I spent my 20s living a dream life abroad, but returned to the US in debt. There's a lot I wish I'd done differently.

"Living abroad had always been a dream of mine, so at 23 years old, I moved to Budapest with just a few thousand dollars saved up. I only intended to stay for 12 months, but that plan changed: I spent seven years living the expat life in Hungary and traveling through Europe. When I returned to the United States earlier this year, I was absolutely rich in experiences, but financially unstable. Though I don't regret my time abroad, hindsight is 20/20."

"I was so excited to move to Budapest that I accepted the first job offer that came my way ( teaching English at an elementary school) instead of fully researching all my options. My annual teacher's salary roughly equated to less than $8,000. Since I could dip into my existing savings and only planned to stay for one year, I figured a low salary was the price to pay for adventure."

At 23, I moved to Budapest with only a few thousand dollars and intended to stay one year but ended up living there seven years while traveling across Europe. I accepted the first teaching job offer without comparing programs, earning roughly the equivalent of less than $8,000 annually. I relied on savings and traded higher pay for immediate adventure. I used credit cards that did not earn strong travel rewards, missing opportunities to accumulate points for flights and hotels. Upon returning to the United States, I had rich experiences but faced financial instability and wished I had planned and researched more.

Read at Business Insider