I don’t know about the rest of you all, but I spend a lot of time on TikTok. Mindless scrolling for hours is my favorite form of entertainment. I spend so much time on the app that I truly believe the algorithm knows me better than I know myself: every single topic that I find somewhat interesting shows up on my For You Page. One of these interests is traveling, which is how I ended up on a very niche side of the app: American women moving to Europe.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I also fantasize about moving to Europe constantly, but the way some people on this side of TikTok talk about the move is simply ridiculous.
No, moving to Europe won’t solve all your problems. In fact, sometimes it might create even more problems, especially if you move with no preparation at all.
I once saw a TikTok of a girl who was moving to Italy and she said something along the lines of “I don’t have a job waiting for me, I don’t speak Italian, I don’t even know what currency they use” after publicizing to her thousands of followers that she was moving in less than a week. How is that okay? It just seems like a poorly thought out decision that will bring more negative consequences than positive. How are you going to communicate with people? How are you going to make a living? Where are you even going to live?
She also recommended people follow in her footsteps and move to Italy on a whim. That personally rubbed me the wrong way. If you want to be irresponsible, go ahead, but don’t pretend that what you’re doing is okay to promote to others. This is especially annoying when considering that she is aware that her decision is only possible due to a great amount of economic and citizenship privilege. Most people can’t afford to stop what they’re doing, quit their jobs and move abroad, and it’s especially insulting to people who have been trying to immigrate to Italy for years but are unable to do so because the requirements for citizenship, residency, permits, etc are extremely unequal depending on where you’re from.
There are also people on TikTok that talk about how moving to “Europe” (note how they always say Europe but never specify which country. Europe is a continent, people) completely solved all their issues. I’m sorry to say that the euphoria you’re feeling right now from this very big change you just made in your life is unfortunately temporary. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to find a job, work, and return to your normal life, and what are you going to find? That European countries have their pros and cons just like any other place.
Europe is so glorified by Americans, especially ones who do not pay attention to the news. European countries still have huge problems with racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, global warming, refugees and more. Countries in Europe should not be put on a pedestal simply because their architecture and landscape matches your “aesthetic.”