity and hate toward the United States at all for me. It was really coming from a place of inspiration and excitement and the possibility of something new and challenging for me, and that was London for me. It was something that really excited me, so it was something positive driving me instead of something negative pushing me out. So, I think that, again, it's different for different people and it might be both for you, it might be some, negative things pushing you outta the country, but I just wanted you to know that you don't have to hate the United States to leave. And for those people that ask you if you hate the United States and that's why you're leaving, then you don't have to listen to them and you don't have to, I guess take that on as your identity and your reason for leaving the United States. And if you are curious where you might fit in Europe and you still haven't decided exactly where you want to move abroad to, I have put together a free quiz that matches you with your ideal European city. It's fun. Some people have told me and surprisingly accurate. So the link is actually in the show notes, which is the easiest way to get the quiz. Or you can go to Jordangiberson.com/quiz and you can take that free quiz that will match you with your European destination that is the perfect match for you. And if this episode resonated with you, would you mind sharing it with a friend who's been dreaming about moving abroad too? Sometimes we just need someone to say, Hey, you're allowed to do this. So, thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad Podcast. I so appreciate you being here and listening to another episode, especially as I have a bit of a cold and I might not sound as good as normal in my voice and talking to you today. So thank you so much for making it through this episode. Thank you so much again. I will catch you here next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.