I lived in Europe for 7 years before returning to the US. Here are 3 things I did right and 3 I wish I'd done differently.

I'm an American who spent seven years abroad in Budapest, Hungary , before returning to the US. I'm grateful I gave myself enough time to pack and kept documentation of my time in Europe. But I wish I'd started job hunting sooner and had more realistic expectations about starting over. After seven wonderful years in Budapest, I had to move back to the US in early 2025 because of visa issues. Packing up my life and saying goodbye to my community, network, and home was an emotional whirlwind - to say the least. Looking back, there are things I'm grateful I did, and others I would have done differently to make the transition easier. Here they are. Leaving plenty of time to pack helped me maintain my sanity When it came time to pack, I slowly deconstructed my apartment over the course of a month. I made endless trips to the thrift store, posted on Facebook Marketplace , and even hosted a move-out party where I made snacks for my friends while they raided my closet. After all that, I still found myself frantically sitting on my suitcase, trying to zip it right up until my ride to the airport arrived. However, I can't imagine how stressed I would have been if I had left packing to the last minute. I'm glad I kept or digitized all of my foreign documents From Hungarian tax forms to old leases, I'm glad I had the foresight to keep all my paperwork from my time abroad. Since much of my work was international, I didn't have as extensive a paper trail here in the States. I feel relieved that I have all my documents, so I don't appear to have been a "ghost" for all that time. Plus, keeping them helped me sort out my finances when I got home. I spent a lot of my early years in Budapest operating off of feelings instead of building financial literacy skills , and that didn't put me in the best spot. Reflecting on old tax and income documents helped me come to terms with the rocky finances of my early 20s and motivated me to make a better game plan for my next phase of life. Making time to grieve once I was back in the US was essential for healing Losing the connections, friends, and home I'd built over seven years was shocking. At first, I tried to stay positive by looking for silver linings, such as being home for family birthdays and surrounded by the gorgeous Pacific Northwest nature. However, I eventually had to slow down and let myself feel the heartbreak. I took a social media break from friends and events in Budapest, so I could be mentally present in my new situation. Talking about this transition on social media also helped me build a community with other former expats going through the same thing. However, I wish I'd started the job hunt sooner Unfortunately, before returning, I underestimated the state...

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