By Olivia Johnson
For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed about exploring Europe—the history, the culture, the food, and the people. It feels like the kind of adventure that could teach me things no classroom ever could. While I haven’t booked my ticket yet, I’ve been talking to people who’ve lived or traveled there, and their stories have been eye-opening. It’s given me a new perspective on what a year abroad might look like and whether it’s worth pausing my life in the U.S. to experience something completely different.
I met a surfer a few days ago, in fact, she’s the inspiration behind this article. Tall, tan with a beautiful British accent. Mid to late 30s. Not a bad surfer, either. We spent a couple of hours surfing the Wedge in Newport Beach and chatting about the UK. She was born in Saffron Walden, small town in Essex, England. She spent a year backpacking all over Europe when she was in her twenties. She said it was the best decision she ever made. According to her, Europeans have a very different approach to work and life. “In a lot of places, especially southern Europe, people value their downtime,” she told me. “They’re not in such a rush all the time. It’s not about working yourself to death; it’s about living a good life.” That idea stuck with me. Could seeing a lifestyle so different from the hustle culture in the U.S. help me figure out what I really want out of life? On a side note, interestingly enough, she’s never had a license and never driven a car! I’ve never been out of the country but I have a license and drove my first car at 16. She told me it’s not at all uncommon for people in her area to never have a car. The price of fuel, MOT forced upkeep and the taxes and insurance make it too difficult for a car, besides, they have trains everywhere! Oh! The glorious trains, I just want to ride them all over! I don’t understand why America doesn’t have passenger trains connecting everyone to everything!
I also spoke to a classmate’s older brother, Kyle, who spent two years living in Germany. He told me the education system there is structured differently. “College isn’t the only option like it is in the U.S.,” he said. “Trade schools are a huge deal, and people respect them as much as universities. I think that’s something we’re missing back home.” I often wonder if our culture puts too much pressure on young people to go to college, even if it’s not the right fit for them.
Then there’s the travel itself. One of my coffee shop coworkers, Marta, grew up in Spain before moving here. She said traveling within Europe is incredibly easy and cheap compared to the U.S. “You can hop on a train and be in another country in a few hours,” she said. “Each place feels like a new world with its own language, food, and traditions. You learn so much without even realizing it.” That’s exactly the kind of immersive experience I’m craving.
But not everything I’ve heard has been rosy. One of my coffee regulars at the shop complained that the cost of living can be high in some parts of Europe, especially for travelers. “You’ll need to budget carefully,” he warned. “And be prepared to work odd jobs if you want to stay longer. It’s not always glamorous.” He also said language barriers can be tough, even in countries where English is widely spoken. He broke into some language that sounded so bizarre, but filled with English words that I understood. He explained it was “cockney”, and then he cleverly mimicked some speaking styles of Scotland, Wales, Northern parts of London, etc. I could barely keep up. He might as well have been speaking a foreign language, even though it was all English. He said it’s the same for him when he hears people with a long southern drawl, or people from Texas. He laughingly told me he never understands a single word Texans say.
I had an interesting conversation with James, a guy from Kent, England—the same area as the White Cliffs of Dover. He told me he feels safer in England because guns are essentially nonexistent, and knives are illegal to carry. Even the police there don’t carry guns, which is hard for me to imagine.
James said he was genuinely shocked when he first came to the U.S. and saw people casually walking around with knives sticking out of their pockets. “In England, that would be a huge deal,” he explained. “Here, it’s just… normal. No one even bats an eye.” While he admitted he’s never personally seen violence or crime during his times in America, he says the news makes it seem like chaos is happening constantly. “It’s strange because your country feels so friendly, but the media paints a completely different picture,” he said. He’s visited America 6 times because his parent have friends and family in LA.
It got me thinking: how much of what we believe about safety and danger comes from actual experience, and how much is shaped by the news? And how does the balance between personal freedom and public safety vary so much between countries? It’s definitely something I want to explore more during my travels. I have a knife I keep in my backpack, I’ll make sure to leave that behind when I go!
Agnes, is one of my regulars at the coffee shop, as we have Yorkshire tea. She moved to SoCal last year to live with her son. She has a thick British accent full of glottal stops and missing the letter “h” and is always telling me and anyone else nearby about the differences between our countries, especially when it comes to food.
She’s constantly baffled by the high prices of fruits, “veg”, and especially bread. “In Colchester, I could get a loaf for 38 pence!” she exclaimed once, shaking her head at the price of bread here. That’s less than 60 cents in American money. Agnes told me she could buy large packs of grapes, oranges, potatoes—pretty much any produce—for less than a quid back home. She pulled a bunch of carrots out of her bag one day, and exclaimed “six american dollars! That’d be 45 pence in Sainsbury’s back ’ome.”
And don’t even get her started on the taste of bread here. “It’s too sweet,” she insists, “everything here has too much sugar and tastes like chemicals.” She had the whole shop cracking up when she declared, “I may be old, but I don’t need all these preservatives!”
But for all her critiques, Agnes is quick to say how much she loves America and its people. She even gave me travel advice, insisting that if I go to England, I must try a roast at Toby Carvery.
“The prices and chemicals in the states are rubbish,” she says, “but the people are brilliant.”
I’ve read about some of the challenges young people face there. In countries like Italy and Spain, youth unemployment rates are high. While that might not directly affect me as a traveler, I really don’t have much money, and it’s a reminder that no place is perfect. Every country has its own set of problems, and Europe is no exception.
Still, the idea of stepping away from my comfort zone and seeing the world through a different lens is incredibly appealing. I imagine myself working in a little café in Paris, volunteering on a farm in Italy, or simply soaking in the beauty of a quiet village in Switzerland.
What I’ve realized from these conversations is that travel isn’t just about seeing famous landmarks or eating amazing food—it’s about growth. It’s about understanding how other people live, what they value, and how they tackle life’s challenges. It’s about figuring out what kind of person I want to be.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you traveled through Europe or lived abroad? What was your experience like? Do you think it’s worth putting off school or work to do something like this? And if you’ve been to Europe, what advice would you give someone like me who’s thinking of going?
For now, I’m saving up, researching, and dreaming about my future adventure. Maybe it’ll be the best decision I ever make. Or maybe I’ll decide it’s not the right time. Either way, I’m learning just by asking the questions—and I can’t wait to hear your stories, too.