8 Reasons Why Moving Away From Your Hometown Is The Best Decision

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Last Updated on May 28, 2023

Looking for honest advice on if moving away from your hometown is right for you? Here’s all the reasons why I believe taking the plunge to move away from home is well worth it!

Moving away from my hometown last year was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my personal development. I’ve grown more confident, competent, and most of all, happier. For these reasons and more, I highly recommend the big move away from your hometown to any young adult!

While moving away from your hometown can feel daunting at first, especially depending on the distance you’re moving, it’s also one of the most beneficial things you can do for your self-growth. 

Not only will you create much-needed independence from your parents, but you will get to experience life in a completely different way. 

Life in small town Montana will be much different than big city life in NYC, or whatever you’re used to. Research even shows that people in cities are 21% more at risk for anxiety disorders and 30% more likely to develop a mood disorder than rural folks.

Wherever you’re headed to, these completely new experiences will shape you in ways you haven’t been shaped before. If you’re on the fence about moving away from your hometown, let these reasons give you further insight to what it’s like!

This post is all about moving away from your hometown.

Is it good to move away from your hometown?

There’s no right or wrong answer, but I absolutely believe that it’s a great decision to move away from your hometown! Even if it’s for a brief period in time. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to commit to anything long-term, and if one day you wanted to move back to your hometown, you’re free to!

But moving away from your hometown is a powerful way to experience self growth and further your independence as a young adult. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone by embarking on such a huge change was truly for the best and I am so pleased with the decision. You’ll never know what you’ll miss, so I say go for it!

Don’t let “some day when I move to ____” be part of your vocabulary forever. Create the life you want to live WHERE you want to live it!

Is it hard moving away from home?

Your mileage may vary on this one, and it can be hard to adjust to at first. In my personal experience, it turned out to be much more of a manageable transition than I expected!

Will you miss your family and friends? Of course. But once you get busy creating a life of your own in your new town, you find a groove that keeps some of the homesickness at bay. I was very excited to move out and create a new life in a new town, so for me, I enjoyed the journey!

Now that’s just the emotional aspect. When it comes to the logistics of moving away from home, that’s a whole ‘nother story! It takes more planning than you might think to arrange a move, especially if it’s a cross-country one, for example. I have a guide on the exact process I took and everything you need to make a move to a new city here!

Here are 8 compelling reasons why moving away from your hometown is the best decision.

1. You experience incredible growth in the area that matters most–your self-growth

When I say your self-growth will skyrocket, I mean it!

When you’re living out of your same childhood bedroom, going to the same places every day, and meeting the same people every week…well, it’s no surprise that your self-growth can feel stifled. 

You aren’t filling your life with any new, independent experiences. If you’re still closely tied to a life that is similar to your childhood, you simply don’t have the same room or opportunity to grow. At least, not to your fullest potential.

Moving away from your hometown opens the doors you need to create a life for yourself and achieve growth. I’ve noticed this happening in my emotional maturity, my cognitive abilities, and my personality.

{RELATED: 55 Eye Opening Journal Prompts for Self Growth}

Anxious about making the big move away from your hometown? I was too, and speaking with an online therapist really helped me feel ready! I always recommend Online Therapy because it’s a comprehensive, effective online therapy toolkit at an affordable monthly cost. Get 20% off your first month at the link below! 

2. You gain confidence

Especially confidence in your ABILITIES! Making a move, especially far away from your hometown, is no easy feat. 

But once you successfully accomplish not only the process of moving, but of sustaining your new life in your new home, you feel like you can handle anything. 

Maintaining your apartment/household, going about meeting friends on your own, navigating around your new city…you’ll be pleased with how well you’re handling it all!

The Moving Essentials You’ll Be Glad to Have:

Waterproof Rooftop Cargo Carrier

If you’re moving by car, you NEED a cargo topper! You don’t want to pack up your car only to find out you don’t have enough room for all your belongings. This got me through 2,000 miles of rain and wind with no trouble. 

Ratchet Tie Down Straps (for the Cargo Carrier)

If your car DOES NOT have a roof rack, you will need to secure the cargo topper with ratchet straps. The ones below are what I used.

A Utility Dolly

This one lifts up to 150 lbs. This can be a HUGE help for loading up a car or truck!

Stair Climber Dolly

Same function as the standard utility dolly, but if you’re maneuvering your belongings up and down stairs, this dolly is designed specifically for that! SUCH a lifesaver. 

3. You realize how much you need the freedom of independence

I’m sure you’ve complained during your teen years and as you entered adulthood about the need for independence and freedom from your parents. 

And you’re absolutely right, you do need it! But it’s not until you finally have that full scope of independence that you realize how fundamentally critical it is to thrive!

Feeling like you are in charge of your life with NO ONE to limit you is incredibly empowering. 

And while this can still be achieved if you move out 30 minutes from your parents, it’s just a little different when you’re making a life for yourself on your “own” turf, farther away.

{RELATED: 8 Tips for Moving Out of State Alone: A Step-by-Step Guide}

4. You have more freedom to make decisions, and therefore greater opportunity to learn from those decisions

The freedom that comes from no one limiting you is the increased ability to make your own decisions. 

And even if you aren’t making every decision with the perfect wisdom (bad decisions happen!), that’s NOT necessarily a bad thing!

This opportunity for trial and error gives you the opportunity to learn from any poor decisions. 

I will say that indecisiveness can increase, as you’re met with so many decisions to be made and the fear that comes along with wondering if you’re making the right decision. 

But ultimately, being in charge of your decisions and learning how to navigate their consequences is incredible for your growth. 

Need some help getting your budget, your packing, your PLAN and everything else together? You should grab my FREE moving checklist!

5. You hear new perspectives

If you’ve only ever lived in one or two places growing up, that means you’ve only been exposed to perspectives that are similar to yours.

Meeting people in a new area means gaining insight into different mindsets. You can learn a lot from people who didn’t go to your same high school, aren’t familiar with the nuances of your hometown or home state, and are used to a different lifestyle. 

Who knows, you may learn something new about yourself or your outlook on life by entertaining other perspectives!

6. You gain more experiences that shape you than you would have had in your hometown

For example, winter is a completely different experience for me now in Illinois than it was in California! I mean, actually having fun winter activities instead of the winter blending into the rest of the year?! Seasons?! Fascinating. 

Even meeting up with college students and other college grads at University of Illinois brings me different experiences than meeting people from San Diego State. 

Simply learning to adjust to a completely new environment with new people is shaping me in ways I wouldn’t have experienced if I stayed put. 

{RELATED: 75 Affirmations for Mental Strength to Encourage You}

7. You might gain a better relationship with your parents

If you clash with your parents while living at home, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that this is no longer the case when you put some distance between you and them.

Sometimes, our relationships with others can be strengthened with some adjustments.

Maybe your relationship with your parents feels overwhelming and strained when you’re living together. But you might get along much better when your time with them becomes less frequent, and therefore, more valued.

8. You appreciate the beauty of geographical differences

If you disliked your hometown, you might grow newfound appreciation for it after being away from it. 

I recognize that my hometown of San Diego isn’t really my ideal place to live and I still feel that way, however, it is a FANTASTIC place to vacation! 

Going back there and feeling like a tourist instead of a resident brings a whole different experience and appreciation for the little things about it. 

You might find that you miss certain aspects about the landscape, the activities, the food (oh don’t even get me started on delicious San Diego Mexican food…), etc. that you now look at with a sense of appreciation! 

And on the other side of the coin, I probably appreciate the little things about Illinois more than the people who’ve lived here their whole lives do. 

That’s just how it is: we tend to overlook the little things until we don’t have them anymore!

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This post was all about moving away from your hometown.

Did these 8 reasons why you should move away from your hometown inspire you to take the plunge, too? I promise, it’s an experience worth taking at some point!

I can’t express enough how happy I am with my decision. If you decide to move away from your hometown, just know that you’re in for a life-changing experience!

Don’t forget your FREE moving checklist!

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