The Abroad Live Curious. Explore Deeper. Belong Everywhere.

Live Curious. Explore Deeper. Belong Everywhere.

The Abroad

Stories, ideas & perspectives — thoughtfully written, beautifully told.

Stop Living Like You're Already on Your Way Out
Cover story

Stop Living Like You're Already on Your Way Out

A lot of expats spend years abroad without ever really arriving. If you've been treating your life overseas like a long layover, it might be time to ask yourself what you're actually waiting for — and what you're missing in the meantime.

Read the story →

Latest Articles

The Moment You Realize You've Become the American in the Room 02
Expat Life

The Moment You Realize You've Become the American in the Room

You moved abroad partly to get some distance from America — the politics, the noise, the weight of it all. So why are you suddenly defending it at a dinner party in Lisbon? Living internationally has a funny way of turning you into the most patriotic person you never planned to be.
Distance Made Me American: The Strange Way Living Abroad Gave Me a Country 03
Expat Life

Distance Made Me American: The Strange Way Living Abroad Gave Me a Country

Most expats move abroad expecting to shed their American-ness, or at least loosen its grip. What they don't expect is to find it waiting for them — sharper and more real than it ever felt back home. The paradox is almost funny, until it isn't.
The Holiday Homecoming Script Nobody Warned You About 04
Expat Life

The Holiday Homecoming Script Nobody Warned You About

Every year, millions of expats pack their bags for the holidays and fly back to a version of themselves they've long since outgrown. The turkey gets carved, the wine gets poured, and somewhere between the second helping and the third round of 'so how's life over there,' you realize you're playing a character. The hard part isn't the jet lag — it's the performance.
Stop Waiting Until You're Ready — You Won't Be, and That's Exactly the Point 05
Expat Life

Stop Waiting Until You're Ready — You Won't Be, and That's Exactly the Point

There's a version of you that has been 'almost ready' to move abroad for three years now. The savings account is close but not quite there, the language app streak is solid but not fluent, and the timing is almost right — but not yet. Here's the uncomfortable truth: that version of you will wait forever.
Your Body Remembers Home Differently Than You Do 06
Expat Life

Your Body Remembers Home Differently Than You Do

Coming home after living abroad isn't just an emotional adjustment — it's a full-body experience. From familiar foods that suddenly taste wrong to weather that feels alien in your own bones, your nervous system processes repatriation in ways your brain hasn't caught up with yet. Here's what's actually happening, and why it's more common than anyone talks about.
Thriving Abroad Feels Amazing — Until the Guilt Kicks In 07
Expat Life

Thriving Abroad Feels Amazing — Until the Guilt Kicks In

You moved abroad, your life got genuinely better, and somehow that's made you feel worse. The guilt of thriving while people back home are struggling is one of the most unspoken emotional landmines of expat life — and it's way more common than you think.
You Left. They Stayed. And Now You Carry That. 08
Expat Life

You Left. They Stayed. And Now You Carry That.

Choosing to build a life abroad is one of the most exciting decisions a person can make — and one of the heaviest. The guilt that comes with it is real, valid, and almost nobody talks about it honestly. Here's what it actually feels like, and how to stop letting it quietly run your life.
You Came Home. Your Politics Didn't. 09
Expat Life

You Came Home. Your Politics Didn't.

Living abroad has a sneaky way of rewiring how you see everything — including the country you left behind. When you finally come home, you might find that the political landscape feels just as foreign as the first city you ever moved to overseas. Here's what to do with that disorientation.
America Felt Like a Foreign Country When I Got Back — And I Wasn't Ready for That 10
Expat Life

America Felt Like a Foreign Country When I Got Back — And I Wasn't Ready for That

Returning home after years abroad sounds like the easy part. But for a lot of expats, stepping back onto American soil triggers a disorientation that's somehow stranger and lonelier than anything they felt moving overseas in the first place. Here's what reverse culture shock actually looks like — and why nobody warned us about it.
Your Hometown Is a Foreign Country Now (And You're the One Who Changed) 11
Expat Life

Your Hometown Is a Foreign Country Now (And You're the One Who Changed)

You spent months dreaming about your favorite diner, your old neighborhood, the way the light hits Main Street in October. Then you landed, walked through it all — and felt like a stranger. Reverse culture shock is real, it's disorienting, and almost nobody talks about it until it's already happening to them.
Leaving America Was the First Time I Actually Saw It 12
Expat Life

Leaving America Was the First Time I Actually Saw It

There's a strange irony that catches almost every American expat off guard: the further you get from home, the more American you feel. Distance has a way of holding up a mirror that you never knew you needed — and what stares back is both surprising and oddly clarifying.
The Expat Social Scene Looks Like Community — Until It Doesn't 13
Expat Life

The Expat Social Scene Looks Like Community — Until It Doesn't

Expat communities can feel like a lifeline when you first land somewhere new — a ready-made social circle of people who just *get it*. But spend enough time inside one and you'll start to notice the fault lines: the cliques, the transience, the unspoken hierarchies. Here's how to build real connections abroad without getting burned by the ones that were never meant to last.
Caught Between Worlds: What Happens When You Stop Being a Tourist but Never Quite Become a Local 14
Expat Life

Caught Between Worlds: What Happens When You Stop Being a Tourist but Never Quite Become a Local

There's a strange moment that sneaks up on most expats — the day you stop marveling at the cobblestones and start complaining about the trash collection schedule. You're no longer a visitor, but you're not exactly one of them either. Welcome to the in-between, and trust us, it's a more interesting place to live than it sounds.
Have You Met Your Abroad Self? A Lot of Expats Say It's the Real One. 15
Expat Life

Have You Met Your Abroad Self? A Lot of Expats Say It's the Real One.

Long-term expats often describe a strange and unsettling realization: the version of themselves that emerged after moving abroad feels more authentic than the person they were at home. This isn't just wanderlust talking — there's real psychology behind it, and it raises a question worth sitting with.
Things You'll Accidentally Get Wrong (And Why That's Totally Fine) 16
Expat Life

Things You'll Accidentally Get Wrong (And Why That's Totally Fine)

Every country runs on a set of invisible rules that locals absorb from birth but nobody bothers writing down. As an American moving abroad, you'll break some of them — probably before your first week is out. Here's what to expect, why it happens, and how to laugh your way through it.
The Price Tag Nobody Shows You: Real Talk on Expat Finances 17
Expat Life

The Price Tag Nobody Shows You: Real Talk on Expat Finances

Moving abroad sounds like a budget win — lower rent, cheaper food, a better quality of life for less. But the costs that blindside most expats aren't on any relocation checklist. Here's the honest financial picture before you pack those bags.
Why Making Friends Abroad Is Hard (And How to Actually Do It) 18
Expat Life

Why Making Friends Abroad Is Hard (And How to Actually Do It)

Expat life can be surprisingly lonely, even when you're surrounded by interesting people from every corner of the world. Building friendships that actually stick — across cultural barriers and constant goodbyes — is one of the underrated challenges of living abroad. Here's how to get past the small talk and find your people.
Visas & Logistics

So You Want to Work Remotely from Abroad — Here's How to Actually Do It Legally

Dreaming of working from a café in Lisbon or a co-working space in Mexico City? The good news is that more countries than ever are actively rolling out the welcome mat for US remote workers. The catch is that doing it legally, affordably, and sustainably takes a lot more planning than an Instagram post would have you believe.
Expat Life

Nobody Warned Me That Coming Home Would Break Me

You survived the visa paperwork, the language barrier, and eating alone in a foreign city on a Tuesday night. So why does stepping back onto American soil feel like the most disorienting thing you've ever done? Reverse culture shock is real, it's messy, and almost nobody talks about it honestly.