I'm an American who lived in Ireland for 4 years. Here are 5 things I liked better about life in Europe.

I've always heard about Europeans traveling to multiple different countries each year, but I never understood how they were able to afford it. But once I moved to Ireland, I had access to several budget-friendly airlines and was able to do it myself. 

Airlines like Ryanair, Transavia, Vueling, and easyJet offered flights to other European countries at prices that worked for my budget. Sometimes, my friends and I could even find flights to countries like Italy for only 20 euros. 

The low prices and convenience of being near so many great places allowed me to travel to over 10 different countries, including Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Greece.

I was amazed at how I could take a short flight and land in an entirely different country with its own unique culture, architecture, cuisine, and climate. I wouldn't have been able to see all of these countries for an affordable cost if I'd been living in the US. 

The EU's Working Time Directive states that full-time workers must have at least 20 days of paid vacation time per year.

At my job, I had 29 days of paid vacation plus holidays, equating to around 40 paid days off a year. By comparison, full-time US workers' PTO can vary by state, and nearly a third of US employees don't even have access to PTO.

I wasn't only encouraged to take my vacation time because it was good for my well-being — I also legally had to take it.

It felt amazing to have an employer encourage me to take time off instead of making me feel like a burden. The normalized work-life balance drastically changed my life for the better.

The US isn't exactly known for having a bilingual culture, and growing up there, learning foreign languages never felt like a huge priority. So, when I got to Dublin, I was amazed by how many people spoke multiple languages.

Many European schools teach children foreign languages at a very young age. This skill carries over into adulthood, so lots of people I met were fluent in two or more languages.

I met people who spoke Dutch, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Italian, and Polish. Irish was even the predominant language in the country's Gaeltacht districts.  

I was always inspired by my friends, who could switch back and forth between languages, and I even started to learn some myself.

I think it almost seems like a luxury to be able to afford high-quality, fresh produce in the US. But in Ireland and other places I visited in the EU, it seemed that cheap, high-quality fruits and vegetables were commonplace.

I encountered a lot of small bakeries, butchers, and cheesemongers selling freshly made bread, good-quality meat, and cheese. I also believe my access to fresh foods also helped to improve my health.

In Ireland, having access to more affordable food seemed like a right, not a privilege, as it can sometimes feel in the US. For example, I spent about $50 on groceries a week in Ireland, but I now pay over $150 for groceries each week in Boston.

Some people I've spoken to believe that moving abroad and attending university is costly. However, in my experience, it was a much more affordable option than getting a degree in the US.

I got my master's degree at Trinity College Dublin for half of the price that I would've paid in the US, even including non-EU resident fees.

I paid 19,000 euros, or a little over $20,000 a year, to attend school in Ireland, whereas, in the US, I've estimated a similar education would've cost me at least $38,000 a year.

This story was originally published on September 12, 2023, and most recently updated on August 1, 2024.