American who relocated to Spain shares 7 things she doesn’t miss about US: 'I feel safer here'
After a decade in Spain, a Texas-born woman says she doesn’t miss US work culture, tipping, car dependency or the “constant sense of danger in public places".
An American woman who relocated from Texas to Spain a decade ago has listed seven things she no longer misses about life in the US. Cepee Tabibian moved from Houston to Madrid at the age of 35 with “a suitcase and a rough plan to teach English for a year,” but ended up staying. Now based in Malaga, she told CNBC Make It that Spain’s lifestyle, safety, and social norms made her feel more at home than she ever did in the US.
“As the daughter of Colombian and Iranian immigrants growing up in Texas, I never quite felt like I belonged anywhere. That changed when I moved to Spain in 2015. I’ve built a life here centred around community, freedom, and balance,” she told the outlet.
Tabibian revealed that she now runs a platform called ‘She Hit Refresh’ that helps women over 30 relocate abroad. She said that she still visits the US, but added that after 10 years in Europe, there are several aspects of life in the US she is relieved to have left behind.
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US vs Spain
One of the biggest differences she highlighted was work-life balance. In Spain, full-time employees receive 22 days of paid leave plus 14 national holidays, all widely used without guilt. However, in the US, she said that she used to “hoard” her 10 precious PTO days like gold.
Another major shift was transportation. Having relied on a car for everything in Texas, Tabibian shared that she now walks most places and uses clean, inexpensive metro and bus services. “Walking everywhere has done wonders for my stress levels,” she said.
Healthcare was another source of stress in the US. She described the American system as “GoFundMe-style healthcare,” compared to Spain’s affordable, streamlined access, where she pays about $76 a month for private coverage.
Further, Tabibian highlighted one of the major differences she noticed in Europe - women's safety. “As a woman, I feel safer walking home at night in Spain,” she said, crediting denser cities, late-night street activity, and stricter gun laws.
“In the US, I was always on alert. Whether it was walking through a parking lot after dark or attending a crowded event, there was a constant, low-level anxiety around harassment and gun violence. Spain’s strict gun laws help,” she told CNBC.
Tabibian went on to say that she doesn’t miss tipping culture or what she calls “extreme patriotism and polarisation”. “Every time I visit the US, I’m shocked at how out of control tipping has become..In Spain, where service staff earn fairer wages, rounding up or leaving a few coins at restaurants is a small token of appreciation, not an expectation. And you’ll never be asked for a tip for your morning pastry,” she said.
The final and most personal change she noticed after moving to Europe was freedom from traditional timelines. “Of all the things I don’t miss, this might be the most impactful one,” she said, explaining that, unlike in the US, she never feels judged for being single and childfree in her 40s.
“It’s completely normal to be single and childfree in your 30s and 40s. It’s great to go out and see plenty of people your age and older at social events, bars, and more. When I moved here in my mid 30s, I felt far less judgment for being unattached and not having children,” she said.
