'I'm smiling at grandmas, waving at kids, I'm like... a person': American ex-pat sparks debate about quality of life in Europe

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Dec 20, 2023 6:00 PM EST

One of the greatest things about being an American is the chance to leave America every now and then if you're lucky. I've had the pleasure of staying for extended periods of time in countries outside of my own, and I'm grateful for those experiences every day. Learning another culture, another way of life, another way to be, can help you get unstuck from your own routines. Whenever I'm somewhere other than America, I'm always humbled by how old everything is, and how living against the backdrop of 17th-century cathedrals or 5th-century ruins can help put your life into perspective.

I will say, though, by the end of my time away I'm usually ready to come back home. Something about air conditioning and ice water beckons like nothing else. That's what's wonderful about traveling... you can have both. A recent TikTok fanned the flames of this debate, casting Europe as the answer to the burnt-out American's problems. Moving isn't a magical cure-all, but maybe it's a start.