hey YouTube Alex here and in today's video I want to answer the question what are the benefits of living alone as an expat I'm often getting this question about my bachelor lifestyle and I think that might be coming
to an end here pretty soon I've encountered a lot of benefits of this is I've spent a lot of my time overseas as a bachelor dating so without further Ado let's get into it the first point is independence
and when you were living as an expat Bachelor you can really decide everything about your life you have a lot of control over lifestyle design if you want to travel somewhere else for the weekend if you want to
travel to another country another city you don't have to ask anybody if you want to spend a couple days at home and not really go out not really do anything you don't have to ask anybody all of your
decisions are on you and you can really have this granular control what do you want to eat where do you want to go what do you want to watch on TV you have so much Independence and it's really
refreshing I think for some guys that maybe they're having recently gone through a breakup or divorce then they like this level of control they like this level of Freedom they don't have to think about what another person might
want to do or how another person might want to spend their time they have so much Independence in terms of decision making and I think for some it could be a little scary but I think for a lot
of guys they like that they like not having to think about okay well if I can't make it to work today how is that going to affect my team if I can't pick up the kids from school how
is that going to affect my significant other as for me I really like that I can come and go from my apartment at any time I never have anyone asking me questions why are you going here why are
you going there why did you spend time with that person why are you going to meet this person it doesn't matter what hour I leave my apartment it doesn't matter what hour I come home whether I bring somebody
with me or not whether I'm going to meet someone one or not I like to try different restaurants and I found that a lot of Filipinos are not open to Western Food they'll try it but they don't really
like it and I'm not the type to say you will eat this or you will eat that they often prefer to have Filipino foods this isn't a concern for me as a single guy I can really just eat
wherever I want whatever I want whatever hour I want makes no difference I live to make myself happy and to satisfy myself at this point now there are some trade there are some downsides which I'll talk about in
a different video but for now let's focus on the benefits of living as a bachelor the next point is personal growth and I found that when I was younger and I was in relationships I had this sense of
contentment that caused me to stagnate in some ways I was so happy with being in a relationship and not feeling lonely and getting attention that I kind of just spaced out when it came to advancing myself and in
terms of Education or improving my life in different ways I just felt so content I don't really see a point in trying to get ahead because I felt like I had it made and so when you are in
a happy relationship for some of us we can just kind of slow down relax not really feel like we need to get a whole lot done we feel like we made it as a single guy I've been principally
focused on my investments and my health and wellbeing and growing on a personal level I can really focus on what's best for me in a way that in a way that I couldn't when I was in a relationship
in a way that I can't when I get into a relationship again because when you're in a relationship you also have to consider what's best for another person being single has really given me the time to focus on
my own interests when I was working in the corporate world I had to focus on what my boss wanted what my company wanted and when I was in relationships I had to focus on what my girlfriend wanted and
now as a single guy I can focus on what I want and I can pursue personal growth I can make time to go exercise I can make time to eat healthy I can make time to explore and go
to see and do the things that I'm curious about personal growth can take many different forms I think a lot of you will find this to be the benefit of being a single guy or a bachelor expat because
you get to dictate how that personal growth plays out if you have a weight loss goal you realize okay I need to reduce my sugar intake or I need to to or maybe I need to cut out certain
types of fats or Oils I don't know what that Journey looks like for you but if you're an expat Bachelor you can dictate that plan you can really determine what personal growth looks like for you you could set
the goals right you could say you know what this is what personal growth looks like for me as an example I want to learn to be happy alone well what does happiness look like and how do I know
when I've attained it the next Point here is privacy if you are in a relation ship or if you've ever been in a relationship you know that privacy can go out the window that your girlfriend will ask you
why didn't you shave why don't you wear this why don't you wear that you need to do this you need to do that you're not going to have the same level of privacy in a relationship that you do
as a single guy even as a single guy I get recognized when I go out in public not just from the YouTube channel also through women who are in the Social Circle of a woman I'm chatting like her
friends or family or acquaintances is you might get recognized in public by her friends or her cousin she's probably going to tell them hey this is the guy I'm talking to this is the guy I'm interested in I've
had that experience here in Dumaguete where I've been chatting with a woman in another city and she reached out to me saying oh hey my cousin saw you hey my sister saw you so if you're totally The Bachelor
you're not even chatting with women then expect to have more privacy where for a lot of us when we start to chat and talk to different women our privacy she's going out the window you have the coconut security
cameras let's say across the islands just observing you and seeing what you're doing if you are dating other women if you invite other women out or over to your place that kind of thing people will see this people
will pick up on this you'd be surprised that who is paying attention I also find Filipinos in general to have very good eyesight uh much better than myself they can see they can see much more clearly for longer
distances and with much sharper Vision than myself that's something to be aware of that you want the Privacy to get up go where you want do as you please you'll have to give some of that up if you
want to move on from a bachelor lifestyle and conversely I think this is one of those advantages of being a bachelor and moving around a lot is if you move around a lot you may not have the same
opportunity to get into a relationship if your plan is to travel to Philippines and you're moving from location to location every month through every few weeks can you really start a relationship you'd have to clarify with that person
hey are you open to moving around with me or do you need to be in this location is it really important for you to be in this location or can you come with me so the next point point
number four is cultural immersion and for me being a bachelor being a single guy I much more likely to be invited to different events I've been invited to fiestas here in newag and if I had a girlfriend I
don't know that I'd be as likely to be invited by female friends I don't know that that would be as socially acceptable or socially appropriate I think that it'd be more likely that there would be some kind of
issue or challenge there we'd have to be mindful of that additionally if you want to attend different events and you need to bring your partner with you you're going as a couple you're not really going as an individual
you may not have the ability to integrate to the same degree because you're having to integrate as a couple maybe you need to go to her family events as opposed to the events of your friends I've spoken to
different Filipinos about this and typically it would not be acceptable for their boyfriend or husband to go and hang out with other single Filipinos and it just wouldn't be culturally appropriate so if you are a single guy you
don't have that constraint like you would in a relationship Point number five and this probably factors into every reason in this video is flexibility as far as flexibility goes if I wanted to go over there to sikor Island
I wouldn't have to think about it I'd just walk over to the ferry terminal and buy a ticket I'd be in siki wh in like an hour or so depending on which Ferry I took I wouldn't have to
go and ask hey do you mind if I go over to sikor hey do you have time to go over to sikor what time do you need to be back tomorrow these questions just don't play into the equation
so you have this flexibility of oh I could just go over there with very little thought and then oh you know what I like siki wh I think I'll stay for a week you can do that that not
a problem where if you're in a relationship you've got to consider hey do you have time to go to siki do you want to go to siki wh would you prefer to go to opo Island you have to
consider a lot of other things and then you have to think about their scheduling the next point is self-care and if you're in a relationship you've got to prioritize not just yourself but the other person but if you're
a bachelor you can look after your own well-being if you want to go work out you can work out whenever you want you want to have a specialized diet I think it's easier to have a specialized diet as
a single guy whatever you want to do to take care of yourself is easier to pull off as a single person if you want to just chill at home one day relax not go out not feel pressured I
need to go here I need to go there then you can do that as a single guy if you didn't sleep well the night before nobody's going to be asking you the next day hey can we go to
the grocery store hey can we go here hey can we go there we have this thing at my parents house none of those things apply you could just chill at home get all the the rest you want you
could sleep in I slept in today it was pretty nice nobody had a problem with that if you're in a relationship you have to prioritize the care of another person you have to look after them you have to
make sure they have what they need and if you're single you don't have to worry about that so it's a real trade off the next point is point number seven which is budgeting control if you are a single
person all you have to worry about is your own needs you have to worry about your rent your electric your food your transportation if you decide you want to have a cheap month then you can do it you
can cut your expenses that month you can go out less you can go to the bar L you can just chill at home you can find free activities to do like going to the beach you don't have to
spend a lot whereas if you're in a relationship you've got to pay for two meals you've got to buy extra groceries you have to handle certain expenses you got to go to the doctor for them you you got
to take them to the doctor you got to pay for certain things but if you're a single guy you just don't have those expenses now some guys have said it evens out that they spend a lot on dating
but for me personally as a single guy I'm fine with a smaller studio apartment I'm fine with okay restaurants I'm fine with not shopping a whole lot these things could change with a partner depends on your partner right
some potential Partners have higher expectations some have lower expectations but typically there's going to be some amount of expectation for you to shoulder certain EXP fenses in the relationship and as a single guy for example I like to
walk I'm fine with walking long distances I think it's good for my health the big ones for me would be accommodation I think if you have a relationship you need a little bit bigger apartment and food if you're
feeding two people it's going to cost you more than it costs to feed one person you can mitigate this to some extent by cooking more at home but if you ever want to go out to eat you're going
to be paying for two meals as opposed to one meal that's worth consideration if you're just just a single guy maybe more cost effective when you think about the value of your time to just go out to eat
unless you're a chef I have some friends one comes to mind that's probably watching this video and he worked as a chef for a long time so he can make fantastic meals in line with his desires that are
really great quality for a modest price point but for those of us who don't have that experience or training we may be better served by just going to restaurants I personally don't cook at home but I do think
that could be a way to save money the next point is you avoid the challenges of a relationship we hear the term sometimes drama in relation to miscommunications or disagreements between expats but I think it can also apply
to relationship drama I mean you have a disagreement with your partner you think you might want to break up whatever it may be even minor disagreements over very mundane topics cultural differen is can lead to disagreements that as
a single guy you don't have to worry about that right now I'm single I don't have to worry about disagreements with a partner I don't have to worry about cultural sensitivity to the same extent that I would if
I were in a relationship there's just not as much for me to bump into or run into as a single guy I spend more of my time alone than I would if I were in a committed relationship and
it's quite peaceful there's no hey did you leave the toilet seat up there's none of the challenges that come with having to consider another person in the friction that it can cause it is a tradeoff I'm not here
to tell people that oh you should be single and being single is the only way to go about things but there's some benefits to being single the next Point here is socializing some would assume that your social life
will improve if you're in a relationship but I actually think it's the opposite for a lot of guys and if you're single you can tag yourself onto different group outings a lot more easily you could just jump into
plans more easily if people have one extra spot in their car going somewhere it's a lot easier than if you're a couple trying to tag on to that same outing I've also found that for other Bachelors or other
single people it's easier to tag on as a single person I spend more of my time with my other friends that are single than I do with friends and relationships just because naturally we end up going to the
same places we end up living certain neighborhoods cater more to Bachelors or to single people whereas other areas cater more to couples you'll hear this a lot that in you'll hear this a lot that downtown dumag is more
of a place for single guys whereas an area like Valencia is catering more toward couples or people in relationships married people and that probably goes for just about every city you could think of that certain areas more for
single people other areas more for those in relationships additionally if I want to go out as a single guy the only person that needs to make that decision is me whereas if I'm in a relationship and my significant
other doesn't want to go out you may feel bad depending on your relationship that you're leaving them behind I know of some guys who are in relationships where they're not allowed to go out alone make of that what
you will I wouldn't be comfortable in a relationship like that some guys find themselves in codependency and not being allowed to go out on their own not being allowed to have that Independence I find that most of my
friends are not in that situation but that goes for any country I have friends growing up that they grew up in toxic families and they didn't learn how to function as an individual within the context of a relationship
and they were joined at the hip with their significant other there was no room for them to go out and meet up with friends have fun I'm not saying going out to the bar but even just like going
out exploring maybe taking a trip together something like that I mean maybe some people are happy with that I personally would not I like some degree of Independence I like some amount of time spent with friends or alone
each person has to find the balance that works best for them but I know as a single guy there's none of those concerns the final point point number 10 is that you have the freedom to reinvent yourself if
you are in the context of relationship then you might fall into Old patterns of behavior I know some of us are triggered by past relationship baggage as a single guy you have the power to reinvent yourself and you
get to make the decisions about how you want to reinvent yourself if you want to to lose weight if you want to join a gym if you want to if you want to take an online class however you
want to reinvent yourself if you want to become more outgoing if conversely if you want to spend more time alone some guys will go to countries or cultures where the people are more introverted other guys other guys would
prefer to be in a more introverted culture and spend more time alone there's nothing wrong with that there are many different benefits in terms of Reinventing yourself that being a single xack can provide this list is just scratching
the surface you could pursue all kinds of different activities where if you're in a relationship you got to consider what they want to do if they don't want to scuba dive then you may not be doing quite as
much scuba diving as you'd prefer so let me know what you think down in the comments below are you planning to be an expat Bachelor are you planning to be in a relationship if you want to be an
xat Bachelor what are the benefits that you for see have you sorn off relationships are you committed to the bachelor life it always helps to generate interesting discussion question in the comment section when we share our thoughts and
ideas next give us a thumbs up it helps with the YouTube algorithm and finally subscribe to the channel down below if you want to see more content like this and we'll see you soon
