Has anyone ever gone off to another country... alone?

I'm in the process of applying for emigration. I intend on living overseas for a while, to gain more experience and to pretty much seek fulfillment.

My only problem is that I am going alone, as I have no family.

Has anyone ever gone off to live in a foreign country alone? How did it feel? Did you regret it/ love it?

Yes, I have, several times, and I'd do it again, it was totally worth it. I think the trick is to hang in there at least for a year. My curve is usually along the lines of first three months = everything is new and exciting, next three -four months = nothing's that new and exciting anymore, but you're still not quite feeling home and you're feeling periodically discouraged etc, and from that point onwards it just gets better

Yes I have! it was the best experience of my life!! mind you, it was for 1 month and I would love to do it again but for a year or more.

I was so terrified at the thought of travelling alone but once I landed in the country, it was just so exciting! and as the other user said...everything is so new and different.

I'm still coming down from my high of being overseas (I went to Canada) and I'm trying to find a way to get back there, it was just the most incredible experience. I love being part of a different culture and environment and being around different people.

I would definitely recommend travelling but going alone in particular because it really does as cliche as it sounds, help you grow as a person and you find things about yourself that you didn't know before, you realize how well you're able to deal with situations and things.

yes i went alone in the 1970s loved it.

i am not shy so met lots of people-i didn't speak the language but hey-i danced in the nightclubs-who needs to talk!

met lots of people and soon learned enough of the language.

are you going to a country with a very different culture?

nowadays (old person talk) there are usually groups to join on the internet for visitors to new countries/towns.just use common sense reguarding safety and you should be fine.

one big regret was not doing enough research on the country i went to-i came back and found so many things i should have seen/done while i was there.

I am Australian and I moved to New Zealand for a year to live and work. I went by myself and it was scary but it was a great experience. If you open yourself up enough to step out of your comfort and meet/talk to new people you will make lots of friends have it will be a great life experience! My move to NZ was pretty easy though as Australia and New Zealand have an agreement where citizens can live or work in either country so I didn't have to go through any of the technical busienss. Going on my own was a great experience and point of personal growth though. I'd highly recommend it!

I did! I moved to Italy for two years.

I'm going to move back and get my Master's there too. It was exhilarating and I do miss it.

Not sure if you are in the U.S. But whichever country you're in, if it is a developed country, I bet you hundreds of thousands of people come to your country every year to study or to work, and many (especially the ones who study) are doing it alone. Lots of people, including myself, have done it because its the only way for whatever reason they can advance in their preferred career, or they feel options are limited where they are, or they want to try something new. You just learn to put together a 'second family' wherever you go - friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc.

I've lived in 3 different countries. Have also visited a few, always by myself, though I usually know someone (not family) where I'm going, or I'm meeting the rest of my class there! It's fun if you're game for adventure. I love it because I'm the sort of person who likes to try new things, and I like getting a taste of different cultures. There is so much to see and do in the world, and I want to be a part of it. The downside is that if you move around too much (and by that I mean a 2 year rotation with the UN or something which means that you move to a different country every 2 years for 15 years), you lose a sense of rootedness. Unless you're a straight male, its difficult to find a long-term partner if you're always migrating from one side of the hemisphere to another (it may be hard for straight males too, but my experience is that they can easily 'go local' wherever they move). So I think I wouldn't want to move completely to a different country so frequently. I'm open to doing it one or two more times over the next 10 years. But if I somehow find a happy marriage (and I hope I do), I think the cons are mitigated.

I moved to the UK for two years from South Africa.

There is this feeling you have of starting over where no one knows you that I enjoyed. As an introvert it helped me tremendously to talk to random people.

I'm in the process of applying for emigration. I intend on living overseas for a while, to gain more experience and to pretty much seek fulfillment.

My only problem is that I am going alone, as I have no family.

 

Has anyone ever gone off to live in a foreign country alone? How did it feel? Did you regret it/ love it?

Moved from Romania to United States when i was 18 ....it was a challenge...however i do not regret it.

I did, I came to the UK to study 11 years ago. I kinda knew I would stay here though, had a feeling. At the beginning everything is new and exciting, takes a while to build a base and most friends will be from work to start with. If you are to stay for a few years it is important to integrate. I was observing a lot of things and trying to accumulate the behaviour a bit just so I am not too foreign.

After a few years I had tried so hard to adapt that I lost myself and my roots. I went back to my home country for 2 years, did the soul searching and returned to the Uk 1 year ago.

It can be tough being a foreigner, you're often neither here or there. It's easy to feel a lack of conection. I get on with my family back home so there is always a quiet sorrow in my soul, I miss them dearly. In many ways my heart is back home but my mind is in the UK.

This may be my limiting belief but I also think that as a foreigner you are a couple of steps back from the natives workwise. The network of people you know is not that big.

I think it will be an amazing experience if you move for 1 or 2 years. After that it becomes ordinary in some ways.

Yes, I did. I went alone to Japan. Didn't know anyone. Getting through the first year is definitely key. Everything is still fresh and new, and scary too. You'll go through a lot of emotional highs and lows, but after the first year, it's cake. You'll be used to things, and feel like it's not a foreign place anymore, but more like home away from home. DO make sure to be engaged in your local community, and as well, seek out others living there who are from your own country(it helps because you can talk to someone who understands what you are going through living in that particular country as a foreigner). If you are moving to a large city, I think it's easier to cope whereas living in the countryside, there is more confrontation with loneliness...so be prepared. At least there is internet to keep you connected if you are living far in the countryside of a foreign country.

Only country I ever went to alone is France, but that doesn't really count because I live in Belgium about 20 minutes from the French border, doesn't feel any different than going to another city within my country.

All other countries i've been to i always was with friends or family. I plan to go to Asia in the near future tho and will be alone, I know it's gonna be stressful.

Yes, I have, several times, and I'd do it again, it was totally worth it. I think the trick is to hang in there at least for a year. My curve is usually along the lines of first three months = everything is new and exciting, next three -four months = nothing's that new and exciting anymore, but you're still not quite feeling home and you're feeling periodically discouraged etc, and from that point onwards it just gets better

 

In my case, things gradually worsened past that first year. I didn't particularly like the country I moved to, ended up moving back after several years, and found myself a fish out of water since I no longer felt a sense of belonging in the original country. Now I was twice the stranger, afraid to take the leap again.

 

All things considered, I wouldn't trade my experience abroad for anything. It was well worth it, disillusionment and all, for the personal growth and for the many beautiful experiences.

 

 

I moved to the UK for two years from South Africa.

 

There is this feeling you have of starting over where no one knows you that I enjoyed. As an introvert it helped me tremendously to talk to random people.

 

This is very easy to relate to. Also, as a foreigner, any quirks you display can be attributed to your status. It's easier to be yourself as such. "Oh, s/he's not from around; that explains the antics". You can allow yourself to go all-out, so to speak, or to go in any direction you wish. Immensely liberating for us introverts. Being viewed as an 'other' can be somewhat advantageous.

yes, I have lived and worked in 7 countries and travelled to about 60... probably been to 50 countries on my own. I guess because I have done it for so long now, I don't even think twice about it!