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A mosaic of travel images featuring whimsical and unique public art, castles, historic buildings, natural landscapes, and cityscapes. The photos show diverse sights, from cube houses to ornate chandeliers. A text overlay reads "Expat Life"

We have found over the past 15 years that living abroad is the ultimate passport to endless European adventures.

My motto here at Sidewalk Safari is Work to Live, Live to Travel, Travel for Work. Expat life is a next-level enabler of this part-time travel lifestyle.

This isn’t just about taking vacations; it’s about making travel an inherent part of your daily existence, especially when you call a new country home. Having resided in Dublin for twelve years and now settling into Lisbon, Portugal, I can tell you that living abroad fundamentally transforms how you experience the world.

The Expat Life category on Sidewalk Safari is dedicated to the unique travel opportunities that arise from moving outside your home country. It encompasses trips stemming directly from living abroad, including exploring your adopted cities, and embarking on journeys you likely wouldn’t have considered if you hadn’t made the move.

Here’s how living abroad can amplify your travel passion…

Unparalleled Proximity to Diverse Destinations

One of the most significant advantages of expat life in Europe is the sheer ease and affordability of reaching a multitude of countries. Low-cost carriers like Ryanair offer flights to a wide range of popular city break destinations, and even places you might not have heard of before.

This means a quick hop on a bargain flight can transport you to a completely different culture in just a couple of hours.

For instance, our move to Lisbon has allowed us to frequently travel between Lisbon and Porto. From Dublin, we’ve taken advantage of Ryanair’s deals to visit places like:

We even leveraged seasonal direct flights from Dublin to Biarritz for a trip to St. Jean de Luz in Basque Country of France.

The compactness of Europe also makes train travel efficient for exploring neighboring countries or regions, such as getting from Munich to Augsburg or from Prague to Dresden and Leipzig.

Of course, these examples just scratch the surface of the travel experiences we’ve had as American expats living in Europe for over a decade.

Deeper, Authentic Immersion in Adopted Cities

Living in a place for an extended period allows for a much richer cultural experience than a typical vacation. You get to explore beyond the main tourist attractions and discover hidden gems, diving in to experience life like a local.

In Dublin, I’ve curated countless experiences, from exploring city walks and parks to delighting in little known places for over 10 years.

Living abroad means you learn what the city is like in different months. You have the opportunity to experience local festivals, cozy up in the pub in January, or seeing the city twinkle with Christmas lights in December. You also learn to navigate day trips easily, whether by carshare to Wicklow and Kildare, or take weekend breaks by train to places like Galway and Limerick.

In Lisbon, we’ve actively sought out the city’s hidden gems and the best coffee shops in different neighborhoods. Experiencing Lisbon across various months has revealed the city’s unique charm, from the quieter off-season in January and February to the buzzing summer months of June, July, and August.

Opportunity for Unique Short-Term “Local” Experiences

Expat life, especially during longer holiday periods, allows you to pretend to live somewhere new for a short while. Instead of just visiting, you can rent an apartment for a week or two, setting up a temporary home to explore a city more slowly and deeply.

This has enabled us to experience Christmas in places like Bruges, where we could enjoy the festive season like locals. Bilbao, Spain was one of our favorite Christmas trips, offer a quiet and very authentic local respite far removed from typical tourist routes.

Similarly, visiting Bratislava in winter provided the chance to see the old town free from crowds and enjoy Slovakian comfort food.

Our goal to visit every country in the European Union has also been driven by living in Europe, leading us to discover places like Luxembourg and Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

In essence, expat life transforms travel from an occasional event into a continuous lifestyle. It’s about opening doors to frequent exploration, fostering deeper connections with new places, and discovering authentic experiences that enable you understand the world better.

Experience Expat Life in Lisbon

Explore posts that showcase what is possible when you live abroad in Portugal like we do.

Experience Expat Life in Dublin

Explore posts that showcase some of the fun things we experienced while living in Ireland by over a decade.

Trips Unlocked by Our Expat Life

Come along and discover some of the amazing places we had the good fortune to see that we may have never had the chance to visit without moving to Europe!

Don’t Forget: Sharing is Caring…

A view through an arched gateway with an ornate iron gate. The 25 de Abril Bridge in Lisbon is visible in the distance. A blue overlay with text reads "Expat Life: The Next-Level Travel Lifestyle Enabler."
A photo collage with the text "Expat Life Your Ultimate Passport to Endless European Adventures." The images show various landmarks, statues, and landscapes.
A photo of a rusty cogwheel with the red Poolbeg Lighthouse in the background. A pink overlay with text reads "Live Like a Local Deep Immersion in Your Adopted City."