90: Things you can do in Europe that you can’t do in the U.S.

Many Americans think moving abroad is just about traveling more—but the day-to-day differences can be even more impactful. In this episode, we explore specific things you can do in Europe that are harder—or impossible—to access in the U.S.

We’ll cover four major areas of opportunity:

• Lifestyle: like weekend trips to other countries, generous vacation time, and a slower pace of life
• Culture and Education: everyday access to history, art, languages, and even affordable degrees
• Career and Finances: better healthcare, strong public transport, and visas for freelancers or remote workers
• Personal Growth: the freedom to reinvent yourself and gain a broader global perspective

Living abroad isn’t always better—but it’s often different in meaningful ways. Which of these differences would matter most in your life?

👉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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Things that you can do in Europe that you can't do in the US is just the personal and emotional opportunities. You get to have a chance to reinvent yourself. No one knows you. You have the freedom to rebuild your lifestyle, you have the opportunity to have a fresh start. You can live differently without the pressure of your old life. 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 the things that you could do in Europe that you can't do in the US. I love this topic because I am always comparing my life in Europe to my life in the US I'm constantly comparing the 2 and I always think about what would my life look like? How would it be different if I didn't move to London? And I think that the biggest topic that people think about is, ah, more travel because you're in Europe and while yes, that is one of the biggest bonuses of living in Europe is being able to travel around Europe, where with a short train ride or a short flight that is super cheap. Sometimes they're like$50. It's crazy that you're able to be in a new country with a new language, new food, different experience, which is really, really cool. And that is a major bonus of living in Europe. But the reality is that Europe can offer you so much more in terms of different and perhaps better day-to-day opportunities and what life looks like. So let's talk about that today. This episode will explore the specific things that you get to access and do in Europe that are harder, if not impossible to access and do in the US. So let's get started with today's episode of the things that you can do in Europe that you can't do in the US. Number 1 is the travel and lifestyle opportunities. So we mentioned, you can have low cost airlines, cheap easy access to multiple countries that are at your fingertips. There are so many low cost airlines, high speed trains, and short travel distances, you could legitimately be on a train for 2 hours, maybe even 1, and be in a new country with new language, new food, new experiences, new landscapes. I mean, it is crazy just the diversity across Europe and what life looks like in different countries. So you can have some really incredible travel experiences whenever you live in Europe. Weekends trips to other countries can become a normal, it is wild. But 2 years ago I actually went on a trip every month. There were some where I was going to the US, but a lot of them were in Europe. I mean, just this year alone, which has only been like 6 months or something. I've already been to Paris, I've already been to Munich, and I will be going to either Spain or Italy in about 3 to 4 weeks. I'm trying to decide exactly where to go with a friend and also, I'm literally going in like 3 weeks and we still haven't decided where we're going. So you can have this last minute travel and it's really easy to get across Europe. Whereas if you're in the US, you're probably planning for your 2027 trip because I feel like you have to plan so far in advance because it's so far and it's normally a longer trip than if I'm just doing a quick weekend trip where I'm like, easy peasy. I'll leave on a Friday and I'll come back on Sunday. So it is really easy and it can be very normal for people to travel across Europe. And I'm also going to Greece later this year. Like it's so normal to travel across Europe and I am not trying to say that to be like, oh, like rub it in your face. But I mean, it really is one of the most incredible things about living in Europe is that you get to travel across Europe that's pretty cheap and pretty normal, and it's super easily accessible on trains or low cost airlines. So I feel like that is one of the biggest bonuses of living in Europe and one of the coolest things about life in Europe that you cannot do in the US. Another thing in our travel and lifestyles opportunity section is more vacation time and it's culturally encouraged. There is normal paid leave that is typically higher in Europe than in the US. People get way more days off across Europe. I mean to the point where sometimes in some countries it's crazy, like 2 months off a year. Whereas in the US some companies in the US have unlimited leave, but we all know that people don't actually take it. And I feel like a lot of times there's been research actually on this that companies that have these, you know, where you can travel as much as you want in the year, like you just have to do your work well, that typically people in those companies don't take more days off, they typically take less days off actually than if they were given a specific number of days off a year. So in the UK it is very typical to have 25 days off a year, plus your bank holidays, which is like 8 to 9 days a year, something like that. And it's honestly, it's really similar to the US. The US has like 8 or 9 days off a year, like thanksgiving and 4th of July, for example. So you have pretty much the same number of days, but the difference is that it's culturally encouraged to take time off. I mean, just in the summers in Europe, I mean it's crazy in like July and August it is dead. Like there's not much business happening. Things quiet down so much. Same thing during Christmas time. I mean, it gets really, really quiet. Whereas in the US I feel like there's this more like hustle culture where people don't take off and it honestly feels like you're not working as hard as your colleague if you decide to take time off, which is ridiculous because it's like accounted for in your pay. Like you're basically choosing to work days for free whenever you choose not to take your holiday days because it's already accounted for in your pay. There's just more of a work life balance that's built into many European countries, so having more vacation time and actually taking it, going on trips with friends, it is encouraged and it's very normal to take a lot of time off and to take extended periods of time off. Whereas my counterparts in the US they're like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I'm taking off on the Friday and the Monday. Like, I know I'm taking so much time off. I'm like are you kidding me? Like I'm planning on taking 2 weeks off later in the year. Like, please like take off. Like enjoy, like the business is not gonna fall apart with you being gone for 2 days, I promise. Like it will be fine. So yeah, I think that people sometimes forget and they just think that like the company's gonna fall apart or people are gonna think less of them if they take time off, and it's just a cultural thing. So yeah, please take your vacation times, whether you're in the US, like whether you move abroad or not. Like take your holiday, take your vacation time, like you will never regret taking those holidays and vacation times later in life, you'll regret potentially not taking them, but you're not gonna regret taking those days. So regardless of whether you move abroad or not, please take those vacation days. But yeah, there is more vacation time in Europe in general, and people actually take it and it is culturally encouraged. Okay, moving on. There is also just a slower pace of life in many places in general, especially in Southern Europe. There is less of a hustle mindset. We've talked about that a little bit, and it really also depends on your industry. Sometimes in London and like the finance industry, it can still be a little bit cutthroat, but in southern European countries it is just so relaxed. It does not have that hustle mindset, but it does still have less of a hustle mindset in northern like western European countries like the United Kingdom or the Netherlands, or France, countries like that where they're still more on like the north side, but Southern Europe is even more chill. People take really long lunches. They might take a 2 hour long lunch. That's very normal in some countries. They even take naps in the afternoon and that's really normal. People prioritize family and enjoy leisure time and they're not as big on like hustle culture and gotta work really, really hard. They're more prioritizing family and just enjoying life, which I think is a really beautiful thing. So that is our number 1, is the travel and lifestyle opportunities. Cheap and easy access to multiple countries, more vacation time, and it's culturally encouraged and slower pace of life in many places across Europe. So that is our number 1. Number 2 of the things that you can do in Europe that you cannot do in the US is the cultural and educational opportunities. Europe is rich in everyday exposure to history and art. There are so many castles across Europe. Museums everywhere and historical cities that aren't special trips, they're just a part of normal life. I mean, even on my way into work today, whenever I was going into the office, I was passing by old churches from probably the 15 hundreds, 16 hundreds I don't even know. They're super old amongst really modern buildings, which I think is really, really cool. There are just historical sites and pieces of history and really interesting, like the oldest pub that has been in England, like it's just everywhere in your normal, everyday life is just the history, kind of like everywhere. I mean, you're walking down cobblestone streets or you're passing by a really old Parisian cafe, or you're passing by a museum. I mean, there's a museum that I love in London that I love to go to, and it's smaller. It's a little bit less well known, and it's one of my favorite places. On the weekends I'll go to museums. Sometimes I'll do a day trip with friends to visit a castle. It's just cool that it can be a part of your everyday life is kind of living in and amongst all of the history and the art, just this everyday exposure to it. So everyday life often includes art and architecture and there are so many different festivals, like cultural festivals going on, so you might experience some of that in the US with art and cultural things. But I would say across Europe you are gonna, you're going to get more of the history and like the old history and more old, old architecture that you really wouldn't see in the US. So it is cool that is a part of normal daily life. Another thing on our cultural and educational opportunities is the easy access to language learning and multilingual environments in general. You'll have exposure to different languages on a daily basis. I don't even notice different languages anymore because London is so diverse. There are languages from all over the world. I could be walking along the street and here. I mean 10 different languages within a few minutes, and I just don't even register it anymore. And what's interesting is I don't even register an American accent anymore. Like whenever I first moved here, I'd be like, oh my gosh, you're American. Like you're from Australia, you're from like, I don't even register it anymore because it's so normal for me to just hear different accents and to hear different languages. So that is one thing that's really cool is that you do have access to different languages if you want to learn a different language. If you move to Spain, then you get to be fully immersed and be able to learn Spanish, which is really cool. And there are free to low cost language classes in many cities. So you can't be fully immersed whenever you're living there. But then you can also be taking these low cost language classes to also push yourself to learn the language from a local person that knows the local lingo and the local slang that you really need to know. So I think that that's a really cool thing about living in Europe is to learn a new language. And it probably would be something that you could learn a lot faster than if you were to try to just learn on something like Duo Lingo on your phone or something like that. So anyways, that's one thing that's also a bonus. Another thing is the free or low cost, higher education in general, some countries offer tuition free or affordable degree programs even for foreigners. So if you are considering higher education, this would be something to look into for the cultural and educational opportunities that you'd have in Europe that you wouldn't have in the US. So that is our number 2. Number 3 of things that you can do in Europe that you cannot do in the US is some career and financial opportunities. In Europe, we've already kind of touched on this, but there is a higher quality of life. There is more of an emphasis on just enjoying life and more on productivity and how much you're getting done instead of your hours worked and trying to like work to the bone and working late and people bragging about working really late or working on the weekends. Like some of my colleagues do that, and I'm like, why are you bragging about that? Like, please go enjoy your life. Another aspect on just the career and different financial opportunities is better healthcare for less. One thing that I love in Europe is that you do have access to public healthcare or very, very affordable privates care. You're not really paying that much and you get really great healthcare. Even in public healthcare, it is really quality healthcare. You don't need to worry about having bad experiences or, oh, because it's free, that means that it's probably really low quality. That is not true. Actually, in some circumstances it's actually much better than in the US and you don't have to worry about medical debt. That is one thing that I found really interesting that we touched on in a few episodes ago, is medical debt that Americans have and how many Americans go into debt because of medical issues. So in Europe, you don't have to worry about that. You don't have to worry about going into debt based on healthcare. If you have a sick parent, if you have a sick child, if you become sick and have something like, obviously we hope that that will never happen. But at some point in our life, like we will have some health issues. We do have to go to the doctor for things, and it's nice to know that we won't be going into debt because of something that's happening with our bodies and some sort of medical issue. So I feel like that is a breath of fresh air, is to have this like less of a financial burden in terms of health care and knowing that you will be taken care of and you're not going to go into debt because of your body and because of the like health issues that you might potentially have. Another thing is just the affordable, high quality public transportation. Many people don't need a car. In some circumstances, you might want a car whenever I have children. If I'm still living in Europe, I will probably get a car at that time, but maybe I won't. I don't know. We'll see. I just love the opportunity to have trains and buses, metros that are just so well connected and really budget friendly as well. You will more than likely pay so much more to have a car to pay for your insurance, the upkeep, the petrol slash gas, whatever you wanna call it. And just like having that day to day lifestyle of, I feel like it's so much more stressful. Like whenever I go back to the US and I'm driving. I'm like, oh, my shoulders are constantly like sore, and I'm like, oh, it's probably because I'm tensing and I'm in traffic, and it's constant stop and go, and it just feels like a 45 minute drive feels like it's forever. Like it's so far, it takes so long because it takes so much energy. Whereas on the train on 45 minutes, I'm like, oh my gosh, I went by so fast because I'm checking my emails. I'm like reading my books sometimes I'm not gonna lie. I love a nap. I love taking a nap on the train. I do that all the time. I'm not like in a deep sleep, but I will definitely take a nap and next level is like I started putting in my AirPods, which are noise canceling, and I'll put on like a fan app so it kind of like cuts all the noise as well. And oh my gosh, I'm like, in my own world, I'm so zen. I'm like making sure I'm holding onto my bag and that no one can like swipe my phone or something without me seeing, but I am so relaxed. So yeah, I like literally take naps, which I love. But yeah, I think that's really cool about Europe that you can't really do in the US. There are some cities that have public transportation, like DC, and New York, Chicago, but they're also potentially not as safe in Europe. I feel like public transportation is like for the normal person, like everyday person, whereas sometimes in the US I feel like they're a bit more sketch in my experience. I don't know. Maybe you're like, no, it's the best, but yeah, you don't need a car and the public transportation is really clean typically and pretty safe generally. It really depends on where you're at and like. For instance, sometimes the Paris metros might be a bit more dirty and like they're, people are swiping like phones or like bags or something like a bit more often. But I feel like in general they're just higher quality. And they're a lot more affordable as well. And it's also better for the environment typically. So that's also a bonus. And lastly on our career and financial opportunities is that you do have visas that allow you to do freelance work or work remotely for a company, or you could be a digital nomad, you can work for a 9 to 5, like anything that you want to do, you can do with a visa. You have the ability to have whatever career you want in your life. Whatever you really want to do, there is a visa for it. So you can live in Europe legally while building your own thing. You can build your own business or you can work a 9 to 5. Like you do have opportunities, like there are great career opportunities across Europe. So yeah, there's a visa for everything. So that's our number 3 is career and financial opportunities. Great quality of life. Better healthcare for less affordable, high quality public transportation and visas that allow you to do really whatever you want for work. And our last section, section number 4 of things that you can do in Europe that you can't do in the US is just the personal and emotional opportunities. You get to have a chance to reinvent yourself. No one knows you. You have the freedom to rebuild your lifestyle, your habits, and even your identity if you want to. You have the opportunity to have a fresh start. You can live differently without the pressure of your old life. I would say this is something to really think through. I think you do have to be a bit careful because if you move abroad like some things like it can solve all of your life's problems. There's actually an episode that we did on that a few episodes back on solving your life problems if you move abroad. It's episode 67, why Moving to Europe will solve a lot of your life's problems. But I do think that you really need to think through, am I running away from something that I really emotionally need to address, or is this the fresh start that I really need? I do think that you should kind of consider that because if you do have something emotionally that you really need to address in some way. Moving abroad is not going to fix that. You're still going to have that lingering issue. It's not going to solve that problem for you. But if you really need a fresh start, if you need a change in lifestyle where work is not pressuring you to work crazy hours, or you're so sick of driving and sitting in traffic and you're sick of driving across the highway and looking at applebee's and Taco Bell and like all of the chains. Like you're just sick of chain food and, and ugly highways, and you really want to be sitting outside at a cafe where it's nice and quiet and someone's reading a newspaper next to you and you're like walking from one place to the other and having more of a walking lifestyle where you're kind of like walking one place to the other, which I love about living in Europe. That's another thing we haven't even touched on, is like it's so walkable. And I love that. I love that I'm like walking from one place to another and yeah, sometimes it's raining and you're like don't love that it's raining, but honestly get a little umbrella and I still enjoy my walk. Like I still really enjoy that I'm active, even if I'm not like actually going to the gym and working out. I'm not just walking 20 feet to go in my car and drive home and then like. 10 feet back into my house. Like I am walking quite a bit and I'm like enjoying the views and I'm enjoying walking and being a bit more active. And I feel like that's honestly, as a sidebar, helped me stay pretty fit being in Europe. Whereas in the US I mean if I don't go to the gym, I'm like stagnant all day. So I do love that you can like it's very walkable. And that, yeah, you're like kind of in and amongst your community and not like siloed in your car where it's like, you're not like crossing paths with anyone. Whereas in Europe, like I love that you can like walk from one place to another and you're stopping in the coffee shop as you're walking to go pick up your dry cleaning and like you're just like walking to get there and like walking through like beautiful neighborhoods and like seeing people chatting outside of a cafe or, whatever that looks like. So that is one thing that I also do really love, which is actually something we didn't even touch on. So yeah, I'd say that that's one of the personal and emotional opportunities is just that chance to reinvent yourself. Another personal and emotional opportunity is just this greater sense of global perspective living abroad shifts, how you see politics, how you see cultural, how you see culture, how you see your own country. It's just really eye-opening and often can be humbling. I feel like it gives you a completely different view of the US or the home country that you're moving from, and it just gives you just a new perspective. It's something that you can't really explain or experience until you've actually moved abroad and you can look at your home country, like you can look at the US from the outside looking in and it just creates such a different perspective on life and different ways of life. And you can say, oh, like I miss that about the US. I love how we do X, Y, and Z. Like I love that we celebrate this, or I love that we do this about life. And then you could look at Europe and say like. I actually love these things about living in Europe, like living in Spain. I love that they take the long lunch. I love that they aren't prioritizing, working really hard, working on the weekends and bragging about that, but they're focused on family. Like I think that there's some things that we can say is more beautiful about the US and we can hold onto those cultural things and like maintain those things in our life. But these things about my life, I actually like the European style better. So I think that it's cool to even kind of get this like mix I guess. Whereas in the US you like only know one way of life and if you're living abroad then you can kind of like mix different ways of life and different ways of doing things and you might realize that some things you like even better. So yeah, that is our part 4 personal and emotional opportunities. A chance to reinvent yourself and greater sense of global perspective. So I'd say in terms of the things that you can do in Europe that you can't do in the US, that's a pretty good overview of the things that are really different in European life that you'd be missing out on if you weren't living in Europe, that in the US you really can't access or that look really different. So I'd say those are the major things, but living abroad isn't always better in every aspect. And that's what I was just talking about, that sometimes it's better in different ways and it's different in ways that might matter more than you expected. There might be things that you might discover and say, actually I didn't realize how stressed I was driving and sitting in traffic for an hour, getting to work at an hour coming back. And now that I have this European lifestyle of being on the bus and looking outside and really relaxing and reading my book or being on a train that actually I didn't realize how much that was stressing me out, and it's actually so much better. So I think that you might uncover some things that are way better than you expected in terms of things that you really can't do in the US that they have in Europe. So which of these would make a difference in your life? Which of these things would you feel like would just give you a sense of relief to feel like you're living the life that you really want? Which of these things do you feel like you resonate with most? Maybe you resonate with some more than others, but maybe you resonate with some more than others. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed this episode on the things that you can do in Europe that you can't do in the US. If you are curious about life abroad in Europe, and you haven't taken the free quiz yet, it is a great quiz to figure out where your perfect European match is, which country in which city fits your persona better and where you would fit in best. So if you wanna check out that quiz, there's a link that's in the podcast description. So if you're curious which European City would match your values and lifestyles, then I do have that free quiz that you can check out. So click on the link that's in the podcast description, or you can also just type in on your browser jordangiberson.com/quiz and it will pull up the quiz there as well. So thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. I will catch you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then