5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LIVE ABROAD
Why I’ve Been Living Abroad Since 2005 — And Why You Should Too
I left home at 17 to chase an opportunity: to get a higher education elsewhere because I didn’t get into any universities I could pay for. I moved to China alone because education was more affordable there, enrolled in a university where I didn’t speak the language, and figured it out as I went. That was 2005. I haven’t stopped since.
Twenty years later I’ve lived and worked across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. I’ve visited over 100 countries, most of them alone. I’ve overlanded through Africa twice using public transportation. I’ve housesit in Dubai, San Francisco, and across Europe. I started a business at 19 with zero funding. I got my mom – in her 60s, no university degree, weak passport – a remote job. And I built an entire career that funds itself through travel.
Yes, I grew up more privileged than others. But my parents come from a working background. I’m the daughter of a migrant and a refugee. I had some help starting but much of it simply required a decision.
If you’ve ever thought about living abroad but talked yourself out of it, this article is for you. These aren’t generic reasons pulled from a list. These are the reasons I know to be true after two decades of doing it.
Hey there, and welcome to Go Global with Sibu! I’m a global citizen that has been living and traveling around the world since 2005 – all through budget travel, scholarships, study/work and living abroad opportunities. I share everything I’ve learned over the years here – to prove to you that you don’t need money or privilege to enjoy everything that this world has to offer.
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1. It Forces You to Become Resourceful in Ways Nothing Else Can
When you live abroad, especially without a safety net, you figure things out fast. You learn to navigate systems, languages, and cultures that weren’t designed for you. You develop a kind of problem-solving ability that simply doesn’t come from staying comfortable.
I moved to China at 17 not speaking a word of Mandarin. Within a few months I was fluent enough to work as a trilingual interpreter – Spanish, English, and Mandarin. Not because I’m exceptional, but because I was on survival mode and immersion forces you to adapt. By 19 I had enough clients to start my own exports company without a single dollar of seed funding.
That resourcefulness doesn’t leave you when you come home. It follows you everywhere. It changes how you approach problems, opportunities, and setbacks for the rest of your life.
If you want to develop this kind of resilience, consider starting with a structured opportunity like studying abroad. China, for example, offers free Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programs for international students – tuition starts from around $4000 USD per year if you don’t snag a scholarship, or you can sign up to my newsletter where I share paid travel opportunities for you to study around the world.
2. Your Network Becomes Global — And That Changes Everything
The connections you make while living abroad are unlike any you’ll make at home. You meet people who are already doing the unconventional thing – living across borders, building location-independent careers, navigating the world on their own terms. These people become your references, your collaborators, your family away from home.
That person you met on a free walking tour in Rome might refer you to your dream job two years later. Your co-working neighbor in Austin might become a LinkedIn connection who leads you to a business opportunity. Your roommate in Chiang Mai might be the one who helps you find an apartment in Cairo because they moved there too.
I’ve seen this play out over and over again across 20 years. The more you put yourself out there, the more the world conspires to help you. And once you’ve been on the receiving end of a stranger’s generosity abroad, you become that person for someone else. That’s how this community works.
3. It Opens Career Doors That Simply Don’t Exist at Home
Living abroad doesn’t just broaden your perspective – it makes you more employable, more entrepreneurial, and more adaptable than almost anyone who stayed home.
I’ve worked in multiple countries across three continents. I’ve held remote jobs, freelance contracts, and run my own business – all funded by skills I developed because I lived abroad. Today most of my work comes through my network and social media. I do a multiple of things and have different income streams. If the market collapses, I’m not worried. I’ve built enough skills and knowledge to know that I’m employable in a number of fields.
Remote work has made living abroad more accessible than ever. Easy remote jobs that require no experience or degree exist across fields like customer service, content writing, social media management, data entry, and AI content analysis. I even helped my mother – in her 60s, without a university degree and with a passport that opens very few doors find a remote job. If it’s possible for her, it’s possible for almost anyone.
Once you have a remote job, use it to live abroad. That’s the formula. And for finding the best platforms to look for remote work, I’ve already done the research for you.
4. You Discover Who You Actually Are
This one is harder to quantify but it might be the most important reason on this list.
When you strip away everything familiar: your language, your city, your social circle, your routines… you find out very quickly who you are without all of it. What you actually value. What you’re capable of. What you’ve been told about yourself that isn’t true.
Living abroad confronts you with your own assumptions and prejudices in a way that nothing else does. I grew up with certain ideas about the world that China dismantled completely. About safety. About wealth. About what a good life looks like. About which countries are dangerous and which are welcoming. I’ve traveled through the Middle East alone and found some of the warmest hospitality I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been to countries the media warns you about and found extraordinary beauty and kindness.
The world is significantly safer and more welcoming than we’ve been led to believe. I say this after 20 years and 100+ countries. The fear is almost always worse than the reality.
5. It Teaches You That You Need Far Less Than You Think
One of the most liberating things about living abroad — especially on a budget — is realizing how little you actually need to be happy. A housesit in Dubai. A $4,000 annual tuition in China. A bus journey across Africa. Living out of two backpacks. I’ve become minimalist, and it’s crazy to realize how little we actually need. Our world is fueled by consumerism – but the one thing that’s worth spending money on, are experiences.
I’ve stayed in homes all around the world for free. I’ve overlanded through Southern and East Africa by bus for three months. I’ve found that the less I spend, the more I experience.
Money helps. But it has never been the deciding factor. The deciding factor has always been the decision to go. And knowing that there are so many resources available that could make your move abroad possible – if only you believe that you’re worthy of them. And if you know where to look, and I share plenty of them here. This page is not called Go Global with Sibu for nothing!
Practical Things to Sort Before You Go
Once you’ve made the decision, a few practical things make the transition significantly smoother.
For money, Wise is my go-to for international transfers and spending abroad. It saves a significant amount on fees compared to traditional banks and works seamlessly across currencies.
For health coverage, SafetyWing offers flexible travel insurance designed specifically for people living abroad long term. It’s affordable, reliable, and doesn’t require you to be tied to one country.
For accommodation, TrustedHousesitters is the single best tool I know for eliminating accommodation costs entirely while living abroad. Use code TRUSTED15 for 15% off.
Where to Start
You don’t need to commit to 20 years. Start with three months. Six months. A year abroad on a scholarship or a remote job or a housesit. See what happens.
If you want help figuring out where to start, whether that’s finding the right destination, landing a remote job, rewriting your CV for location independence, or planning your first solo trip – you can book a 1-on-1 consultation with me here. This is exactly what I do.
The world is waiting. And it is so much better than you’ve been told.