20 people share what happened when they bought a one way ticket and ran away.

If you're stuck in an unfulfilled job or living in a town you don't love, it's likely you've daydreamed about packing your bags and buying a one-way plane ticket far away. While running away to start a new life can sound romantic on paper, for many of us it's more complicated than it sounds. You have to wager who and what you'd be leaving behind, how it would affect your health (both mental and physical), and whether you're in a financial position to take that risk.As with most big risks, jetting off to build a life in a new location can come with huge rewards when all goes well. While starting off new is no cakewalk (even for the most privileged among us), a new location can often lend clarity and perspective on what makes us happy.In a popular Reddit thread, people who bought a one way plane ticket and changed their life share how it went down and whether they have regrets.1. GonzoTron made it happen. Fed up with my job/life in the states. Sold everything, moved to Costa Rica and opened a beach bar and restaurant. Couldn't be happier. edit: not toby 2. MorbidlyMacabre has no regrets. In May, I quit my secure high paying job with the United States Postal Service and moved to Australia. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. My mental health has improved, and my anxiety and stress is almost non-existent. I also lost 30lbs. 3. Inbunn found love in a hopeless place. I was severely depressed suicidal in college and decided one day to just say "fuck it" and I bought a plane ticket to Las Vegas to live with someone I met on the internet, hoping he would kill me so I wouldn't have to do it myself. It is now four years later, that guy is my fiancé, I have friends, I have a job that I love, and I'm hoping to go back to school someday because I want my degree. I am happy. 4. selfenginuity took the learning leap. It was the best decision I made. I am a completely new person, I dealt with being "the old guy" at a local university for a little while but am now more than happy in my work and my relationship. This is the polar opposite of "old" me that I left behind. Edit: based on responses I feel the need to point out that I should have worded that "older guy." I was in my early 30's taking classes with 20-22 year olds, lol. 5. Tremodian has been on a trail of volunteering. I volunteered in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and stayed two years. It was the most challenging, rewarding, and scarring time of my life. Now I'm, uh, between jobs, but am staying with disaster response work in the US and abroad and continue to love it. 6. Snuggle_fux made the best decision possible. Some background info on my story: I was in a bad relationship with a guy, and I had a friend that lived 1200 miles away that I would frequently talk to. My friend and I would always 'joke' about the idea of me picking up everything and moving to the state he was living in and just starting over. So, 4 years ago I had just lost my job (the owner of the place I was working at decided to shut down without telling me...ON MY BIRTHDAY...of all days...), I was having major problems with my boyfriend at the time (who I was living with), and my parents had just moved 2000 miles away (which was particularly difficult for me..). During one of my ex's routine bullshit arguments, I said to myself, "I'm not taking this anymore. I do NOT have to live such a miserable life." I started packing up everything I could fit into my car (which was about half of everything I owned...but I had to cut my loses and get on with my life). I texted my friend who lived 1200 miles away, and basically asked him "hey remember how we talk once in a while about me grabbing all of my shit and moving down to city he lived in and start over? That sounds pretty awesome right now...and i'm 100% serious..." He basically replied, "What?! Ok lets do this! When are you getting here? :)" It took me 18 hours of driving to get down there, but I never looked back and I have no regrets about my decision. Fast forward to today, this friend is now my husband, and we have a cute little 1 year old together. We live in a nice house outside of a rapidly growing city, my husband and I have great jobs, and I'll be finishing my bachelor's degree at the local university downtown. Dropping my 'old life' to start new somewhere else was the best decision I ever made. It was always a terrifying thought (for me, at least), but I reached the point where I thought, "not only do I WANT a better life for myself, I DESERVE better and to be happy." Edit: WOW! My first Reddit Gold!!! Thank you so much kind stranger!!! 7. baconrising's backpacking trip didn't go as planned. Man, this is too late to be seen, but I tried the whole one-way ticket new life. I went to Portugal with a grand scheme to walk across Europe with very little money(5 euro a day), and use couch surfing and work away along the way. I lasted a week, then got caught camping on a farm outside Lisbon. Then got deported because I couldn't pay the fine for "illegal camping" and not having enough money to be in the schengen zone. And the immigration officials were not happy with my plan to work (for free or for under-the-table tourist jobs) without a visa, as well as probably overstaying the 3-month tourist stay. So they put me on a one way ticket to Newark, I had to spend the rest of my money to get back to Vegas, and lived in my camping gear I bought for the trip on BLM land while I went to school. Still in school, not in a tent now. 8. Ipsey ran away and didn't look back. Not even a little bit. :D I love my new life. I've told this story before, but here it goes again. I met my husband in September 2008. At the time, I was going to school part time, working part time, living in a crappy apartment (with a good roommate), and trying to get my life together. For my birthday that year, I treated myself to a European vacation; with the intention of having one last blow out party time before coming back to settle and pay off my debts, finish school, find a better job, get a house, and get married. While I was on my (absolutely amazing) European vacation, I met my husband and we hit it off right away. He brought me to his home town, and I just absolutely fell in love with everything about this place. It's a quiet little city on the seaside and it looks like it belongs on a postcard. I was only with him for a week before I was off on my next leg of my trip (visiting a friend in the UK), but as he was dropping me off at the airport he begged me not to go, to change my flight and stay with him. I was sorely tempted, but I didn't have the money to alter my itinerary. So I got on the plane to London, met up with my friend, and spent the entire week missing this really cool guy and this quiet little town he was from. We talked absolutely every day after I got to the UK, and then every day after when I got to the States. He asked me to move in with him. I told him I wouldn't without some sort of guarantee, like marriage. He came to visit me and meet my family in December 2008, where he proposed, I accepted, and I told my family that I was dropping my life and moving to Europe. This caused an understandably mixed reaction. My mother was furious, my dad was pleased, and all of my co workers were confused that I would give up my stable, well paying job to run off to Europe with some guy that I barely knew. Five years later, the company I worked for has completely shut down the facility I worked with and 99% of the people I worked with are laid off. I had to restart my education when I got here (apparently there are very few small european seaside towns where it matters that you majored in Dance); but I graduated last June with my Associates and I just started my Bachelor's program this August. My husband and I are happily married; living in a 3 bedroom home with a beautiful little garden, and expecting our first child in April. I pretty much have everything I've ever wanted, plus I get to live by the sea. Now, is it a life I recommend for everyone? Not even a little bit. It's really, really hard, and it takes a lot of work to immigrate. It also took quite a bit of money - I had to work for over a year to save up enough money to get me here, and to have a little extra spending money left over. Because I didn't speak the language or know the system here, it was over a year and a half before I found temporary work, and another 6 months after that before I was able to start school and earn a student stipend. But I did it, and it was completely worth it for me. Small Edit: People are asking where I moved to - I moved to Esbjerg, Denmark. I came from Dallas, Texas - so from a metroplex of about 6.8 million people to a town of 71,000 people. 9. TheRealShadyShady's girlfriend changed her life. My gf did this to get away from drugs and a harmful lifestyle. She and I were both severely abused children with the drug addict wiring from birth. I lived in a big-ish city and she lived in a small farming town 2 hours away, so my chance to get out of that life was easier. The grandparents that partially raised her are very regimented and religious, so she went wild after she turned 18 (like most kids from shitty homes do) and she had another pain to numb; hiding she was gay. She dropped everything (including a high paying job) to move to a city where she didn't know anyone except her sister. She lived with her sister, her sisters boyfriend and their 6 kids in a trailer until she got on her feet. She is now a full time welding inspector and full time student, she's been off hard drugs for 6 years and she's out and proud. She doesn't have any regrets now, but she did for a while. She regretted burning the bridges she had and hurting people who were always good to her. But shes met a lot of good people now which showed her that true caring is helping someone get a job not helping them numb reality with drugs. It seems like caring to someone who came from where we did. It looks like caring when you can talk to someone about the pain you've been through and they understand what you're talking about and offer to help you get something that instantly brings you solace. And I'm sure there are some people who honestly thought they were showing her love. If she had never left, she would've stayed around the same flawed way of thinking and never second guessed how life could be. 10. Andromeda321 loves their life in the Netherlands. I did this! I was tired of where I was (grew up in Pittsburgh, went to school in Cleveland) but loved to travel, so I reckoned living abroad was like traveling all the time so I should apply for my PhD abroad. So I applied to various astronomy programs in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, and after some interviews via Skype I ended up accepting a position in Amsterdam. At that time I'd never visited the Netherlands before, so moving to another country where you don't know anyone or the language was kinda crazy, but it was just the sort of adventure I wanted and it was really exciting. Been here three years now, and I love it. :) I do interesting research with a radio telescope in the eastern Netherlands that's the biggest array in the world, I fund my travel on weekends by writing articles for science magazines and get about six weeks holiday a year, and get to live in a vibrant city filled with history and culture. I have about a year left here and people always ask me if I plan to stay here or go back when I'm done- I find that rather narrow-minded, as there are so many other nice places in the world to live and see... we'll find out where I end up next! If this is something you want to do by the way, come join us in r/IWantOut! 11. Sharloid handled grief with by cutting down their life. I'm not sure if my situation qualifies... My mum died in February 2012 and left me a little money. I was working as a payroll officer, OH as a laboratory technician. My anxiety was getting worse, I was sad, we both hated our jobs so we bought a camper van, quit our jobs in August 2012 and haven't been employed since. Our camper is rusty and old but we love it. We got 2 more dogs, and have travelled all around western Europe. We're currently working as dog handlers for a Siberian Husky kennel in Sweden. We don't really have a plan but I have loved these past two years. Most of our time has been spent wild camping in mainland Europe. Ideally we'd like to find a little property out here in the wilderness, get a few more huskies and just get by. 12. airylou loves their new life. Last summer I quit my horrible job in the states and bought a one way ticket to London. Spent an amazing 8 months there with my best friend. Now I'm an English teacher in Barcelona. Learning Spanish, enjoying the culture, traveling Europe, and could not be happier! Absolutely no regrets. 13. alexthealex loves their new life. I mean, sometimes I miss some of the books I gave away, but mostly it's great. Three years ago I lived in the South, had a semi dead-end job in a print shop, and had way too much history following me around. I'd been saving for about a year to get out, but had no idea where I was going to go. One of my friends came back from college for the holidays, touted the amazing qualities of "insert west coast city name here" and told me she had a roommate moving out soon. Within 72 hours I had tickets to move. Spent the next couple weeks packing a few things and saying bye, and I rolled out. It took me a couple months to get settled out here, but I eked by on savings until I landed a job in food service, from which I was sniped by a regular customer into tech repair. I currently live with the love of my life, have a sweet job, and am generally happier than I've ever been. Sometimes I miss home town, to be honest, but never quite enough to go back even to visit. Do it. 14. Wildcat7878 enjoys what the Air Force has taught them. I hit the reset button about five years ago. My story isn't as glorious as moving to Costa Rica or quitting a high-paying job, but it's been no-less formative for me. I'm from a rural area of Ohio and after high school I went to a money trap technical college. I graduated just as the economy crashed and found myself working at the Tire & Lube Express of a local Wal-Mart. During a conversation with a co-worker he asked me why, with my education and experience, I was working there. I told him I was just trying to get by until I could find a real job. He said "Yeah, that's what I said ten years ago..." I noped the fuck out that day, went to a recruiter and shipped off to basic a couple months later. I've been in the Air Force for over five years now. I can't say I like the Air Force much better than Wal-Mart but the pay and benefits are good and I've been to Japan, Afghanistan, Romania, Thailand and a few other places I'd have never seen if I hadn't joined. 15. itschrisreed and their dad both did it. I've done this twice and my dads done it once. It's turned out well for all of us. My story: I grew up in a suburb out side of Denver. As a teen I was active in the punk scene because that was the extent of local culture. And there where like 45 of us. Most had rich parents and college degrees but worked in coffee shops or as bike messengers. In short I didn't see anyone with the kind of life or job I wanted. When I told people my dreams I'd hear 'that's hard' or 'no one from around here makes movies' or 'they don't pay people for that'. So when I got my HS diploma I got on a plane that same day and I got off it after a very long flight in London with almost no money, one suitcase, and no idea what to do. Literally I didn't know how to get to the city from the airport. London was amazing I met some cool people and went to a punk show with them, met a girl, she introduced me to her buds and they needed a roommate. 12hrs in England and I had a home and a GF, cool I need a job. I got a few working as a messenger and in a pub and a book store. I met some cool people and got some film work. Eventually I qualified for an artist visa as a photographer and got to do some cool stuff for some leading magazines. I lost my UK visa when the economy collapsed and had to return to the states. I landed in NYC knowing 1 person. 5 years later New York City is my home, I make movies for a living, and when I tell my friends about my dreams they ask how they can help instead of shooting me down. 16. Theuglyfairy knows the struggles of relocating. 3 and a half years ago I packed 2 suitcases and moved from France to the U.S. (west coast) to live with my boyfriend. We are now married and very happy, but the move has been very hard for me, especially the first year. moving to another continent means almost never seeing your friends and family, especially with the little paid time off and the astronomic price of plane tickets. My degree does not translate very well here and makes it almost impossible (it seems) to work in my field, so I did not expect to have to say goodbye to the career I worked 5 years in college for (and I also understand that the economic climate does not help, too). I never regretted that move, but it has been so much harder than I thought. Making friends and developing a social net work in a city where neither me nor my boyfriend knew anyone has been really tough, and keeping in touch with people I will probably not see more often than every three years is not easy. Long distance romantic relationships are hard, but it is also hard with friends and family. 17. RamsesThePigeon relocated to follow their passion of writing. Depending on your definition of "dropped everything," I did this three months ago... and while I didn't buy an airplane ticket, I did drive from San Francisco to Baton Rouge, where I currently live. There have been a few moments of culture shock - some of them worse than others - but for the most part, I think I made the right decision. I've taken a decent step forward in my career, I've had (a bit) more time to focus on my personal endeavors, and I've managed to stave off the feeling of stagnation for a little while longer. Granted, I don't think I'll really be happy until I'm getting paid to write... but from what I've heard, the South has a long tradition of churning out successful authors. Maybe some of that will rub off on me, huh? Honestly, I think the hardest part of it all has been getting used to the attitude that many folks seem to have out here. Many of them will approach you with a plastered-on smile and speak politely to your face, but still display the demeanor of silently judging every word that you say. It's almost as though there's some hidden test that I keep failing, despite having said nothing more than "Good morning!" 18. BaconPenguins thinks the sacrifice was completely worth it. I'm a little late to the party, but in April 2013 I left my boyfriend of 3 years, stable job and wonderful friends in Canada to move to the Middle East to be a flight attendant. I was bored, I could tell my relationship probably wouldn't work out (we'd been together since college and we're just kind of stagnating) and I felt claustrophobic. It was terrifying, but the best decision I could have made for myself. In the last year and a half I've been to over 40 countries and seen and done some truly amazing things that I'd never have gotten the chance to do otherwise. Before you decide to get up and leave everything behind, you need to realize that you'll probably never get to go back to how it was. This is something I've struggled with (especially when my ex started dating someone new, and my friends started advancing in their careers). But saying goodbye to your old life and starting out somewhere new is one of the most liberating things I think you can do. Last week I was riding an elephant in Sri Lanka, today I'm in Rome. I love my life. 19. worktheshaft has strong negative feelings about LA. I'm a musician and I was fed up playing bars and restaurants in Virginia, so I decided to pack up all my shit and drive to LA. I moved in with 3 people I barely knew from the time we had spent on "The Voice." LA was, and probably still is, the worst place on Earth. My roommates were just as selfish, insecure, and conniving as the rest of the people that inhabited that town. So I lasted about 6 months in LA and drove back to Virginia. I live in New York now, but honestly I'm torn about that chapter of my life. On one hand, I had the balls to drop everything and try a hopeful solo adventure across the country. On the other hand, I wonder what the fuck I was thinking. I still play music for a living and I love New York. LA just wasn't the right place for me. Dropping everything and going somewhere new is extremely liberating. If you need it, then get the fuck outta there and take some chances while you can. 20. Wrath_Of_Aguirre left their comfort zone and hasn't looked back. I packed up my car and moved 800 miles away in 2010. I found a great school for audio engineering I'm about to attend (there weren't any where I am originally from), I currently work at a grocery store, have a great girlfriend, and for the first time in my life feel like I have a plan for my future. It's funny, but I think the watershed moment for me to do something completely unexpected like this was reading news articles where someone had died. People who were born in one town, lived 80 years there, and then die in the same town. It just seems like such a shame to me when there's so much world out there. This wasn't easy for me because I've always been a person afraid of change and afraid of new environments. After I forced myself to do this, I have nothing but a desire to go to new places and do new things. After I finish school, I plan to make another huge move to somewhere completely different. It's liberating to have done something I would never have thought I could do 10 years ago.