Why Living Abroad Makes You More Attractive

Living abroad comes with many perks. Even if you only move abroad temporarily, it teaches you a lot of things and equips you with many positive qualities. It is an experience that is sure to change you - for the better, of course.

But did you know that living abroad, no matter for how long, also makes you a more attractive person? 

Don’t believe us?

Find out how moving abroad makes you more attractive!

1. It adds confidence

Moving abroad is a real test of character. It is no easy feat, so it requires certain adjustments on your part. 

Navigating a completely new environment and making friends in a place where you don’t know anybody requires confidence. If you hadn’t been the most confident person prior to your move, living abroad for a while will equip you with a new level of confidence you need to thrive.

A study by The Society for Personality and Social Psychology identified confidence as one of the top most attractive personality traits, both in men and women. Moreover, a LinkedIn article lists four valid reasons why confident people are perceived as more attractive. They include reflecting one’s self-value and evoking a sense of security in others.

Just the decision to move abroad alone comes with a certain level of confidence. It means you trust yourself enough, you know you’re capable of starting a new life somewhere. That’s admirable.

The time spent living abroad increases your confidence levels as well. You face various challenges you have to solve on your own. This requires a strong character and makes you someone worth looking up to.

2. It shows independence

It doesn’t matter if you have moved abroad alone or were accompanied by someone. Living abroad requires independence - after all, you do leave a huge part of your life behind.

Coming to a new country, you will have to learn new customs, adjust to the local bureaucracy, and often adopt a whole new lifestyle. All of your friends and family won’t be there physically to help you, so there will be a lot of things you will need to take care of on your own. 

The Odyssey names independence “one of the most attractive qualities a person can have”. Being independent means you can assume responsibility and successfully manage your own life. This, in turn, inspires trust - the most attractive quality people look for in a partner, according to Business Insider. 

3. It proves you’re resourceful

Resourcefulness often comes hand-in-hand with independence. Someone who can cook, do their own laundry, and change a tire at the same time is a good catch - regardless of their gender. 

Nobody looks for a partner who will require assistance in every activity. And nothing proves you’re resourceful better than having lived abroad for any amount of time. 

In the initial stages of moving to a new country, even tasks as simple as grocery shopping will prove to be a challenge. It takes a while to learn which shops offer the best deals, and which ones provide good quality. Finding all that out on your own is a training in resourcefulness.

Living abroad, you will come across all kinds of challenges. From legal obligations to the language barrier and culture shock - overcoming all of them will lift you to a level of resourcefulness you didn’t know existed. 

It is no secret we are more attracted to people who offer solutions to problems, rather than create them. Moving abroad is the ultimate trial of resourcefulness, so passing it will definitely get you ahead in the game. 

4. It supplies you with a lot of stories to tell

The best things are waiting for us just outside of our comfort zone. The moment you leave it, you will likely gain some great experiences.

Moving to another country, you will discover its culture and customs. They are sometimes very different from what you’re used to, so exploring them will likely come with a range of inspiring stories.

Of course, there will also be tales of how things didn’t exactly go as planned. Life abroad constantly surprises with unexpected turns of events which might seem overwhelming at first, but often end up as fun memories. 

Stimulating conversation is one of the top aspects people look for in relationships. Nobody likes a bore who couldn’t catch another person’s interest if their life depended on it. 

Even if you’re not the best storyteller by nature, just the mere fact of spending some time abroad will provide you with never-ending stories everyone will want to listen to. 

It helps if you can turn any downsides in your journey into a joke. Sense of humour figures among the top 3 most attractive qualities in the vast majority of surveys. Proving you can keep your distance and relay a troublesome incident in a funny way shows you’re capable of maintaining a healthy approach to possible failures. 

5. It gives you a note of mystery

We all like the unknown. Some throw themselves head-first into it, while others maintain their distance and prefer to play things safe. However, everyone, even the most cautious of us, cannot deny the spark of intrigue a little bit of mystery evokes in each of us.

Having lived abroad has likely surprised you with more adventures and challenges than you would have encountered staying home. People will be eager to hear all about the experiences you’ve gained during your time abroad.

Living in another country and navigating a completely new environment adds a note of mystery to your character. What you did, whom you’ve met, what you’ve learnt. It all makes for wonderful memories you can share with others.

People who have lived abroad are often perceived as more unpredictable (in a poisitive way) than those from our immediate surroundings. It is no secret that international travel allows us to discover new things we wouldn’t have encountered staying home. 

That is not to say that someone who has never lived abroad cannot be interesting. There is just a special kind of aura to people who have moved to another country. Some are more drawn to it than others, but we are all inspired by it on some level.

6. It demonstrates courage 

Moving abroad takes courage. That much is clear. 

It is a brave decision to leave everything you know behind and relocate to a completely new country. No matter how close or far away from your homeland, there are no two places that would be exactly the same. 

You don’t have to move all the way across the globe to be considered daring. Even relocating to a neighbouring country requires a big dose of courage on your part. 

The Elephant Journal places courage even above confidence in their ranking of most attractive trains a person can have. So does the Thought Catalog, which calls bravery “intoxicating” and boldness “refreshing”. 

Of course, there are different types of courage, and living abroad is not the only way to demonstrate you have it. Not everyone who is brave has lived abroad, but we feel confident to say that everyone who has lived abroad is brave. 

Many expats don’t feel it. They don’t consider themselves brave at all, but the truth is, it does require courage to step so far out of one’s comfort zone. 

Courage is an attractive trait because it demonstrates we can rely on someone. Being around daring people often inspires us to leave our safety bubbles as well, which is why pairing up with someone we consider brave - or even adventurous - is so alluring. 

7. It requires responsibility

Resonsibility may not seem like a top quality most people would tie to physical attraction. However, studies show that it’s considered very important in the long run.

Research by Women Working placed responsbility 2nd on the list ot personality traits which make people more attractive. It was only preceded by kindness.

For those looking for a temporary partner, responsibility might not matter so much. However, those ready to commit to a long-term relationship appoint it as one of the top qualities they wish their potential partner to have. 

It can be quite nerve-wracking to spend your life with someone you can’t rely on and who is sure to left you stranded time and time again. If you decide to settle down at any point in your life, you will need to develop some level of responsibility.

Moving abroad is a fool-proof way to learn that. Even the most irresponsible person will become reliable over time when living in a foreign country. Being in charge of all your responsibilities in an unknown environment is practically a responsibility boot camp. 

Having spent some time abroad is the perfect proof you can be trusted to effectively manage daily tasks. It is a big plus in the eyes of someone on the lookout for a reliable, long-term partner. 

8. It makes you more exciting 

For all the reasons described above, living abroad simply makes you more exciting. We all enjoy spending time with people who can bring a breath of fresh air into our lives. Someone with great experiences from moving abroad and a collection of fascinating stories to tell can do exactly that.

The idea of moving to another country is exciting. Therefore, someone who has made this idea a reality is perceived as exciting as well. Even those who do not feel like living abroad is their cup of tea will be intrigued to some level by somebody else doing it.

We don’t always have to want to do certain things ourselves to find someone else talking about them exciting. If a person is visibly passionate about their experiences and hobbies, we instinctively feel drawn to them. 

It is important to point out that moving abroad does not only make you more exciting in others’ eyes. It adds spice to your own life as well.

We don’t recommend doing something just to impress others - no matter if that’s something you’re comfortable with it or not. First and foremost, you should try living abroad for yourself. It is a great experience, and making you more attractive to others is just an added bonus.

Do you agree with our reasons why living abroad makes you more attractive? Are there any more you would add to the list? We would love to hear your opinion in the comments section below!

We hope we have made the idea of relocating appealing and convinced you to consider trying it. If you’re interested in starting your life abroad, find out how to move abroad and where to start, and check out the top 10 expat destinations in Europe.

We wish you the best of luck in your upcoming travels - both long and short-term!